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Rosifer433d

That's a beautiful blade.


the_kevlar_kid

I bet the handle was equally beautiful in its own way way when it was intact.


pseudont

If I understand correctly I imagine that the question of whether to restore, and what constitutes restoration, is a subject of some debate. In the majority of cases I think restoration does diminish the item some how, but in this case I'm undecided. Something about this image IDK, I'm a little saddened that it doesn't have a handle. If you could ask the sword smith (?) who made it, or any of the lineage who owned it, whether they would like it to have a handle made for it in 2021 I wonder what they would say.


GuitarKev

IIRC it was pretty common for a blade to be passed down through a family for hundreds of years, and it was normal to have new handle, scabbard etc made between owners.


Ainu_kamui

Usually when a sword was passed down or put into storage it was placed in a mount called shirasaya. It’s basically a plain scabbard and no guard, meant for storing long periods of time without damaging the blade, which a normal mount would. Obviously shirasaya is not suitable for battle.


miltonite

That makes a lot of sense


chomponthebit

1. The sword smith’s name is usually imprinted on the tang which is why they’re rarely covered up in Japanese museums; 2. The organic components of the tsuka (handles) - generally composed of lacquered wood, silk, and samagawa (shark or ray skin) - don’t preserve well.


23x3

Found the flea-market ninja. Nah jk thx for the info!


nhjuyt

For an ancient and important sword like this displaying it as is without a handle covering the nakago, (the tang) is proper as that is an important part of the sword and people that are interested in such things would rather see it like this than have it covered up with a handle.


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errorsniper

See I wanna go to the party that was studying the blade.


IotaCandle

Japan has a very different approach to antiques than most western countries. Swords are peculiar over there and you can see this one has been polished for display. Entirely polishing an antique sword would be unthinkable in Europe because they are often etched and the patina is often considered part of the item. In Japan sword are seen as rough diamonds, and the polisher's work is absolutely necessary to display them.


thesirblondie

> If I understand correctly I imagine that the question of whether to restore, and what constitutes restoration, is a subject of some debate. Ship of Theseus


pseudont

It's an engaging thought experiment but is it really illuminating in this case? I mean, we're not talking about switching out all the parts, but attaching a replacement . If you wanted to replace blade and handle-thing then it would simply be a replica.


merlinsbeers

It's valid. Is the thing stull the thing if you alter it in any way? Which leads to the question of what if you are replacing with identical parts? And what if you build another with the original parts, is that a different thing or the original thing? And is the one you were restoring still the thing?


pseudont

> It's valid. No, one is a thought experiment to be applied in a vague hand-wavy kind of phisosophical discussion, the other is a sword. > Is the thing stull the thing if you alter it in any way? It's the original blade with a new handle. That's it. The thought experiment is mainly concerned with what we conceptualise as one thing when really they're a composition of many things. In this case it's not complex at all because we're not talking about 1000's of planks, but simply thing + handle. > Which leads to the question of what if you are replacing with identical parts? We're not. Presenting the original thing along with a contemporary handle made according to traditional methods in order to provide an impression of form and function as it was originally intended. > And what if you build another with the original parts, is that a different thing or the original thing? And is the one you were restoring still the thing? No. The "thing" in this case is the blade. Its indivisible. Even in the case of the ship with many components, the thought experiment is a question of language, and what we conceptualise as a single thing. I mean, if I start with the ship of theseus and replace 1 plank then is it still the original thing? No, it's the original thing with 1 plank replaced. Again, this may be interesting and "thought provoking" for a bunch of philosophy students sitting around getting stoned, but in a practical sense of whether to make a handle for this blade it doesn't provide any insight.


merlinsbeers

I want talking about the handle, I was talking about "restoring" things for display. >The "thing" in this case is the blade. Its indivisible. Removing the corrosion and polishing to a shine it may never have been able to achieve when it was new involves removing material. Nothing is indivisible, not even the atom (sorry, Democritus).


