Japanese Samurai Sword With Scabbard
date: label: Accession Date
content: 3 Oct 1985
label: Collection Date
content: Feb 1945
name: label: Collector
content: Kenzel L. Linaweaver
label: Donor Name
content: Kenzel L. Linaweaver
notes: label: Notes
content: MOUNTED JAPANESE SAMURAI LONG SWORD (DAITO) COMPOSED OF - A) BLADE & FERRULE; B) SCABBARD; C) HANDLE; D) GUARD & SPACERS. A) BLADE AND FERRULE: SINGLE EDGED, RIDGED, STEEL BLADE OF 'KATANA' LENGTH DISPLAYING FORGING TECHNIQUES OF THE BIZEN TRADITION IN THE KOTO (OLD) PERIOD BEFORE AD 1600. ORIGINAL SIGNATURE OF MAKER MAY HAVE BEEN REMOVED IN THE PROCESS OF SHORTENING THE BLADE. BLADE IS IN NEED OF 'POLISH' BUT IS STABLE. B) SCABBARD (SAYA): BROWN LACQUERED, WOOD FORM IN A DETERIORATED STATE REIN- FORCED WITH MODERN TAPE. C) HANDLE (TSUKA): TRADITIONAL DARK SILK BRAID WRAPPED WITH TEXTURED SILVER "FUCHI- KASHIRA" AND DARK-METAL HORSE "MENUKI". D) GUARD (TSUBA) AND SPACERS (SEPPA): BRASS GUARD OF LOBED FORM WITH A BROAD, FLATTENED RIM; PROBABLY MADE FOR 'TACHI' MOUNTS AND REMOUNTED IN THIS FASHION IN THE 19TH CENTURY. TWO SILVER FOIL-WRAPPED 'SEPPA' ARE INCLUDED.
label: Notes
content: From accession history: "ACCORDING TO THE DONOR, MR. LINAWEAVER, THIS JAPANESE SAMURAI SWORD WAS ACQUIRED FROM A "HIGH RANKING JAPANESE OFFICER" ON LUZON IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS IN FEBRUARY, 1945. ... THIS BLADE IS LIKELY OF THE 14TH-15TH CENTURIES IN THE BIZEN TRADITION. AT THE VERY LEAST, IT IS PROBABLY AN EXAMPLE FROM A LATER GENERATION, IN A FAMOUS LINE OF MAKERS DESCENDED FROM OEI TIMES (1394) OR A GOOD QUALITY "NORIMITSU" OF THE MID-15TH CENTURY. (INFORMATION PROVIDED BY GEORGE PHEBUS)"
label: Record Last Modified
content: 13 May 2019
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Luzon Province, Philippines
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Japanese
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 360963
label: USNM Number
content: E422923-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Sword
physicalDescription: label: Unknown - Without Scabbard
content: 93 cm