Short sword or dagger with plain wooden hilt, with a scabbard sleeve of copper alloy. [with sheath .2] [El.B 27/4/2007]

Collection type: Object
Description: Short sword or dagger with plain wooden hilt, with a scabbard sleeve of copper alloy. [with sheath .2] [El.B 27/4/2007]
Geographical reference: Japan
Asia > Eastern Asia > Japan
Cultural groups: Japanese
Person: Maker Jyetsungune or Irytsungu or Ietsugo; Field collector Unknown Collector; PRM source Archibald Edward Garrod
Date / Period: Date made: Circa 1138?, uncertain Archaeological period: Medieval Date made: 1400?, uncertain Date made: 1390-1440
Date collected: By 1918
Acquisition information: Donated: 1925
Materials and processes: Material Steel Metal, Material Wood Plant, Material Copper Alloy Metal, Process Forged (Metal), Process Carved
Dimensions: Length: max 422 mm
Object numbers: Accession number: 1925.10.1.1
Research and responses: This object was shown at a meeting of the Oxford University Anthropology Society on 7.12.1922 when Garrod, the President of the Society, showed a sword [AP 27/02/2006]
Most tanto (Japanese daggers) have no tsuba handguard (Robinson, 1961: 74-5). Small tanto under 25cm in length overall, which bore no ornamental furnishings at all, were known as kwaiken, and carried by women concealed in their clothing – performing much the same function as Korean jang do. The kwaiken was also used for performing jigai – female honour-preserving suicide - effected by the severing of one’s own neck arteries (Robinson, 1961: 75). Seppuku – male honour-preserving suicide (incorrectly termed hara-kiri by a number of Western writers until recent decades) was also performed with a tanto. The most correct tanto to be used for seppuku was specified as 33cm long, and mounted in a plain scabbard and hilt of undecorated wood. Japanese swords can perhaps justly be described as the finest cutting swords ever made, and it is well documented that the very best blades were capable of cutting up to four men in half through the waist with a single stroke, or cutting steel rifle barrels in half without damage. The production of such blades took months. All five elements of the traditional Japanese cosmology – earth, metal, fire, water and wood – contribute something to the creation of the sword, and several different artisans worked separately on the forging, sharpening, making of the guard, and production of the other sword furniture. The swordsmith himself (kaji) was the most respected and prominent of these artisans, and, even though the artisan class were conventionally ranked below the agricultural class, the importance of the sword meant that the kaji often became highly celebrated individuals. During the final stages of forging a sword, the kaji dressed in the ceremonial costume of a court noble (kariginu & yeboshi), and consecrated his forge (kajiya) as a Shinto shrine, hanging a straw rope talisman (shime-nawa) over the doorway to ward off evil and negative influences. At the beginning of each day of this final forging process, the kaji purified himself with cold baths, as well as abstaining from sex, eating meat, eggs or dairy products, and drinking alcohol. He invoked the spirits to assist his work, and nobody except himself and his assistant were permitted to enter the forge (Robinson, 1961: 25). At the end of the Kofun Period (3rd-7th Centuries AD), the slightly-curved, single edged cutting sword appeared in China and Japan, and crystallised very rapidly into more or less the form exhibited by all later Japanese longswords. In the 6th century AD, Chinese swords were considerably superior in manufacturing to Japanese swords, but by the 11th century AD, Japanese forging, sharpening techniques, and artistry, had superseded those of the Chinese. Swords became a major Japanese export to China, and this relative difference in quality remained the same until the sword’s abandonment at the end of the 19th century. The period between 1250-1350 AD is regarded as the peak of Japanese swordsmithing. There was a second major peak in smithing around the beginning of the Tokugawa Period in the late 17th century (the Shinto or ‘New Sword’ Period), followed by a similar decline into display and gaudiness which is demonstrated by the later Tokugawa armours. During the late 18th century Shinshinto or ‘Recent Sword’ Period, Kawabe Suishinshi Masahide led an archaistic revival in functional swordsmithing, which remained at a high level of quality until the Meiji Restoration in 1876. In this year, the Emperor passed the Sword Edict, which prohibited the carrying of swords, and effectively signalled the abolition of the Samurai class. This virtually eradicated the art of swordsmithing overnight. Officer’s swords of the Japanese military in World War Two (showa-to) were generally low-quality mass-produced artefacts, taken from castings of historic weapons. Today the Society for the Preservation of Art Swords (Nippon Bijutsu Token Hoson Kyokwai) maintains interest and knowledge in swords among the Japanese people, organises periodical forging competitions, and so on (Robinson, 1961: 15-25) Research Conducted for DCF Cutting Edge 2006/2007 [AM].
