Original tsuka length on late muromachi katana

[Alex A]

Is it possible, from blade length and nakago length (ubu) to guesstimate the size of an original tsuka length on a late muromachi sengoku katana?. Cheers in advance for any help...

 

Nakago measures 6" in length, blade 28"

 

Alex.

[Dick Tait]

I knew I'd read it somewhere - Later half of the Muromachi Period - "The Nakago is made short to suit a one-hand handling"

[Alex A]

Hi Dick, thanks for that, interesting read, not something i can remember coming across before. It is a reasonably large, heavy katana so im presuming uchigatana one handed style may not work for it, unless your built like hulk hogan.

 

Cheers, Alex.

[Toryu2020]

Alex -

The short answer is no. But if you are guessing, it is possible to make an educated guess. Obviously it could not have been shorter than the nakago is now. Can you hold the nakago in both hands or with only one hand? If before Tensho then most likely the tsuka would be within the norm for other swords from the same time and place. Do you know the era? Place of manufacture?

 

You could in theory reverse engineer such a thing but given that the original was dressed out according to the tastes of the owner or to the requirements of his lord it would only be a guess...

-t

Pics of the sword in question might render better guesses :-)

[John A Stuart]

I think that a lot would depend on the style of kenjutsu and/or iaijutsu the owner was schooled in. John

[Toryu2020]

Right you are John and place of manufacture could give us some clues to that, but again we'd only be guessing at it...

-t

[Alex A]

Thanks Thomas and John. My way to go around it was to compare it to similar sized swords in koshirae but im not sure how accurate that would have been. The nakago, 6", is only large enough to be held in one hand allthough the blade is heavy. It was made by the Dotanuki smiths, Dotanuki, Higo province around 1560, ancestry goes back to Enju Kunimura.The Dotanuki smiths made many swords in a time of war as you probably know. Picture is the only one I could in a rush before work, next to katana and wak in koshirae. That's not my carpet by the way, just a rug

 

Edit, should have pointed out nakago measures 6" after the habaki!, sorry, so nakago is rougly 7" approx.

 

I have read that shirasaya tsuka are shorter than koshirae tsuka. If I know roughly how much shorter they are, maybe that then would give me an idea of koshirae tsuka length?

 

Alex