More of that European tachi

[Peter Bleed]

                I return to the NMB  to speak again about the European tachi I presented a week or so ago. In an attempt to learn something about the blade, I have showed this sword to the European Armory portion of the Ethnographic Arms and Armor Forum – and a fine community that is!

                The considered reaction of those experts convince me (I won’t quote anybody) that this BLADE is something like the Model of 1796 British saber –or one of the similar designs that were manufactured in Germany or Holland during the very opening of the 19^th Century. In our terms this is a Shin-shinto.

                Members of that forum also – very reasonably (!) – wondered if this might be a rather recent creation of older parts, a recent fabrication. That is a good question. My assessment is that this sword is certainly NOT of the top rank but I am convinced that it is “old” Japanese manufacture. To support that contention I would mention the clouds and dragon work on the scabbard. The tsuba may be re-cycled, but both of the seppa appear to be new, special purpose pieces made for the square rat tale tang of the blade (I sure won’t call that a nagago!).

Having discussed that much, I decided that it was also time to present a weird ‘secret’ of the sword. The central ring of the tsuka – the dogane, thank you – is not tight and slides back easily. When it is slid back, a rather rough cross is clearly uncovered. That makes it tempting to speculate that the carrier of this sword was either a Christian or an ally of one of the southern leaders who had lined up with Catholic missionaries in early Edo times. Or maybe he was just flashing a bunch of exotic symbols on a piece of glitter that he was wearing around town.

                What do you think?

Peter

[Geraint]

Dear Peter.

 

That scabbard certainly fits with the 1796 model sabre theory, as does the blade.  Is the decoration nunome zogan on the steel scabbard or lacquer?   I would agree that the seppa and fuchi are made for this blade, the seppa seem rather narrower than would be the case for a normal saya but would look right with the narrow scabbard throat for this model sword.  

 

The hidden cross is a wonderful idea but in this case I think it has more to do with same economy, the four small pieces are big enough to stick and to show under the corners of the dogane.  Quite often tsuka are dressed in same which is in small sections cut to fit the tsuka with joins sometimes concealed by the ito, I suspect this is the equivalent.

 

Like you I think this is a European sabre that has found it's way to Japan and been refitted, I don't think it is a modern put together.  If only we could find out the history of it.

 

All the best.