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Tensho Koshirae and sword


Henry Wilson

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I shall make a first answer to the quizz from what I have just reread in Markus book:

 

In Tensho koshirae:

 

- Tsuka is always waisted: Yes at 95%, it is one of its characteristic

- kashira is always horn: No it can be dark metal, but it must be dark

- tsuka ito is tied in diamond shape, it is leather/deer skin and laced over the kashira. Here again, exact at 95%, there are few examples (a small minority) where the ito would be silk, accordng to Jacques, Kashira not dark even copper.

- no special theme for menuki

 

I would conclude that typical Tensho koshirae have a waisted (ryugo shape) tsuka with black same which is leather wrapped in makikake style.

 

Special styles because they have ryugo tsuka in makikake style and black same are classified as Tensho Koshirae.

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Dear Jean,

Opinion rather than fact and based on what I have seen over the years described a Tensho.

1. The tsuka is always waisted

2. the kashira is horn with the ito tied over it.

3. I have seen the binding in doeskin (as in my example illustrated above) and black lacquered leather, I think there was a good example of this some time ago on Fred Weisbergs site where he was selling a Juyo papered Tensho koshirae with leather (it was a stunning set)

4. Binding is always over black same

5. Other fittings are simple, the tsuba iron.

6. Saya plain black lacquer

 

Regards

Paul

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Additional from what i saw in the past is

 

Menuki were ko-mino, ko-kinko or it could be Iron menuki.

 

Tsuba could be ko-tosho, ko-kachushi,ko-kinko, ko-mino, ko-shoami, kanayama, old Owari, but, not too big.

 

Kozuka and Kogai should be ko-kinko or ko-mino as well.

Sometime both, or only Kogai, or nothing at all.

as we see Hitsu-ana of Old Tsuba.

 

And Please look at example photos which Jean san posted the link of Tsukamaki-shi.

http://www.thejapanesesword.com/forum/v ... f=29&t=278

the Fuchi is very sepacial.

the height is very low, less than 1cm, could be 5mm.

It could be Shakudo, old copper or iron. could be ko-mino, ko-kinko,

This low Fuchi makes Tensho Koshirae looks so special.

and It is in fact very difficult to find one original.

 

Original Saya is very thin. and egg shape, Ha side is thinner than mune said.

And I remember that Kaeri-tsuno is a bit different angle, sometime different shape. but not always there.

 

However, Original one is very very rare. and i think that most of them are already Juyo papered or above.

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Thanks George,

 

is the picture showing a Tensho tsuka?

 

I have asked this question on the Samurai sword forum and it seems that your example is known as Katate Maki and is not Tensho Koshirae according to Kensen sama, well known Japanese craftsman.

 

Jean,

The pic by Richard George is Muromachi era koshirae. The Muromachi koshirae you have posted on the other forum, according to the Zufu paper... „its handle is wrapped in a style known as kangi-maki with black leather and the menuki are completely covered by the wrap“... (nihonto.com)

 

from Sesko book e-koshirae

 

Eric

post-369-14196854759986_thumb.jpg

post-369-14196854762642_thumb.jpg

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Jacques,

 

In the example given apart the first one where clearly the small sword tsuka is waisted, there are a lot of pictures of daisho which are not Tensho but court mounts. The fuchi are normal height (around 1cm) and the same is not lacquered which is one of the kantei point of the Tensho Koshirae.

 

Second picture, second sword looks like Tensho. one of the reference in Tensho Koshirae is the one I have seen in Nikkö, the Nikkô Sukezane (日光助真) Tensho Koshirae.

 

It would be interesting to heve the reference of the pictures you have posted, Jacques, together with the text.

 

All Koshirae manufactured in the Tensho period do not qualified as Tensho Koshirae. You will notice that Kensen Sama who must know his Job) as he is living by it has shown examples all waisted with black lacquered same.

 

You will notice only the Daisho is papered and as was saying Kunitaro sama, from this era all Tensho Koshirae are Juyo or above, this one is Juyo Bunkazai The others are not papered as Tensho Koshirae some of them have been rewrapped and If you look with attention, you will see that the handles are very fresh for more than 400 years of existence.

 

In Markus book, the reference are Tokugawa Ieyasu swords Koshirae. There are several pictures, the Sukezane Tensho Koshirae, the Tensho Koshirae of the Ôtenta-Mitsuyo, a Tensho wakizashi koshirae and an Akechi Koshirae.

