Japanese

The Lanes Armoury, Europe’s Leading Original Samurai Sword Specialists & Gallery. Plus 1000’s of Other Magical & Rare To Find Ancient and Vintage Wonders. Another Historic Collection Acquired This Week Including Amazing Medieval Swords & Antiquities

Including a small exclusive & original collection of Medieval small pendant crosses of the Christian Knights, a magnificent Knights Templar, Knights of Jerusalem sword, made by their armourer, and a very rare 4000 to 5000 year old Stone Age, Neolithic era War Hammer. The Neolithic period lasted from around 4300 BC down to 2000 BC, so some 6000 years before present. Neolithic means 'New Stone' and so this period is sometimes called the New Stone Age. Famous Neolithic sites in Britain include Avebury, Stonehenge, and Silbury Hill. Thanks to us being so long established here in Brighton we are contacted or visited every day by private families interested in selling their long past collected antiques and antiquities. Artefacts of all kinds, from all eras and all nations. Some collected by their ancestors hundreds of years ago. And this week has been particularly fascinating for the diversity and beauty of our finds, including a late 1500's Cuirassier's close helmet, possibly captured from the city of Genoa in 1602, and a small collection of original, Elizabethan to King Charles 1st period, working toy wheel-lock form pistols.

After more than 50 years personal experience by Mark, in our galleries, since 1971, and David’s 40 years since 1981, we are also regarded, by many, as Europe’s leading original samurai sword gallery, and probably the leading samurai sword specialists in the world, outside of Japan. With hundreds of original ancient and antique samurai swords to view and buy online, or, to journey to our world famous gallery in Brighton on a personal visit, 6 days a week.

By train we are just under an hour from Victoria Train Station in London.

We are also now offering a handmade bespoke frame or casing service. Created by a local specialist we have known for over 40 years, in fact it was founded by one of our former company directors. See the gallery for an example of a lidded box display casing just created for an item acquired from us for one of our esteemed regulars.

It has been said that the Hawkins family, have, in their sword dealing history, handled, bought and sold more original Japanese swords than any other sword dealers outside of Japan since World War I, trading over 100 years, numbering well into the tens of thousands of samurai weapons and artefacts. In one single acquisition alone, in the early 1960’s, David senior {the current partner’s father} purchased, in one collection, over 500 original antique and vintage Japanese swords, and Mark helped to disassemble each and every one of them, and was in charge of stringing together the tsuba sword guards into loops, 20 at a time. In those days tsuba were more collectable than swords. It was one of Mark’s very first introductions to the workings of the wonderful works of art that make up a complete samurai sword.
He can still remember listening to the very first hit of the Beatles ‘Love me do’ on the radiogram, in late 1963, while stringing together 25 loops of 20 tsuba, before he started school that early morning.

Our close family association with the legendary samurai sword continues unabated. In fact we still know of no better and varied original samurai sword selection, for sale under one roof, anywhere in the world today, outside of Japan, or possibly, even within it. Hundreds of antique pieces for sale to choose from, and some up to an incredible 800 years old.

Why is The Lanes Armoury probably the worlds most popular, original Japanese samurai gallery? well, we believe that not only are we the oldest still thriving store of our kind outside of Japan, but we have an entirely historical view of all our samurai artefacts, be they armour, helmets, swords, spears or accoutrements,

We place each piece within its historical context, a unique, holistic view if you like, never concentrating on such as simply the minutiae of blade detail alone {that has never been our forte} but of the entire sword as a work of art, and an example of the worlds highest craftsmanship, and thus it’s potential place within all of over 1000 years of samurai history.

Can they be expensive? Well, they certainly can appear so, however up to 70% of our completely fitted swords may still be half the price of just a newly made sword blade alone, commissioned from one of the few still remaining fine sword smiths in Japan, and ours could well be up to 500 years old, completely and stunningly fitted in fabulous quality original antique mounts, and potentially used in the past by up to 30 samurai within their own working life and history. And yet, they can still look as good as new.

A samurai sword for example, is in many respects, more the sum of its parts, although always dated by its blade’s vintage, each sword can have amazing koshirae mountings of equal beauty to the blade, displaying the skill of likely the most talented artisans in sword making history, and representing the most intriguing and certainly one of the most popular forms of ancient hand to hand combat in the world today.

