The Incredible Story of Japanese Urushi Lacquer on Our Original Ancient and Antique Samurai Swords, Tachi, Katana, Wakazashi and Tanto’s Saya and Fittings

Japanese lacquer, or urushi, is a transformative and highly prized material that has been refined for over 7000 years.

Cherished for its infinite versatility, urushi is a distinctive art form that has spread across all facets of Japanese culture from the tea ceremony to the saya scabbards of samurai swords

Japanese artists created their own style and perfected the art of decorated lacquerware during the 8th century. Japanese lacquer skills reached its peak as early as the twelfth century, at the end of the Heian period (794-1185). This skill was passed on from father to son and from master to apprentice.

Some provinces of Japan were famous for their contribution to this art: the province of Edo (later Tokyo), for example, produced the most beautiful lacquered pieces from the 17th to the 18th centuries. Lords and shoguns privately employed lacquerers to produce ceremonial and decorative objects for their homes and palaces.

The varnish used in Japanese lacquer is made from the sap of the urushi tree, also known as the lacquer tree or the Japanese varnish tree (Rhus vernacifera), which mainly grows in Japan and China, as well as Southeast Asia. Japanese lacquer, 漆 urushi, is made from the sap of the lacquer tree. The tree must be tapped carefully, as in its raw form the liquid is poisonous to the touch, and even breathing in the fumes can be dangerous. But people in Japan have been working with this material for many millennia, so there has been time to refine the technique!

Flowing from incisions made in the bark, the sap, or raw lacquer is a viscous greyish-white juice. The harvesting of the resin can only be done in very small quantities.
Three to five years after being harvested, the resin is treated to make an extremely resistant, honey-textured lacquer. After filtering, homogenization and dehydration, the sap becomes transparent and can be tinted in black, red, yellow, green or brown.

Once applied on an object, lacquer is dried under very precise conditions: a temperature between 25 and 30°C and a humidity level between 75 and 80%. Its harvesting and highly technical processing make urushi an expensive raw material applied in exceptionally fine successive layers, on objects such as bowls, boxes, samurai sword saya and fittings. After heating and filtering, urushi can be applied directly to a solid, usually wooden, base. Pure urushi dries into a transparent film, while the more familiar black and red colours are created by adding minerals to the material. Each layer is left to dry and polished before the next layer is added. This process can be very time-consuming and labour-intensive, taking up to a year for each item, which contributes to the desirability, and high costs, of traditionally made lacquer goods. The skills and techniques of Japanese lacquer have been passed down through the generations for many centuries. For four hundred years, the master artisans of Zohiko’s Kyoto workshop have provided refined lacquer articles for the imperial household.

Photo in the gallery of several examples of exceptionally beautiful urushi lacquer on our currently available antique samurai swords.

We pride ourselves on trying our utmost to provide the largest and most varied selection of original, ancient and antique samurai swords for sale in the world, from which our clients can choose, outside of Japan.  read more

Code: 24325

An Original Ancient Egyptian Shabti, The Afterlife Servant of The Mummy, Blue-Glazed Faience 664 to 332 BC

A stunning Grand Tour artefact.
Much of our Grand Tour historic artefacts were originally acquired by a noble Scottish family in the 1820's while on a Grand Tour of the Middle East and the Holy Land, plus Anglo French battle sites within Northern & Western France from Azincourt, in the Pas-de-Calais, to Poitiers in Aquitaine. And the great classical battle sites of Ancient Rome and Greece.

We also had {now sold} the swordstick of the Scottish 10th Duke of Hamilton, the world renown Grand Tour collector, especially of ancient Egyptian pieces. He was the Ambassador to Catherine the Great as well as being Lord High Steward to both King William IV and Queen Victoria. He was so enamoured with his devotion to his collection of antiquities, he was mummified after his death, and buried in an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus within his family tomb.

