Leather clad gunto

[envocat]

Can anyone comment on the mounts/leather features on this gunto? The blade is ancestral, looks to be 17th c and the metal fittings are pretty crude and likely late war, but i'm not too savvy on gunto in general so any comments from more experienced eyes would be much appreciated.

 

The photos don't show as much as i'd like but it's all i've been given. I've brightened the one showing the tsuka, hope it helps a little.

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

 

[PNSSHOGUN]

Pretty rare to find them like that today, looks like a pretty interesting sword all together. Good looking old blade, tsuba and shrunk leather Saya. Issue with this is you will destroy it trying to see if there's a signature on the tang.

[envocat]

Thanks john. I must say it's a sight for sore eyes though. I've never been a fan of black leather, it doesn't get that nice patina you see on brown leather. 

[paul griff]

Hello George,

                       That looks like a sword that a dealer in Hampshire had a while back....If my memory serves me right a piece of the leather covering the mekugi  had been cut away to allow the hilt to be removed ? The swept back hilt ( tsuka ) in early tachi style and the habaki is a good indication of a nice blade lurking beneath a sword that was prepared to be taken into a combat arena.

Regards,

               Paul..

[envocat]

Thank you, the blade is signed but i suspect it's gimei. 

[Bruce Pennington]

35 minutes ago, paul griff said:

a piece of the leather covering the mekugi  had been cut away to allow the hilt to be removed 

Looks like that was done on this one, then patched.

 

George,

I don't study the fittings/leather work as much as some other guys.  The darker brown & black was predominantly reserved for navy gunto.  But the end of the war saw many variations produced in practically every aspect of the gunto.  And to be honest, I've never seen any military document specifying/requiring certain colors for leather.  I personally have a late-war navy gunto with the lighter brown leather.  So, you may be onto the issue - late-war work.

[envocat]

Thanks Bruce, i'm liking these late war examples more and more, lots of mystery behind each piece. You can imagine how frantically everyone was working to get these fittings mounted behind the scenes. 

 

[Bruce Pennington]

I'm sure it was a terrible time.  In the year-long bombing campaign we were damaging their factories to the extent that they started farming out their production more and more to the Jensen Arsenal and China-based operations.

[Shamsy]

That's a really nice sword. Thanks for sharing. I'm glad the leather remains. Not pretty but an important part of the swords history. Otherwise it'd just be another unknown providence wak