Japanese Antique Swords
|
Japanese Antique Swords
|
|
|---|---|
| Home Archives About Us Contact | |
|
|
|
A Most Beautiful Large Samurai Tachi By Shimohara Ju HiroshigeA most beautiful large samurai tachi by shimohara ju hiroshige. Circa 1660, signed tang with a firm and impressive blade. Tachi are the samurai swords worn on court occasions by the daimyo lords of japan. They are distinguished by the fact that they are worn with the cutting edge down, from one or two hangers in the ecnter of the saya. Katana are slid through the belt or obi, and thus do not have these two hangers. Only daimyo are allowed to wear tachi and there were only about 50 daiymo in any one period in all japan. Blade is shown in the photos very grey, it is in process of being re-polished, and it should return in around a week. The hamon is very deep, notare based on sugaha. Wiht full and complete edo tachi koshirae, fully decorated saya in crushed gold nichiji with a superb dragon design. 102 cm long overall, blade tsuba ot tip 70cm long, tsuka 26cm long. In the ancient period hte tachi was used primarily on horseback, where it was able to be drawn efficiently for cutting down enemy foot soldiers. On the ground it was still na effective weapon, but somewhat awkward to use. The uchigatana was the predecessor to the katana as the battle-blade of feudal japan's bushi (warrior class), and as it evolved into the later design, the two were often differentiated from each other only by how they were worn and by the fittings for the blades. It was during the mongol invasions that it was shown there were some weaknesses ni the tachi sword which led to the development of the katana. In later japanese feudal history, during the sengoku and edo periods, certain high-ranking warriors daimyo of what became the ruling class would wear their sowrds tachi mounted.
|
