An Ancient Nambokochu Han Dachi Mounted Nambokochu Period Samurai Koto Era Katana up to 600 Years Old

The sword in many ways looks just as it looked many centuries ago, and it has been lovingly cared for since it came from Japan to England 150 years ago, in the reign of the Meiji emperor .

The blade looks stunning with a typical ancient Koto, very narrow, suguha hamon of great simplicity and elegance.
All original Edo period han dachi mounts and the menuki, under the blue silk ito, are dragon with gold eyes over traditional samegawa.

Made during the late Nambokochu 1333 to 1391 period, to the early Muramachi period, that dates from 1392 to 1573. Han dachi mounted, with a very nice, original Edo period, matching suite of full mounts with gold and silver tendrils inlaid over iron. Round iron tsuba with inlays. Original ishime stone finish lacquer saya.

Han-dachi originally appeared during the Muromachi period when there was a transition taking place from Tachi to katana. The sword was being worn more and more edge up when on foot, but edge down on horseback as it had always been. The handachi is a response to the need to be worn in either style. The samurai were roughly the equivalent of feudal knights. Employed by the shogun or daimyo, they were members of hereditary warrior class that followed a strict "code" that defined their clothes, armour and behaviour on the battlefield. But unlike most medieval knights, samurai warriors could read and they were well versed in Japanese art, literature and poetry.

Samurai endured for almost 700 years, from 1185 to 1867. Samurai families were considered the elite. They made up only about six percent of the population and included daimyo and the loyal soldiers who fought under them. Samurai means one who serves."

Samurai were expected to be both fierce warriors and lovers of art, a dichotomy summed up by the Japanese concepts of bu to stop the spear expanding into bushido (the way of life of the warrior) and bun (the artistic, intellectual and spiritual side of the samurai). Originally conceived as away of dignifying raw military power, the two concepts were synthesised in feudal Japan and later became a key feature of Japanese culture and morality. The quintessential samurai was Miyamoto Musashi, a legendary early Edo-period swordsman who reportedly killed 60 men before his 30th birthday.

In Japan the term samurai evolved over several centuries

In Japanese, they are usually referred to as bushi (武士,) or buke (武家). According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning 'to wait upon', 'accompany persons' in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau. In both countries the terms were nominalized to mean 'those who serve in close attendance to the nobility', the Japanese term saburai being the nominal form of the verb." According to Wilson, an early reference to the word samurai appears in the Kokin Wakashū (905–914), the first imperial anthology of poems, completed in the first part of the 10th century.

Originally, the word samurai referred to anyone who served the emperor, the imperial family, or the imperial court nobility, even in a non-military capacity.It was not until the 17th century that the term gradually became a title for military servants of warrior families, so that, according to Michael Wert, "a warrior of elite stature in pre-seventeenth-century Japan would have been insulted to be called a 'samurai'".

In modern usage, bushi is often used as a synonym for samurai

40 inches in saya blade 28 inches

Every item is accompanied with our unique, Certificate of Authenticity. Of course any certificate of authenticity, given by even the best specialist dealers, in any field, all around the world, is simply a piece of paper,…however, ours is backed up with the fact we are the largest dealers of our kind in the world, with over 100 years and four generation’s of professional trading experience behind us  read more

Code: 24817

A Most Fine & Attractive Antique Pre Edo Period Koto Han Dachi Mounted {Semi Tachi Style} Samurai Katana With A Superb Blade in Near Pristine Condition

With two part hidden secret compartment fuchi, for concealing small intelligence notes.
Circa 550 years old, and a delight to observe the wonderful elegant curvature to the blade. It has all original Edo period mounts fittings and saya, with original saya intricately patterned pine needle urushi lacquer. Typical original Edo period handachi mounts of matching, kashira, sayajiri, kurigata in a crashing wave takebori design of gilded brass, and a brass fuchi that is disguised to conceal it seperates into two parts to reveal a very narrow section to conceal small script notes. With a beautiful Edo mokko form iron tsuba with gold onlay of immortals one holding a staff, another reading a scroll held by a third figure, beneath a prunus tree . All untouched for over 150 years since it arrived in England in the 1870's. It has a very active undulating notare hamon, and fine grain within the hada, on the stunning blade, and it’s all original Edo period tsukaito binding to the hilt, in black silk, wrapped over a pair of gilt dragon menuki, and overall it has usual light signs of wear and use upon the saya, with age appropriate wear as to be expected.

Han-dachi originally appeared during the Muromachi period when there was a transition taking place from Tachi to katana. The sword was being worn more and more edge up when on foot, but edge down on horseback as it had always been. The handachi is a response to the need to be worn in either style. The samurai were roughly the equivalent of feudal knights. Employed by the shogun or daimyo, they were members of hereditary warrior class that followed a strict "code" that defined their clothes, armour and behavior on the battlefield. But unlike most medieval knights, samurai warriors could read and they were well versed in Japanese art, literature and poetry.

The samurai were roughly the equivalent of feudal knights. Employed by the shogun or daimyo, they were members of hereditary warrior class that followed a strict "code" that defined their clothes, armour and behaviour on the battlefield. But unlike most medieval knights, samurai warriors could read and they were well versed in Japanese art, literature and poetry.
Samurai endured for almost 700 years, from 1185 to 1867. Samurai families were considered the elite. They made up only about six percent of the population and included daimyo and the loyal soldiers who fought under them. Samurai means one who serves."

