Please, Can you help me?

[Chushingura]

Dear people:

I am working in a katana with Toppei koshirae and I want if they could post here images or links to me about this particular koshirae.

Mainly of forms of Kojiri and others Tosogu parts.

Thank you very much and pardon for my badly English

Eduardo

Argentina

[Nobody]

One example;

http://www.token-net.com/sonota/koshira ... -0706.html

[Brian]

From: http://japanesesword.net/eng/iaito/su_toppei.html

The name of Toppei Koshirae is derived from the unique Saya end shape, reinforced with the big metal ornament, that resembles the Kabuto armor's Toppai. In order for the late Tokugawa Shogunate to adapt the western style of military training, the overall shape of Japanese sword has been slightly modified and it has become the Toppei Koshirae. Like Tensho Koshirae, the Toppei Koshirae is considered to be the most practical and simple sword in Japanese sword history.

 

A google image search does pull up quite a few examples.

Try this search: http://www.nihonart.es/iaido/iaido108.htm

 

Also, some good pics here: http://www.nihonart.es/iaido/iaido108.htm

http://www.budoya.es/katana/toppei.html (This one has close ups of the parts you enquired about)

 

There is also a write-up here: http://www.arscives.com/historysteel/ja ... rticle.htm

that says The end of the Edo period 江戸時代 is called Bakumatsu 幕末 (1853 ~ 1868), and brought many changes to the Samurai 侍 class. Some men started wearing newly imported western clothes. Since at this time both the Imperial Army and the Shôgun’s Army adopted Western style military uniform, the soldiers of both Armies started wearing so called Toppei-Koshirae 突兵拵 swords, also called Zubon ズボン (trousers)-Koshirae 拵, which had a softly rounded Kojiri 鐺 but no Tsukamaki 柄巻.

 

Bit confusing since most of the pictured swords have tsukamaki. Not sure which is the correct version to go for here?

 

Regards,

Brian

[Pete Klein]

This is an interesting example:

http://nihonto.com/7.6.07.html

[Curran]

Here is a Toppei koshirae I own. It has a locking mechanism I haven't seen elsewhere.

 

Some of the Toppei can be very unique. They seem to fall either into "very military" or "very splashy western influenced".