Meeting 3rd April 2012

‘Bring your favourite thing – OR the thing that you want to know more about.’

So,….

A Haruta kabuto? Only one other helmet of this style is currently known to exist and the maker remains unconfirmed, Its overall shape is unusual for having a double ‘peak’ for and aft, with the plates meeting at a medial ‘ridge’ with no tehen kanamono.  This is thought to be prior to the Edo period.

An unusual Gunners pouch, which took some time to figure out. The answer to what it is all about is actually obvious – when you know! The cord loop is for a spare coil of match. The pouch is for flint and steel. The small copper cylinder at the top acts like a netsuke – pushed under the belt- but also opens up to take a small supply of tinder. No cigarette lighters back then. Edo period.

This is essentially a Sendai Do, made with the absolute minimum of cordage but assembled with removable pins holding each plate to the next. This shot shows the two internal hinges on the top of the backplate which allow this plate, and the attached watagami, to fold right back against the main backplate – for what reason we do not know and cannot propose a theory as there seems no practical necessity for it to do this.  Unlike the other pins on this Do these hinge pins are NOT removable.  Edo period.

An Efu no Tachi – but how big is it? Answer: 16 inches long overall.!  Presumably made in the Meiji period perhaps as an export work or for the Boys Festival.  The blade is not steel but silver plated brass, but has a genuine nakago and is held in the tsuka by one of the gold Tawara Byo rivets. The quality of the lacquer and the engraving on the gilded fittings is not shown to best advantage by these pictures.

21st March 2012

The topic for the next meeting, 3rd April, will be 'Bring your favourite object OR the object that you always wanted to know more about' - in the spirit of making it as broad as possible, and helping people to understand what they have. We shall bring as many books as possible and try to provide the answers!

28th December 2011

Stockport Militaria Fair Dates

21st January

12th May

6th October

The society will have a table at the event as usual.

Location: Britannia Hotel, Dialstone Lane, Offerton, Stockport, SK2 6AG