Samurai were expected to be both fierce warriors and lovers of art, a dichotomy summed up by the Japanese concepts of bu to stop the spear expanding into bushido (the way of life of the warrior) and bun (the artistic, intellectual and spiritual side of the samurai). Originally conceived as away of dignifying raw military power, the two concepts were synthesised in feudal Japan and later became a key feature of Japanese culture and morality.The quintessential samurai was Miyamoto Musashi, a legendary early Edo-period swordsman who reportedly killed 60 men before his 30th birthday and was also a painting master. Members of a hierarchal class or caste, samurai were the sons of samurai and they were taught from an early age to unquestionably obey their mother, father and daimyo. When they grew older they may be trained by Zen Buddhist masters in meditation and the Zen concepts of impermanence and harmony with nature. The were also taught about painting, calligraphy, nature poetry, mythological literature, flower arranging, and the tea ceremony.

it has been said that part of their military training, samurai were taught to sleep with their right arm underneath them so if they were attacked in the middle of the night and their the left arm was cut off the could still fight with their right arm. Samurai that tossed and turned at night were cured of the habit by having two knives placed on either side of their pillow.

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.
Some samurai, it has been claimed, 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.

Japanese lacquer, or urushi, is a transformative and highly prized material that has been refined for over 7000 years.

Cherished for its infinite versatility, urushi 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.

Some provinces of Japan were famous for their contribution to this art: the province of Edo (later Tokyo), for example, produced the most beautiful lacquered pieces from the 17th to the 18th centuries. Lords and shoguns privately employed lacquerers to produce decorated samurai sword saya and also ceremonial and decorative objects for their homes and palaces.  read more

Code: 25549

A Stunning 'Grand Tour' Antique Rococo Italian 19th Cen. Carved Venetian Grotto Stool, Pauly et Cie. A Wonderful Original Object D'art, Italian Renaissance Revival. George Cukor Had An Entire Room Dedicated to 'Grand Tour' Dolphin & Shell Furniture

In carved walnut, baroque style, with a seat shaped as a rotating elevating scallop shell, docorated in ebonised lacquer, with a scrolled front, set on a relief carved gilded dolphin, and tripartite black ebonised lacquer base. Elaborately carved style of the rococo revival.

One could just as easily imagine the great composer Mozart sitting upon such a fabulously extravagant stool, playing a spinet in one of the great palaces in Venice, and similarly, Sir Elton John seated upon it, performing one of his iconic compositions at a Oscars after party in Hollywood. Just as a piano stool should do, this stool’s shell seat rotates upon a steel spindle in order to adjust its seating height to perform at such as a Steinway or Bechstein grand piano. From 20.5 inches in height, to 23 inches high

In the ‘Grand Tour’ era of 19th century France such pieces of fine art were created for the highly classical ‘after the antique’ market. Such as gilt bronze miniature copies of ‘Napoleons’ column in Place Vendome, and small yellow simulated marble versions of Ancient Greek and Roman columns and arches, and architectural features, and sometimes whole structures, such as Cleopatra’s Needle. Bronzes and marbles ‘after the antique’ of busts of Roman Emperor’s, and elegant statuary. Companies such as Granger of Paris, that worked in the 1840's, created wonderful miniature suits of armour, mounted on horse armour or free standing, and they are of incredibly detailed quality. Such pieces by Granger are in such incredible demand, by collectors or interior decorators, that can they achieve values in the tens of thousands of pounds, even approaching six figures today, and for most that are no more than two feet or around 50 cms high complete. Wondrous full size armour was also created, such as extravagant armour helmets from the Renaissance, the designs made fore the kings of France in the 16th century. Also shields, gauntlets, and gorgets exactly as this fabulous piece. That were ideal for classical art displays and interior décor of the finest Georgian country estates, and the glorious Palladian terraced mansion houses in the cities, such as London, Edinburgh, Bath and Brighton.

As early as the 1500's grottoes were meant to complement Italian Renaissance gardens and provide cool places for Europeans to retreat from the sun. Of course there was a need to furnish these spaces, so fantasy furniture, called grotto furniture, became quite the trend and Grotto had it's own "style". Today home grottoes and shell encrusted furniture are undergoing something of a revival as we too long to bring our love of the ocean indoors with fun and whimsical seashell-inspired decor. Antique Venetian grotto furniture is now rare and immensely collectable. The scallop form became increasingly popular between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries, as focus on classical, organic and symmetrical forms became more and more popular.
As the scallop form gradually became more used in architecture, its popularity started to be reflected in additional ways, predominantly having a vast influence on Italian Renaissance and Rococo furniture.
Furniture makers in Venice were very prolific in their seating designs, and were particularly known for chairs that had nautical themes. Shells, coral, dolphins and seahorses were often sculpted into chairs that took inspiration from the designs of Venetian grottoes. First created by the ancient Greeks, the grotto was formed out of caves situated near a water source and decorated with tufa, stones and shells. The grottoes acted as shrines, a restful space to pay respect to the spirits of water. In the Renaissance, grottoes became a popular addition to the landscapes of villas for those who could afford it. The Italian landscape designers revived and created a new tradition of grottoes, elaborately decorated into man-made monuments of natural beauty. The Renaissance grotto symbolized the quest for knowledge and an awareness of one's surroundings.