For example one of the greatest films ever made in the history of cinema is Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 “Seven Samurai”. A groundbreaking epic of such influence on modern cinemas it is said to inspired more films in its genre than any other film ever made. A well deserved masterpiece of cinema, based entire on a simple single event of legendary samurai combat.

Still today, more incredible films in the genre are made involving the legendary samurai sword than any other, such as some of the billion dollar epics made by the Marvel Universe, that still enthral the worlds movie watching audiences.

There is no other country in the world that continually used the very same form of weaponry, in hand to hand combat, for over 800 years. A samurai sword of around 800 years of age, would be just as recognisable and as usable to any 19th century samurai, or even current exponent of samurai martial arts, if he were alive today.

Finally, a visit to The Lanes Armoury is considered and remarked upon, by near every single visitor to our store, that is is an unforgettable experiance, and every samurai sword buyer is afforded the best possible attention, not just for the time that they may view, choose, and buy a sword, but for as long as they own the sword. We are available for every aspect of ownership to its new owner, essentially forever. Our world renown 5 Star service knows no time limit.

And be assured, every single item, from a cap badge to a 800 year old ancient samurai sword, to an Ancient Greek solid gold crown, will be accompanied with our unique Certificate of Authenticity. Based on over 100 years and four generations of experience.  read more

Code: 24230

A Superb Edo Period Samurai Jingasa War Hat Helmet

A Jingasa Ichimonji Gasa, circa 1800. The clan mon [family crest] is very distinctive indeed.
A lacquer over cloth and paper constructed helmet, as is traditional of the era. The most used and famous are the various round jingasa that are basically flat with just a small raised central part. Akemi Masaharu calls this type ichimonji gasa (straight-line hats), hira gasa (flat hats) or nuri gasa (lacquered hats). The vast majority of these are made in what Akemi Masaharu calls the dry lacquer technique. This would involve gluing layers of cloth and / or paper together into a wooden mould, perhaps with some thin wood or bamboo strips as reinforcement, until a sufficient thickness was obtained, then lacquering. An alternative was to make them from coiled twisted paper strings, with each turn sewn to the next with another string. When lacquered, the whole structure was stiffened sufficiently to hold its shape. In both cases the result is a lightweight basic shape that could be individualised with decorations in lacquer. Not all of these are made in this way.

Most ichimonji jingasa are black lacquered on top with the owner’s, or his lord’s, kamon in gold on the front. No liner. Areas of lacquer surface cracking as usual for antique lacquer helmets of this type  read more

Code: 21744

A Powerful Long & Formidable Samurai Antique Shinto Period Katana Signed Blade, of Shumada Kami Taira Yoshisuka, With an Incredible Yadome no Jutsu, Arrow Defensive Blocking Mark & Matsushiro Sinano School Koshirae

All original Edo period mounts and black lacquer saya, and a very good mokko shaped tsuba engraved with leaves and flowers with lines of silver inlay. Menuki of dragons. Fully matching suite of mounts to the tsuka and saya, Matsushiro Sinano school, Signed blade, Shumada Kami Taira Yoshisuka.
The hada is very nicely visible in the excellent polish and around one inch from the habaki the obverse blade face has deflected a blow from an enemy arrow, and created a tiny circular impact point surrounded with incredible hada grain rippling. Please note that unique phenomena, in the photograph, where a the fast travelling projectile has been deflected by the blade from its samurai target and the instant pressure wave incurred in micro seconds has created a miniature tsunami of steel sent out from the impact point for just a few millimetres and created an oval misshaped hada grain all of its own, within the natural hada grain of the blade. A visual record of the samurai’s extraordinary skill and ability to intercept an arrow in mid flight, and something even a nihonto {samurai sword} specialist might only see once in a lifetime. Below the photograph of impact, we show, in the same photo, an antique Japanese woodblock print of the very same action being performed by a samurai, the ‘Yadome no Jutsu’ blocking himself from the impact of arrows, with his sword blade, while being consumed by a hail of enemy yadome {arrows} in flight, while his faithful steed is being impaled by the deadly hail.