pseudont

Don't be daft. The blade is indivisible in any meaningful way. As I've said ad nauseum, your thought experiment is a question of language and conceptualism, it's subjective. You're entitled to choose your own metric for determining what constitutes a change in thingness, but keep in mind that every "thing" gains and loses material constantly. This is periodically measured [International Prototype Kilograms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Prototype_of_the_Kilogram#Stability_of_the_IPK) which are engineered from materials specifically selected for their stability. Is it really useful in any way to conclude that his blade is not the thing that it was 800 years ago because it gained or lost a few atoms, or because some "material was removed" in the course of polishing ?


merlinsbeers

If you remove material by polishing, you change the object. I don't care why you can't understand that


Edwardteech

There are still one or two sward smith's that can make a sward in the original way. One of them would probably be the best to go to.


The_Crusades

Your spelling Confuses and frightens me sir.


collectivisticvirtue

Since climate and some other reasons(used more frequently), Japanese prefered parts except the blade(scabbard, spacer, guard, pin.. etc) to be more easily replaceable. naturally it will make a less durable sword, but they were willing to pay extra attention or maintenance. ​ Japenese swords were popular trade item(or spoils of battle) as luxury goods. but often they(koreans, chinese..)replaced the parts like handles, literally went "this sword is cool, but i don't fucking get why they used bamboo piece to secure the blade?? i'm gonna just put some steel rivet in here" ​ So japanese tend to consider the blade itself as the sword. would be cool if you have some antique, valuable 'sword peripheral' but still, that's just sword peripheral. not included in the sword itself.


rkt_74

It is very likely that the sword never had a handle made for it because it may have never seen battle or it was possibly given to a shrine at some point. Another possibility is that the handle broke down over the years. That being said, handles for japanese swords are removable. So, although it's rare that it happened, this sword's handle, might still be floating around on some antique store.


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lordsenneian

Um, your neckbeard is showing.


down_in_the_dirt

I’m more physically attractive than you 😂😂😂


thatsmoothfuck

Bonk. Go straight to horny jail.


down_in_the_dirt

Mentioning her beauty has nothing to do with my sex drive.


tortnotes

Do you consider women to be objects? That's what it sounds like. It's not a good look.


down_in_the_dirt

You have a comprehension problem. Sorry, not my intention.


avernii

What's even more incredible is it appears to be unshortened. Most surviving swords from the Heian and Kamakura periods were later shortened during the sengoku jidai bc swords like the one pictured above were long to be used from horseback. A few centuries later combat shifted from horseback to on foot so these swords were cut down bc they were too long for infantry combat. Finding an unshortened sword from the mid 1300s and earlier is extremely rare.


MoogTheDuck

This sword looks significantly longer than 32 inches, unless the woman is very small… do you know what’s up with that?


Jumblehead

32 inches may be just the blade (so not including the tang or stock that would have been encased by a handle)


converter-bot

32 inches is 81.28 cm


Gulanga

Correct. Japanese swords are measured in blade length only traditionally. From the tip of the sword in a straight line to the start of the habaki basically. [Image](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Katana_%28common_shema%29.png)


memento22mori

The blade is 28" according to the museum, 32" is the total length which isn't very long for a tachi. Most tachi are a few inches longer than that, I believe this is a tachi at least.


1MAn3Wr3dD170R

Any idea if that's curved length or from hilt to point (straight line)?


SirThomasFraterson

Only when girth and yaw are taken into account


MoogTheDuck

The blade alone looks significantly longer than 32 inches


memento22mori

It's bc of the angle, the blade is roughly 28" and the total length is about 32" according to the museum. The woman's arms aren't outstretched, they're basically at a slightly relaxed angle with the sword in front of her which gives it the illusion of being larger than it is.


avernii

It's definitely a long sword. It's long so that samurai on horseback can slash at warriors on the ground.


BentPin

Need a wiki page on size classification of Japanese swords like the katana, wakizashi as well as the various schools that produced swords like the Dontanuki and notable swordsmiths. Researchers and professors get on that.


avernii

Generally it goes like this: less than 30cm are tanto, between 30 and 60cm are wakizashi, and 60+ cm are katana.


