Satsuma Rebellion Mounts

[Wickstrom]

Hello, i am a new member here and am just getting into nihonto admiration.

 

http://www.thelanesarmoury.co.uk/shop/v ... 541&phqu=8

 

i have this sword on reserve and before i buy it i was wondering if anyone could tell me if you think this blade is worth polishing or should i just keep it as is?

 

I have also seen people talking about the authenticity of "satsuma tsuka" on other web boards on whether they were actually used in the rebellion or just old weapons picked out of castle armory's. if any of you could clear this up for me that would be wonderful.

 

thanks,

Andrew

[Toryu2020]

Andrew -

Impossible to say whether the blade can be restored based on these photos. In hand inspection is the only way to say for sure.

 

Not familiar with that smith so the mei may in fact be genuine.

 

As to the mounts, Satsuma koshirae have very specific traits which are fairly easy to recognize. Many of them were of poor quality in comparison to workmanship seen elsewhere. This koshirae doesn't look to my eye to show any Satsuma traits other than the poor quality. It certainly looks like it could be from the late Edo period and contemporaneous with the rebellion but I for one would have to see more evidence before I'd agree that it was part of that event...

-t

[Wickstrom]

Thanks for your thoughts

[IanB]

Andrew, The seller is referring to the hilt. If you look carefully you will see it is lacquered under the binding. It is in fact a cut of length of old scabbard. The bindings too are in the usual style, made of cotton tape or even folded fabric, with the usual washers in place of menuki.

Ian Bottomley

[Wickstrom]

So do you think this once was a katana shortened down into a wakizashi and then had the mounts re-sized?

 

 

also here is another picture of a "Satsuma" Tsuka if it helps.

 

 

andrew

[Wickstrom]

Also the sword is signed Nobusada Saku, i looked in the smith database and i couldn't find any matching signatures. If any of you could tell me more about this smith that would be great.

 

[Toryu2020]

There are at least 20 Nobusada listed in the Meikan,

If it were me I would be looking into the Kaga group...

-t

[pcfarrar]

  Wickstrom said:

i have this sword on reserve and before i buy it i was wondering if anyone could tell me if you think this blade is worth polishing or should i just keep it as is?

 

For the price they are asking you could buy a wakizashi in good polish with NBTHK Hozon papers. Over £1000 for an out of polish wakizashi in poor quality mounts is just crazy.

[Wickstrom]

What do you think would be a reasonable offer for a sword like this then? 500 euro?