From the 25th dynasty to the Late Period. One of a group of fine small tomb pieces we acquired. A shabti (also known as shawabti or ushabti) is a generally mummiform small figurine found in many ancient Egyptian tombs. They are commonly made of blue or green glazed Egyptian faience, but can also consist of stone, wood, clay, metal, and glass. The meaning of the Egyptian term is still debated, however one possible translation is ‘answerer’, as they were believed to answer their master’s call to work in the afterlife. Since the Fourth Dynasty (2613–2494 BC), for instance, the deceased were buried with servant statuettes like bakers and butchers, providing their owners with eternal sustenance. after the death of Cleopatra in around 37 b.c. and the close of the Ptolomeic Dynasty, no shabti were produced for service in Egyptian mummy's tombs. A spell was oft written on the shabti so that it would awaken as planned, this is the 'shabti spell' from chapter six of the Book of the Dead and reads as follows:

"O shawabti, if name of deceased is called upon,
If he is appointed to do any work which is done on the necropolis,
Even as the man is bounden, namely to cultivate the fields,
To flood the river-banks or to carry the sand of the East to the West,
And back again, then 'Here am I!' you shall say"

Piye established the Twenty-fifth Dynasty and appointed the defeated rulers as his provincial governors. He was succeeded first by his brother, Shabaka, and then by his two sons Shebitku and Taharqa. The reunited Nile valley empire of the 25th Dynasty was as large as it had been since the New Kingdom. Pharaohs of the dynasty, among them Taharqa, built or restored temples and monuments throughout the Nile valley, including at Memphis, Karnak, Kawa, and Jebel Barkal. The 25th Dynasty ended with its rulers retreating to their spiritual homeland at Napata. It was there (at El-Kurru and Nuri) that all 25th Dynasty pharaohs were buried under the first pyramids to be constructed in the Nile valley in hundreds of years

The Late Dynasty Period era;

The Twenty-Eighth Dynasty consisted of a single king, Amyrtaeus, prince of Sais, who successfully rebelled against the Persians, inaugurating Egypt's last significant phase of independence under native sovereigns. He left no monuments with his name. This dynasty reigned for six years, from 404 BC–398 BC.

The Twenty-Ninth Dynasty ruled from Mendes, for the period from 398 to 380 BC. King Hakor of this dynasty was able to defeat a Persian invasion during his reign.

The Thirtieth Dynasty took their art style from the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty. A series of three pharaohs ruled from 380 to 343 BC. The first king of the dynasty, Nectanebo I, defeated a Persian invasion in 373 BC. His successor Teos subsequently led an expedition against the Achaemenid Empire in the Near East. The expedition was beginning to meet with some success. unfortunately for Teos, his brother Tjahapimu was plotting against him. Tjahapimu convinced his son Nectanebo II to rebel against Teos and to make himself pharaoh. The plan was successful and the betrayed Teos had no alternative but to flee and the expedition disintegrated. The final ruler of this dynasty, and the final native ruler of Egypt, was Nectanebo II who was defeated in battle leading to the re-annexation by the Achaemenid Empire.

31st Dynasty
Main article: Thirty-first Dynasty of Egypt
The Second Achaemenid Period saw the re-inclusion of Egypt as a satrapy of the Persian Empire under the rule of the Thirty-First Dynasty, (343–332 BC) which consisted of three Persian emperors who ruled as Pharaoh - Artaxerxes III (343–338 BC), Artaxerxes IV (338–336 BC), and Darius III (336–332 BC) - interrupted by the revolt of the non-Achaemenid Khababash (338–335 BC). Persian rule in Egypt ended with the defeat of the Achaemenid Empire by Alexander the Great, who accepted the surrender of the Persian satrap of Egypt Mazaces in 332BC, and marking the beginning of Hellenistic rule in Egypt, which stabilized after Alexander's death into the Ptolemaic Kingdom. Small, aged, glaze loss at the shoulder {see photo}
45mm high  read more

Code: 25101

A 19th Century Indian Raj Period Percussion Cavalry Horse Pistol, With Damascus Twist Steel Barrel, Thus Likely For An Officer, Such as, a Risaldar/Subedar, or Risaldar Major of The Punjab Irregular Cavalry

Good walnut stock, Damascus twist barrel, percussion action lock, with government Victorian crown stamp, iron mounts including trigger guard and butt cap with lanyard ring.

Pistols of this form were mounted in pairs, each within a single saddle holster, in leg o’mutton form, fixed and hanging either side of the saddle’s pommel. These holsters were known as *saddle buckets, long before the term saddle holster was used to describe leather receptacles to carry pistols when on horseback.{see picture 10 in the gallery}.

Subedar/Risaldar or subadar was the second-highest rank of Indian officer in the military forces of British India, ranking below "British Commissioned Officers" and above "Local Non-Commissioned Officers". Indian officers were promoted to this rank on the basis of both lengths of service and individual merit.