This is an amazing thing to see, in that the arrow impact was remarkably deflected, and otherwise the arrow would without doubt have penetrated the body of its samurai, and likely it would have been a fatal wound. Impacts to blades such as this are much revered and honoured, and if possible not removed in later blade polishing.

There is a move in samurai sword combat that is designed to deflect an incoming arrow, which must have been incredibly difficult to execute. The technique is called 'yadome' or 'yadome no jutsu' - the art of cutting or blocking arrows. There are stories of it in Sengoku Japan (and older), it must have required very impressive skill. In the Heike Monogatari (Tale of the Heike), one of the most famous examples of arrow cutting is described:

"Then Gochi-in Tajima, throwing away the sheath of his long naginata, strode forth alone on to the bridge, whereupon the Heike straightaway shot at him fast and furious. Tajima, not at all perturbed, ducking to avoid the higher ones and leaping up over those that flew low, cut through those that flew straight with his whirring naginata, so that even the enemy looked on in admiration. Thus it was that he was dubbed Tajima the arrow-cutter. Some katana can be light and finely balanced to reflect the stature of the samurai who wielded it in combat, others, such as this one, was most certainly for a mighty samurai, either to use on foot in full armour, or in armour on horseback. This is the stature of a sword that could be used against a foe, similarly adorned in full armour, and its power would easily be perfectly suitable against armour in the melee of battle.

Samurai have been describes as "the most strictly trained human instruments of war to have existed." They were expected to be proficient in the martial arts of aikido and kendo as well as swordsmanship and archery---the traditional methods of samurai warfare---which were viewed not so much as skills but as art forms that flowed from natural forces that harmonized with nature.
An individual didn't become a full-fledged samurai until he wandered around the countryside as begging pilgrim for a couple of years to learn humility. When this was completed they achieved samurai status and receives a salary from his daimyo paid from taxes (usually rice) raised from the local populace. Swords in Japan have long been symbols of power and honour and seen as works of art. Often times swordsmiths were more famous than the people who used them. The rise in popularity of katana by samurai is believed to have been due to the changing nature of close-combat warfare. The quicker draw of the sword was well suited to combat where victory depended heavily on fast response times. The katana further facilitated this by being worn thrust through a belt-like sash (obi) with the sharpened edge facing up. Ideally, samurai could draw the sword and strike the enemy in a single motion. Previously, the curved tachi had been worn with the edge of the blade facing down and suspended from a belt.

As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity. 28.25 inch long blade from the tsuba to tip.  read more

Code: 23061

A Most Beautiful Koto Era Sengoku Period Katana Circa 1480 Signed Norimitsu , All Original Edo Period Mountings

In super condition for its great age, with all it's original Edo period mounts and saya.

Shakudo and pure gold decorated fuchi kashira decorated with takebori shishi mythical lion dogs with a gold dragon entwined around its neck on a nanako and rattan pattern crosshatching. The kashira has geometric patterns and copper curlicues. The tsuka is wrapped in black silk binding over golden sinchu rabbits with flowers. The tsuba is a superb geometrically pierced sukashi, a Koto period piece, on a circular iron plate. The blade is signed Norimitsu but not unusually the signature region is faded through age so it is difficult to read although highligted in white powder on the tang. The blade has a very good and clear hamon, and a very elegant funbari graduating curvature and it has been polished several times over 500 years so it shows a little completely understandable light surface thinning to one small area see blade photos.

It has a silvered engraved habaki blade collar.
Original black Edo period ishime black stone lacquer around 200 years old to the saya and in very nice condition, slight wear marks but super overall.

The Sengoku period Sengoku Jidai, "Warring States period") is a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war, social upheaval, and intrigue from 1467 to 1615.

