Unmounted sword showing sword mounts and blade

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A sword blade might have more than one set of mounts through its life. The set includes in order of setting, the habaki, seppa or washers, a tsuba or guard, more washers and then the hilt attached to the blade with a peg through the tang and the scabbard.

The habaki stops the washers and the guard from slipping down the blade. The mounts are high quality in tachi style. The copper alloy is pickled to produce, shakudo, black patination. The scabbard is lacquer with gold flakes and a dragons in low relief.

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• Online ID: 000-100-104-636-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  A.1942.7 A
• Date: 17th century
  19th century
  
• Material: Scabbard, tachi
  Tachi / sword
  
• Dimensions: 30.00" L
  39.50" L
  
• What: Scabbard, tachi
  Tachi / sword
  
• Subject: Weapons / swords and daggers
  Weapons / swords and daggers
  
• Who:
• Where: Japan
  Japan
  
• Event:
• Description: Tachi or sword, with curved pointed tempered single-edged steel blade, a ray-skin hilt bound with silk cords, two gilt memuki, and a tsuba of dark alloy: Japan, 17th century
  Tachi scabbard of wood, decorated with a dragon on nashi-ji lacquer, dark alloy mounts, and flat silk suspension cords: Japan, 19th century
  
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