Under British rule, a Risaldar was the cavalry equivalent of a Subedar. A Subedar / Risaldar was ranked senior to a Jemadar and junior to a Subedar Major / Risaldar Major in an infantry / cavalry regiment of the Indian Army. Both Subedars and Risaldars wore two stars as rank insignia.

In photo 8 in the gallery one can see regimental officers, subedars and subedar majors of the British Indian Army Cavalry. Note the magnificence of their stunning uniforms, a mixture of Sikh and British traditional uniform dress of the time.

After the First Sikh War of 1845-46 the fighting qualities of the Sikhs impressed the British so much that in 1846 the first two regiments of Sikh infantry were raised at Ferozepore and Ludhiana. In the same year a frontier brigade was raised to police the frontier comprising the Corps of Guides and four more infantry regiments of Sikhs.
After the Second Sikh War of 1848-49 the Punjab was annexed, bringing the British into contact with the Pathan tribes of the North-West Frontier. This led to the formation of what later became the Punjab Frontier Force, comprising the Frontier Brigade raised in 1846, five regiments of Punjab Irregular cavalry and 6 regiments of Punjab irregular infantry. From 1851 to 1865 the regiments were titled Punjab Irregular Force abbreviated to PIF so that they were nick-named Piffers, a word that continued in use up to 1947.

Each regiment had 4 squadrons, and so that the the religious/ethnic groups were clearly defined, each squadron, or half-squadron, consisted of one type only. The types found in the 5 regiments were Sikhs, Dogras, Hindustani Mulims, Hindustani Hindus, Punjabi Muslims and Pathans.

*See the last picture in the gallery that shows how saddle pistol buckets were mounted upon cavalry saddles.

Just one of the greatly respected Risaldar-Majors of the time was the great Sirdar Bahadur Risaldar-Major Mani Singh who was born in Gujranwala in the Punjab. He was the first and most famous Indian officer who served in Hodson's Horse, an irregular cavalry regiment of the British Indian army formed during the Indian Rebellion of 1857-8. During the First Sikh War of 1845-6, Mani Singh was a cavalry officer in the Sikh army fighting the British. In 1852 he enlisted as a mounted policeman in Neville Chamberlain's Punjab Police. In 1857 he was asked to raise recruits to form Hodson's Horse. He served with the British throughout the Siege of Delhi, a key event of the Indian Rebellion in which Indian troops rose up against British colonial rule. During the Battle of Nawabganj he was badly wounded having shown great bravery in action. He was awarded many of the highest decorations, including the Order of Merit 1st class, and the Order of British India 1st class. He retired from military serivce in 1877, and was subsequently made manager of the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) at Amritsar. His watercolour portrait, by Sydney Prior Hall, autographed in Urdu, was acquired by HRH Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, {later King Edward VIIth, It was one of the King's prized pieces and resides within the Royal Collection.

Small old re-stock for-end repair, very strong mainspring.  read more

Code: 25100

An Ancient Koto Period Samurai Sword, Almost 600 Years old, From The Sengoku Jidai. A Handachi Mounted Katana, With Beautiful Deep Red Ishime Urushi Lacquer Saya, & Hammered Silver Onlaid Mounts

From the Muramachi and Sengoku period. The blade was made almost 600 years ago, in or around 1450, and it is fully mounted in a fine suite of Edo period, all matching handachi koshirae sword mounts, fitted upon the saya and tsuka, with a very scarce highly decorative hand finish, of hammered silver over copper, to represent reflections of moonlight in silvery puddles of water. A most impressive, beautiful and statuesque sword. The blade shows a most stunning and active hamon. The tsuka has its traditional Edo period battle wrap, over black samegawa {giant ray-skin}, of yellow silk-cotton ito, with two takebori iron dragon menuki.

One picture in the gallery is an antique Meiji period photograph of a seated daimyo clan lord, holding his very same, identically coloured and mounted han dachi katana.

Han-dachi mounted samurai swords originally appeared during the Muromachi period when there was a transition taking place from tachi to katana. The sword was being worn more and more edge up when on foot, but edge down on horseback as it had always been.

