Staying on the Japanese Theme: Japanese Trade Blades in SE Asia

[laEspadaAncha]

Originally Posted by trenchwarfare

Very interesting information. I once saw a katana on fleabay, with very obvious African decorated fittings, and scabbard. On the weapon in question... Is the cutting edge on the inside, or outside of the curve?

The cutting edge is on the convex edge; as I understand it, other than double-edged moroha zukuri, the only japanese tanto with a cutting edge on the 'inside' of the curve, kubikiri, are blunt-nosed, i.e., they have no kissaki (point). The example shown above is tori-sori unokubi-zukuri, either a naginata-naoshi or a naginata-naoshi styled wakizashi.

[trenchwarfare]

Thanks. I was wondering, it it might be a Kubikiri. They tend to have non-traditional style hilts. Possibly Ainu, as stated.

[laEspadaAncha]

Another member on NMB who collects Ainu cutlery strongly suggests an attribution to the Matagi, the bear-hunting mountain men of northeastern Honshu...

Here's a couple more photos of the above example:

[trenchwarfare]

Thanks for the additional photos. Would love to have seen it, before GI Bubba, and his decendants ravaged it for the last 70 years.

[Emanuel]

Hello,

A forum member here has a very impressive katana blade from Thailand. The fittings were Thai but made to resemble Japanese fittings. The handle, for example was a dark/black wood carved to resemble the wrap on Japanese handles. A gorgeous sword actually.

I don't recall the name, but there is a recent Thai/Japanese film about samurai mercenaries at various Thai courts, very interesting and fairly well done IIC. I'll look for the name...

Emanuel

[laEspadaAncha]

Originally Posted by Emanuel

Hello,

A forum member here has a very impressive katana blade from Thailand. The fittings were Thai but made to resemble Japanese fittings. The handle, for example was a dark/black wood carved to resemble the wrap on Japanese handles. A gorgeous sword actually.

Hello Emanuel,

Any chance we might entice said forum member into posting a photograph of said Thai-mounted katana?

Cheers,

Chris

[David R]

In the Royal Armouries Leeds there is a large Japanese Katana/Nodachi in a very long hilt that came from China. As part of the convertion the Chinese had forged the tang out to a long wittle tang and then peened it over the pommel to hold it, rather than using the flat tang and peg it had been made with.

[DhaDha]

Originally Posted by laEspadaAncha

Hello Emanuel,

Any chance we might entice said forum member into posting a photograph of said Thai-mounted katana?

Cheers,

Chris

Sure!
At almost 40 inches it is a bit of monster. I've been lucky enough to handle a few of this style and this is the largest. Others have had different blade styles but similar handles, with the wrapped-style decoration, and oval profile. I find the different cultures represented fascinating.