The Italian grotto style peaked during the nineteenth century, and furniture was created to reflect this passion for nautical themes. From the mid to late nineteenth century, furniture makers in Venice fashioned chairs based on the feel of the grotto, creating an eclectic mix of Renaissance and Rococo inspired sculpted imagery. The nineteenth century Venetian grotto chairs were most likely intended for hallways and were aimed to be sold to visitors on their European 'Grand Tour'. This stool is in superb condition with just some light erosion of the gilt and lacquer areas.

Apparently brought back to England by a British General after the Italian campaign in 1944/5, as a personal gift of an Italian nobleman.

The Brighton Pavilion Palace of the Prince Regent is profusely decorated with items of furniture influenced in what is now called the grotto style, with a heavy rococo influence throughout. With fabulously carved gigantic beasts such as dragons and ho ho birds, and this same shell design on stools in the music room. Items of original antique Venetian grotto seating, with the nautical shell infuence, are now commanding huge prices. Franco Zefferelli had a pair in collection that sold for $30,000  read more

Code: 22356

A Beautiful Unokubi Zukuri Blade Samurai Armour Piercing Tanto. Ise-ebi or Kamakuraebi Sayajiri 鞘尻, & Matching Matsushiro Sinano School Kozuka and Kogai. 16th To 17th Century Blade, Original Edo Koshirae, Of Nagano Province

A wonderful earliest Shinto bladed armour piercing tanto, with its unique original Edo period “Matsushiro” koshirae made in Matsuro-han in Shinano (Nagano) province, with a Matsuhiro kamakuraebi lobster tail mount on the end of the deep red urushi lacquer saya, that is overdecorated with black speckling and dragonflies.

Sometimes called "the old man of the sea" because of its bent back, the Japanese lobster (ise-ebi or kamakuraebi) is a symbol of longevity. Here it appears on the saya as a sayajiri but it can also appear in many ways, such as the back of a vest worn for theatrical performances. Kyōgen is a comic form of Japanese theatre performed together with the more serious Noh. Boldly patterned overvests (kataginu) were worn for important kyōgen roles, such as Tarōkaja, the comical servant.

Unokubi (鵜首): Is an uncommon tantō blade style akin to the kanmuri-otoshi, with a back that grows abruptly thinner around the middle of the blade; however, the unokubi zukuri regains its thickness just before the point. There is normally a short, wide groove {hi} extending to the midway point on the blade, this is a most unusual form of unokubi zukuri blade tanto with a short wide hi. It has a copper, habaki, with original Edo period lacquered saya large with lobster form Sayajiri 鞘尻 & a fully matching suite of sinchu and contrasting silver line mounts to the kozuka and kogai of the fine Matsushiro Sinano school, including the tsuba and fuchi kashira. Carved buffalo horn fittings and kurikata. the original Edo urushi lacquer is over decorated with speckles and black dragonflies in flight. The tsuka is also bound in rare, original Edo period micro thin tsuka-ito. Over a fine pair of shakudo menuki of butterflies and a bird combined.

Japan was once known as the “Land of the Dragonfly”, as the Emperor Jimmu is said to have once climbed a mountain in Nara, and looking out over the land, claimed that his country was shaped like two Akitsu, the ancient name for the winged insects, mating.

Dragonflies appeared in great numbers in 1274 and again in 1281, when Kublai Khan sent his Mongol forces to conquer Japan. Both times the samurai repelled the attackers, with the aid of huge typhoons, later titled Kamikaze (the Divine Winds), that welled up, destroying the Mongol ships, saving Japan from invasion. For that reason, dragonflies were seen as bringers of divine victory.

Dragonflies never retreat, they will stop, but will always advance, which was seen as an ideal of the samurai. Further, although the modern Japanese word for dragonfly is Tombo, the old (Pre Meiji era) word for dragonfly was Katchimushi. “Katchi” means “To win”, hence dragonflies were seen as auspicious by the samurai.


Japanese lacquer, or urushi, is a transformative and highly prized material that has been refined for well over 7000 years. The use of natural lacquer, known as urushi, has a 9,000-year history in Japan. Lacquered artifacts dating back to the prehistoric Jomon period (10,000–300 BCE) have been found at various archeological sites throughout Japan.
Cherished for its infinite versatility, urushi 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 blade has an amazingly vibrant and active hamon.

It has spent two full weeks in our workshop being conserved and cleaned by hand by our artisans for around 65 hours, returning it to near exactly how it looked 150 years ago. Of course there are slight signs of natural wear and aging on the exterior etc., but it was important to leave this as intact as possible to complete a museum grade conservation.