The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga Shogunate. The Sengoku period was named by Japanese historians after the similar but otherwise unrelated Warring States period of China. The era is beautifully depicted in Akira Kurowsawa’s films called Jidaigeki. The Sengoku Period (1467-1568 CE) was a lawless century-long era characterized by rising political instability, turmoil, and warlordism in Japan. During this period, field armies and soldiers rapidly rose in number, reaching tens of thousands of warriors. Many castles in Japan were built during the Sengoku Period as regional leaders and aristocrats alike competed for power and strong regional influence to win the favours of the higher-class Japanese at the time. Kurosawa’s film depiction of Macbeth, Throne of Blood, is set in this era of Japan’s feudal period. Original title 蜘蛛巣城, Kumonosu-jō, lit. 'The Castle of Spider's Web'

This then led to the creation of a more complex system within the military, the armoured infantry known as the ashigaru. Initiated by the collapse of the country’s feudal system during the 1467 Onin War, rival warlords or daimyō, continued to struggle to gain control of Japan until its reunification under Japan’s three “Great Unifiers” –– Nagoya Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu Tokugawa –– thus, bringing the war-stricken era to an end in the siege of Osaka
The handachi is a response to the need to be worn in either style. The samurai were roughly the equivalent of feudal knights. Employed by the shogun or daimyo, they were members of hereditary warrior class that followed a strict "code" that defined their clothes, armour and behaviour on the battlefield. But unlike most medieval knights, samurai warriors could read and they were well versed in Japanese art, literature and poetry.
Samurai endured for almost 700 years, from 1185 to 1867. Samurai families were considered the elite. They made up only about six percent of the population and included daimyo and the loyal soldiers who fought under them. Samurai means one who serves."

Samurai were expected to be both fierce warriors and lovers of art, a dichotomy summed up by the Japanese concepts of bu, to stop the spear, expanding into bushido (the way of life of the warrior) and bun (the artistic, intellectual and spiritual side of the samurai). Originally conceived as away of dignifying raw military power, the two concepts were synthesized in feudal Japan and later became a key feature of Japanese culture and morality.

The quintessential samurai was Miyamoto Musashi, a legendary early Edo-period swordsman who reportedly killed 60 men before his 30th birthday and was also a painting master.

We could have the tsuka rebound in suitable Japanese silk tsuka ito if required. Although, we would recommend it is left just as is, as it is a most fine ancient samurai sword and its slightly and lightly discoloured cotton-silk binding is part of its amazing character and representing its great age

40.5 inches long overall, blade 24.25 inches long  read more

Code: 23673

21st Regiment Essex Fusiliers Large Service Helmet Flaming Grenade Badge. Circa.1887

Canadian Militia busby helmet badge. 21st Regiment Essex Fusiliers Fur Busby grenade. Circa.1887 Brass grenade with two lugs to the reverse in excellent condition.

A military presence in Windsor and Essex County dates back as far as 1701, when all men in the community were essentially militia members, armed to combat a perceived 'Indian threat'. When Irish-American Nationalists invaded Canada in 1866, even stronger forces were established locally. By 1885, local militias had amalgamated into the 21st Essex Battalion of Infantry.

By the advent of the First World War, the 21st Battalion (now known as the 21st Regiment Essex Fusiliers) was placed on active service. Initially, they contributed to Canada's 1st Battalion, upon its formation in 1914, then later the 18th Battalion (consisting largely of Essex Fusilier soldiers. The 18th Battalion served in France and Flanders from 1915 until the Armistice.

The regiment perpetuated the 18th (Western Ontario) Battalion, 99th (Essex) Battalion and 241st (Canadian Scottish Borderers) Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force and held its final Order of Precedence as 40. Battle honours for the regiment include: First World War: Ypres 1915 & 17, Festubert 1915, Mount Sorrel, Somme 1916 & 18, Flers-Courcelette, Thiepval, Ancre Heights, Arras 1917 & 18, Vimy 1917, Hill 70, Passchendaele, Amiens, Scarpe 1918, Hindenburg Line, Canal du Nord, Cambrai 1918, Pursuit to Mons, France & Flanders 1915-18 Second World War: Dieppe Raid (1942), Battle of Verrigres Ridge (1944), liberation of Dieppe (1944), Battle of the Scheldt (1944), The Rhine (1944-1945), Northwestern Europe

By 1926, an alliance was formed with the Essex Regiment of the British Army, and by 1927, the Essex Scottish had adopted the MacGregor tartan based on Scottish Highland tradition. That year an alliance was also established with the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment of the British Army.