This sword was examined by Victor Harris as part of a potential materials analysis project. He identified the blade as a tanto blade dating to the early 15th century - between 1390 and 1440. He noted the blade was produced in Kaga by a sword maker named Ietsugo. [SM 02/12/2008]
Related Documents File - Information from Colin Langton in personal correspondence to Helen Hales, July 2010: 'Slight corrections/update to the information on the display label of this artefact. We have to look at this Tanto realistically in all aspects of its manufacture, its present day condition and appearance, especially regarding its date of manufacture. Having completed a resume on this piece, I still consider it to have been made in Kaga or possibly Echizen provinces with Mino Den (school) connections. As to its date of manufacture it could possibly be the late 15th cent., more likely during the 16th cent., but certainly not the 14th cent. The condition of the Nakago (tang) does not support such an early date, even if it's Sugata (form) might, as Tanto conforming to this shape are found from the very late Kamakura period (1185-1336) and the Nambokucho period (1336-1394) and the Muromachi period (1394-1572), right through to the 19th cent., but the Sugata being only one of a number of indicators of age not the whole answer. Otherwise the current label is adequate in its information, I hope this clears up any ambiguity as to a date of manufacture.' [HH 20/07/2010]
Related Documents File - Information from Colin Langton, May 5, 1989: 'Pitt Rivers "Tanto" prs. by Sir A. Garrod, 1925. "Tanto" signed by Irytsugu: There are a number of details of this blade that when looked into do not correspond with the present information. 1.) The name of the smith is Ieytsugu [Japanese characters] two characters, not 'Ieytsunguni' there being no such name. 2.) There is no smith using this name working in 1138, the earliest Ieytsugu is in 1187 in Bizen province. The following list shows the other 6, all of different provinces, all dates shown are the earliest recorded, there are a lot more smiths with this name working at later dates.
Earliest date: Province: Brief for and against:
1187 *Bizen to early
1213 *Bitchu hamon suguha 'straight'
1312 - 1394 Suruga two smiths using the two character sig.
1394 *Izumo five character sig.
1394 *Echizen possible smith working 1467 two character sig.
1402 *Kaga " " 1429 " "
1426 *Bingo six character sig. hamon suguha.
The ones marked with an asterisk are very unlikely to be this smith, the remaining is more likely, as is the later dates against Echizen and Kaga.
3.) The shape of this blade is in Hire-Zakuri style. Tanto blades of this type are not in existence before 1200, either outside or inside Japan, also, the hamon is not compatible with Heian period, this hamon looks to be a variant of a type called 'Kukbari gumone' in use end of 11th cent. 4.) Though the dimensions of the blade are those used in 'Kamakura and Nambokucho' periods, 1232-1394, it does not automatically mean it is.
5.) There is a possibility that the blade has been retempered sometime after it was made, the reasons are as follows: the hamon ends in what is known as Yakiotoshi, where the hamon does not continue into the tnag as is usually the case. This is done so as not to damage the colour and antique look of the tang, and as stated above, the hamon seems to be of the later date than the supposed date of the blade, but there are reservations to the above which must be taken into account. In Kyoto, blades pre 1600 Yashiotoshi is quite common, particualrly in Kyushu blades, Bungo provice in particular. Also there is not present a feature called 'mizukage' - a long whitish patch at the end of the hamon about 45˚ towards the point which sometimes occurs when retempering has taken place [diagram of mizukage]. Conclusion: If we assume the blade has not been retempered, and taking the eveidence collectively, an early 15th cent or later date rather than 12th cent one is more likely to be the case.' [GI 22/11/2001]
Detailed information & drawings supplied by Colin Langton, November 2000. Type is given as "Tanto (dagger blade), mounted in Shira Saya (plain Ho wood storage scabbard)."

Search terms: Weapon, Sword, Sheath, Dagger