Every item is accompanied with our unique, Certificate of Authenticity. Of course any certificate of authenticity, given by even the best specialist dealers, in any field, all around the world, is simply a piece of paper,…however, ours is backed up with the fact we are the largest dealers of our kind in the world, with over 100 years and four generation’s of professional trading experience behind us  read more

Code: 25483

A Most Fine & Beautiful Koto Period Katana Signed Sukesada of Bizen Dated 1560. With Original & Exceptionally Rare Original Dutch Black-ship 1540’s Imported Leather Bound Tsuka. With Original Japanese Insect Pattern Embossing

Signed Bizen kuni ju Osafune Sukesada. One of the Sukesada, Bizen smiths. A very nice Koto blade, that has seen battle, with fine mounts and, most unusually, a very interestingly, embossed Dutch leather, called goudleer, bound tsuka, with cloisonne enamel menuki. Embossed Dutch leather goudleer was imported to Japan by the Dutch and Portuguese in the 16th century and was highly prized as screens and other decorative works of art. We have also seen, although most rarely, other items decorated with this distinctive Dutch leatherwork such as samurai purses and saya coverings. The embossing on the leather are various insects, highly popular in samurai fittings decor. The fushi tsuka mount is very fine, signed by the maker, and decorated with flowers and gold buds.

Insects in general have been celebrated in Japanese culture for centuries. The Lady Who Loved Insects is a classic story of a caterpillar-collecting lady of the 12th century court; the Tamamushi, or Jewel Beetle Shrine, is a seventh century miniature temple, once shingled with 9,000 iridescent beetle forewings. In old Japanese literature, poems upon insects are to be found by thousands, Daisaburo Okumoto is director of the Fabre Insect Museum. An avid insect collector and a scholar of French literature, he has translated many of Fabre's works. He ascribes the popularity of insects in Japan to national character. It seems like Japanese eyes are like macro lenses and Western eyes are wide-angle, he says. A garden in Versailles, it's very wide and symmetrical. But Japanese gardens are continuous from the room and also very small. We feel calm when we look at small things. The medieval Japanese monk Yoshida Kenko put it this way: “If man were never to fade away like the dews of Adashino, never to vanish like the smoke over Toribeyama, how things would lose their power to move us”

Harima, Mimasaka and Bizen provinces were prospering under the protection of the Akamatsu family. Above all, Bizen province turned out a great many talented swordsmiths. A large number of swords were made there in the late Muromachi period not only supplying the demand of the Age of Provincial Wars in Japan but also as an important exporting item to the Ming dynasty in China. At the onset of the decline of the Ashikaga shogunate in 1565 ad., and Yoshiteru's assassination the shogunate of Yoshiteru was filled by his two-year old son, Yoshiaki. Yoshiteru's brother was the abbot of a Buddhist monastery. He resigned this position and attempted to assume the shogunate. These efforts ultimately failed. The demand for swords began an accent to unimaginable levels. The national unrest and violent civil war did not cease until the successful takeover of the shogunate by Tokugawa Iyeyasu. The "Osafune - Kozori" group was the major supplier of blades for these events. 29 inch blade Tsuba to tip. On just one side of the blade there are combat stress hagire marks near the top section. This blade has certainly seen combat, and is simply ideal for the historical collector of beautiful samurai weaponry of battle, rather than those seeking blade condition perfection. 40 inches long approx overall in saya  read more

Code: 22916

A German WW2 National Socialist DRK Red Cross Medal

(Deutsche Volkspflege 1939-1945
On the 1st May 1939, Hitler introduced a series of four awards (Ehrenzeichen für Deutsche Volkspflege) to replace the earlier DRK awards.
His thinking was that the new series of awards should cover the whole field of social welfare, and not just the relatively restricted area of the Red Cross.
To be rendered in recognition of loyal service in the connection with the following:
Social Welfare
Winter Relief
Looking after the sick and wounded, both in peace and war
Keeping up old customs
Looking after German nationals in foreign countries.
One of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles prevented the DRK from having any involvement in military matters. As a result, during the Weimar Republic under the leadership of Joachim von Winterfeldt-Mencken, the DRK became a national organization focusing on social welfare . In April 1933 the Nazi Reich Interior Minister Wilhelm Frick made it clear to Winterfeldt-Mencken that this policy would no longer apply; instead, the DRK would be expected to play its part in supporting the armed forces in any future conflict. Shortly after this the DRK was informed that the head of the SA Medical Corps, Dr. Paul Hocheisen had been given responsibility for voluntary nursing organizations.

On the 11th of June 1933 Frick was invited to speak at the Red Cross Day. He declared:

"The Red Cross is something like the conscience of the nation. … Together with the nation, the Red Cross is ready to commit all its strength for the high goals of our leader, Adolf Hitler".

The DRK was quick to respond to the changed circumstances, indeed Winterfeldt-Mencken had always been opposed to the system of parliamentary democracy. The Workers' Samaritan League, a left-wing humanitarian organization, had always been an unwelcome competitor to the DRK. Hocheisen very quickly arranged that it should be taken over by the DRK. Similarly, the DRK moved quickly to rid itself of left-wing members, ironic, as itself was a socialist workers organisation, and in June 1933 it also decided that the Nazi "Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service" should be applied and dismissed its Jewish employees.  read more

Code: 23691

Please View & Explore Probably The Largest Selection Of Original Antique & Historical Samurai Arms From The Past 800 Years For Sale in The World. Including, Swords, Spears, Armour, Helmets, Long Bows, Arrows, Daggers & Sword Fittings

Our amazing collection of recently acquired fine antique swords are to be added to very soon, including a fabulous, Shinto, Tokugawa tachi presented to a visiting famous American admiral and war hero in 1896, plus numerous samurai swords of all types and eras, also samurai war arrows ‘ tagari ya’ and rare swallow tail 'ageha ya’, a dozen ‘kazuya’ ya target arrows, plus a superb collection of 20 fabulous Koto to Shinto tsubas, have still yet to be collated and listed on our site. Plus, more swords, just added this month, both antique and WW2 ancestral shingunto etc. including one of the best we have seen in years.

