This tanto has a new wooden saya but all other fittings are original. It has great age as witnessed by the dark rust on the tang. It also shows much wear over the years but still retains the hamon and hada. I need more research on this in order to establish school and smith.
This sword is signed on the nakago, ” Kazusa no Suke Fujiwara Kaneshige ” and still retains it’s original length. It is in old polish but looks fresh, showing the beautiful hamon of notare and gunome midare with Nie-deki, Kinsuji and sunagashi. The blade measures 27.1 inches along the cutting edge with a nice curve ( sori ). Kaneshige swords are considered ” good sharp sword ” as Ryo Wazamono. Kaneshige worked in the Musashi province and is listed in Hawleys, page 215, KAN2267 and is assigned 15 points.
Shown below are many original Japanese sword tsubas ( sword guards ), fuchi, kashira ( cover each end of the sword handle also called a tsuka ), kodzuka ( small knife that fits in a slot in the saya ) and other items.
This is a nice original saber with it’s original leather scabbard ( separated at the seam ). It came with authentication papers from a Canadian Antique dealer. According to him, it was purchased from a family in New York, near the Canadian border. The hilt is a turned walnut or cherry wood with brass around the bottom. The guard is solid brass in a “D” shape and the blade is 25 & 1/2 inches in length.
This sword and plug bayonet were found in a buckskin covered wooden trunk, in 1957, in an attic by the grandmother of Alfred H. Seibel, Jr., of North Merrick, N.Y. The grandmother told Alfred that the trunk had been passed down through the John L’Hommedieu family and was given to her when she was in her teens. The sword and dagger ( plug bayonet ) when discovered, were wrapped in decaying linen cloth and the trunk was lined with news papers dated 1801 and 1803. The sword has a white bone or ivory hilt with a spiral design carved into it and a lovely wide, open work brass guard. The blade is 26 & 5/8 inches long with a fuller cut into the top. The plug bayonet has a 9 & 5/8 inch blade and a 4 & 3/8 inch hilt with nice dark patina to the wood and brass. They are both in excellent condition and the sword still has it’s original leather scabbard. A document from the owner to me, attest to the provenance. Captain Samuel L’Hommedieu, along with six brothers, Ephraim, Grover, Henry, Hudson, John and Mulford, all served in the Suffolk County militia on Long Island. Samuel, was a Captain under Col. Josiah Smith, Suffolk County Militia, and fought in the battle of Huntington in 1776, along with his brothers. He lived a long life and died at the age of 87 and is buried in Oakland Cemetery, Bar Harbor, Suffolk County, N.Y. A picture of his grave is included below as well as John’s tombstone in Cheshire, Ct. Since it was more common for officers to carry a saber, I believe the sword belonged to Samuel and not John, who was a private.
OAKLAND CEMETERY
OAKLAND CEMETERY
The rifle being discussed here is a beautiful, slender rifle with a 47 inch octagon to round barrel for buck and ball. There is no patch box installed on this rifle but it has a lot of incised carving around the lock plates, fore arm and on the cheek side of the butt. It exhibits a beautiful curly maple stock and original flint lock. It has initials on the top flat of the barrel but I can not identify the maker. If anyone can identify the marking, please contact me.
This is a nice, clean, original rifle, stocked in nice curly maple with it’s original flintlock, signed ” Wheeler “. It has a 42 inch octagon barrel, with deep rifling, and is 50 caliber. All mounts are brass and the long tail of the last ram rod pipe has long been missing. The stock is plain with no carving except on the left side of the butt under the cheek rest is etched; “David Atchenson Washington Penn. 1795”. Records from the Church of the Latter Day Saints web site shows two men of that name from the same grand parents as being born in Washington Pennsylvania, prior to 1795. One of those gentlemen owned this rifle.
This rifle has a derringer style patch box, original flintlock and nice incised carving on the left side of the butt under the cheek rest, the lower ram rod pipe, barrel tang and around the lock plates. It is stocked in walnut and has a wider butt ( 2 inch ) than the later type of the 1800’s. The barrel is 47 inches long, octagon to round and is signed on the top flat of the barrel ” M. Jacob ” . I believe this is Mark Jacob as listed in Kaufman’s book on the Pennsylvania Kentucky Rifle. It has suffered a break at the wrist and has been neatly repaired with pins in the period of use.
This sword has a nicely curved naginata style blade, 12 & 1/8 inches long, with a wavy midare hamon. The matching tsuba, fuchi & kashira and menuki have gold cherry blossoms . The kozuka also has gold cherry blossoms. This would date to the early to mid 16th century.
This Yari is from the Ed Hollenbeck collection. It is signed and shows a battle scar in the center of the blade. The blade length is 12 & 1/2 inches while the total length is 27 &1/4 including the long tang. The tang reads; Shimosaka Kanemitsu. The Shimosaka school was well known and several smiths signed that way in the late 1500’s to mid 1600. 
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