Questions on koshirae

[edzo]

Dear members, hi to all,

Have two mountings I’m curious about. Regarding the first one, Does anyone have an opinion of the age of this Ito-maki tachi koshirae, if that is the correct terminology. I have seen a similar piece referred to as a Jindachi - zukuri??, which is correct? Some helpful details that you may not see; Length equals 40”, Under the gold ito on the saya there is a light green silk wrap with metallic gold ribbon threads in it, the menuki are dragons nicely engraved 3” long , the tsuka is wrapped with brown ito over white same. Some of the silk fabric under the ito has been lost to age?, deterioration. This is making me think it has good age. Any input will be appreciated. Thanks, Ed

[IanB]

Edward, It is not easy to judge the exact age from the photographs you have posted, but your ito-maki-no-tachi koshirae appears to be either Meiji period or possibly early 20th century. Had it been an older mount, the various fittings would probably have been decorated with kamon rather than the simple engraved scrolls I can see on the ashi. This type of mount was for formal wear by the wealthy and hence desired by the 19th century tourists to Japan. Since the supply of real swords of this type were in very limited supply, so the artisans of the day filled the need. During the 20th century quite a number of similar swords were made for the accession of the Emperor Showa (Hirohito). These tend to have plain mounts so I am guessing yours is in fact late 19th century.

Ian Bottomley

[edzo]

Dear Ian B,

Thank you for your input. I am comfortable with that. I agree with the 19th century, it just seems to have that look the more I study it. The blade is unsigned but the habaki is shakudo making me think it was likely not intended for tourist export. Thanks again, Ed

[Geraint]

Dear Edward.

 

With reference to both your koshirae I will post a couple of photos. Our itomaki tachi might be twins though the fittings on mine are silvered with a gilt edge. I have understood it to be a sword made for the coronation so Ian's observations regarding plain fittings are interesting. The second sword is in 1935 kaigunto koshirae and strangely is also signed Kunihiro though with a nijimei, pretending to be the Horikawa Kunihiro though I believe pretense is as close as it gets. Not too much to add to your knowledge but I thought you might be interested.

 

Regards

[Peter Bleed]

I agree with Ian, but will go a step farther. This is what used to be called a "Yokohama Docks Tachi". I strongly suspect that it is about 100 years old. The thing to remember about these swords is, however, that they sometimes/occasionally/often contain old mumei blades that deserve serious modern consider. I think you have bathwater here, but I recommend you check for a baby!

Peter

[runagmc]

  Quote

I think you have bathwater here, but I recommend you check for a baby!

Never heard that one before... I'm guessing that means you don't think it's anything special, but he should do a little more research just in case...

 

Edit: Now that I think about it, I do remember a saying like "don't throw out the baby with the bathwater". Anyway... moving on... :D

[edzo]

Dear Geraint, Peter, and Adam,

Thank you very much for responding to this thread. I’m not overly optimistic that a big name like Kunihiro might not be a gimei however, it demands research. My initial observation was that the original mekugi-ana is located dead-on for the smith based upon some signatures I’ve seen on the internet. The blade according to a collector that wishes to purchase it told me that it was a shinto blade and he thought Echizen based but was not very specific. The tachi is mumei but an old sword. It has been abused with scratches and I can only see the hamon in two areas and on the kissaki the boshi can be seen but all very faint. I will post some photos tomorrow, in the event you are interested or would like to comment. Thanks again guys, Ed

[IanB]

Edward, Your tachi may well have a reasonable blade. Remember what the situation was at the time your sword was assembled. The wearing of swords had been banned and the military class had been abolished and their stipends ended. I used to have a book written by the Bishop of Durham who was in Japan at this time and he comments that the antique and curio shops were awash with armour and swords that were so cheap he bought a load of stuff and shipped it home. When this initial surplus was becoming depleted, the dealers still had mountains of odd parts that could be put together to keep the trade going. They also had available, access to the craftsmen who could assemble these pieces, or indeed make new items in the styles that sold best (they could even make complete armours in the style worn by daimyo using some old parts such as sleeves and helmet bowls). If the tourists wanted court swords with the kamon of the Tokugawa on them - no problem, but they had to be made down to price that gave all involved a profit. So instead of shakudo mounts with gold rims and kamon, brass, washed with silver and partially gilt would be preferred. Shin shinto blades, irrespective of who made them or their quality, were new and would not have the sales potential of older blades. So look at the blade of your sword very carefully - you may well have something we now regard as high quality.

Ian Bottomley

[edzo]

Hi guys,

Here are some poor photos of the Kunihiro blade in the Kaigunto mount, need to set up the other camera for better shots. My observations; high and slightly raised shinogi, iori mune-hikushi, torii sori 1.2cm., masame/itame-hada the masame is near the mune. Yasurime is kiri and a kuri-jiri. On the ura side of the tang I discovered “Echizen Ju” was inscribed but difficult to see. Ed

 

Sorry sent wrong photos, hope this works. Seems i somehow got it correct. Regarding the Kunihiro and photos shown, please comment or give opinions. Have not been able to locate reliable signature close-ups.

[edzo]

Dear Ian,

If you happen back to tthis thread, Which coronation were you referring to, Mutsohito or Yoshihito? Thanks, Ed