“Weaponry both ancient and vintage, they all have style and a story to tell”

"Over the past 54 years I have personally supervised our company's determination to try provide the most historically interesting, educational, yet none too intimidating, gallery of original Japanese Samurai artefacts for sale in the collecting world. We were told a few years ago by Victor Harris { Japanese sword expert resident consultant at the British Museum, the UK's leading nihonto specialist} that we probably display the largest selection of original, fine samurai sword weaponry for sale, and of its kind, anywhere in the world.

Principally concentrating on a crucial combination of age, beauty, quality and history, & thanks to an extensive contact base, built up over the past 100 years or more, that stretches across the whole world, including collectors, curators, academics and consultants, we have been very fortunate, in that this effort has rewarded us with the ability to offer, what we believe to be, the most comprehensive selection of original ancient and antique samurai swords available for sale in one gallery or online in the world.

We have exported, over the past 100 years, likely tens of thousands of our original samurai weapons, helmets and armour to the four corners of the globe, with clients on all continents. Our swords grace the homes of collectors from literally all walks of life, from Presidents to Postmen, and we have traded with museums of all the major nations. We have always loved and been fascinated by the history of the Samurai, and their iconic weaponry, and we have long admired and envied their past near limitless skill at creating the unparalleled beauty and quality of samurai swords. Universally acknowledged to be likely the very best swords the world has ever seen.

Our Japanese weaponry vary tremendously in age, in fact up to, and sometimes over, an incredible 800 years old, and they are frequently some of the finest examples of specialist workmanship ever achieved by mankind.
We have tried to include, within the holistic description of most items, a brief generic history lesson, for those that have interest, and may wish to know, that will describe the eras, areas and circumstances that these items were used in ancient Japan. We have tried our utmost to be informative, holistic and as interesting as possible without being too academically technical, in order to keep the details vibrant, fascinating and comprehensible, thus not too complex.
We are always delighted to impart any knowledge that we have at our disposal to any curious new collectors when asked. In fact some of the most learned scholars in the world that we have met, and known, some studying the art of nihonto almost all of their adult lives, often admitted to us they were only scratching the surface of the knowledge to be learnt in this extraordinary field, so there is much to constantly uncover about the stories of the samurai and their legendary weaponry covering around 1000 years of Japanese history.

Please enjoy, with our compliments, our Japanese Gallery. It has been decades in the creation, and we intend it to remain as interesting and informative as possible, and, hopefully, for another century to come"..


Mark Hawkins
Partner
The Lanes Armoury

Did you know? the most valuable sword in the world today is a samurai sword, it belongs to an investment fund and has appeared illustrated in the Forbes 400 magazine. It is valued by them at $100 million, it is a tachi from the late Koto period 16th century and unsigned. Its blade is grey and now has no original polish remaining.  read more

Code: 22187

Archaic Chinese Warrior's Bronze Sword, Around 2,300 to 2,800 Years Old, From the Zhou Dynasty to the Qin Dynasty, Including the Period of the Great Military Doctrine 'The Art of War' by General Sun-Tzu

Chinese Bronze 'Two Ring' Jian sword used in the era of the Seven Kingdoms period, likely in the Kingdom of Yue up to the latter part of the Eastern Zhou dynasty (circa 475 BC). A specific kingdom, which had been known as the "Yue Guo" (越國) in modern Zhejiang, was not mentioned until it began a series of wars against its northern neighbor Wu during the late 6th century BC. According to the Records of the Grand Historian and Discourses of the States, the Yue are descended from Wuyu, the son of Shao Kang, the sixth king of the Xia dynasty.

With help from Wu's enemy Chu, Yue won after several decades of conflict. The famous Yue King Goujian destroyed and annexed Wu in 473 BC. During the reign of Wuqiang (無彊), six generations after Goujian, Yue was partitioned by Chu and Qi in 306 BC.
During its existence, Yue was famous for the quality of its metalworking, particularly its swords. Examples include the extremely well-preserved Swords of Goujian and Zhougou.

From our wonderful collection of ancient Chinese weaponry we recently acquired, another stunning ancient sword around 2500 years old or more. From the Zhou dynasty, and the area of the King's of Wu, in Chu, or more likely the Kingdom of Yueh. From a collection of antiquities, swords daggers, and rings, many pieces sold for the part benefit of the Westminster Abbey fund, and the Metropolitan Museum fund

Swords of this type are called “two-ring” swords because of the prominent rings located on the hilt. this is the very type of sword used by the warriors serving under the world renowned General Sun Tzu, in the Kingdom of Wu, who is thought by many to be the finest general, philosopher and military tactician who ever lived. His 2500 year old book on the methods of warfare, tactics and psychology are still taught and highly revered in practically every officer training college throughout the world.
We show a painting in the gallery of a chariot charge by a Zhou dynasty warrior armed with this very form of sword.
The Chinese term for this form of weapon is “Jian” which refers to a double-edged sword. This style of Jian is generally attributed to either the Wu or the Yue state. The sword has straight graduated edges reducing to a pointed tip, which may indicate an earlier period Jian.

