My Highlander Duncan katana project

Excellent work so far. Enjoying your progress.

Also found this tsuba pictures, sadly it's sold, but it's a original edo period kinai school tsuba.

View attachment 741562

Though close, that's not the original Edo-period Japanese tsuba Marto based their design on. This is (at bottom right, click to enlarge):

Original SOD Tsuba.jpg

Note the open mouth on the bottom bird and the wing feather designs.

Depicted on the tsuba are two Japanese Onagadori ("long-tailed fowl") fighting cocks. These birds were first bred in the Kochi prefecture during the Edo period. This area used to be a part of the Tosa province, which is why the birds are also referred to as "Tosa-no-Onagadori." The birds were initially bred only on the estate of the Daimyo (Japanese feudal lord) of Tosa. Today, these birds are designated a Japanese Natural Monument.

It's interesting that the Season 3 episode "The Samurai," in which it is revealed that Duncan received his katana from a Japanese mentor, takes place in 1778, just after the origin of the Onagadori breed sometime between 1760 and 1770, preventing the tsuba design from being an anachronism.

The tsuba from the pic above belonged (at the time the picture was taken—September 1928) to Dr. Isaac Wyman Drummond, who possessed a nice collection of antique Japanese sword furniture until his death in 1933. Marto based many of their tsuba designs on actual antique tsubas in their collection, so they may actually own the original now.
 
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Yes there were variations on tsuba design, even from same school and same make from same week.
I remember the one I pictured is smaller it can explain the different design, and the one you pictured is different too.
I found this and that, and there are also variations, not only the size but some subtile design change even it's clearly the same maker using exactly the same tools.
First is mine, second is on japanese website:
20496194_1513948755342470_1031486474_n.jpg20526566_1513952325342113_790055209_n.jpg

Sadly, for Highlander, they didn't avoid anachronism, because the original preiod items were made by kinai school, and there are no brass used in kinai school tsuba, only iron, so they coud have made iron finish, to really match the historical accuracy, but I think they didn't even think about it, because the kind of material for the handle is also a later design, even it woul dhave been genuine ivory, it's more typical from meiji period,as mots of the well made brass tsuba (snake design is good example) made for collection, not use.
But it's a production movie, not historical decument, if it would, there would never be fake ivory handles, most of movie swords are wrong.
I like the namban tsuba on top right of your picture.
 
Yes there were variations on tsuba design, even from same school and same make from same week.
I remember the one I pictured is smaller it can explain the different design, and the one you pictured is different too.
I found this and that, and there are also variations, not only the size but some subtile design change even it's clearly the same maker using exactly the same tools.
First is mine, second is on japanese website:
View attachment 747958View attachment 747959

Sadly, for Highlander, they didn't avoid anachronism, because the original preiod items were made by kinai school, and there are no brass used in kinai school tsuba, only iron, so they coud have made iron finish, to really match the historical accuracy, but I think they didn't even think about it, because the kind of material for the handle is also a later design, even it woul dhave been genuine ivory, it's more typical from meiji period,as mots of the well made brass tsuba (snake design is good example) made for collection, not use.
But it's a production movie, not historical decument, if it would, there would never be fake ivory handles, most of movie swords are wrong.
I like the namban tsuba on top right of your picture.

Ah, good point about the iron. But the Marto tsuba is bronze-colored, not brass (not solid bronze, but plated). And there are examples of bronze tsubas from the Edo period, at least according to Ebay. :)

That said, I'd forgotten that in the episode Koto mentions the sword was made in 1592, so was almost 200 years old already when Duncan received it. But I guess the bronze tsuba could have been swapped onto the sword recently.

There were apparently many tsuba designs that became famous themselves, and were copied by others. Nowadays, you can get Chinese-made tsubas in many of these traditional designs. Take the one you posted above, for example. It's available at this aliexpress.com page (design #11). And another more-detailed option here.

For anyone after a fighting cocks tsuba (and doesn't want to buy a used Marto SOD to disassemble), at this page is one Chinese-made tsuba in the fighting cocks design. Another design can be found at this page. (Note: The design on these pages refers to each bird as a "phoenix" or "phenix." The birds on the tsuba are often mislabeled as "phoenix," the name of another breed of long-tailed chicken.) I still prefer the Marto tsuba than these alternates, though. Richer detail.

Sorry if this brief tsuba discussion derailed the thread a bit.
 
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The original rooster fight is always iron, and seems most of the times with gold eyes.
Sadly these chinese replicas are so ugly and innacurate it's a loss to buy them, however it's still interesting to see variations!
It's also funny to see my anrique tsuba repicated with modern materials.
It would be interesting to see if there is a iro original version of this tsuba, mine is probably meiji period, but maybe the design is popular and available in iron and it woul dmean with many many luck, it would be possible to find a original japanese brass rooster fight tsuba.
But as a moder choice, depending on budget, better to buy a marto sword or request one from Irishamericanlad, or from me if I make some brass castings of my self made tsuba.
It's definitely really different from alloy tsubas, and if one alloy tsuba was to choose, only the marto would be ok imo.
I paid about 60$ shipped for my entire sword, so it's not a big bill for the pieces.
It would be interesting to find a original japanese menuki like the one that was copied on the marto sword, because they made mistake and I really would see the other side!
 
I have the Aliexpress tsuba (at least I think it's the same one although mine came from Artsfeng), and if you scrub the factory finish off with a green Scotchbrite pad you get a really rich copper color underneath that over time starts to darken. This is how mine came out.

Onagadori 1.jpg
 
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I finally made my Highlander habaki.I replaced the original marto stamp for a samurai family crest, we can see the crest when Duncan is saved by the samurai in the episode "The samurai"

IMG_8787.JPG
 
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Looks great. Is there a reason you chose to weather the tsuka/handle so much more than the dragon head? I realize that the hands touch the handle much more than the end, but if the head were weathered maybe half, or a third, as much as the handle, I think you'd have better weathering balance. My opinion only, and not meant to disparage your awesome work.
 
Reliefs are much deeper on the head, I carved it entirely as the handle is just cast from the marto, and design is quite faded.
As the ring is not finished yet, I admit I didn't exactly finished the work on handle too, I will probably carve a bit some handle details, add some contrast and enlight the pommel a bit.
I hope to carve one from ivory one day, and make different weathering.
 
It seems the Marto company made 2 fuchi versions for same duncan katana, with same design on both sides, but I think the original cast piece probably had one design on one side and other design on other side, I have the first variation, and I found pictures of the second variation.
So I am looking for high resolution picture, or even better, a genuine part like the fuchi on this hilt.
View attachment 744716

Do you still need pictures of this fuchi? My best Marto Duncan/Sword of the Dragon has this. The scene is different on both sides, and is much more detailed and intricate than the other version.
 
it's intersting, sadly they used a strange design, nothing like a real fuchi.I will keep ny own design for now.
When was this marto sword made?
 
it's intersting, sadly they used a strange design, nothing like a real fuchi.I will keep ny own design for now.
When was this marto sword made?

I don't know for sure. It has really crisp detail in the handle and I always thought it was an earlier sword, but I dont have any real evidence of that.
 

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