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Louis Mills is one of those rare smith's that one can call both a
pioneer and a blade smith's smith. Don Fogg put up some years ago a link where some of his blades show, all in tamahagane. One can see in the first page the prices of the time for a bare blade. Jim Kelso did a magnificent set of mountings back in the late 80's on one of Louis Mills tanto. This is a most unique occasion and offer of a fully mounted Louis Mills ô-tanto that can be seen in its early stages right below. BLADE SPECIFICATIONS Nagasa: 13.5 inches with bo-hi Tsuka: 6 inches Saya: 17 inches |
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| After it was purchased from the original owner, it remained in waiting for 3 years until the final concept came into being. The concept was strongly influenced by a very unique koshi style mountings from the Muromachi Period (1333 - 1573) expertly done by a great professional, where I added an alternative kashira stone. Below is the original rendition. The approach has always been an artistic approach for the serious collector. This is a very nicely done art tanto. | |||||||||||||||||
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This rendition is faithfully reproduced in the mountings with the
following changes: • The more than usual black samekawa was replaced by a very beautiful and extremely rare traditional mud dyed black silk. • Below you have pictures of the tiger eye stone as the kashira, superbly cut and polished. |
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Tiger Eye stone kashira |
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The blade was polished by Joe Walters and all gold looking elements are brass, in a color combination that highlights the kashira stones as a point of interest balancing the beautiful ô-tanto oroshigane blade by Louis Mills, whose signature can be seen in the nakago. The silk wrapped tsuka provides a unique combination based on an ô-tanto housed in Kasuga Taisha, Nara. |
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The Blade |
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Polishing and photographs done by Joe Walters who is most capable in capturing all the activity of the blade in the traditional style of nihon-tô photography, while in the mountings photographs the blade is shown in another photographic environment. A superb joint work for a most unique Ô-tanto. |
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The Ô-Tanto and its size as I hold it |
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The beautiful pristine condition blade and the saya. |
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PURCHASING THIS SUPERB Ô-TANTO |
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The tanto is now with me as of February
23,2007 Price: lowered to US$3.000. It is in pristine condition and I'm not making any further discounts, sorry. Email me if seriously interested only. Antonio Cejunior |
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