Red Cross Official's Dirk

[Ed Hicks]

Red Cross Official's Dirk...first I've owned and nice looking dagger...Blade is a standard arsenal style blade. Ed

[Bugyotsuji]

Thanks for showing this. Is the tsuka maki made of tortoise shell? Does the cross mark make it a Red Cross item?

[Ed Hicks]

The grip is turtle/tortoise shell and the Red Cross emblem is on the kashira...I am unsure of the era, but I believe it was used in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Ed

[Alan Morton]

Hi Ed, it is the first one I've seen, tell us the story of how you found it.

Thanks for posting it.

 

Alan.

[Lindus]

The cross is very crude,would expect even a "Christian" symbol would be more precise. Also the cherry blossom looks odd on the mekugi,what does the blade look like?, possibly Chinese in origin??.

 

 

Roy

[Baka Gaijin]

Afternoon all

 

One of my lateral thought shifts:

 

Has this got anything to do with the Red Cross at all?

 

The Mekugi cap reminds me of Kikyou (Balloon Flower) not cherry blossom.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platycodon_grandiflorus

 

In Japan, the pentagram is sometimes called the "Bellflower seal", and the flower was the symbol of the Onmyoryo (Bureau of Taoist Geomancy), because of its associations with Abe no Seimei and the Five Chinese Elements........

 

In Japan, it was decided that upon observing an unusual astronomical phenomenon, tenmon hakase (a master of astronomy) or a person who was well versed in astrology and astronomy and had received an imperial decree constituting the mission as the medium of tenmon misso should draw up a document stating what it symbolized by taking into account the divination and similar cases in the past, and observations; seal it; and directly submit it to the emperor through Onmyo no kami (Director of Onmyoryo, or Bureau of Divination) at once.

日本では、天文博士あるいは天文密奏宣旨を受けた天文学・占星術に通じた人物が、異常な天文現象を見つけた際には、占いの結果と過去に発生した同様の事例から勘案してその意味を解釈したものを観測記録とともに奏書に認めて密封して、速やかに陰陽頭を通じて天皇に対して上奏されることとなっていた。 - Wikipedia日英京都関連文書対訳コーパス

 

See these Kamon also:

 

http://www.tozandoshop.com/v/vspfiles/kamon/plant4.html

 

Just a thought

 

Cheers

[IanB]

Ed, This is clearly not a Chinese fake but a military or semi-military dirk of some kind. It is obviously related in style to the more usual naval dirk but the bamboo decoration is in contrast to the more usual cherry blossom motifs, and most naval dirks have a same grip. I wonder though about the originality of the kashira. It does differ slightly in patination from the other fittings and I wonder if it was originally from something else - although it is consistent in style. Note how the border and double volute above the cut-out is engraved on the kashira, but apparently in slight relief on the other fittings. I have seen a dirk, can't remember where, with a turtle-shell grip with three cherry blossoms along its length but not being terribly interested in military items, virtually ignored it. As for its age, I suspect it might be Taisho or early Showa rather than Meiji

Ian Bottomley

[Geraint]

Dear Ed, I am sure you have already checked this one out but just to say that it conforms exactly to the description and illustration of the senior officials dirk in Fuller and Gregory, "Japanese Military and Civil Swords and Dirks". The only slight difference is that they describe is as having a gilt hilt fitting decorated with a phoenix and raised cross. They report that only a few examples have been encountered so rate it as rare. Introduction dates are given as either 1886 or 1902.

 

Like Ian I came across a dagger once that had a tortoiseshell grip with three flowers on a brass plate, the type identified by Fuller and Gregory in their earlier work as a Chinese nationalist dirk. Nearly bought it, something about the quality put me off even then.

 

Nice find>