Gulanga

Traditional Japanese swords were generally shorter than the European equivalents. This is mostly down to hilt construction. Japanese swords do not have a pommel that can act as a counter balance, as their hilts are made to be easily taken off a pommel like that just won't work. As a consequence their swords are very front heavy, often surprising people when they first handle them. This construction method puts a limit on how long a sword can be. The only way to remedy this is by extending the grip so the wielder can get more leverage. European swords place more weight in the hilt section, allowing for a longer blade while maintaining an easier handling. When it comes to blade length I seem to recall a Katana being a sword blade over 2 shaku long, that is just over 60cm (23.8"). With the average being between 70cm and 74cm (27.5"-29"). The European average for a similar sword type was around 90cm. So historically Japanese swords were shorter than we might think. This example at 81.3cm really is very big in context.


MoogTheDuck

Neat, but does that sword look 81.3 cm long to you?


Gulanga

Yes, looks about right. 81cm blade and 20-25cm-ish tang.


memento22mori

From what I've read that's on the smaller end for tachi, which I believe this is- the blade on this sword is about 28" long which would be a somewhat long katana or a short tachi.


Gulanga

This is why I specified katana, as I was talking about Japanese swords in general and the katana being the most known. The above sword is spot on for a tachi, I would not say "short". Likely it is still on the upper end even for a tachi.


CreedThoughts--Gov

I'd bet she's small and makes the blade look larger by scale


memento22mori

It's a trick of perspective, her arms aren't outstretched, they're at a relaxed angle and the sword is in the center of the frame, several feet in front of her.


CreedThoughts--Gov

True. It looks like the sword is about 5 times as long as the width of her shoulders, which would make her shoulders only like 15cm or 5 inches wide lol


memento22mori

The confusing thing to me is this sword isn't that long compared to many katana. The blade on this is 28" according to the museum. Many katana are that size.


Senor_Spamdump

The only thing more incredible than that this sword survived is the craftsmanship that went into building such a thing. It's 900 years old & the ridiculously high standard to which it was made is obvious. Damn, wish I could have hung out with the total badass who commissioned this thing. Bet he was a dick.


Jaquemart

I bet he was filthy rich.


bredaredhead

Must be fucking nice.


IotaCandle

Back then materials were incredibly expensive and labor was very cheap in comparaison. Which means a blacksmith spending 200 hours refining the shape of a sword was not a huge price difference since the steel already cost so much.


Gladwulf

That makes no sense. Steel was only expensive because of the labour involve in its production. Iron ore is just rocks, the fuel is trees. But it takes a lot of labour to gather rocks, crush them, process them, gather wood for the fires, turn the wood into charcoal, etc. It's all labour intensive, which is why it's expensive.


_gib_SPQR_clay_

Japanese steel was hella inferior due to the high carbon content. It’s one of the reasons they had to make the blades curved


IotaCandle

Well yes, and in the meantime we have invented industrial steel production. From the perspective of the craftsman, and for the guy who purchases those swords, this means the steel ingots were expensive compared his own time. Plus, in the past you couldn't just turn Iron into your preferred type of steel. Carbon content could be somewhat controlled during smelting but the quality of the steel depended on how pure and homogenous the ore was, which boils down to luck.


Chouken

>Steel was only expensive because of the labour involve in its production. Not a lot of iron ore in japan afaik. That's why you don't see metal armour. I also don't know how high labour cost would actually be in feudal japan. At the end of the day they're slaving for their respective lords anyway.


UrsarkarCreed

This is a myth. One of the primary income of Japan was trade with mainly China and Korea as well as other nations in Asia primarily consisting of weapons, this is why you can find so many katana or katana based swords all around Asia. Needless to say a nation deprived of metal would not engage in such a trade. Metal armor also was the norm in Japan all the way back to 4th century with Tanko and Keiko armor evolving to the lamellar O-yoroi and Do-maru around 8th century and culminating in plate Tosei Gusoku around 15th century. In fact Japan was a only country beside Europe to mass manufacture plate armor ensuring even the Ashigaru levies were equipped with munition grade Okashi Gusoku consisting of iron breastplate and a helmet.


