Jump to content

RARE and early SABER MOUNTED Nihonto

mdiddy

By mdiddy
in Military Swords of Japan

 Share

Recommended Posts

mdiddy Proficient

mdiddy

Posted
Posted

Hello,

 

I would like to offer this very large nihonto in ultra rare and very early saber mounts. It is in superb condition and an excellent state of polish. This is the only example of these type of mounts I have seen or heard of.

 

Here is some info about the blade and mounts:

 

The blade is massive and has a nagasa of 29.75 inches (76cm). It has a wide mihaba and strong sugata. Shinogi zukuri, iori-mune, Shinto or Shinshinto katana. The blade is healthy.

 

The hada is mostly itame with areas of mokume. The hamon is nie deki chu-suguha with ko-gunome and ko-ashi. The nioi guchi is bright and deep. There is sunagashi running through the hamon. The boshi is chu-suguha with sharp turnback. The workmanship reminds me of Hojoji Masahiro.

 

It is mounted in ultra rare and early saber mounts. The mounts show a saber-style tsuka made of wood and what looks to be shakudo. It is Western-styled with a basket hilt and gripped backstrap. The tsuka is reminiscent of American and British models of the late 19th century. The tsuka has also never been taken off the blade. The saya is covered in nicely aged leather that is stitched together. It has a massive kojiri, two ashi, and a koiguchi that are made of the same metal as on the tsuka.

 

The fittings have some resemblance to early examples listed in Fuller & Gregory’s (pg. 19-20). Given their resemblance to a Western style, I think the fittings date from the late 1870’s to early 1880’s when Western military consultants and influence were prevalent in Japan. I think this sword either belonged to an early member of the Japanese military or to a Westerner stationed in Japan during this time who had a Japanese blade mounted.

 

The blade is in a good state of polish. There are no nicks, little rust, and some slight scratches. There are no kizu. The mountings are also in excellent condition.

 

I am asking $5,000.00 usd or better offer. Hi-res pics available upon request. Please PM or email me at mdiddy8000@gmail.com if interested.

 

Thanks!

 

Matt

post-951-14196888157242_thumb.jpg

post-951-14196888160298_thumb.jpg

post-951-14196888162313_thumb.jpg

post-951-14196888165054_thumb.jpg

post-951-14196888170286_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mdiddy Proficient

mdiddy

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Alan - thanks for the comment. I found the sword at an estate sale earlier this year. The estate had a couple of other sabers that looked like they were likely from the U.S. Civil War. I assume that is why this sword was collected with them. The saya was noticeably different and when I pulled out the blade immediately recognized it as Japanese - sugata, hada, hamon. I started researching and it became clear it was likely a rare mounting from a very interesting period in Japanese history - the transition from medieval to modern Japan. The question then became whether it belonged to a Japanese officer or a Western officer stationed there.

 

I showed the sword at the San Francisco and Baltimore shows earlier this year. No one who looked at the sword had seen anything similar. The consensus leaned toward it belonging to a Western officer.

 

Please let me know if you have additional questions or thoughts to add. Feel free to discuss as I'm curious to get others thoughts as well. It's an interesting piece and more research and discussion is warranted.

 

Matt

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
george trotter Grand Master

george trotter

Posted
Posted

Never seen anything like this before...Although it looks "clunky" at first glance, the quality and overall "balance" tend to grow on you...not a bad sword at all.

Looks like the hilt nut would have to be unscrewed (if it is a nut) to see the nakago. It would be interesting to know if the blade was "adapted" to the mounts of made new with the mounts.

One question...pic 4 shows what looks like writing or numbers on the chape/drag...are they numbers or a vice mark left by a bubba san?

Thanks for sharing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mdiddy Proficient

mdiddy

Posted
  • Author
Posted

George - I agree, unscrewing the nut would allow the hilt to be removed. I think if you did that it would likely damage it. I left it on as is.

 

My opinion is that the sword is Shinto and that the mounts were made later. I expect the sword was adapted to the hilt but that the saya was made specifically for this blade. The blade is long and fits perfectly in the saya. The saya is also oversized compared to Western sabers from the 1860s-1870s.

 

There were no markings or writing on any part of the mounts that I could discern. What you see on the kojiri looked like a series of X's.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mdiddy Proficient

mdiddy

Posted
  • Author
Posted

In researching the hilt, I noticed that the metal parts had a lot in common with Victorian-era British examples of the P1821. The wood grip however was different and more aligned with the American M1902. I think the hilt falls somewhere in between the two.

 

Here is a cut-up I did for the listing. Hope it adds a little more.

post-951-14196890374232_thumb.jpg

post-951-14196890387182_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 9 months later...
This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one, unless your post is really relevant and adds to the topic..

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...