Itomaki No Tachi
Yes. It is a replica, but now we know what it is a replica of!!!
We made a fun, accidental find to start off the new year. Enjoy!
Tachi
Some 30 years ago, we acquired a replica tachi at an estate sale.
The replica is of a of sword in the itomaki-no-tachi category, which translates to “silk-wrapped great sword.” We knew that what we had purchased wasn’t the real thing since the asking price was less than $100 lol, but we thought it would be a nice decorative/conversation piece.
Not bad for a single Benjamin…
The blade is steel, judging by the weight, not aluminum or zinc. It could be some kind of stainless, like 440C. The hamon is clearly not real and nothing else regarding the blade is really worth noting.
Shiny – that’s about all we can say of the blade.
The blade may be pretty much a dud, but the details on the mounting make up for it 🙂 There is some damage to the saya, but we didn’t really care because what caught our eye was the “fancy” detailing on the scabbard, hilt, etc. The scabbard wrapping is either watari-maki or saya-maki, and the style is also sometimes called sayamaki no tachi.
Alotta work, for a $100 replica. We definitely got our money’s worth
This kind of koshirae often holds precious blade that are centuries older than the mountings. We found the reference to show that this is the case as well with the original.
Really nicely done.
Tachi is a type of sword that is longer and more curved than a katana, making it more like a saber. It is also is worn slung at the waist with the cutting edge down. That is because a tachi was mainly used while on horseback in combat.
Tachi on top, katana on the bottom.
Itomaki no tachi mountings were used by high-ranking samurai, and were often commissioned for important ancestral blades. These functional blades were mainly worn for ceremonies, and were not meant or designed for combat (unlike the katana).
Lastly, only the family of the Shōgun and its closest retainers were permitted to use itomaki no tachi mountings!
Shōgun
Fast forward to a few days ago, one of us was flipping through a book purchased who knows when, and came across a photo of the REAL thing.
Very fashionable indeed.
In 1985, the Tokugawa Art Museum, with the support by a grant from Minolta Camera Co., created a traveling exhibition called The Shogun Age Exhibition. It made stops in L.A., Dallas, Munich, and Paris.
Pretty much all the information anyone could ever want about Japanese swords.
They published a book of all of the items in the exhibit, and one of the items looked exactly the same as the replica tachi we had in house!!!
Yup, got one (replica).
Apparently, the mountings of our replica were made in dedication for Tokugawa Yoshimichi by his son Gorota, the 5th lord of Owari. The demands for high-quality sword mounts by the upper echelons of the warrior class of the time resulted in the development of an extremely high level of metal craftsmanship.
Beautiful – and deadly.
The mountings were made for the blade “Kiku Gosaku.” The blade is said to be the work of Empora Go-Toba (1180-1239), who is known to have forged blades in the company of famed smiths.
The “naked” sword – still deadly.
How fun a discovery is this???
Links to items mentioned:
This is a message for Mrs Carolyn DONOVAN and Mr Wan Chi Lau
Hello
Thank you first of all for publishing your article at the beginning of 2025
The fake Tachi you bought 30 years ago in an estate sale for 100 dollars
was released in 1980 by the American company FRANKLIN MINT specialized in making fakes of all kinds
They fabricated industrially 10 000 copies and sold all of them ( sold initially for 500 dollars a piece ).
It is not in their catalogue any more.
The name of the fake sword was : The Sword of the Samurai ( not the Imperial one they sold after 1986 )
Yours is a copy of the japanese military mounting called type 94 ( has 2 suspensions ) made between 1934 and 1938 for high ranking officers only
The photo in the book Shogun shows a type 98 mounting ( only 1 suspension )
Have a good day
Dr Roland
( i do have an authentic japanese Tachi in a type 94 mounting with an authentic ancestral Samurai blade )
Thank you, Dr. Roland, for the background on the replica and for noting the detail of the mounting, which we had completely missed!!! We really appreciated it when readers contribute helpful comments for the edification of all.
Hello again
Your superb Sword of the Samurai sold by Franklin Mint 45 years ago is a piece of jewelry. So thank you for keeping it in such a good shape. The owner of FM had access after WW2 to an authentic Shin Gunto type 94 and copied its mounting perfectly. This type 94 was imposed by the japanese army on its officers from 1934 to 1938. Its essential features : two rings for suspension, cherry flowers all over, and a brown saya. The authentic sword shown in the Shogun book is different from yours: it has only on suspension ring. Best regards. Dr Roland