Jim
I believe you are right on the money with this sword possibly belonging to a Taoist. The scabbard is nicely carved with auspicious symbols. I am adding some pics of some of the carving on the scabbard, as well as, some markings found on the scabbard. Can anyone translate? I think it could date as early as 1813 although the wood is in pristine condition.(the wood has shrunk a fair bit as the fittings were a bit loose and the handle is cracked on one side. A good sign of age.) Philip was kind enough to do the polish on the blade and to my pleasant surprise, it is the first of its exact kind that Philip has run across.
Dan
The graining is quite nice but do not despair on Dha. Andrew has a nice example with a blade in polish that reveals a nice watered pattern. Perhaps he could post pics.
John
Nice looking example. It looks proper as far as the fittings go and could well be a late 19th, early 20th century example.
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