The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga Shogunate. Various samurai warlords and clans fought for control over Japan in the power vacuum, while the Ikkō-ikki emerged to fight against samurai rule. The arrival of Europeans in 1543 introduced the arquebus into Japanese warfare, and Japan ended its status as a tributary state of China in 1549. Oda Nobunaga dissolved the Ashikaga Shogunate in 1573 and launched a war of political unification by force, including the Ishiyama Hongan-ji War, until his death in the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582. Nobunaga's successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi completed his campaign to unify Japan and consolidated his rule with numerous influential reforms. Hideyoshi launched the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1592, but their eventual failure damaged his prestige before his death in 1598. Tokugawa Ieyasu displaced Hideyoshi's young son and successor Toyotomi Hideyori at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and re-established the feudal system under the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Sengoku period ended when Toyotomi loyalists were defeated at the siege of Osaka in 1615.

The Sengoku period was named by Japanese historians after the similar but otherwise unrelated Warring States period of China. Overall 35.25 inches long, blade 25.5 inches long  read more

Code: 23948

A Fabulous, Signed, Antique, Samurai O-Tanto, Late Shinto Period. All Original Edo Fittings Goto School.

A wonderful samurai sword, circa 1760. A large tanto almost wakazashi size. With hard organic bound tsuka. Shinto hinto period, signed blade and signed fittings. The signature is in a most unusual form and it's translation, as yet, still eludes us. The fittings are all bronze and hammered with with fine gold and probably by the much sought after Goto school. Superb kozuka with gold foil and carved copper, and a signed blade. Leather covered saya with iron and gold Kojiri. Gold rimmed bronze tsuba with nanako ground and Shishi.

Nanako Ji: "fish roe ground" A surface decoration produced by forming very small raised bosses by a sharply struck punch or burin called 'nanako tagane'. Shakudo is the metal most often used, but copper and gold are quite often employed. The harder metals, shibuichi, silver and iron are rarely decorated in this way. The size of the dots vary from 0.04" to 0.008" (25 to 125 and inch) and the regularity of the work is marvelous as the dots must be spaced entirely by touch. The dots are usually arranged in straight lines or in lines parallel to the edge of the piece being decorated, but sometimes in more elaborate patterns. Used on guards since the Momoyama period although the technique existed since much earlier periods. Usually done by specialist 'nanako-shi', but sometimes done by the maker of the guard himself.

The Gotō School of sword-fittings makers was founded in the fifteenth century by Gotō Yūjō, who is said to have been patronized by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa (1435–1490). The work of the Gotō masters is characterized by painterly designs carved in high relief on a ground of shakudō (an alloy of copper and gold chemically treated to turn a rich blue-black), finished in nanako (tiny circles punched regularly over the surface to give it a granular appearance) with colorful accents in gold and silver. The succeeding generations of Gotō masters continued to work in these soft metals and concentrated on the smaller sword fittings, such as kozuka (the handle of the small utility knife fitted into a slot on the back of a sword scabbard), kōgai (a skewer-like hairdressing tool carried in the front of the scabbard), and menuki (a pair of grip ornaments secured by the handle wrappings). The production of the stouter sword guards, or tsuba, was left to other masters. While earlier generations had not signed their work, the Gotō masters in about 1600 began to authenticate the work of their predecessors; the attributions usually were engraved on the backs of the pieces themselves. These attributions bear testimony to the keen interest in early sword fittings as status symbols for high-ranking samurai.
Tanto first began to appear in the Heian period, however these blades lacked artistic qualities and were purely weapons. In the Early Kamakura period high quality tanto with artistic qualities began to appear, and the famous Yoshimitsu (the greatest tanto maker in Japanese history) began his forging. Tanto production increased greatly around the Muromachi period and then dropped off in the Shinto period. Shinto period tanto are quite rare. Tanto were mostly carried by Samurai; commoners did not generally carry them. Women sometimes carried a small tanto called a kaiken in their obi for self defence.It was sometimes worn as the shoto in place of a wakizashi in a daisho, especially on the battlefield. Before the 16th century it was common for a Samurai to carry a tachi and a tanto as opposed to a katana and a wakizashi. Shishi (or Jishi) is translated as lion but it can also refer to a deer or dog with magical properties and the power to repel evil spirits. A pair of shishi traditionally stand guard outside the gates of Japanese Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, although temples are more often guarded by two Nio protectors. The Shishi (like the Nio) are traditionally depicted in pairs, one with mouth open and one with mouth shut.). Others say the open mouth is to scare off demons, and the closed mouth to shelter and keep in the good spirits. The circular object often shown beneath their feet is the Tama, or sacred Buddhist jewel, a symbol of Buddhist wisdom that brings light to darkness and holds the power to grant wishes. Overall 26.5 inches long, blade 13.75 inches long  read more

