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Your painting is Japanese, most likely late Taisho or Showa and squarely aimed at the souvenir market. The scene is a typical idealised tranquil depiction of a village with a Torii and pagoda hidden in the trees. Such artwork was produced in large quantities but due to their fragility, most have fallen to pieces or faded out by now. Yours looks in good shape.

Or perhaps and umbrella?? I have seen an identical 'style' on a member's tantou tsuba. BaZZa.

I learned so mutch reading this! thanks a lot!! a few commentaries : Maybe I'm romanticizing but I was touch by an untold story of father and son's relationship with mutual admiration forged in steel for centuries between Mitsutada and Nagamitsu. Each one recognizing the master in each other. This type of publication is not only an important intellectual contribution to our, as well intellectual (let's not be afraid of words), field of knowledge. It's moreover a step to save objects of art. Let me explain myself : Nihonto will not survive without people taking care of them, there is a lot of pieces to take care and our community could decrease in Japan and out of Japan as well. Your generosity and the form of work you produce should convince more people to join us. Nihonto field has to be as welcome as you are. Nihonto need it! That's an impressive work, and one day, I hope being myself able to contribute like you and other here, but I knows it will take years for me. If you allow me a question, that's an impressive production, for how many time are you working on it?

Hi Shaun, the scene looks more Japanese than Chinese. Is there a signature at the bottom right? PS Where are those photos stored? There are several easy ways to downsize photos, including using the menu inside your phone camera.

There is a Mitsutada tachi in the latest YT video from Paul Martin @8:10

The bore is 0.59" which is 1.49 cm, around 5 Monme, originally an army long gun. Many of the crudely scratched numbers will have been notations for the workshop artisans. Can you get overall shots Mike of the gun from the right side and the left side? Might help narrow down where it was made? An angled shot into the pan with vent hole visible might be good too. Do you know exacty where that Yama 山 kanji is located? The underside of the barrel is smooth otherwise?

What to make of this? Same image used for two tsuba - both about 5 mm difference between height and width, so which description is correct? From Cornell University. https://emuseum.cornell.edu/objects/9359/tsuba-with-design-of-plum-tree-raised-rim https://emuseum.cornell.edu/objects/9362/fourlobed-tsuba-with-design-of-plum-pine-and-bamboo--rai?ctx=32b8d7f61e2cbb8afc86a61a47e816b23292c641&idx=26

Dear Charlie. Not wishing to derail the thread but I have always associated nanako over honzogan with the Sano school, no? https://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/7/10237/10384 All the best.

The shinsa team is on the right track; they want to be able to control the work before turning their attention to the mei. As I always say, if the work doesn't match, don't look at the mei, but if it does, study the mei closely. As for what the previous owner said, I take it as a selling point, not a true truth.

Its not a break. But a common place to where the joint was originally placed. Look hard and its very common place for the joint to be make during manufacturing. I would say the brazing as just being weak over use

Who on earth would fake a jumyo. Hahahaha. Its a mei normally taken offf Hahahaha. They dont have a respected reputation

Looks like a fairly clean break. A good weld would fix it nicely, and hold. Please send pics of the blade when you have the chance!

Thank you Piers. It looks like someone tried to remove the breech screw with no luck so I think I will leave it alone. I didn’t see anything else under the barrel but maybe I expected any other marks to be as clear as that one. What other pictures would be beneficial? Again as always thank you for your quick response and help. Mike

Zippo lighter https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/357280466122

Please excuse me if this is not the category for this but it's a Japanese weapon Kanabo -Samurai war club from the Yamagata region 153 cm 4.5 kilos Made from wood with an iron ring and the upper half covered in iron with studs. I would not want to be on the receiving end of this !!!!! This is early Edo or a little older . I have always wanted one of these. Many thanks to David Thatcher for selling this to me

Hi Bruno, that round section in the nakago-ana - do you think the tsuba was mounted once on a Yari? Very nice guard by the way.

2 more photos. Its black now so should be inctive but dunno whats going on deeper.

Somebody used sword to cut or moisture residue in saya started rust spot on yakiba. Please give me your opinion. I was using uchiko once per week on this spot and added extra more choji.

The barrel decorations were probably all added in Meiji, after the end of the Edo Period. It was common then to add a Tokugawa Mon in brass like that, and the single character is likely the ‘Kao’ of the inlay artist. There is a single upside-down 山 Kanji character which means mountain but makes no sense there on its own. Nothing else written under the barrel? There are crudely scratched numbers 二十六 (26) which may be an order run number. The serpentine and lock plate look good. The pan cover is probably a replacement, as too the amaooi rain guard. The priming pan looks a little messed up. Were you able to open the large bisen breech screw? There are various other comments one could make, but some of the most important parts are not visible in those photos. A good study piece!

A couple I forgot

I recently picked up this matchlock from a friend. It is approximately 42” overall, with a 29 3/4” barrel and a bore of approximately .59”. I will post as many pictures as I can. The first picture of the single character is found on the underside of the barrel. The many pictures of top of the of the barrel show a gold Mon, above a large Kangi or symbol. The engraving on the barrel appears to be maybe a plumb tree with a couple dragon flies, with some silver and gold. The hammer is also pretty ornate. Inside the stock it appears to have 3-4 sets of characters. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Any discussion would also be appreciated. Thank you in advance and hope you enjoy. Mike

Its imitation/fake it probably have writing on shinogi-ji as Im looking on bad photos you send me. Fake as fck. Somebody tricked you or you tricked yourself.

Looks like Yamashiro no Kuni ju Minamoto Kunishige