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Katana blades sketch1/19/2024 ![]() ![]() ![]() The rat motif, reoccurs on both sides of the scabbard tucked under wrapped threads, at each end of the pommels, and as the round sword guard. The hilt is covered in unfinished manta ray skin and then wrapped in braided silk thread. The scabbard, or sheath, is made from manta ray belly skin and is smoothed and filled with lacquer. In fact, the materials and craftsmanship of this samurai sword make it easy to rank it as one of the Bowers' most beautiful and highly regarded objects. It is without a doubt the finest of the three. The final sword in this post is another wakizashi. The three signatures on 2002.38.1, photograph taken by Riccardo Franci The leather covering for the sheath is an even later addition that would have come during World War II. The mounting was completely replaced in either the 17th or 18th Century. The sword’s history hardly ends there, though. It’s signature mark is simple, without honorifics, meaning that this was intended for use of the battlefield and little else. It was in this crucible that this utilitarian blade was produced. The Sengoku or Warring States Period lasted roughly from 1467-1600 and was a time of constant warfare as clans vied for control of the nation. First off, the blade was made well before the mounting, during Japan’s bloody 16th Century. Despite this length difference, a close examination of the first of these short swords especially shows some similarities to the above katana. de Bourbon Condeīy measuring between one and two shaku the second and third swords are both wakizashi. Steel, leather, manta ray skin, lacquered wood and newspaper 24 1/2 in. If it is between two and three shaku, then it is usually a katana.īishū Osafune Sukesada Saku (Japanese, active 16th Century) Okayama Prefecture, Chūgoku Region, Japan If a sword is between one and two shaku from the notch for the sword guard to the tip, then it tends to be a wakizashi. It comes down to shaku, an old Japanese unit of measurement that is roughly equivalent to 14 in. This also happens to be the longest of the three blades, so it is worth explaining how katanas and wakizashi are distinguished. The name Yamato no Kami Tadayuki on this blade’s tang indicates that despite the low quality of the mounting, the blade actually dates to 1711 or before. As promised, this can best be detected by looking at the tang. Most World War II-era officer swords were mass-produced, machine-made blades these, however, were simply retrofitted for use in a 20th Century war. Moran, photograph taken by Riccardo FranciĪll three swords featured in this post share several commonalities, but the similarity that most informs the design of the first two blades is that they were used by Japanese officers during World War II. Tadayuki (Japanese, active 1681-1711) Ōita Prefecture, Kyushu Region, Japan With the help of Riccardo Franci, curator for the Bowers Museum’s Knights in Armor exhibition and the Curator of the Armory at the Museo Stibbert, we looked just below the surface of these swords and in the process learned a great deal about where and when the swords were made, who the makers were, and how they might have been used throughout history.ĭetail of Sword ( Katana), early 18th to 20th Century These blades are almost exclusively signed on their tangs, the part of the blade fitted into the grip. This is certainly the case with the swords used by samurai, Japan’s pre-modern military caste. Steel, manta ray skin, lacquer, silk and iron 2 3/4 x 2 3/8 x 27 1/4 in.Īrcheologists, researchers, and investigators will all tell you that the best way to learn more about something is to look just beneath the surface. ![]() Tsuguhiro (Japanese, active 1469-1521), Jiryūsai Tomohide (Japanese, 1778-1847) and Seiyōken Akitada (Japanese, active 19th Century) Fukui Prefecture, Chūbu Region, Japan and Nagasaki, Kyushu Region or Tokyo, Kantō Region, Japan Short Sword ( Wakizashi), 15th to 19th Century ![]()
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