Code: 21366

A Spectacular & Beautiful Museum Grade Cloisonne Enamel Samurai's Suzaku Pheonix Tachi With a 500 Year old Blade By Bizen Kuniyoshi Bearing the Shogun Tokugawa Mon

A true and iconic example of a stunning samurai art sword. A magnificent collision of beauty and utility. It does not fail to attract admiration and awe from all that see it, even those that have little or no interest at all in original fine antique weaponry, would agree that this is simply a remarkable example of the finest and intricate craftsmanship to be seen in the world. Enamel work comparable to such as a piece of sublime object d’art by the genius Carl Faberge himself.

Suzaku is one of the four, Japanese, 'Great Celestial Beasts'. Suzaku translates to "Vermillion Chinese Phoenix". Cloisonne enamel mounted ancient bladed swords were often fabulous cultural presentation pieces, offered to great samurai and nobles as a symbol of their status and importance within the Japanese samurai nobility class hierarchy. This sword bears the tokugawa mon of the Shogun Tokugawa. The fabulous Japanese cloisonne koshirae fittings and mounts may well have been designed by Namikawa Yasuyuki, who was 'Teishitsu Gigei’, an Imperial Craftsman to the court of the Emperor Meiji. He decorated his later pieces with areas of semi-transparent mirror black enamel ground, such as this fabulous piece displays, that became a hallmark of most of Yasuyuki’s finest later work. Overall decorated with the incredible and fantastically detailed, magnificent, mythological phoenix.

Although Chinese cloisonné enamels had long been highly valued it was not until the late sixteenth century that cloisonné enamels became more widely used in Japan.There had long been a demand among the samurai for fine decoration of sword fittings and cloisonné enamels were used on tsuba (sword guards). The finest of these were made by the Hirata School, founded by Hirata Dōnin (died 1646) which was active well into the nineteenth century. A former samurai and one of the greatest artisans of the art was the cloisonné artist Namikawa Yasuyuki. Yasuyuki began his career around 1868 and worked with the Kyoto Cloisonné Company from 1871 to 1874.

He established his own studio and exhibited his work at national and international expositions. The most significant result of the collaboration of Wagener and Yasuyuki was the creation of the semi-transparent mirror black enamel that became the hallmark of most of Yasuyuki’s subsequent work.

Yasuyuki’s cloisonné enamels are characterised by the skilful use of intricate wirework and superb attention to detail and the designs on his earlier pieces are relatively traditional, consisting mainly of stylised botanical and formal geometric motifs. Much of his later work tends to be more pictorial with scenes from nature and views of landmarks in and around Kyoto.

Yasuyuki continued to improve his technical and artistic skills and in 1896 he was appointed Teishitsu Gigei’ in (Imperial Craftsman) to the court of the Emperor Meiji.The four celestial beasts, Seiryu the dragon , Suzaku pheonix, Byakko white tiger, and Genbu tortoise were probably introduced to Japan from China sometime in the 7th century AD, for their images are found on the tomb walls at Takamatsuzuka in Nara, which was built sometime in the Asuka period (600 - 710 AD). They are also found on the base of the Yakushi Triad at Yakushi-ji Temple , also in Nara. In Japan, the term “Suzaku” is translated as “Red Bird” or “Vermillion Chinese Phoenix.” In both Japan and China, the symbolism of the red bird seems nearly identical to or merged with that of the mythological Phoenix. One must consider the Suzaku and the Phoenix to be the same magical creature, although one cannot be certain if this is entirely true. Scholar Derek Walters says the Phoenix was supplanted or replaced by the Red Bird, for the Red Bird more accurately reflected the astronomical iconography associated with the southern lunar mansions.

