Post by Takeda Sanjuichiro on Jun 7, 2005 8:09:29 GMT -5
greeneel22 said:
while we're on the subject of swords, im pondering about whether i should save up for this:www.knightsedge.com/swords/odachi-samurai-sword.htm
I do not like to tell people my feelings of what they should and should not buy, because not every piece of harness is within everyone's means. I will say that there is quite a few problems that would need to be addressed for it to look like a typical example of a nodachi. Also a consideration is for what you would like to use it to portray.
This particular sword does not look very well proportioned for a nodachi, the furniture looks to incoperate latter period components but is supposed to be an earlier pattern sword... The upper part of the saya is wrapped in itomaki-no-tachi style, but is lacking proper hardwear. In short it is affordable, and you may be able to fool the nanban, but if you are looking to be authentic with it, I would consider a saving up for a different sword, the ammount of money and work you would need to put in to this sword to make it come close would very easily exceed the base cost.
it also claims there that the large sword is called o dachi not no dachi, how accurate is that?
In my opinion it is not. It may be correct Japanese grammar but it is not correct nihonto nomenclature. A nodachi is a "field sword" (I do not know the literal translation of the characters, by book is at home)
Typically nodachi are larger and beefier, some going to the extreme, than a "normal" sword. Frequently nodachi are of poor construction, and prone to delamination at the welds, cracking, and bending.
Another point is that some koto period tachi which were not cut down by the edo period have come to be known as nodachi because they are larger... of course they are, they were not shortened.
I realy need to get my sword education stuff put up.