yari tanto

[estcrh]

Ah thanks for the piccies. Yes, it's definitely designed to look like something else. A kind of

reverse Shikomi. Not an umbrella or walking stick that is really a sword, but a Wakizashi that

is really a spearhead. No other need for the extra length, or for the sori in the saya. Ultimately,

besides the beauty of the spear point itself, these are enjoyable mostly for their novelty value,

and in the assembly and disassembly, I guess. Everybody should have one anyway! :lol:

You have to take into account that there might be an reason for these weapons that is lost to us, someone who could not legally carry a sword perhaps? I know there were rules and restrictions at various times but why would someone go to so much trouble for a ....novelty...???

[Bugyotsuji]

Apologies for the word. It certainly sounds strange in English. Ohmi yari are highly collectible

in their own right. Within the Japanese context, though, beautiful objects often had this 'novelty'

aspect. Some intriguing aspect. An unusual juxtaposition of known conventional objects could

always be a talking point. Delight the eye. One of the reasons Koshirae could be dismantled and reassembled

in different form for any occasion, with that day's choice of Tsuba for example. What armor/armour

shall I wear today? For those who had everything, Aki (boredom) was a constant enemy.

Invention within convention? :lol:

[estcrh]

Apologies for the word. It certainly sounds strange in English. Ohmi yari are highly collectible

in their own right. Within the Japanese context, though, beautiful objects often had this 'novelty'

aspect. Some intriguing aspect. An unusual juxtaposition of known conventional objects could

always be a talking point. Delight the eye. One of the reasons Koshirae could be dismantled and reassembled

in different form for any occasion, with that day's choice of Tsuba for example. What armor/armour

shall I wear today? For those who had everything, Aki (boredom) was a constant enemy.

Invention within convention? :lol:

I just learned something new, I had no idea that people might have changed fittings to fit the mood. Interesting!

[estcrh]

2 more yari tanto, both from Ebay.

 

 

ttp://s831.photobucket.com/albums/zz238 ... ?start=all

[Bugyotsuji]

It looks like eBay is alive and well! Congratulations Eric.

[MrRex]

Hello, is this a yari tanto by any chance, any details to it are appriciated

[MrRex]

Is this a yari tanto? Any info about it is appriciated

[Brian]

Because of the nakago shape, I would consider that to be a ken, and not a converted yari.

[ROKUJURO]

If it ever belonged together.....

To me, it looks like a crude attempt to put a KEN TANTO together from pieces available. Missing HABAKI, wrong KISSAKI. damaged TSUKA.

[Bazza]

It reminds me of a Meiji tanto with a clip point.

 

BaZZa.

[Alex A]

I look at some of these and just wonder why folks would carry them as a tanto. There were better knives to carry, as in pointier and sharper.

 

I get the impression some were just kept and used because of sentimental reasons.

[MrRex]

3 hours ago, ROKUJURO said:

If it ever belonged together.....

To me, it looks like a crude attempt to put a KEN TANTO together from pieces available. Missing HABAKI, wrong KISSAKI. damaged TSUKA.

Things do get damaged after 200 years

[ROKUJURO]

Hi Boris,

age alone makes no damage. Japanese are known to care very well for their appreciated items. Negligence and bad treatment is rather rare, and if you look at many well-preserved weapons with more than 500 years of age, you'll see what I mean.

A HABAKI does not get lost in carefull handling. and drilling a hole in a hardwood TSUKA can be done without a drill-press and without damage to the wood..

I absolutely do not intend to downgrade your KEN TANTO, but we should look realistically at it and compare to what is existing in this field elsewhere.

You posted a double set of photos but none of the NAKAGO (= tang). That would be helpful to possibly determine the age. Please make a good photo (straight vertically tip-upwards) on a plain dark background of it.

[MrRex]

Update: i disassambled it

[ROKUJURO]

Boris,

thank you, but that is not really a plain dark background, so details are not visible. To transfer some information, please present the NAKAGO photos as cut-outs so we also have a magnification. Are there any KANJI characters of a signature?

On these images, the NAKAGO shape looks narrower than on some other KEN TANTO I have seen. 

[ChrisW]

This is a ken, albeit with a poorly re-shaped tip. It could be corrected by a polisher, given there is enough hamon left on both sides to assume the correct geometry.

I have five ken in my collection; so I've come to recognize the shape pretty handily.

[MrRex]

2 hours ago, ROKUJURO said:

Boris,

thank you, but that is not really a plain dark background, so details are not visible. To transfer some information, please present the NAKAGO photos as cut-outs so we also have a magnification. Are there any KANJI characters of a signature?

On these images, the NAKAGO shape looks narrower than on some other KEN TANTO I have seen. 

No signage is visible

[MrRex]

New close ups of the tang

 

[ROKUJURO]

Hi Boris,

I am surprized as this is not really a plain dark background, so details are not visible.

Usually, NAKAGO have two main sides, so 9 photos (!) of that quality don't really help much. However, I think I see that a SHINOGI in the middle of the NAKAGO has been ground down which might be an indication that this was indeed a YARI before.

But one day in the future, we will perhaps see good (straight vertical, tip-upwards) photos of the NAKAGO on a plain dark background so the experts (I am not one of them) can see details.

[MrRex]

43 minutes ago, ROKUJURO said:

Hi Boris,

I am surprized as this is not really a plain dark background, so details are not visible.

Usually, NAKAGO have two main sides, so 9 photos (!) of that quality don't really help much. However, I think I see that a SHINOGI in the middle of the NAKAGO has been ground down which might be an indication that this was indeed a YARI before.

But one day in the future, we will perhaps see good (straight vertical, tip-upwards) photos of the NAKAGO on a plain dark background so the experts (I am not one of them) can see details.

I will try and find one im just tight on time but many thanks

[ROKUJURO]

This is not urgent!

[MrRex]

New pictures of the tang on a black background

[MrRex]