It corresponds to summer, red, fire, and knowledge; it makes small seeds grow into giant trees. Often paired with the dragon, for the two represent both conflict and wedded bliss; dragon (emperor) and phoenix (empress). Portrayed with radiant feathers, and an enchanting song; and it only appears in times of good fortune. Within the ancient Imperial Palace in Japan, there was a gate known as Suzakumon (Red Bird Gate) Pairs of vases from these Meiji period Japanese cloisonne enamel workshops can now command prices into six figures. All of the fittings are in superb condition, damage free, the blade is in good Edo polish with just a few surface scratch marks, easily forgiveable due to its great age.Overall 27.5 inches long, blade 18.75 inches long It is important to bear in mind, that due to the revered status that Japanese swords achieve for most of their working lives in Japan, that the condition they survive in can be simply remarkable. One can see just how remarkable it can be, by comparing the condition of this fine sword’s blade that was made around the same time as the early Tudor period of King Henry the VIIIth to any equivalent aged, surviving, early Tudor period sword, from any country outside of Japan, and that comparison will show just how fine any Japanese sword’s state of preservation, from the same era, truly can be. The size of this tachi is around the size, overall, of a chisa katana, or o wakazashi. The Tokugawa mon is engraved on its former, deer hide mount round disc fittings, for the vermillion silk hanging cord, that no longer affixed to the tachi hanging mounts {ashi} due to great age perishing. This early vermillion, silk multi-wovan cord, and deer hide mount, is likely several hundred years old, but will still accompany the sword for its next owner, as, although it's well past its use as a hanging mount, it ought to be preserved as part of the swords history.  read more

Code: 23683

Museum Grade Koto Era Samurai Wakizashi Sword By Master Tadamitsu With Rare Gakumei, Circa 1440-1460 Mino Goto Koshirae, With Deep Red Ishime Lacquer Saya & Black Silk Binding

With rare gakumei where the mei (signature) was removed from the original tang and inserted into the shortened tang in order to preserve the important master smith’s signature upon his museum grade blade. With its spectacular suite of beautiful original Edo Mino Goto fittings with tsuba, in shakudo, and pure gold decor of flowers, cricket, catydid and praying mantis. Deep red ishime stone finish lacquer saya, with carved buffalo horn fittings and Mino Goto throat mount. Superb black silk tsuka-ito over fine pure gold decorated menuki. A wonderful Muromachi era blade almost 600 years old, with a superb hamon, in around 95% polish, with gold foil habaki and blade smith shortened tang with its original preserved ‘folded over’ signature inlaid and inserted within the tang. The hamon forms a delightful gunome pattern, mixing with clove (Choji) outline which is slanted generally. The founder of the sword maker school, Tadamitsu in Bizen, is referred in the Shouou period (1288-93) and the oldest existent Tanto by him has the date year, Teiji 3,1364) during the Nanbokucho period, then later generations shows the records of Ouei to Bunmei era (1394-1486) in Muromachi period. The preserved 'folded over' system, that can be seen beautifully done on this blade, in order to preserve the blade smith's signature, was only reserved for the best and most highly revered blades, often of historical significance to the samurai's family. The ancient province of Kibi (of which Bizen was the easternmost region; now Okayama prefecture) possessed excellent ironmaking technology, which helped make Kibi into a powerful state. The region is blessed with all the vital ingredients needed for Japanese sword making: iron sand, water, and charcoal of Japanese red pine, which has excellent thermal efficiency. Research on Japanese swords since the Meiji period has revealed five different features or styles based on the regions in which they were made: Yamashiro (Kyoto prefecture), Yamato (Nara prefecture), Bizen (Okayama prefecture), Sagami (Kanagawa prefecture), and Mino (Gifu prefecture. The characteristic styles of these five regions were passed down from master to disciple and from one region to the next. These are collectively known as Gokaden (five traditions of swordmaking). The province of Bizen was located far from Japan's political center throughout its history, allowing it to prosper regardless of the political state of sovereignty of the day. The most typical Bizen blade has a steel surface grain called itamehada (wooden board grained) with a unique pattern called chōji (clove-shaped) on the blade. This pattern is a feature of Bizen swords and it is what makes Bizen swords special. The Gotō School of sword-fittings makers was founded in the fifteenth century by Gotō Yūjō, who is said to have been patronized by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa (1435–1490). The work of the Gotō masters is characterized by painterly designs carved in high relief on a ground of shakudō (an alloy of copper and gold chemically treated to turn a rich blue-black), finished in nanako (tiny circles punched regularly over the surface to give it a granular appearance) with colorful accents in gold and silver. The succeeding generations of Gotō masters continued to work in these soft metals and concentrated on the smaller sword fittings, such as kozuka (the handle of the small utility knife fitted into a slot on the back of a sword scabbard), kōgai (a skewer-like hairdressing tool carried in the front of the scabbard), and menuki (a pair of grip ornaments secured by the handle wrappings). The production of the stouter sword guards, or tsuba, was left to other masters. While earlier generations had not signed their work, the Gotō masters in about 1600 began to authenticate the work of their predecessors; the attributions usually were engraved on the backs of the pieces themselves. These attributions bear testimony to the keen interest in early sword fittings as status symbols for high-ranking samurai. Overall blade length from base of habaki to tip 21.5 inches long  read more

