Tachi
Hoshi Takada no ju Fujiwara no Munekaga
Category
Arms and armour
Date
1600 - 1700
Materials
Brass, Leather, Wood, Fish skin, Copper, Steel, Lacquer
Measurements
33 mm (Width); 985 mm (Length)
Place of origin
Japan
Order this imageCollection
Snowshill Manor and Garden, Gloucestershire
NT 1328896
Summary
Sword; Tachi (Japanese sword), signed Hoshi Takada no ju Fujiwara no Munekaga, from the province of Bungo. He also worked in Bizen province in the middle of the 17th century. Long steel blade. Copper ferrule and two brass spacers with tsuba (inventoried separately). Blade fits into wooden handle covered with black fish skin with leather and black textile webbing. Two metal menukis with floral and butterfly decoration. Brass decorative kachira with matching ferrule at the other end of handle. Kachira has brass strap loop. Wooden scabbard covered with black lacquer (flaking) with raised fern decoration. Top third has coloured red, gold, green and white lacquered leather deocoration (flaking). Two brass decorative strap fittings witha further brass fitting at the base of the scabbard. All decorative metal components have same raised leaf design.
Provenance
Given to the National Trust with Snowshill Manor in 1951 by Charles Paget Wade.
Makers and roles
Hoshi Takada no ju Fujiwara no Munekaga