Jump to content

Smaller blades thread


Bugyotsuji

Recommended Posts

Have very much enjoyed the above presentations. Hoping someone can clarify my offering.

Purchased here at NMB just over a year ago from Mark who was very generous to me after being given something of a barracking from one, maybe more spectators on the "For Sale' sidelines.

A Kwaiken, a concealable women's knife, great condition, about 16.8cm blade, originally a Kikutchi Yari cut down to make a small tanto in 1897 as per inscription on reformed tang. The maker's name is more obscure ?-Kane ? Koto period ?

Actually it was Mark then BaZZa who put me in some of the picture.

It is a lovely Kwaiken in my opinion.

Thank you.

Kwaiken 1.JPG

Kwaiken 2.JPG

Kwaiken 3.JPG

Kwaiken 4.JPG

Kwaiken 5.JPG

Kwaiken 6.JPG

Kwaiken 7.JPG

Kwaiken 8.JPG

Kwaiken 9.JPG

Kwaiken 10.JPG

Kwaiken 11.JPG

  • Like 10
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you Piers and Mark for your comments. And to Jean (ROKUJURO) for your advice.

I should clarify the "barracking from the sidelines" was directed at Mark(the other Mark ,'CHISHIKI", the seller) and not me. I was surprised at the comments, impressed by the tanto, further surprised it hadn't sold after enquiring about 'the state of play'.

One further thing about CHISHIKI- he was more than fair to deal with as I have found with other items also, tsuba etc .So thank you again Mark

Roger j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Hi Roger,
Thanks for your kind words and I am happy this lovely tanto found a good home.   Here is the translation of the inscription.   Best Regards Mark
 
My original sale thread
 
   On 8/23/2019 at 1:48 AM, Nobody said: 

明治三十年一月日 – Meiji 30th year (1897), 1st month

備前國貝原守美揚摺之 – Bizen no kuni, Kaibara Moriyoshi shortened this.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

True, I should remember just because a word is similar doesn't mean it's appropriate. If it is older than Edo that would be very interesting for sure. The kasane did certainly seem quite thick for a blade its size.

Is it possible to make a rough guess as to the jidai and what tradition might have influenced it? Thank you again for your help, I always wind up learning something each time come here.

 

17B2938D-F6EA-4A58-BFAC-22975D06657E.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Bought this for my Christmas present from me to me. It is signed Kanesaki near the habaki which makes me wonder whether it was originally a yari blade that was shortened, which is much higher up than a normal yari signature, or is as made and is pretending to be a cut down yari.

Ian Bottomley

DSC_0002.JPG

 

DSC_0005 (5).JPG

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

刀子

Small knife

 

Recently I came across a word that I should have known but didn't. 刀子, for which the English given was 'Tosu'. This piqued my curiosity.

 

In the exhibition of (O)mamori-gatana (see separate thread), was this specially made kozuka in a jewellery-like brightly-decorated koshirae, described as a To-su, or small knife. The blade and koshirae were a special order for the Manga artist Akiko Hatsu, 波津彬子 Hatsu Akiko.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akiko_Hatsu

 

The Kanji suggested that the To- must be a long sound, as in Nihontō. Eventually I found that this word has been used in Japan throughout history to describe a small knife, and that it can be pronounced either Tōsu or Tōshi, (although the former seems to be more common).

 

Her name contains the Kanji 波 (Ha/Nami) for ‘wave’, so the koshirae has silver waves, according to the description.

 

AB59A2FC-B957-40C5-BA1A-E8185467C3D4.thumb.jpeg.70181a9e6a938c7e0c8ccbe307469194.jpeg

 

51EB8121-E199-43C6-A94A-288EBEFC8C81.thumb.jpeg.aee0dff8ccc0aad0aeb19c177cc450f0.jpeg

 

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
  • Wow 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dear Piers.

 

Sweet tosu but to go back to Ian's yari tanto for a moment.  Given the relatively small size of the blade I am pretty sure that this started life as a yari but with a modest tang length.  The mei is cut high up the nakago because the tang is wider there.  I believe the current nakago ana was added when the yari was mounted in this koshirae which accounts for the slight off set in placing.

The mekugi ana is very near the fuchi because the straight yari nakago fitting into the curved tanto koshirae soon places the metal outside the centre line of the tsuka, any further away from the fuchi and it would be in danger of missing!

 

This example demonstrates both the high mei and someone wrestling with the nakago ana alignment problem, in this case an off set mekugi ana and a copper insert to bring it into position to fit the tsuka.

1870459607_DSCF0624(3).thumb.JPG.73372b63d4599d24d93e11463df9fe1b.JPG

 

All the best.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Geraint, I think you are right on the point about the width of the original tang being too narrow and hence the signature placement. It seems that Kanesaki specialised in yari which again suggests it is a modified sasaho yari blade. Irrespective of shape, it would be a devastating little weapon to tuck into your obi. While I am at it, I have often wondered about the hole and shitadome at the bottom end of the saya. These often seem to originally held a leather tab. I may be wrong but their purpose may have been to help prevent the saya pulling out of the obi too easily when the blade is drawn. Ant other ideas?

Ian Bottomley 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Just got this one, similar to Pier's first post, as a gift from someone very gracious.  Mumei, and the nakago looks new to my eyes, though with some rust.  Shirasaya seems to have some age, but not a great amount.  I'm thinking post-war souvenir?  Mostly because the habaki is fairly ugly and long.  Most of it slides into the tsuka with only the "normal" amount sticking out, to look like a habaki.  And also the squared and thick nakago.

 

But I wanted to run it through you guys.  I'd like to buff it up, but I don't want to if it's something older.  If it's just a trinket/souvenir/letter opener then I'd feel easy with cleaning off the rust.

IMG_3110.jpg

IMG_3111.jpg

IMG_3112.jpg

IMG_3114.jpg

IMG_3116.jpg

IMG_3117.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Difficult to get an overall image of that. Someone (Guido?) once said that the police in Japan base their decision on what is, or what isn’t, a registrable blade under the sword and gun laws partly by whether it has a mekugi ana in the Nakago or not.

I would have a go by the gentlest of means at removing the rust on that, Bruce.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While we are giving this thread the kiss of life, I have two more small blades to add.

 

Here is one. Any guesses? (I should add that I am not 100% sure of the correct answer myself. Found at an antiques fair.)

 

Total length is 8 Sun 2 bu. 25 cm, just under 10”. The blade is around 6.5 cm depending on how you measure it. Iron.

 

F5C7F66D-A646-4370-B737-47514CA2F769.thumb.jpeg.0b93e37a31f9484691d0bcdf9fc9a17c.jpeg

 

C35851D7-A5B1-4F3F-8F74-281CAB9365AE.thumb.jpeg.4f68c01902cadf7b953181dec8cf61d4.jpeg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The other is a Kozuka/kodzuka with an angle.

While the Togishi was here he picked out a bent and rusty Kozuka from the box and asked me if he could polish it.
“Sure, knock yourself out!” I replied in Japanese.

Last night at the meeting he passed it back, proudly showing the results of three weeks’ handiwork. 
Now, if I can get the dang thing to keep still for the camera 📸 
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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...
×
×
  • Create New...