Long Shinshinto Katana with Bakumatsu era red koshirae(sold)
Nov 19, 2022 21:20:20 GMT
Post by Drunk Merchant on Nov 19, 2022 21:20:20 GMT
So like any good showman I’ve saved the best for last! Drumroll please
What you see there is a shinshinto era katana (ca about some time during Lincoln’s life), a big one at 28.5 inches nagasa. It’s also coming with its antique bakamatsu era koshirae about contemporary to the American civil war and decorated with gold alloyed and inlayed shakudo fittings. Honest to god a nice package from a very turbulent era. Price is 2800$ total (2720$ sword + 80$ shipping) if Zelle/PayPalFF or 2900$ total with standard PayPal.
What’s so special about shinshinto? It was a time of sword resurgence as smiths like Masahide were disgusted by the ornamental not durable state some terminal Shinto swords had become. He started an almost academic smithing discipline, found what worked, what made breakers and taught a ton of smiths who taught smiths themselves. By the later part of the shinshinto when this sword was made destructive testing of smiths works and toughness were the norm and smiths were hard at work trying to recover lost koto techniques like utsuri and regional steels. This went into overdrive with the incursion of Com Perry and by the Bakumatsu, big thick swords inspired by nanbokucho tachi and meant to take a beating became the fashion markussesko.com/2015/04/03/kantei-1-sugata-6/
Thick with a wide mihaba, kasane, shinogi and long kissaki this one is such an example. As it is mumei (a lot of smiths like kiyomaro were marking swords without permission and selling mumei) and styles were very mixed with smiths trying other school’s styles it’s hard for me to pin to a smith, although I’m sure a shinsa board like the one nthkamerica.com/
Koshirae again points to Bakumatsu as it has an aged vermilion and black saya with skillfully made patterns. Red was forbidden by Tokugawa rules again pinning the koshirae to shinshinto where with the regime crumbling people stopped following such laws. The tsuka is also quite long and thick by Japanese standards, again another late shinshinto trait. It is clad with antique white silk ito and shakudo and gold fittings. Obviously the owner was a proper samurai as the finely made and expensive fittings are way above the ratty cotton and hemp fittings they used for okashito given to conscripts. Honestly superb condition for fittings over 150 years of age.
Condition is overall excellent with superb eye appeal. The sword is in old polish and has a few tiny nicks but those aren’t of consequence and the features all remain well visible. If you want to send it for a finishing polish that’s up to you but it looks good enough in it’s old samurai sword state.
The sword comes shipped in a protective sword case and the buyer also gets my digital copy of Nihon-shinshinto-shi - The History of the shinshinto Era of Japanese Swords. Sure this sword costs a bit but it’s got everything, big, antique fittings with lots of character, and from a cool time. It’s fit to be the crown gem of any smaller collection.
What you see there is a shinshinto era katana (ca about some time during Lincoln’s life), a big one at 28.5 inches nagasa. It’s also coming with its antique bakamatsu era koshirae about contemporary to the American civil war and decorated with gold alloyed and inlayed shakudo fittings. Honest to god a nice package from a very turbulent era. Price is 2800$ total (2720$ sword + 80$ shipping) if Zelle/PayPalFF or 2900$ total with standard PayPal.
What’s so special about shinshinto? It was a time of sword resurgence as smiths like Masahide were disgusted by the ornamental not durable state some terminal Shinto swords had become. He started an almost academic smithing discipline, found what worked, what made breakers and taught a ton of smiths who taught smiths themselves. By the later part of the shinshinto when this sword was made destructive testing of smiths works and toughness were the norm and smiths were hard at work trying to recover lost koto techniques like utsuri and regional steels. This went into overdrive with the incursion of Com Perry and by the Bakumatsu, big thick swords inspired by nanbokucho tachi and meant to take a beating became the fashion markussesko.com/2015/04/03/kantei-1-sugata-6/
Thick with a wide mihaba, kasane, shinogi and long kissaki this one is such an example. As it is mumei (a lot of smiths like kiyomaro were marking swords without permission and selling mumei) and styles were very mixed with smiths trying other school’s styles it’s hard for me to pin to a smith, although I’m sure a shinsa board like the one nthkamerica.com/
Koshirae again points to Bakumatsu as it has an aged vermilion and black saya with skillfully made patterns. Red was forbidden by Tokugawa rules again pinning the koshirae to shinshinto where with the regime crumbling people stopped following such laws. The tsuka is also quite long and thick by Japanese standards, again another late shinshinto trait. It is clad with antique white silk ito and shakudo and gold fittings. Obviously the owner was a proper samurai as the finely made and expensive fittings are way above the ratty cotton and hemp fittings they used for okashito given to conscripts. Honestly superb condition for fittings over 150 years of age.
Condition is overall excellent with superb eye appeal. The sword is in old polish and has a few tiny nicks but those aren’t of consequence and the features all remain well visible. If you want to send it for a finishing polish that’s up to you but it looks good enough in it’s old samurai sword state.
The sword comes shipped in a protective sword case and the buyer also gets my digital copy of Nihon-shinshinto-shi - The History of the shinshinto Era of Japanese Swords. Sure this sword costs a bit but it’s got everything, big, antique fittings with lots of character, and from a cool time. It’s fit to be the crown gem of any smaller collection.