Please help witha European blade in a Japanese tachi mount

[pbleed]

I once again write to this community for help with the identification of an object I am researching for potential publication. I have asked for help in the past and always valued the help I have received. I hope that this is a fair exploitation of this wonderful community!
My question this time concerns a “Japanese Tachi” that seems certainly to have been made of a European blade with a modified, but fitting, iron scabbard. I am asking for help in trying to assess the origin and age of the blade. I would date the Japanese modification to to the “early” 19th century, but that is a guess.
Both the blade and the scabbard have been shortened from the tip end. The surviving length of the blade is 71.5cm. The scabbard – with 2 suspension rings - is 73cm long but the tip has been reworked and there is no drag. In addition to the shortening, the blade looks to me like it was given a decorative Japanese polish – what is called a “kesho polish” - that makes it look like the blade had a tempered edge, or ‘hamon.’ The surviving ricasso is 3.7 cm wide. It shows a squared broad fuller that runs the entire length of the blade.
My naïve guess is that this blade came from something like a very early 19th century German or British saber. My question to this forum is whether or not this guess is reasonable and might even be made more specific.
Thank you for your help!
Peter Bleed

[Jim McDougall]

Hello Peter,
This is a most interesting anomaly!
I never dreamed that the Japanese would use a European blade in their swords in the manner that they found use in so many ethnographic contexts.
This blade, although notably reprofiled, is a British one from the M1796 light cavalry saber.
These were the first 'official' pattern sword introduced to the British army, and became famed for their resounding use in the Napoleonic wars.
They were somewhat replaced by the M1821 light cavalry saber, but with issues in that pattern, remained in use somewhat in certain contexts, particularly colonial as in India.

In India these remained much favored by native warriors, in fact so much so that these essentially 'obsolete' swords were absorbed by the Sikh's in the campaigns against the British in 1840s. The British were astounded by the deadly swordsmanship of the Sikhs, and more so when they discovered that their tulwar sabers held 'old' British blades.....the 1796!

I would imagine this blade might have found its way into the Japanese sphere a number of ways, however it is worthy of note that the Japanese swords were known in India in degree in trade situations through SE Asia in the mid to latter 19th century. Clearly these were not used in notable degree by warriors in Indian forces so possibly these may have been found in diplomatic or private enterprise circumstances.

It is amazing that the scabbard is modified in accord with the somewhat dramatic stock removal from the blade, which as seen in the British original, has a widened point known as a 'hatchet point'.

[Bryce]

G'day Peter,
At first glance I don't think this was a British 1796 pattern light cavalry sabre (Sorry Jim). The blade fuller and ricasso don't look right and neither do the scabbard bands. 1796's had a rat's tail tang. What sort of tang does this blade have? I will keep looking for what else it may be.
Cheers,
Bryce

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Bryce

G'day Peter,
At first glance I don't think this was a British 1796 pattern light cavalry sabre (Sorry Jim). The blade fuller and ricasso don't look right and neither do the scabbard bands. 1796's had a rat's tail tang. What sort of tang does this blade have? I will keep looking for what else it may be.
Cheers,
Bryce

No problem Bryce, I was looking forward to you coming in!
By the numbers, you are right, there do seem to be certain disparities, but the only alternative ostensibly was the Prussian 'Blucher sabel' 1811. These were for all intents and purposes nearly identical to the 1796, but in a short time the blades seem to have gotten lighter and so on.

There is a great deal of reprofiling on this blade, so its hard to say, but in looking again, the spine over the fuller does seem unusual. I think what always throws me off is that the M1796 blades were so in favor in India, that the form essentially remained produced for native cavalry units well through the 19th century. With different makers, and changes in production runs, I believe that this could still be a 'version' of the 1796 under British auspices for the 'Raj'.
This still fits the situational context I had described with India. This form blade remained in use through the 19th c., was profoundly exported, as well as copied i.e. the Blucher sabel......which did not find those export circumstances.

Those are my thoughts, but as British swords are your specialized field, naturally I look forward to your further ideas and findings.

All the best
Jim

[David R]

Frankly I get a bit twitchy when I see these shotgun jobs. There are Western blades in Japanese style mounts, but the conversion is absolute, a habaki is fitted, a Japanese style tang created by moving the shoulders of the blade higher, and on occasion re-tempering in the Japanese manner.
I view this one with great suspicion, and think it more likely a joining of bits from a collectors spares pile. Sorry!

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by David R

Frankly I get a bit twitchy when I see these shotgun jobs. There are Western blades in Japanese style mounts, but the conversion is absolute, a habaki is fitted, a Japanese style tang created by moving the shoulders of the blade higher, and on occasion re-tempering in the Japanese manner.
I view this one with great suspicion, and think it more likely a joining of bits from a collectors spares pile. Sorry!

Well observed David. I must admit that this distinct possibility is always the very potential 'elephant in the room' that looms. However the eternal optimist in me always tries to find reasonable solutions to these anomalies, and I try to forget that 'there be very ugly charlatans out there' in our community.

The historian in me will try to find viable explanations for odd pairings, based on the fact that often in native or colonial contexts, ersatz weapons were fashioned from components from many circumstances and repurposed as required.

Here is an example of just such an 'unholy' pairing (I call it my 'Frankenstein' espada ancha) which is created from an three bar guard from uncertain military saber donor; the hilt of an equally undetermined briquet, and a cut down 18th c. Spanish dragoon blade. These blades, made in Solingen for export to the Spanish colonies c. 1750s are often termed 'Spanish motto' blades or simply Spanish dragoon blades. There were notable volumes of these blades sent to New Spain over many years, and these ended up mounted in many sabers with the three bar hilts.

In the rural, remote frontier regions by the 19th century the true espada anchas remained in use by horsemen mostly as utility weapons, but later, the frontier regions began being patrolled by groups of horsemen in a militia/police context known as 'rurales'. While of course armed with firearms, they typically augmented their 'uniform' with the traditional wearing of a sword. There were few armorers or resources in these remote frontier towns, but there was remarkable innovation in the repurposing of just about everything.

That is my 'optimistic' explanation for 'many' of these odd combinations, but the 'truth' we will only know with the dismantling of a weapon (which I personally am reticent to do) and some advanced forensic examination.
In my sword, I am satisfied with the corroborative age on the peen, and patination visible among the components. There is a '3' on the guard suggesting its one time use probably in a Mexican cavalry unit.
As a collectible weapon, it is a monstrosity, but for a historian such as myself, one imagines what separate adventures each of these now grouped components had.

The guard is most likely from a British M1821 light cavalry saber. The Mexican army was virtually entirely supplied with surplus British arms which were sold to them in the 1820s. While this was mostly muskets and various firearms, numbers of edged weapons of course found inclusion. In a museum here in Texas there is a M1821 saber found on the field at San Jacinto if I recall.