The Regiment was the first unit of men in Western Ontario to be called up during World War II and one of the first Canadian units to see battle overseas. Their first fight was the tragic Dieppe raid on August 19th, 1942 where the Regiment was hit particularly hard during Operation Jubilee. When the smoke cleared, the Regiment had lost 121, and many of the survivors were either wounded or captured. With barely enough time to regroup, the regiment prepared itself for the invasion of France. On July 5th 1944, it participated in the bloody landing at Normandy, and then fought on through France, Holland and Germany until the war's end.

By then, the regiment had suffered 552 dead and had been inflicted with the highest number of casualties of any unit in the Canadian Army-a staggering 2,510.  read more

Code: 19898

A Very Powerful and Substantial Viking Chiefs Guard's Spear. Around 1200 Years Old. Used From The Time of The Seige of Paris on The Seine in 845, By Viking Chieftain Ragnar in Command of His 120 Longships

A heavy grade spear made between the 9th and 11th Centuries, very likely used by a senior man of a Viking chiefs guard. Thus around 1200 years old, from the peak of the era of the great seafaring Scandinavian Viking conquerers.
Between 1000 and 1200 years old, From the time of the Viking siege of Paris.

The siege of Paris of 845 was the culmination of a Viking invasion of West Francia. The Viking forces were led by a Norse chieftain named "Reginherus", or Ragnar, who tentatively has been identified with the legendary saga character Ragnar Lodbrok. Reginherus's fleet of 120 Viking ships, carrying thousands of warriors, entered the Seine in March and sailed up the river.

Ragnar's Vikings raided Rouen on their way up the Seine in 845 and in response to the invasion, determined not to let the royal Abbey of Saint-Denis (near Paris) be destroyed, Charles assembled an army which he divided into two parts, one for each side of the river. Ragnar attacked and defeated one of the divisions of the smaller Frankish army, took 111 of their men as prisoners and hanged them on an island on the Seine to honour the Norse god Odin, as well as to incite terror in the remaining Frankish forces.

The Vikings reached Paris at the end of the month, during Easter. They plundered and occupied the city, withdrawing after Charles the Bald paid a ransom of 7,000 French livres 2,570 kg (83,000 ozt) in gold and silver.
Ragnar's fleet made it back to his overlord, the Danish King Horik I, but Ragnar soon died from a violent illness that also spread in Denmark

With an octagonal form socket and two holes for affixing it to its haft with a square section rivet. Formerly the property of an English gentleman, from his collection orginally acquired from the 1940's. In chapter 55 of Laxdæla saga, Helgi had a spear with a blade one ell long (about 50cm, or 20in). He thrust the blade through Bolli's shield, and through Bolli. In chapter 8 of Króka-Refs saga, Refur made a spear for himself which could be used for cutting, thrusting, or hewing. Refur split Þorgils in two down to his shoulders with the spear. The spearheads were made of iron, and, like sword blades, were made using pattern welding techniques (described in the article on swords) during the early part of the Viking era . They could be decorated with inlays of precious metals or with scribed geometric patterns
After forming the head, the smith flattened and drew out material to form the socket . This material was formed around a mandrel and usually was welded to form a solid socket. In some cases, the overlapping portions were left unwelded. Spear heads were fixed to wooden shafts using a rivet. The sockets on the surviving spear heads suggest that the shafts were typically round, with a diameter of 2-3cm (about one inch).

However, there is little evidence that tells us the length of the shaft. The archaeological evidence is negligible, and the sagas are, for the most part, silent. Chapter 6 of Gísla saga tells of a spear so long-shafted that a man's outstretched arm could touch the rivet. The language used suggests that such a long shaft was uncommon.