The blade is heavy with a midrib and tapered edges
A very impressive original ancient Chinese sword with a long, straight blade with a raised, linear ridge down its centre. It has a very shallow, short guard. The thin handle would have had leather or some other organic material such as leather or hemp cord, wrapped around it to form a grip. At the top is a broad, round, dished pommel.

The Seven Kingdom or Warring States period in Chinese history was one of instability and conflict between many smaller Kingdom-states. The period officially ended when China was unified under the first Emperor of China, Qin pronounced Chin Shi Huang Di in 221 BC. It is from him that China gained its name.

The Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE) was among the most culturally significant of the early Chinese dynasties and the longest lasting of any in China's history, divided into two periods: Western Zhou (1046-771 BCE) and Eastern Zhou (771-256 BCE). It followed the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BCE), and preceded the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE, pronounced “chin”) which gave China its name.

In the early years of the Spring and Autumn Period, (770-476 BC) chivalry in battle was still observed and all seven states used the same tactics resulting in a series of stalemates since, whenever one engaged with another in battle, neither could gain an advantage. In time, this repetition of seemingly endless, and completely futile, warfare became simply the way of life for the people of China during the era now referred to as the Warring States Period. The famous work The Art of War by Sun-Tzu (l. c. 500 BCE) was written during this time, recording precepts and tactics one could use to gain advantage over an opponent, win the war, and establish peace.

Sun Tzu was a Chinese general, military strategist, writer, and philosopher who lived in the Eastern Zhou period of ancient China. Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of The Art of War, an influential work of military strategy that has affected both Western and East Asian philosophy and military thinking. His works focus much more on alternatives to battle, such as stratagem, delay, the use of spies and alternatives to war itself, the making and keeping of alliances, the uses of deceit, and a willingness to submit, at least temporarily, to more powerful foes. Sun Tzu is revered in Chinese and East Asian culture as a legendary historical and military figure. His birth name was Sun Wu and he was known outside of his family by his courtesy name Changqing The name Sun Tzu by which he is more popularly known is an honorific which means "Master Sun".

Sun Tzu's historicity is uncertain. The Han dynasty historian Sima Qian and other traditional Chinese historians placed him as a minister to King Helü of Wu and dated his lifetime to 544–496 BC. Modern scholars accepting his historicity place the extant text of The Art of War in the later Warring States period based on its style of composition and its descriptions of warfare. Traditional accounts state that the general's descendant Sun Bin wrote a treatise on military tactics, also titled The Art of War. Since Sun Wu and Sun Bin were referred to as Sun Tzu in classical Chinese texts, some historians believed them identical, prior to the rediscovery of Sun Bin's treatise in 1972.

Sun Tzu's work has been praised and employed in East Asian warfare since its composition. During the twentieth century, The Art of War grew in popularity and saw practical use in Western society as well. It continues to influence many competitive endeavours in the world, including culture, politics, business and sports.

The ancient Chinese people worshipped the bronze and iron swords, where they reached a point of magic and myth, regarding the swords as “ancient holy items”. Because they were easy to carry, elegant to wear and quick to use, bronze swords were considered a status symbol and an honour for kings, emperors, scholars, chivalrous experts, merchants, as well as common people during ancient dynasties. For example, Confucius claimed himself to be a knight, not a scholar, and carried a sword when he went out. The most famous ancient bronze sword is called the “Sword of Gou Jian”.

This is one of a stunning collection of original archaic bronze age weaponry we have acquired, from the Anthony Dove Collection, and has now arrived. Many are near identical to other similar examples held in the Metropolitan in New York, the British royal collection, and such as the Hunan Provincial Museum, Hunan, China.
Anthony Dove, alongside Alan Williams of the Wallace Collection, wrote academic papers on the observations and identification of metals used in the manufacture of ancient Chinese swords, and, thus their authenticity, considered to be a seminal work of its kind.
As with all our items, every piece is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, based on our 100 plus years of established experience, based in Brighton, since 1920.

21 inches long overall 17 inch blade

Ref; SOME OBSERVATIONS ON EARLY CHINESE BRONZE SWORDS
By
Anthony Dove and Alan Williams The Wallace Collection} 65 publications  read more

Code: 24388

A Wonderful Circa 3000 Year Old Original Sword From the Time of the Ancient Greek 'Heroic Age' Such as The Era of The Seige of Troy and The Trojan War

One of two absolute beauties from the same historical era we were delighted to acquire. In beautiful condition with very fine deep patination. The first sword of the two has now just sold.

It has a graduating blade with central rib, integral hilt, with open panels for organic inserts of wood, bone, or ivory, fabulous areas of crystalized malachite naturally aged blue/green patination.

