Brian Ayres

That hood is marvelous the details on the link show how lovely it is. Forged not cast iron. It’s is a lovely piece of metal.

Actually, low resolution pictures are good. They are another sign it’s a fake...

#2 catches my eye. The transitions from the design to the mimi are clean. It’s iron looks pretty clean, maybe too clean? But overall it’s the one I like the best. #1 is interesting with the shakudo fillers around the seppa dai. It seems like someone went to a lot of trouble to mount it. Those inserts through off the negative space and are a bit detracting from the design. #4’s iron looks a little more organic and pleasing. I do like it as well. #3 is awkward backwards. #5 I am the least impressed with.

These are papered and received 76 points which is pretty respectable.

On stuff like this I look at the eyes. They are terrible.

There is remnants of flashing all around the inside. Cast.

Daisho dragons and swallows. Papered.

Maybe because it’s a dragon in the sky it is Kū(void) and the blank was intentional. Considering it has sekigane for mounting I would lean towards a purposeful intended blankness.

From Wikipedia—- The objective in employing such a bridge, constructed according to Zen philosophy and teachings, is to focus the walker's attention to the mindfulness of the current place and time moment - "being here, now". As it often has no railings, it is quite possible for an inattentive walker to simply fall off an end into the water. The zig-zag of paths and bridges also follows a principle of Chinese Feng Shui.

The first set you posted looks like cast copies. The gold dots for the eyes of the birds look painted on.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/muza-chan.net/Japan/index.php/amp/Japanese-tea-houses-mistery-of-rope-tied-stones Maybe?

Oh nice. That is lovely old iron. I know nothing but will guess. The seppa dai makes me think Owari but the hitsu ana say Higo to me.

A wooden spoon that looks like a daikon. All is not as it seems. This is an old saying about Sansho pepper. It says "sansho pepper may be small, but it gives you sharp, tingling sensation". As the pepper is on the URA this fact would be revealed upon the sword being drawn. Then the chestnut we all know is a tough nut to crack. And is also known to be painful to tread upon.... Between the 4 items I would guess it’s more of an Omote/Ura before/after type theme like a frog on lily pad on Omote and a rippling pond on the Ura. In Japan it is boiled not roasted traditionally. Perhaps the spoon has significance here? All conjecture of course.

It isn’t “just nice”. It’s “sooooo nice”. Have Kevin Adams make you an utsushi for your iaito.

Mantis and I like it. You were nice to someone.