Perhaps the best guess we can make is that the combined length of shaft and head of Viking age spears was 2 to 3m (7-10ft) long, although one can make arguments for the use of spears having both longer and shorter shafts. A strong, straight-grained wood such as ash was used. Many people think of the spear as a throwing weapon. One of the Norse myths tells the story of the first battle in the world, in which Oðin, the highest of the gods, threw a spear over the heads of the opposing combatants as a prelude to the fight. The sagas say that spears were also thrown in this manner when men, rather than gods, fought. At the battle at Geirvör described in chapter 44 of Eyrbyggja saga, the saga author says that Steinþórr threw a spear over the heads of Snorri goði and his men for good luck, according to the old custom. More commonly, the spear was used as a thrusting weapon. The sagas tell us thrusting was the most common attack in melees and one-on-one fighting, and this capability was used to advantage in mass battles. In a mass battle, men lined up, shoulder to shoulder, with shields overlapping. After all the preliminaries, which included rock throwing, name calling, the trading of insults, and shouting a war cry (æpa heróp), the two lines advanced towards each other. When the lines met, the battle was begun. Behind the wall of shields, each line was well protected. Once a line was broken, and one side could pass through the line of the other side, the battle broke down into armed melees between small groups of men.

Before either line broke, while the two lines were going at each other hammer and tongs, the spear offered some real advantages. A fighter in the second rank could use his spear to reach over the heads of his comrades in the first rank and attack the opposing line. Konungs skuggsjá (King’s Mirror), a 13th century Norwegian manual for men of the king, says that in the battle line, a spear is more effective than two swords. As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity. 13.75 inches long.

Before either line broke, while the two lines were going at each other hammer and tongs, the spear offered some real advantages. A fighter in the second rank could use his spear to reach over the heads of his comrades in the first rank and attack the opposing line. Konungs skuggsj (King’s Mirror), a 13th century Norwegian manual for men of the king, says that in the battle line, a spear is more effective than two swords.

As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity. 13.75 inches long.  read more

Code: 22090

A Wonderful and Highly Desirable Original Antique Pistol Flask Shaped in the Form of a Rifle Butt

An absolute gem for even the most discerning of pistol flask collectors.

The 'butt stock' type are very rare indeed, and the smaller type, like this, are certainly the most desirable of all.

Overall in very nice condition indeed with very fine patination. This is one of the most desirable and highly sought types of pistol flask for casing with tools for rare Colt revolvers and fine British pistols.

This superb flask would compliment any fine cased pistol or pistols, from flintlocks to revolvers.

5 inches long 2.25 inches wide at widest. Small denting at the base and spout.  read more

Code: 22790

A Most Fine Antique, Fijian Ula Drisia South Seas Island Warrior’s Throwing Club

Superbly patinated root ball with geometrically carved handle. The ula was the most personal weapon of the Fijian warrior and was inserted into a man's fibre girdle sometimes in pairs like pistols. The throwing of the ula was achieved with great skill, precision and speed. It was often carried in conjunction with a heavier full length club or spear which served to finish an opponent after initially being disabled by a blow from the ula. Was made by a specialist from a variety of uprooted bushes or shrubs. Across 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from east to west, Fiji has been a nation of many languages. Fiji's history was one of settlement but also of mobility. Over the centuries, a unique Fijian culture developed. Constant warfare and cannibalism between warring tribes were quite rampant and very much part of everyday life. During the 19th century, Ratu Udre Udre is said to have consumed 872 people and to have made a pile of stones to record his achievement."Ceremonial occasions saw freshly killed corpses piled up for eating. 'Eat me!' was a proper ritual greeting from a commoner to a chief. The posts that supported the chief's house or the priest's temple would have sacrificed bodies buried underneath them, with the rationale that the spirit of the ritually sacrificed person would invoke the gods to help support the structure, and "men were sacrificed whenever posts had to be renewed" . Also, when a new boat, or drua, was launched, if it was not hauled over men as rollers, crushing them to death, "it would not be expected to float long" . Fijians today regard those times as "na gauna ni tevoro" (time of the devil). The ferocity of the cannibal lifestyle deterred European sailors from going near Fijian waters, giving Fiji the name Cannibal Isles; as a result, Fiji remained unknown to the rest of the world. The handle has a natural age split at the base.  read more

Code: 20896

Important & Historical Letter From Vice Admiral Hood Aboard HMS Victory. HMS Victory Became Nelson's Flagship at The Battle of Trafalgar in 1805