Code: 23519

A Fabulous and Utterly Beautiful Koto Period Wakizashi, Circa 1550. a Strong and Very Powerful Blade with a Stunning Hamon in Excellent Polish

In all original Edo period fittings and mounts. A simply wonderful sword with wide flat sided blade with wide full length hi to both blade faces. It bears a breathtakingly impressive deep notare with choji hamon. A delightful iron mokko tsuba with takebori small swooping birds and small pure gold highlights. The fuchi of shakudo and pure gold decorated shell fish and coral in crashing waves, and very fine quality.

It has a pair of copper menuki under the wrap that are deeply takebori spiders. The fuchi pommel is carved and polished buffalo horn. Very good original Edo saya with rich black urushi lacquer. Set within the kozuka pocket is a gold decorated kozuka with a good takebori crayfish.

Cherished for its infinite versatility, urushi lacquer is a distinctive art form that has spread across all facets of Japanese culture from the tea ceremony to the saya scabbards of samurai swords

Japanese artists created their own style and perfected the art of decorated lacquerware during the 8th century. Japanese lacquer skills reached its peak as early as the twelfth century, at the end of the Heian period (794-1185). This skill was passed on from father to son and from master to apprentice.

The varnish used in Japanese lacquer is made from the sap of the urushi tree, also known as the lacquer tree or the Japanese varnish tree (Rhus vernacifera), which mainly grows in Japan and China, as well as Southeast Asia. Japanese lacquer, 漆 urushi, is made from the sap of the lacquer tree. The tree must be tapped carefully, as in its raw form the liquid is poisonous to the touch, and even breathing in the fumes can be dangerous. But people in Japan have been working with this material for many millennia, so there has been time to refine the technique!

The urushi lacquer has a few natural, and certainly permissible for its age, very small surface wear marks and nicks.

16.5 inch long blade, 1.3 inches wide at the habaki, overall 23 inches long  read more

Code: 24881

.An Ancient Samurai Nambokochu Era Hira Zukuri Ancient Tanto Circa 1390

This most ancient original short sword has a simply stunning and superb quality, original, Edo period, polished giant kairagi ray skin saya, "Kairagi" means "Ume Blossom Skin".When you polish the skin, Ume Blossom patterns will appear.
Kairagi-same is very rare. In simply fabulous condition, with a kogai pocket containing its highest grade and quality shakudo kogai, with a shakudo clan mon onlaid, the kogai or sword needle, was a samurai's hairdressing tool. The main parts of the kogai are the grip section called do (胴), the needle itself called sao (棹 or 竿) and the little scoop at the back of the grip called mimikaki (耳掻). The saya is polished samegawa. Polished giant ray skin, samegawa, was, at the time of the samurai, some one of the most expensive and highly prized forms of decoration, effectively super hardened marine leather, to be used on sword scabbards, saya. It was the same material as is used on sword hilts under the binding, but the large and small protruding nodules were hand polished, for hundreds of hours, to create a highly polished flat surface, that was then hand dyed and thus created a decorated scabbard with immense natural beauty, and created at huge expense for the time.
Very attractive tsuba of an oval copper plate with inlaid shakudo and gold takebori figures of a mounted samurai and retainers, beneath Mount Fuji at the horizon. Copper and gold onlaid fushigashira on a botanical theme. The blade is most ancient and beautiful looking. A samurai weapon perfect for one who is interested in ancient samurai history and the form of original weapons carried at that time. In the late fourteenth century, the Kantō region was dominated by powerful warrior families. Of these, the Uesugi were the most powerful. They were able to take advantage of the fighting that erupted between families in the region to advance their own interests. In 1368, the Utsunomiya family revolted against the Kamakura headquarters of the Muromachi regime, because they had lost their shugo posts to the Uesugi. The Uesugi family was able to extend their influence by amassing shugo military governor posts under their jurisdiction, and by enfoeffing vassals in the Kantō region at the expense of other families. One could advance a theory that the Kantō region had become semi-independent from Kyoto, and that the Kamakura headquarters of the Muromachi regime existed because of Uesugi support. The Uesugi family was legally recognized by the Muromachi regime by their appointment to the Kantō kanrei post because of their unassailable position. The blade’s hamon is very narrow indeed, typical for blades of such great age, and thus due to its great age, and its yakiba partially contacts with the edge.