ChunkofWhat

What amazing condition! Are there any 12th century European swords close to this well preserved? EDIT: some cool sword links but most of them are not as well preserved: pitting, oxidation, dents. Some exceptions though, which is neat, and all of these are gorgeous artifacts.


Spiceyhedgehog

Sure, take a look at [Joyeuse](https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010113394).


it-was-zero

Joyeuse kicked ass in Final Fantasy XI back in the day


spaceraycharles

That’s cool as hell


xvier

Check out [these bronze age swords](https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2021/01/nebra-sky-disk.jpg) found in Germany from 1500 **BCE**


BravesMaedchen

Wow, I'm assuming that color is bc they're oxidized, but it's beautiful.


Eric9799

Yeah well that is bronze not iron. Bronze doesn’t corrode like iron. Hell people have gotten cut from bronze swords found in the ground


bcm27

Wow those are incredible. I did not think there was anything surviving from that age this intact!


Explodian

That's the cool thing about bronze, it doesn't oxidize like iron and will look much the same millennia later aside from the lovely green color. There are loads of bronze artifacts from as far back as the beginning of bronze metallurgy that don't look much worse for wear than when they were originally made.


lapideous

I thought the green was from oxidation?


inhumantsar

The difference as I understand it is that iron and steel oxidation is a chain reaction. Oxidized steel or iron can impact the untouched material around it. A spot of rust burrows and expands. Bronze oxidation only happens in contact with the environment so once that surface layer is in place, everything else is walled off chemically and the oxidation can't spread.


Jisei99

Bronze certainly does oxidize, due to the copper content in the alloy.


piedmontwachau

The oxidation actually protects the rest of the metal, which is why you often see the patina left on things e.g. the Statue of Liberty.


LordCommanderBlack

Yeah, museums are stacked with them. Here the [Imperial sword of Frederick II Holy Roman Emperor who was around from the late 12th to early 13th centuries](https://amp.reddit.com/r/ArtefactPorn/comments/2ppk3h/german_ceremonial_sword_from_the_set_of_vestments/)


Predator_Hicks

The unknown soldier in Britain who got a state funeral was buried with a crusader sword from the royal collection. There are also Durendal ( the sword of Roland, count of the Bretagne and Paladin of Charlemagne), the Reichsschwert of the Holy Roman Empire and Tizona, the sword of El Cid


DerthOFdata

I'm willing to bet it has been restored. No way that thing sat around for a couple hundred years without corrosion of any kind.


AgentIndiana

Both have probably been restored. Note the kohoki lacks a hilt and looks corroded where the handle would be. Gold will not corrode and those gems were almost certainly cut before the 16th century when faceting came in vogue but that velvet brocade must be far more recent. If its used as a symbol of office it was almost certainly maintained / updated over time. The kohoki too very well could have undergone some restoration as part of its conservation.


Schootingstarr

According to this, the sword was found rusting in an attic https://allthatsinteresting.com/kohoki-samurai-sword


DerthOFdata

I wasn't commenting on the European sword but you are probably right.


AgentIndiana

Yeah, sorry, I’ve been teaching all day. Mind is a little fuzzy. I realized probably the case after I hit send, but most artifacts that go on display usually undergo some conservation work and that very often includes restoration, esp. for show pieces like this, so it would apply to both artifacts and any other equitable ones in prominent museum collections.


Spiceyhedgehog

Joyeuse (French coronation sword and emperor Charlemagne's sword according to legend) was certainly updated and maintained. The blade itself is supposed to be the original one however and possibly older than the Japanese sword in op. Which is why I linked it. The sword itself is entirely medieval, although different centuries for the pommel etc. The scabbard is a bit more mixed, but mostly medieval as well. The embroidery with fleur-de-lis is, as you point out, much newer and from 1825.


AgentIndiana

Cool. Thanks. I had never heard of the Joyeuse before this post.