The great bronze age artisans of the time, found a most eager market to supply the warriors of late pre-literary history. Interestingly their swords and daggers were traded to all the warring cultures, from the Ancient Macedonians, Minoans, Thracians, Spartans, Scythians, Trojans and of course the Medes. So it was potentially possible at the time to find two civilizations at war using combat weapons made by the very same artisans, such as from Luristan or Crete. Crete being one of the main sources of copper in the bronze age, within that region. A type of globalization was in place, as all of the major powers were interconnected. Trade networks exchanged glass, ivory, copper, tin, bronze, perfume, and pottery. Bronze could be seen as the equivalent of our modern economy's crude oil. It was used for axes, swords, knives, armour, plows, and even wheel mechanisms, and tin, an essential ingredient of bronze, was traded as far as 1000 miles from its mined source in Afghanistan. Out of interest, it was why Ancient Rome spent so much time and effort in order to conquer ancient Britain, it was for our Cornish tin, and numerous lead mines, and not for our glorious climate.

The Greek Heroic Age, in mythology, is the period between the coming of the Greeks to Thessaly and the Greek warriors' return from Troy after their return with Helen of Troy. The poet Hesiod (fl. c. 700 BCE) identified this mythological era as one of his five Ages of Man. The period spans roughly six generations; the heroes denoted by the term are superhuman, though not divine, and are celebrated in the literature of Homer and of others, such as Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides.

The Greek heroes can be grouped into an approximate mythic chronology, based on the stories of events such as the Argonautic expedition and the Trojan War. Over the course of time, many heroes, such as Heracles, Achilles, Hector and Perseus, came to figure prominently in Greek mythology.

Early heroes
Many of the early Greek heroes were descended from the gods and were part of the founding narratives of various city-states. They also became the ancestors of later heroes. The Phoenician prince Cadmus, a grandson of Poseidon, was the first Greek hero and the founder of Thebes.

Perseus, famous for his exploits well before the days of his great-grandson, Heracles, was the son of Zeus. Perseus beheaded the Medusa, saved Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus, and was the legendary founder of Mycenae.
Aeacus was also a son of Zeus. Bellerophon was descended from the nymph Orseis. Oenomaus, king of Pisa, in the Peloponnese, was the son of Ares.
Among these early heroes the three - Cadmus, Perseus and Bellerophon - were considered the greatest Greek heroes and slayers of monsters before the days of Heracles.

Of course, despite the Age of Heroes and the time of the Gods of Olympus, being based almost entirely on mythology, apart from the actual city of Troy, which is now proved to be not a myth, the real warriors that lived during that age and time, in ancient pre-history, actually existed, and this is their very form of sword, and one that they would have used.
It is in beautiful condition, with very fine deep natural patination created over 3000 years. A sword type that gained popularity by the Eastern Mediterranean Scythians, Mycenaean Greek, The Spartans and during the the late 2nd Millenium to the Ist millennium B.C. around 2700 to 3200 years ago, and also, not least by the Medes of Persia.

Bronze swords and daggers weapons were highly sought after by warriors of many cultures because of their quality, balance and durability, and the artisans that made them found a ready market throughout all of the late pre-literary history cultures.

Typically their swords would have a graduating blade with central rib, integral hilt, with open panels for organic inserts of wood, bone, or ivory, just as this sword has, but it now has gained fabulous areas of crystallized malachite, naturally aged as a blue/green patination.

This is a type of short sword used mainly in the late second to first millennium BC in the eastern Mediterranean region, it was was worn at the hip in a likely, elaborate scabbard. The scabbard's chape, was generally a rounded triangle, and could be made of bronze, chased gold or carved ivory, and potentially lots of other materials. Just above the chape, a cord was tied around the scabbard, passed around the thigh and then through a slip-knot next to the chape.
The throat of thge scabbard had a large tab, which at its own upper corner was tied through a hole in the weapon belt.

Last picture in the gallery is the Recovery of Helen by Menelaus. Painted Attic black-figure amphora, c. 550 BC

19 1/2 inches long overall, blade 15 inches long  read more

Code: 22086

Fabulous, Historical Service Issue 1856-8 Two Band Enfield Yataghan Sword Bayonet Used With P1853 Enfield Rifles In The Indian Mutiny, The Opium War in China, The American Civil War, 1861-65 & The Japanese Boshin War & The Satsuma Rebellion

All came to us from the collector who bought them in Japan from another collector, so by definition they conclusively were used in all of those campaigns, as the Japanese bought them for the Boshin War, from the American's who purchased them from Britain for the Civil war as army surplus after we had retired them from our war service in India, China, & Burma.

Absolutely bright as a button, hand polished and conserved, for the next 200 years, in our workshop.

The temporary photographs in the gallery are of another, but identical pattern of bayonet from the collection. The bayonet offered here for sale is in a little better condition than the one in the current photographs, without leather repairs, and it has just returned from the workshop. Photos of it will be added after the weekend, from the 29th December

This bayonet was part of a stunning collection of probably the most historical, service issue, bayonets ever used in the 19th century, and this one of these very bayonets was used in combat over five different campaigns, covering four continents, by five different combatant armies. One British, two American {North and South} and two Japanese {Imperial and Anti Imperial Samurai} . All from a Japanese source {decades ago} and are to be sold separately, most with scabbards, some without. Many have already been sold over the past few weeks

Original ordnance stamps and inspection marks abound, and regimental gun rack number on the hilt {possibly American}.