Overall 20 inches long in saya, blade inches 13.25 from tsuba to tip long  read more

Code: 24451

A Ko Wakizashi, or Long Sunobi Tanto, Signed Blade Shinto Period Circa 1650

All original Edo mounts and a most fine and elegant blade with notare based on suguha hamon, signed, possibly Norishige, but the kanji are somewhat difficult to interpret, 15.5 inch blade measured from tsuba to tip.

Suite of matching koshirae mounts in tetsu with the tsuba gold inlaid with a stylized dragon and clouds, similary in laid in the sayajiri and saya band inlaid, with a black stippled erushi lacquer, and a carved wood tsuka. The kozuka is a takebori dragon on the plain tetsu ground, the blade is carved wood. The blade has a fine silver foiled habaki engraved with oblique raindrop pattern.

Sunobi Tanto
The Tanto that varied from the traditional size were called Sunobi-Tanto or O-Tanto. These were larger versions of the Tanto which featured blades usually measuring between 13 to 14 inches long. It was close to the size of the Ko-Wakizashi, which is a shorter version of the Wakizashi. However as this blade is even longer that the usual 14 inches, that is why it can be considered as a transitional weapon that has a foot in both camps so to speak. Because of its often small size, the Samurai warriors were able to conceal the Tanto in their clothing. It was also the Shoto or small sword in the Daisho and was paired with the Tachi. This was before the Samurai chose to use the Wakizashi over the Tanto as an auxiliary sword.
The Wakizashi was a Samurai warrior’s backup weapon that was used for close-quarter battles. Aside from this, the sword was a Samurai warrior’s tool for beheading a defeated opponent. It was sometimes used for committing Seppuku, a ritualistic suicide.

In addition, the Wakizashi was one of the few short swords available to the Samurai warrior. Another sword they might use was called a Chisa Katana, effectively a short Katana perfect for use within buildings castles etc. and the prerogative of the personal full time bodyguard of a Daimyo lord, who were the usually the only samurai permitted to be armed in his presence day and night.

Because the sword was the main battle weapon of Japan's knightly man-at-arms (although spears and bows were also carried), an entire martial art grew up around learning how to use it. This was kenjutsu, the art of sword fighting, or kendo in its modern, non-warlike incarnation. The importance of studying kenjutsu and the other martial arts such as kyujutsu, the art of the bow, was so critical to the samurai a very real matter of life or death that Miyamoto Musashi, most renowned of all swordsmen, warned in his classic The Book of Five Rings: The science of martial arts for warriors requires construction of various weapons and understanding the properties of the weapons. A member of a warrior family who does not learn to use weapons and understand the specific advantages of each weapon would seem to be somewhat uncultivated. European knights and Japanese samurai have some interesting similarities. Both groups rode horses and wore armour. Both came from a wealthy upper class. And both were trained to follow strict codes of moral behaviour. In Europe, these ideals were called chivalry; the samurai code was called Bushido, "the way of the warrior." The rules of chivalry and Bushido both emphasize honour, self-control, loyalty, bravery, and military training  read more

Code: 24350