DaveM4P99 Posted July 23, 2012 Report Posted July 23, 2012 Hi All. I am looking to find someone who can build a shirasaya for my 1780s wakizashi, as well as completely rebuild my tsuka in WWII shin-gunto style, using my WWII shin-gunto fittings. I would also be open to ideas as to other ways to restore/mount the blade. I may be interested in possibly getting the blade remounted completely using traditional koshirae too...and getting a custom saya made. I may be interested in doing BOTH...getting it remounted in WWII style, as well as getting it mounted in traditional koshirae/saya. Any ideas? Anyone you can recommend? What would YOU do? Thanks! -Dave -Dave Quote
mdiddy Posted July 23, 2012 Report Posted July 23, 2012 Dave, I would recommend David McDonald for rebuilding your tsuka in WWII Shin Gunto style. He is a member of the board so you can find him through the forum, or you can find his website here: http://www.montanairon.com/swords.html. He has helped with several tsuka for me and I am continually impressed. For shirasaya, my togishi have always had connections to sayashi and facilitated that aspect for me. In the U.S. I think they worked with Samuel Rediske and I was happy with the quality of the sayas. I know there are other qualified sayashi in the U.S. You may want to check out John Tirado and Fred Lohman for additional info on mountings. Both have websites accessible through the links section of the board under the 'Restoration' heading. If I were having an authentic mount custom built for a blade I would spend a healthy amount of time considering different styles from different eras and historic locales. I would spend more time collecting the absolute best/right fittings to help achieve the aesthetic I want. Then I would perform healthy research to find the right person for the work. I would be very open to sending to Japan and leaving there for a long period of time. Finally, I would not let cost get in the way of achieving something really nice aesthetically. Matt Quote
DaveM4P99 Posted July 23, 2012 Author Report Posted July 23, 2012 Thanks Matt! Does David also do Shira-saya? If I can find someone to build a shirasaya, AND rebuild the tsuka, that would be best...but I know it's not always good to use someone who "does it all." But I think a shira-saya needs to be my first step, no? I was thinking Mr. Becerra of Nihonto Antiques for both jobs...any thoughts? -Dave Quote
mdiddy Posted July 23, 2012 Report Posted July 23, 2012 You would need to contact David to find out if he does shirasaya. I'm sure you can find someone who "does it all", and maybe for a better price, but my recommendation would be to find people who specialize in each area to ensure you get the highest quality. For this type of work I recommend valuing quality over price. And be prepared to be patient as each restorer will likely have a waitlist. Quality is worth waiting for. If your blade is in polish and does not have a shirasaya, then yes, I would suggest that needs to be your first step to ensure the blade is adequately protected. Also, if you are going to be shipping it around for different restorations then having the blade in shirasaya will be a big help. Matt Quote
DaveM4P99 Posted July 23, 2012 Author Report Posted July 23, 2012 OK great thanks for the info Matt. I will get in touch with David soon! Who can you recommend to build a shirasaya, if he does not? Quote
mdiddy Posted July 23, 2012 Report Posted July 23, 2012 For shirasaya, I have only had personal experience with Samuel Rediske but my togishi facilitated. I have seen and handled outstanding examples by Moses Becerra and John Tirado also. I know Fred Lohman can also facilitate this. You may want to ask around for others input or wait for their response also. Quote
DaveM4P99 Posted July 23, 2012 Author Report Posted July 23, 2012 Great thanks Matt! I look forward to hearing back from others here as well! -Dave Quote
Grey Doffin Posted July 23, 2012 Report Posted July 23, 2012 Hi Dave, You asked, "What would you do?" I would have shira-saya made. If you have all the military mounts and just need the handle rebuilt, then it may make sense to have that work done and a tsunagi made to hold it all together. I would not have traditional Samurai mounts made for the blade. See FAQ above for my reasoning on this. Grey Quote
DaveM4P99 Posted July 23, 2012 Author Report Posted July 23, 2012 Hi Dave,You asked, "What would you do?" I would have shira-saya made. If you have all the military mounts and just need the handle rebuilt, then it may make sense to have that work done and a tsunagi made to hold it all together. I would not have traditional Samurai mounts made for the blade. See FAQ above for my reasoning on this. Grey Thanks Grey! Point taken...I won't persue finding traditional koshirae and getting it mounted like that... I will get a shira-saya, and have the tsuka rebuilt using my Shin-gunto mounts. I am emailing with David McDonald, as well as Moses Becerra... Seems like Moses Becerra charges $650-$750 for shira-sayas...He says that his "aren't cheaply made shira-sayas." Does that make sense? Or does that sound high or unnecessary? Quote
Surfson Posted July 23, 2012 Report Posted July 23, 2012 John Tirado and Brian Tschernega both do very high quality work in the US. Quote
DaveM4P99 Posted July 23, 2012 Author Report Posted July 23, 2012 Great thanks! I will look into them as well, Robert. One last question for now... So I definitely want to have a Tsuka built using my shin-gunto fittings... But what should I do regarding a new Saya? Would it be proper to get a standard black lacquered saya with a shin-gunto tsuka/tsuba? What about the little saya button release? Would that still work? Or would it not be used? I guess I simply want to mount my blade using the WWII fittings that I have, but I also want a NICE new Saya made... What does everyone think?? Thanks for any help! Quote
mdiddy Posted July 23, 2012 Report Posted July 23, 2012 Dave, If I remember correctly from the original thread, the original saya was wood with a leather weathering cover and a metal ashi hanger correct? If so, you could have a new lacquered saya made (maybe even just plain wood) then carefully remove the leather weathering cover and metal ashi from the original and place it over the new one. This might detract from a new lacquer saya but would give an 'authentic' look without compromising the integrity of the inside of the new saya meant to protect the sword. You would need to be very careful in transferring the leather cover though as it will come apart if not handled delicately. You could have a wooden tsunagi made to connect the old saya with the new rewrapped tsuka and leave the sword in shirasaya. If you were going that route and wanted to display the old fittings why not leave them in their current condition as a testament to their story. Lots of options and approaches... Matt Quote
DaveM4P99 Posted July 23, 2012 Author Report Posted July 23, 2012 Great ideas Matt! Yes you are correct regarding the original WWII saya...here is a pic... Lots of tough decisions to make here... I will continue to research and speak with restorers and craftsmen...and post pics once I finally get it done! Any more comments welcome! -Dave Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.