How good do menuki need to be?

[Peter Bleed]

Okay, I'm getting a tsuka wrapped and I need to decide what kind of menuki to use.

And, yes, yes, I know that menuki are the best and central fittings on a sword. Yahhh dahhhm Yahhh dahhh

But screw it,

Nobody picks up a mounted sword and looks at the menuki and says, "Wow." It never happens.Obviously I don't want something that will detract from the koshirae. So no galvenized washers or whatever. But why not nice repros?

Peter

[Brian]

Because you will know.

[vajo]

I would say it depends on the sword. A finest blade with finest fittings. A mid sword with mid fittings. A low end sword with low fittings. That is what i would make. 

But what ever you do Peter it is the right. 

[Geraint]

Dear Peter.

 

Speaking as someone who has just a week or so ago picked up a friend's sword and gone, "Wow! Nice menuki" I would agree with Chris.

 

Love to see the results when it's done.

 

All the best.

[TETSUGENDO]

Another consideration is the relative prominence of the menuki.    In some tsukamaki styles they are  featured, In others they are obscured.    Then there are the unwrapped styles where the menuki are in the spotlight...... some Tanto and tachi.  

 

-S-

[Stephen]

They should be functional.

[b.hennick]

Given the cost of wrapping a sword, putting $25 menuki under the wrap seems inappropriate. At least use middling or better menuki. When you or your estate sells the reproduction menuki will make people question the rest of the package. Fake menuki, tsuba? fuchi kashira? redone saya, plastic same...

[Dave R]

If you look around you can pick up decent, genuine menuki at reasonable prices, and if you go for mismatched (which I have seen on real pieces) you can get them damn cheaply. Why bother with tat?

[Dave R]

Further to that, look at this. Showa era tsuka, stamped brass F/K, but look at the menuki.

 

[Ken-Hawaii]

From a practical standpoint, menuki simply help to position the hands. From an aesthetics viewpoint, they shouldn't clash with the F/K or tsuba. Other than that, further deponent sayeth not.

[Bazza]

Peter Bleed said:

> Nobody picks up a mounted sword and looks at the menuki and says, "Wow." It never happens.

 

Peter mate, it has happened to me a very few times, but it has happened.  It happened once that the WW2 pickup mumei wakizashi with a daggy, kizu riddled blade in a leather covered wooden saya, a tsuba obviously an apprentice's first crack at metal working, and those cheap brass gunto style fuchigashira, had green paper menuki of the NIO ca 1780 from a Mito school.  Stunning, Everybody wants them.

 

Then there were the shakudo dragon menuki on an ebay pickup katana that a friend had.  "Wow."!!

 

Yeah, you will know.  Put commensurately good menuki in the tsuka and it and you will glow with pride at the good tsukamaki dressing good tosogu.

 

BaZZa.

[mareo1912]

Hey Peter,

 

I remember very well a sword I viewed last year which had gorgeous Ko-Mino menuki in pine tree design. They were probably worth more than the blade inside, so somehow overkill, but depending on the blade/koshirae worth/period/style, I think fittings should be appropriate in price and one of the other points. IMO, it would remain a weakpoint of the koshirae if I used menuki of low quality.

 

Last menuki I had mounted on an Aikuchi Tanto, some nice Goto Teijo.

[Ed]

Hmm, I would disagree, I have picked many swords and said, "Wow, nice menuki".  Have bought a number of tsuka and/or koshirae to have the menuki (same with F/K).

 

Menuki are an integral part of the koshirae.

They show prominently on a mounted sword displayed in a stand. 

 

Just my 2¥

[Ray Singer]

I would also fall into the 'disagree' camp. I do not have many koshirae restored but had a formal koshirae completed not long ago and purchased a set of (possibly early Yoshioka) shakudo menuki from a group member to complete the mounting. Every time I take out the sword I am glad to have used a set of quality menuki to restore the koshirae, and have had a number of other collectors compliment the menuki before even removing the sword from its saya.

 

[Alex A]

How much you spend depends on whether you intend to keep the sword or not, but would always use antique decent menuki.

[paulb]

I am in the same camp as Ray. I dont have many koshirae but have always tried to ensure I put the best pieces I can on them. In the past when I have put any "They will do" examples on a koshirae I have always regretted it.

 

[Stephen]

Yours as Rays very tasteful.

[Ted Tenold]

From the opposite spectrum; if the quality of menuki were unimportant or unnoticable, why then would there be excellent menuki at all?

 

Why not nice repros??  Well, then, why not crappy antiques?   There are plenty available.

[charlie1]

I love looking at menuki.

[ChuckJ]

Don't do re-pro's if you are mounting a Nihonto, you'll be glad you didn't in the long run.  Take your time to acquire the real koshirea and select the pieces for your katana theme which come close to the time period or matching the patina's.

 

I am getting a katana mounted it's a 1655 blade and it has taken me along time to put the koshirea together, I know it's going to turn out wonderfully when Randy Black is done.  The menuki were the HARDEST items to find as I knew what I wanted and just had to wait until they came to me. 

 

Do not be impatient or you'll regret your decision.

 

Here is a pic of my koshirea for the katana, it took a long while to get it all together (I actually gave up on the menuki and was going to do re-pro's but stopped myself) and some pieces are papered.

 

[Tigerinbamboo]

Wow! I love your tsuba. That's a beautiful assemblage.

 

Cheers, Kathleen

[ChuckJ]

Wow! I love your tsuba. That's a beautiful assemblage.

 

Cheers, Kathleen

Thank you so much for the kind words!  It took a long wait to find the "right" pieces!

 

But, like it was written in several earlier responses, basically that you will know and not be happy if you don't take your time and collect the real koshirea.

 

Chuck

[Peter Bleed]

Because you will know.

Once again the NMB has worked its magic and helped me appreciate Japanese swords. Thank you all!

I am having some nice dark shabudo pieces going below the wrap I am commissioning. They are not great art and no one will say "WOW" about they when they pick up this blade. But they fill the appriopriate  space  and do what is needed - an overall laudable assessment for most of us!

I must also confess I that recently had a menuki experience of the type I said never happens. There is a sword still for sale on eBay by a Sendai shinto smith I collect ( cough sneeze, ahhhkunikane, excuse me...) that has an excellent set of menuki showing the 8&1 Star that was a Date crest. These are worth a "WOW." Unfortunately, they blade itself has some serious shinae kizu and a problematical signature.

Again, thank you for your help and insights

Peter