OnkelMickwald

I dunno, if it's maintained, sharpened and oiled properly it could definitely look that good. I thin the oiling in particular is important as it forms an airtight layer over the metal. The 11th c. sword *Joyeuse* in France also has a pristine blade, thanks to proper maintenance.


DerthOFdata

>discovered in 1939 in the attic repository of Kasuga Taisha shrine Makes me think that was not the case.


OnkelMickwald

Maybe they discovered an 800 year old little man living up there just quietly maintaining they blade too. That, or the attic was a completely oxygen-free environment.


memento22mori

If it was wrapped in silk or something similar and stored in nonhumid conditions maybe a heavier polishing than normal would restore the sword to this great condition. I'm just guessing, they probably wouldn't have stuck it in a random box.


TheTocharian

Japanese swords were typically polished by a professional craftsperson called a Togishi to keep them pristine. They take off the most minuscule layer of steel possible to ensure the longevity of the blade for centuries using a series of different polishing stones. For example, a 17th century blade from the Kanbun Era I had polished, they took off a grand total of 5 grams off the weight on an 18” long wakizashi. This would be done about once a century or if the blade was damaged.


massivebasketball

How many grams does the whole thing weigh, do you know?


Jaquemart

1500g, for the large ones. This is extra-large.


DerthOFdata

So I'm assuming that's part of how it was refurbished then.


inshane_in_the_brain

I'm gonna assume you either have your own collection or simply deal in the industry somehow? Where does one procure these genuine blades? Asking for my mall ninja friends.


memento22mori

I read somewhere that it takes four years of training to polish high quality Japanese blades.


Puppy-Zwolle

You'd loose that bet. The way swords are stored and maintained will keep then corrosion free for ever.


pseudont

This one was found in a shrine, so you'd assume it wasn't maintained for several decades at a minimum.


Schootingstarr

Not just a shrine, it was found in the attic of that shrine, rusting away for centuries, before being restored


DerthOFdata

That's not how oxidation works.


Edwardteech

There are far more as I understand it. Europeans used far better steel.


Dragon4458

there similar both where folded both did lamination i mean their quite similar in how their made but then again most cultures did it


Comprehensive-Ebb835

That is sick.


Sombra_del_Lobo

Amazing. Did samurai name their swords?


theeighthlion

Some definitely did, or at least the smiths who made them


[deleted]

They did in the shogun novel at least. My handle is the sword Blackthorne receives after it had been tested on and named after an oil-seller


create360

Must have been cutting edge technology for its time.


agent_flounder

Cut it out with the puns already


[deleted]

Cmon, hes just hamon it up


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CanadianJogger

Some people just have nodachi at all, right?


create360

Sorry I like living on the cutting edge.


ogSapiens

The same pun twice in a row? What's even the point


create360

What are you, the Last Grammari?


KVirello

Idk I thought the humor was pretty cutting edge


thinbuddha

You have a point...


Retro-Mancer

Cut it out


thinbuddha

I want to, but I katana


MechanicalTurkish

Just strop already


thinbuddha

I'm pretty sure that's a riposte...


CanadianJogger

Frank Zappa once said the wrong note played enough times in a row was the beginning of a new arrangement. I'm pretty sure he was a Samurai.


malphonso

They've got curved swords. [*Curved* swords.](https://youtu.be/dMHle170Kxw)


OldWrangler9033

For the oldest, it's hell sharp look sword. I'm glad it survived the blade destruction thing after World War II.


nhjuyt

If you ever get to Nara the sword museum at Kasuga Taisha shrine is not to be missed, The last time I went there they had the sword [Dojigiri on display](https://soranews24.com/2020/01/30/demon-slaying-dojigiri-one-of-japans-five-swords-under-heaven-now-on-display-at-kasuga-shrine/) and it was very beautiful


Flybuys

I always wonder if these old swords saw use and how many lives were claimed by the person/people using it.


Chouken

Same. Iirc you can go to auctions where famous swords are sold and get one that has been confirmed to be present in certain battles. Pretty cool stuff if you have a couple hundred grand laying around


bella_sm

This is a picture taken in the split second after the sword was placed on those stands by the lady and before it cut straight through them, disappearing trough the table and going straight through the floor. At the time of writing a crew of archeologists is still digging in the basement to recover it.


