placing daisho on rack

[Marius]

Stupid question - which of the two swords is on top - the short or the long one? I would assume the former.... I just cannot recall and I want to place my two pieces of koshirae (in Obi silk bags) in the correct manner.

 

thanks

[paulb]

long sword on top with tsuka on your left as you look at it.

[Toryu2020]

Maruisz -

I would caution that bags are for storage and racks are for display - so technically you would not see a sword in a bag on a rack in a Buke household. Of course all rules are general and subject to place, time and prevailing taste. Which is to say that I have seen many people rack their swords in bags, dojo, museums and sword shops where they did this. But if you are looking for correctness I would advise that you display the swords so the koshirae may be seen.

 

Paul has said the tsuka should face to the left which is correct, though I have heard that if you are expecting a difficult or unwanted guest you place the swords on the rack with the tsuka to the right so they are ready to use in a moments notice. You would hope of course that your guest would pick up on this and not over stay his welcome. The only absolute rule I know of is katana edge up and tachi edge down for all others exceptions abound...

-t

[Marius]

Paul, Thomas,

 

many thanks

 

Just to inform you why I use bags - as my rack is not Japanese made and quite hefty, when I display koshirae without bags, they look thin and my tanto koshirae lies flat on its side. An unsightly view... So I will keep them in bags until I purchase some Japanese rack.

[Toryu2020]

Mariusz -

No worries - you should post some pictures in the "show us your sword room" forum when you get the final look you're after.

Cheers,

-t

[drbvac]

I made some "racks" or stands to exhibit my favorites and the koshirae separate and in no way to argue with anyone as what the hell do I know - but - I have seen various daisho on stands with the smaller blade on top. Is the relative position of both set in "stone" or subject to what the observer perceives as a balance ???

 

 

 

 

 

[Lindus]

Tsuka to the right is aggression? Chap from sth Africa some years ago made this comment, often wondered.

Roy

[sanjuro]

I have always understood that tsuka to the right is not so much aggression as such, but more indicative of preparedness or mistrust. The right hand orientation came about during the warlike periods of Japanese history (which is just about all periods prior to the mid Edo), and applies to fully mounted blades. One had to be ready to fight pretty much anytime. A blade in shirasaya is more usually oriented with the tsuka to the left since it is not considered to be in an immediately usable mounting. Its a matter of choice which sword is displayed on top, although a fully mounted set of blades kept on a rack inside the house with the swords oriented tsuka to the right, would have been most likely arranged with the wakizashi on the upper rack since it is thought that this is the blade easiest to use indoors. We have however already had that particular discussion I think. Given my own preferences I'd rather have the longer blade on top, since the arrangement then proportionally resembles a torii arch.

[runagmc]

Interesting point about the torii, Keith... I never thought about it that way. It would only really apply with tachi, since the katana and wakizashi would be edge up. Which brings me to ask, what if you're displaying a tachi with a wakizashi... first, does anybody do this? I assume you would still follow the tachi edge down, wakizashi edge up rule. I guess the only way it could have the look of the torii is if you were displaying 2 tachi on one stand. Then you could have the shorter one on bottom and it would resemble the torii...

[Bugyotsuji]

Very little to do with the price of fish, but on the subject of Tsuka to the left/right, I was watching a Taiga Dorama on J TV the other day and noticed the retainers of a lord standing up and carrying their swords by the Saya in their right hands within the castle/yashiki. This would make it harder to draw I guess, unless a very rare left-handed retainer had managed to slip through the harsh educational system. Perhaps 'carry right indoors' was seen as correct manners, or even as a rule never to be broken?

[John A Stuart]

True, sword etiquette demands the sword be carried in certain ways depending on the situation. In the dojo when walking to and fro it is carried thus. In seiza there are quite a few ways it may be placed alongside one with varying degrees of preparedness. Left, right, front, behind, tsuka forward or rearward. John

[sanjuro]

Adam

 

My bad....... You have taken me very literally. The reference to the torii arch was only a general one. I refer to the overall resemblance of the arrangement, not the particular curve of a torii arch.

One should really never display any blade edge down on a rack, and although it is permitted with a mounted tachi, it is only so when there is no tachi kake available. A mounted tachi is usually displayed alone or with another tachi on a katana kake, and not usually displayed as a daisho pair with a wakizashi. The two are generally considered incompatible on the same stand. It tends to look messy as you point out because one would be edge up and one edge down. On the other hand when in shirasaya, a tachi is displayed edge up.

I doubt there are hard and fast rules with blades in shirasaya because shirasaya are considered as a storage mountings and not really intended for display.

[runagmc]

Keith, I was just pointing those things out to add something to the discussion, really. I know from reading your other posts that there was no reason to think you meant it too literally... plus I thought it was an interesting perspective that I had never considered.

[sanjuro]

Adam.

Thank god someone doesnt take me too literally..... :lol: You do however bring to mind something that has always been in the back of my mind to clarify. As a daisho is displayed on a katana kake as a matched pair, and a tachi was often paired with a tanto, what would be the correct way to display a tachi and tanto pair either mounted or otherwise. I have never seen a stand meant specifically for the purpose. I'm in mind here of the fact that both a tachi and a tanto are often displayed singly on separate stands. How are they correctly displayed together? More to the point are they intended to be displayed together?

[b.hennick]

Hello Keith:

I have seen them displayed together on a suit of armour. The tanto through the obi and the tachi hanging down. I have never seen a rack (kake) built for both.

[runagmc]

That's another good point. I can't say that I've ever seen them displayed together on a kake either.

 

Along those same lines, has anyone ever seen a matching set of mounts for tachi and tanto that were made as a pair?

[Lindus]

Yes, many years ago in the Ron Gregory collection, will see if I have a photograph.

Roy

 

 

Found it......not great quality photo but but was one of two he had, I briefly had a Tachi/Daisho but was one of the all copper mounts type.........

 

R again

[runagmc]

You answered both questions with one pic... nice job Roy