Dated 3rd October 1793. by Horatio Nelson's commanding officer at the Siege of Toulon, where Napoleon was commanding the French Artillery before he became the leader of France . This is a historically important letter for several reasons. It is signed and dated by one of England's greatest admirals, it was written and sent from the British flagship HMS. Victory, Horatio Nelson was there at the time under the command of Hood on his ship, and Napoleon Bonaparte was commanding the French artillery there against Hood and Nelson at the time of writing. It would look simply amazing if bespoke framed with fine mounting and possibly complete with a fine print of HMS Victory or Admiral Hood. Regarding the Siege of Toulon just weeks before it fell. Two pages of foolscap, written on three sides, on correct 18th century Admiralty paper bearing Brittannia watermark, with date, location, name position and signature of Admiral Lord Hood. Personally hand written and signed aboard HMS Victory, by Admiral Lord Hood, addressed to Philip Stephens, First Secretary of the Admiralty [and great friend of Capt. James Cook], to present to the Lord Commissioners of the Admiralty, his congratulations on a most Brilliant and complete Victory over the troops of General Carteaux Commander-in-chief of the Army before Toulon. It was at this engagement, part of the Siege of Toulon, that a young Corsican, a captain in command of artillery, Napoleon Buonaprte gained huge success, and the praises of the Generals, Committee of Public Safety, Augustin Robespierre and Antoine Christophe Saliceti, and thus his eventual promotion to Brigadier -General for his skill in his command of the batteries during the siege. The young artillery captain, Napoleon Bonaparte was appointed as Carteaux's new artillery commander. With the backing of the all-powerful Robespierre and Saliceti, the dynamic Bonaparte quickly devised a plan for the capture of the forts l'Eguillette and Balaguier. Bonaparte correctly surmised that the capture of these would allow accurate fire to be brought to bear on the Anglo-Neapolitan fleet and force it to abandon Toulon just after this letter was written. From this very siege Napoleon gained the influence and power that eventually changed the history of Europe forever. The significance of this event, it's highly important connecting points of the three great heroes, Hood, Napoleon and Bonaparte cannot be underestimated in it's position in world history. On 28 August, Admiral Sir Samuel Hood of the Royal Navy and Admiral Juan de Longara of the Spanish Navy, committed a force of 13,000 British, Spanish, Neapolitan and Piedmontese troops to the French royalists' cause. This was a serious blow to the arms of the republic, as it was a key naval arsenal of the country, with 26 ships of the line based there at the time (about one third of the total available to the French Navy). If France were to lose this port, there was no hope for her naval ambitions. Which would mean by proxy that any ambition to challenge the Allies, and specifically the British, for control of the seas would be out of the question. Not only that, but its loss could set a dangerous precedent for other areas that menaced the republic with revolt. The survival of the Republic was at stake. On 1 October, Baron d'Imbert proclaimed the young Louis XVII to be king of France, and hoisted the French royalist flag of the fleur de lys, delivering the town of Toulon to the British navy. It was not until 1793 that Napoleon was first able to demonstrate his ability to grasp the significant moment, to devise the successful strategy, to lead from the front and by example. In this year the year in which Louis XVI had been guillotined, at the beginning of what was to become The Terror Napoleon, now a twenty-four-year-old artillery captain, was given the opportunity to take control of artillery for the siege of Toulon.

At this time, there were still significant pockets of royalist insurrection against the revolution throughout the provinces, especially in the western Vendee region and in the South East. When royalist Marseille was retaken in August by the Jacobins, with appalling reprisals, the counter-revolutionaries holding Toulon called on the British Royal Navy to help them, along with their Spanish and other allies. Britain had been at war with France since the formation of the First Coalition of European allies against revolutionary France, formed earlier that year after the execution of Louis XVI.