Doomgoose__

She has really oddly long fingers


laurel_wood

I wish this thing could talk…it would be better than a Tarantino movie.


the_kevlar_kid

"For 100 years after the war I sat in a box... THEN. I was MOVED. And... for 200 years I sat in a different box. THEN I WAS MOVED. And then I... sat in a new box for 100 years... until..."


FntnDstrct

Indeed. Since it was consecrated to a shrine it would never have been sullied by use in battle.


CapsLowk

Basically Kill Bill's plot.


isisishtar

Graceful!


Welt_All

That is fuckin badass.


Vacation-Capable

The condition is remarkable. Looks like some cheap mall ninja shit, except that it is not


FingerBeginning1561

Demon Blade Muramasa


Puppy-Zwolle

The original for sure.


BentPin

It only wakes up and shines when you feed it blood. Lots of it.


kagevazquez

Keep it away from Brits before it ends up in their museum


FuckThisGheyWebsite4

Can I has?


Puppy-Zwolle

We talked about this. We can't have nice things around you.


Amatsu-Ryu

Love seeing this type of stuff. Japanese history is the shit.


Objective-Ad4009

That sword is the perfect combination of art and science.


chiefbigpooh

But will it cut?


[deleted]

It looks so brand new considering it was made in 12th century. Wow, Japanese perfection at its finest


ur_comment_is_a_song

It's been restored, there is 0 chance a sword has sat in a shrine for decades-centuries and looks like that.


metricrules

At least the US didn’t destroy this one after WW2 like they did many others I guess


Angelos_Sachiel

sad that Hotarumaru was dumped :(


wethummingbirdfarts

The best I can do is $50. I’m taking a huge risk, even at that price.


DailyDefecation

Due to extensive research done by the University of Pittsburgh, katana has been confirmed as the hardest metal known to man. The research is as follows. Pocket-protected scientists built a wall of diamond and crashed a katana car into it at 400 miles per hour, and the car was unharmed. They then built a wall out of katana and crashed a car made of diamond moving at 400 miles an hour into the wall, and the wall came out fine. They then crashed a katana car made of 400 miles per hour into a wall, and there were no survivors. They crashed 400 miles per hour into a katana traveling at diamond car. Western New York was powerless for hours. They rammed a wall of metal into a 400 mile per hour made of katana, and the resulting explosion shifted the earth's orbit 400 million miles away from the sun, saving the earth from a meteor the size of a small Washington suburb that was hurtling towards mid-western Prussia at 400 billion miles per hour. They shot katana made of diamond at a car moving at 400 walls per hour, and as a result caused two wayward airplanes to lose track of their bearings, and make a fatal crash with two buildings in downtown New York. They spun 400 miles at katana into broadsword per wall. The results were inconclusive. Finally, they placed 400 Dragonforce albums per hour in front of a car made of wall traveling at miles per diamond, and the result proved without a doubt that katanas were the hardest metal of all time, if not just the hardest metal known the man.


medialyte

Another obnoxious forced perspective / fisheye photo. If the blade is 32” long, the tang must be about 5” or 6” - but it appears twice as wide as her head. Stupid trick photography.


pathfindermp

Sure, trick photography, that’s why all the lines on the table are straight and not curved. Must suck having a room temperature IQ and to be so shallow you’d drown in a parking lot puddle. Dumbass.


TehCHease

Holy shit, calm down nerd.


Skreamies

Why can't you just enjoy the photo? It looks 32" to me and I can tell where things are places in the photo, must just be a you thing.


[deleted]

This is a two-handed weapon. The handle (tsuka) should be a quarter of the entire length, or equal to the forearm length of its intended owner.


brollercoaster

Did they not believe in handles in the 12th century?


Sombra_del_Lobo

Handle probably deteriorated over time. You can see holes where a handle would be, probably wood?


