hi,
So i am an temporary intern at this museum that is located in the house of a former collector. this rich person liked to collect al sorts of things. he also has a decent collection of weaponry, in wich there are like three katanas and a couple of Wakazashi (can't say anything about their quality, since they are hanging on a wall above the staircase). however there is this tanto or dagger in there storage,wich baffeled me. this tanto has the shape of a dragon. i can't remove the grip, so i can't tell you if it is signed, or not. has anyone seen anything like this? is it authentic or just a souvenir?
souvenir?
My "guess" is that it's a post-war souvenir.
Years ago, I had a pair of daggers, mounted in "shirasaya". The habaki was a very soft metal that I could scratch with my fingernail. The hamon looked fake. No sign of being hand-forged.
Presumed to be souvenirs sold to occupation forces.
Pete
souvenir yes
post war depends on the war. since the collector died in 1922 and it was bought by him.
it could still be a souvenir though.
pre-war
OK, changing my guess to "pre-war souvenir" :-) .
I want to mention that real Nihonto blades with elaborate handle/scabbard carvings are almost non-existent. And of course, dragon motifs are very popular with tourists.
Another hint: I cannot think of any real blade that did NOT have a mekugi (peg) holding the handle on. If you can't find a peg, then it is probably either glued, or perhaps the tang was heated and stuck in the handle's hole and allowed to "burn in". I think some farming tools are assembled this way.
Pete
thanks
Yeah my guess was a souvenir too, but you can never be to sure. Still a pretty curious object if you ask me.