The rifle that this sword bayonet was designed for the P1853 two band Enfield rifle, and was first used in the late Indian Mutiny at the "Seige and Relief of Lucknow". With a chequered leather grip with rivets, and screw affixed retaining spring. Good, long, Yataghan blade in bright polish. Excellent leather.
The regiments that used this bayonet sword also took part in the Second Opium War in China, the Third Anglo-Burmese War, and this bayonet, along with tens of thousands of other service issue rifles and bayonets, were then sold to America in the Civil war, purchased by both the North, and the South. {See photos in the gallery of Union and Confederates with the Enfield rifles and their yataghan bayonets.}
Then after the Civil War thousands of Confederate purchased Enfields were sold to Japan's Tokugawa Shogunate, and used in the Boshin war, and their Satsuma Rebellion by the samurai anti imperialist army.

A quote from a Confederate officer's diary,
"Every short two-band Enfield which came into possession of any of our men was taken away and given to these men sharpshooters ... But there were not enough and some of them had the common long Enfield."
It would appear that by mid-war in the Confederate Service, while the infantry was provided with the longer rifle-muskets where possible, the shorter rifles (US or Enfield) were preferred for use by the Cavalry:

Gen. Basil Duke noted of Morgan's Cavalry, they did not even like the American shorter carbine length muzzle loaders (musketoons):

"Morgan's Cavalry in the west preferred the British arm they called the "medium Enfield" the two band rifle. The short Enfield carbine they found convenient to carry, but deficient in range and accuracy. The long-Enfield (three band) they found inconvenient to carry, and difficult to use (as was sometimes necessary) on horseback. Regardless, in that command one company had the long Enfield, another the short, and another the medium.

We bought the entire small collection from the widow of a 'best of British Empire rifles and bayonets, plus French and German bayonets collector’, who acquired them over the past 40 plus years, and only ever kept the very best he could afford to keep. Act fast they are selling really fast, three rifles and eight bayonets and a cutlass have sold in two days alone. Top quality and condition,19th and 20th century scarce British French and German collectables are always the most desirable of all. These Victorian British made bayonets were all used in the above mentioned conflicts, including this one offered here, that were eventually sold to Japan, via a very circuitous route, by America, who in their turn had purchased them from England for the American Civil War. This one and all of the others were acquired by our English collector, from a former Japanese collector of Boshin War and Satsuma Rebellion militaria some decades ago.

They are perfect historical examples of just how far traveled British made arms and bayonets were, journeying around the world in their combat service lifetime.

The Confederates imported more Enfields during the course of the war than any other small arm, buying from private contractors and gun runners and smuggling them into Southern ports through blockade running. It has been estimated that over 900,000 P53 Enfields were imported into America and saw service in every major engagement from the Battle of Shiloh (April 1862) and the Siege of Vicksburg (May 1863), to the final battles of 1865. The gun was highly sought after in the Confederate ranks. According to a survey taken by British officials during the early stages of war on the arms of the Western Confederate Forces, nearly 70% were armed with smoothbore arms, such as the Model 1842 Springfield. Later in the war the same survey was taken, they found that more than 75% had acquired a rifle, mainly the Pattern 1853 Enfield.

The P53 Enfields capabilities were largely lost by the lack of marksmanship training by both the Union and Confederacy. Most soldiers were not trained to estimate ranges or to properly adjust their sights to account for the "rainbow-like" trajectory of the large calibre conical projectile. Unlike their British counterparts who attended extensive musketry training, new Civil War soldiers seldom fired a single cartridge until their first engagement. After the end of the war, hundreds of formerly Confederate Enfield 1853 muskets were sold from the American arms market to the Tokugawa shogunate, as well as some prominent Japanese domains including Aizu and Satsuma. These units were later used in the Boshin War, and some remaining in Satsuma were also used by rebelling former samurai in the Satsuma Rebellion about a decade later.

The end of the American Civil War in 1865 had made a huge number of obsolete percussion muzzleloading rifles and rifle muskets available on the secondary market from international arms traders like Schuyler, Hartley & Graham. While these guns were being replaced with modern metallic cartridge breechloaders in most of the world, a muzzleloading Enfield pattern rifle or rifle musket was a huge technological advantage against the traditional smoothbore Tanegashima-tsutsu matchlocks in Japan. Other firearms found their way into Japan through western traders as well, ranging from Spencer Carbines to Smith & Wesson Model No 2 revolvers, and everything in between. The traders were only too happy to arm what was looking to be a Japanese civil war. It is also worth noting that there is the possibility that these bayonets, in addition to almost certainly being used by pro-Imperial forces during the Meiji Restoration of 1868-1869, may well have seen use again during the Saga Uprising of 1874 by the anti-Imperial rebels in that province. Photos in the gallery show an 1860’s Japanese anti Imperial samurai rebels armed with an Enfield rifle, with its Yataghan long sword-bayonet upon his belt,

Priced for UK mainland delivery only. For export delivery, please POA  read more

Code: 26002