The English fleet anchored in the harbour at Toulon was commanded by Rear Admiral Hood. Captain Horatio Nelson was with Hood's fleet, in command of the 64-gun third-rater Agamemnon. Britain's renewed conflict with France in 1793 meant officers of Nelson?s experience were required. He was given command of HMS Agamemnon on 30 January 1793. Nelson sailed to the Mediterranean in May 1793, joining Lord Hood's fleet blockading the French fleet in Toulon. Josiah, his stepson, accompanied him. His wife, Fanny, was left to worry about the dangers they faced. Nelson's letters to her at this time showed signs that their relationship was under strain. Hood ordered Nelson to Naples to seek King Ferdinand IV's help in defending Toulon against French republicans. Nelson made this request through Sir William Hamilton (1730-1803), the British envoy, at the Palazzo Sessa. It was here in September 1793 that he met Emma Hamilton, the envoy's second wife, aged 28, who was reputed to be one of the most beautiful women of her time. Nelson informed Fanny that Lady Hamilton has been wonderfully kind and good to Josiah She is a young woman of amiable manners?who does honour to the station to which she is raised? (Nicolas, Volume 1, page 326). Having negotiated a promise of 6,000 troops for the siege of Toulon, Nelson returned there to be ordered to join Commodore Robert Linzee's squadron in Tunis. Linzee was in negotiation with the Bey to hand over a French squadron under his protection. En route, on 22 October 1793, Nelson fell in with some French frigates and engaged the Melpomone, but his ship was beaten off by superior forces. The diplomatic mission to Tunis proved unsuccessful. Nelson considered Linzee's approach too cautious, I should have taken every Frenchman here without negotiating; even had the negotiations taken place, I would have had the French men-of-war and believe that the people of England will never blame an officer for taking a French line of Battle ships
The Hood family, from 1st Viscount Hood down was a lineage that has produced some of the greatest fighting men to serve in the Royal Navy. Battle Cruiser H.M.S. Hood (1920-1941) Named in honour of the 1st Viscount Admiral Hood was the third and most famous ship to bear the name, the legendary battle cruiser that during her 21 year long career, she, more than any other ship, would stand as the ultimate symbol of the Empire's might. Of all the vessels to bear the name, she was the most important, most memorable and most loved. She was lost with all hands bar three in her catastrophic engagement with the German Heavy Cruiser Prinz Eugen and the German Battleship Bismarck at the Battle of Denmark Strait 24th May 1941. Original letter shown with a newly typed version for reading assistance.  read more

Code: 22821

A Most Beautiful Original Edo Period Shinto Samurai Wakizashi by Echizen ju Kozuke no Kami Fujiwara Kanesada, A Sword Maker Deemed Saijō Ō Wazamono (Supreme Grade), Ō Wazamono (Excellent), Yoki (Ryō) Wazamono (Very Good)

Signed over both sides of the nakago, Echizen ju Kozuke no Kami Fujiwara Kanesada 1680.

If you only had a single Japanese samurai short sword in your collection you would have to go a very long way to find a better example than this beauty. Bearing in mind it's beautifully signed, of stunning quality, in amazing condition, and, its almost 350 years old.

A good and rated sword smith. A swordsmith, Kozuke no Kami Fujiwara Kanesada is listed as one of just 65 Swordmakers that produced a swords of three of the high grades of quality blades, ōwazamono, ryōwazamono, or wazamono. Excellent, very good and good. Wazamono is a classification of Japanese swords and swordsmiths used in Japan to identify historic blades of exceptional quality. According to the first edition of Kaiho Kenjaku (懐宝剣尺) published in 1797, There are 163 Wazamono swords in total, grouped into four categories based on their quality. Twelve swords are classified as Saijō Ō Wazamono (Supreme Grade), twenty-one swords are classified as Ō Wazamono (Excellent), fifty swords are classified as Yoki (Ryō) Wazamono (Very Good), and eighty swords are classified as Wazamono (Good).

This rating is based on a book compiled by Yamada Asaemon V (山田浅右衛門吉睦), an official sword cutting ability examiner and executioner of the Tokugawa shogunate, and is an authoritative index of cutting ability of Japanese swords. The list of ratings concerning swordsmithing differs between Kaiho Kenjaku (懐宝剣尺) published in 1797 and the reprinted edition published in 1805, and the major revised edition of Kokon Kajibiko (古今鍛冶備考) published in 1830. Add up the number of sword smiths in each edition: Saijo Ō Wazamono 15, Ō Wazamono 21, Yoki Wazamono 58, Wazamono 93, and 3 grades mixed 65. The list of swordsmiths described below is the swordsmiths described in the first edition of Kaiho Kenjaku. The blade of shinogi-zukuri form, slightly undulating suguba of nioi with pronounced nie, indistinct tight mokumehada, the ubu nakago with kiri yasurime and one mekugi-ana, signed Echizen no ju Kozuke no kami Fujiwara Kanesada; koshira-e: the saya (scabbard) of roiro lacquer; ovoid iron stuba , shakudo fuchigashira with geese and reeds in gilt metal relief. The blade is in very good polish, the lacquer on the saya also very good and the original. Superb condition tsukaito silk hilt wrap .
Blade 48.5cm (19 1/8in) from tsuba to tip .  read more

Code: 23481