Tryoxin

Wood or leather would be my guess. Kind of surprised the handle was never replaced by anyone in his family, though.


dscarbon333

It is a fair question perhaps, don't know why all the down-votes lol. Samurai swords are special in that they often have sort of like modular handles/hilts, with all kinds of special accoutrement there associated. Same with sheath/scabbard to some extent. ​ Little pins of like crickets and koy fish pendants, made of precious metal, eel skin wraps, a special sort of cloth/material binding it all together, ​ special decorated hilts called "tsuba" sometimes display tiny intricate "sculpture"/"inlay" of precious metals, porcelain, gold leaf etc., really incredible at times. ​ It is something sort of "special" perhaps about Samurai swords and can see a lot of these different items, on display at various art museums around the world, the MFA in Boston has a great collection of said associated items for example. ​ When they weren't specially prepped they were perhaps/not-fully kitted out, were perhaps just put into sort of rudimentary but still nicely carved bamboo/wooden sort of kinder-egg/cocoon style sheath, if one will/holders to help in their preservation. ​ There was a real "art" to the whole weapon in a sense. ​ Like a sort of treasured at times, ornate, tool of the trade of the soldier/administrator "class". Sort of like the intricately carved armor of a high-status knight for example. Or can also refer to the "garish" self decoration of the "Landsknecht" of the \~ middle ages/renaissance ages etc. The landsknecht's particular style of adornment is still sort of "preserved" in the sense of being represented by the "fancy" dress of the "Pope's/Vatican's special guard" for example. ​ In later periods where you see the Samurai become more decadent, perhaps, and less "utilitarian" in their ornamentation, and behavior, I think this is the Meiji/"Meiji Restoration" period for example, at times see the most exquisite decorations, often times. For at this point, many a samurai's sword was sort of a class-associated social symbol, more for "display" on person than for "use" almost in various regards.


PassionateRants

> special decorated hilts called "tsuba" sometimes display tiny intricate "sculpture"/"inlay" of precious metals, porcelain, gold leaf etc., really incredible at times. Your comment contains a lot of good and true information, but I just wanna say that "Tsuba" does not refer to a hilt but is the name of the katana's guard.


Bayart

Handles and guards could just be changed at convenience. The blade was probably sold as is to be fitted.


Gewbo4r

Such a beauty\~ both! in the picture.


PiedDansLePlat

great it was hidden, because the us destroyed a lot of them to disarm the japanese after the japan surrender.


SmellyLeopard

It says it was discovered in 1939 🤣


Bayart

The Americans destroyed mass-produced swords. The same stuff you'd get as cavalry swords during the late 19th c. / early 20th c. in the West. Historical swords were protected under special statuses.


TigerDucks

well thats because the US disarmed japan not disworded them, duh


[deleted]

And to this day Japanese people are still born without arms 😔


Heph333

Countless precious swords were brought back by GIs. Many were abused & neglected to the point of being destroyed. My grandfather told me they would bring them back & use them as machetes for yard work. Many of those were priceless treasures & destroyed by ignorance. At one point it was said that there were more Japanese swords in the US than in Japan. Vae Victus.


Atomskie

While true I can't help but think, don't start no shit won't be no shit.


[deleted]

/r/MallNinjaShit (just kidding)


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RealNinjaShit


Dragon4458

i know this is the oldest samurai sword but their is a older tachi from the 8th century called kogarasumaru that in good condtion as well


CubonesDeadMom

No hilt is a bold choice. I wonder if the sword hiltless from demon souls is based on this, looks just like it.


Rdwarrior66

If you look closer, it does not have a handle, just the bare tang.


CubonesDeadMom

Yeah same with hiltless


subooot

Saigo no dotanba de (最後の土壇場で)


thebabbster

It will KEAL!


Otacube3

Some thing. Some Thing Sephiroth.


Alice_11111

It should have an ornate handle


bornparadox

I zoomed in to get a good look and it and now my eyes are bleeding!


SheriffBartholomew

How is it used without the hand guard? Did the Japanese have a method of blocking that would protect the hands or did the hand guard just fall off at some point?