Tachi Mei and Gendai Smiths?

[SwordGuyJoe]

All,

I have a sword that is signed tachi-mei by Nagamitsu and one that is signed katana-mei (Kanehiro). I have also been looking at a "gendai tachi". So the question is, if a gendai blade is signed tachi-mei, does that make it a tachi? If resting in shirasaya, what makes a tachi a tachi? Just where the side of the blade that holds the signature?

 

Thanks and sorry for the stupid question!

[drbvac]

Joe:

A tachi is a long sword usually worn with the cutting edge down and when worn like that the signature is on the side facing away from the body, tachi-mei. If gendai - I guess its just a sword of appropriate length signed as a tachi rather than a katana.

[pcfarrar]

what makes a tachi a tachi?

 

Joe,

 

A tachi koshirae makes a sword a tachi. It doesn't really matter how the sword is signed.

 

Peter

[Nobody]

Ref. http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/tachi,katana.html

[Rich S]

In my limited experience, WW II era smiths signed or had their blades

signed either way - some tachi-mei, some katana-mei. No rime nor reason

that I've determined. "Technically" gunto mounts had the edge down, so

are tachi, but most WW II era blades were signed katana-mei. Like I said,

seems to be no reason for doing it either way - war time production just

signed it and move on to the next blade, the traditional rules don't apply

to WW II era blades.

 

Rich S

[SwordGuyJoe]

Thanks for the feedback. Seemed like it should be a simple answer, but like most things, it isn't. Thanks again for the help.