 

All the tsuka are waisted, al the fuchi have little height, all Kashira are Buffalo Horn, all the the same are black lacquered. None are daisho.

f0020178_18334986.jpg

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All the tsuka are waisted, al the fuchi have little height, all Kashira are Buffalo Horn, all the the same are black lacquered. None are daisho.

 

Jean,

 

you forgot to mention that the tsuka is always wrapped in the tsubame- maki- style ;) .

If there were any daisho, the sho´s tsuka would be also waisted!

 

Greetings

 

ruben

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  • 5 months later...

Well I've been doing some small scale studying of Tensho koshirae bit by accident. On many days I've found myself looking at the pictures again and again. I've found the Uchigatana no Koshirae book being a fountain of knowledge in form of high quality pictures and koshirae book by Markus offers literal help, along with this thread and few other book & Internet resources.

 

So much great information on this thread and I'll ask again few questions, along with bit of text for discussion.

 

About the pictures Jacques posted earlier in this page I would say none of them are Tensho koshirae, and I'll give my reasoning, more experienced please correct if I'm wrong.

 

1st pic Juyo Bunkasai daisho is actually Momoyama koshirae, made in flamboyant style typical to this style. The daisho is number 36 in Uchigatana no Koshirae and number 54-55. in Kanzan Sato's book The Japanese Sword. On one Japanese book it's described as Unryu makie shuzaya daisho.

 

3rd pic daisho is Banzashi-daisho, which was evolved due to Tokugawa regulations. This exact example is featured on many koshirae books.

 

I would say 2nd and last pic are not Tensho koshirae, as they lack many typical features that have already been listed here.

 

Then my questions of Tensho koshirae start.

 

I know that Jean mentioned that not all koshirae made during Tensho are Tensho koshirae. I would like to ask about the rarer forms of Tensho koshirae, and how they will classify, of course you can't (nor you should) classify everything in tight boxes but as a novice it helps a lot.

 

20130610000548.jpg

 

I would classify all 3 of these above koshirae as Tensho koshirae, would that be wrong? 1st Gangi-maki example is not the most typical in regards of tsuka but saya seems to be as it is in more traditional Tensho koshirae, or does it indeed pre-date Tensho koshirae? 2nd Akechi koshirae is usually classified as subtype of Tensho koshirae I believe? And 3rd one is more typical Tensho koshirae although the saya color is bit bolder than usual.

 

20130610021730.jpg

 

Then about aikuchi uchigatana koshirae, I would say 1st is Momoyama koshirae, 2nd and 3rd are Tensho koshirae, would that be correct?

 

About the tsukamaki styles used in Tensho koshirae, I believe it's usually tsumami-maki in leather or doeskin and I believe according to Zusetsu Nihonto Yogo Jiten the openings are style of chubishi or nagarebishi. But there are some examples done in different tsukamaki styles.

 

For those intrested in Tensho koshirae, I would recommend Uchigatana no Koshirae by Tokyo National Museum, as it is stunning reference book for period koshirae.

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Hi Jussi, this thread from the start as been of great help to me. I cant comment on much but from what i know, 1st picture, first sword, similar to a sword further up in this post, an earlier sword, from what ive read. The other 2 look tensho, allthough the saya may have been relaquered at one point?. I would guess that the first sword on the 2nd picture isnt tensho, but momoyama, as you state, the other 2 look tensho to me. The rather short fuchi seems prominent on the tensho swords ive seen (finding one is a difficult), so does the hour glass shaped tsuka. As most of the pieces ive seen where laquered/shakudo it does give them a unique look, austere, is a word that as cropped up a lot, sorry to repeat. I think Grey may have a copy of the book you mention, id have it myself but now skint due to reading this post :lol:

Everything does seem to be put in boxes though which i think seems to be a mistake, ive read iron tsuba where favoured, probably where for strength but there is was also a lot of shakudo and yamagane tsuba around in that period, so taking all that into account, there must be variations in this style.

Every kind of material must have been used?, iron, copper, yamagane, bronze etc, in times of war materials can be lacking so i suppose a lot of the time its what ever materials you can get your hands on, aswell as the potential for mixing and matching parts from broken swords.

So, in a way to try and some it all up is an impossible mission, but the basics are obvious from this post.

 

Alex.

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