Viper6924

Well, I think You managed to answer all my questions, Ian. I´ve seen the "tick" You talk about. Very easy to miss sometimes. This also means that my maedate might be pre 1597 if I´m lucky. But I know that guessing the age on a maedate is like entering a minefield with a blindfold; it might blow up in Your face Thanks again, Ian! Jan

Ian, I have seen this mon on several banners and also on some jingasas and ashigaru armors. But I have also seen the old "cross" on many items from the later Edo-period. A bit confused What was the meaning in the beginning behind the cross in the circle mon that the Shimazu used? Jan

Could You show the difference between the "old" Shimazu-mon and the one they adopted later, Ian? I guess they must have changed it in the middle of the 17th century when the christian faith was banned by the shogunate. Jan

Nuff said!!! :D :D :D Jan

I agree with You, Ian. And how I would like to have that kabuto to which this maedate one time belonged. Or what do You say, Uwe :D Jan

Wow, Ian! Once more You deliver some really interesting facts. I also managed to dig out a picture with a woodprint of Shimazu Yoshihisa. He is wearing a maedate similar in fashion to mine with the mon raised up on some kid of floral motif. What do You make of the mark on the inside. Do You think that they could have made this piece in Nara or was it made more locally? Perhaps a hard question to answer Thanks again, Ian! Jan

Kickstarting an old thread I was reading one of my books last night and found an interesting piece of info. Apparently they have found marks on dif armor parts dating from as far back as the thirteenth century that they think refers to specific schools or makers. As I understand this was mostly made in kabutos but also found on other parts of the armor. There was two marks that are supposed to refer to armorers in the Nara region. One of the two is exactly the same as on this maedate. This mark stand for "ue". The other one looks like a capital T and stands for "tei". Perhaps nothing to do with the maedate in question but an interesting piece of fact. I also of course wonder if a Shimazu-clan maedate could have been made in Nara or if this would have been handled in Shimazu controlled territory. And the golden textile thread on this maedate is stil a bit of a mystery to me Jan

Spot on, Piers :D Jan

Here´s a picture of a hata-jirushi I found in a book. Have a similar look to it, but I guess from looking at other illustrations that this form of banner was a bit longer than the one hanging on my wall. A pretty interesting field of study, these Japanese flags/banners. Jan

Thanks for that useful info, Piers! Finding a matching banner is almost like finding a specific mon... a hard job Would be nice if it could be tied to the Ikeda-clan. Jan

Piers, that bucking horse reminds me of the horse insignia on the banners of the Soma-clan in Fukushima-han. And the crossed feathers is def the Asano clan crest. But I´m sure this plectrum has nothing to do with the samurai... :lol: Buuuut, talking about th samurai Here´s a flag that some how ended up in my hands. A bit ragged but at least it doesn´t stink the house up which my girlfriend appreciate. And it has a rather nice wooden "clip" holding it. It´s about 80x35 cm. To big for a sode-jirushi, I guess. What would the correct Japanese terminology for this be? Jan

Working with media I know the conflict between the writer and the publisher. Even if I in this case I don´t really understand why she interfered with Your work, Ian. But perhaps it´s time for a new project. Being such an authority on this subject, I know I would love an updated (new) book from Your hands. But I guess it involves a lot of hard work. Not only writing it but also fighting for the original text to remain in the final draft. Malcom, I´m waiting for the box to be shipped to me. When I have it in my hand I will publish more pictures of the mon. Tried to blow up the one I have. Thanks! Jan

Thanks, Ian! I thought it might mean front, but now I'm sure :-) Well, the world of kamon is truely large... On another note, I'm enjoying a really warm day in the garden. Todays choice of book: Arms & Armour... I'm pretty sure I know the writer Thanks again, Ian! Jan

Hi Guys! A very quick question about an armorbox. First there is a mon on the front. I haven´t been able to find which clan it belongs to. Also there is a kanji on the side. I see this and others like this one on many old boxes. Whats does it mean? Any help would be great! Thanks! Jan

Done some quick study. If the Chikuzen in this mei is the same as Chikuzen Province (which seems rather possible) we should be able to put the age of this yumi to at least late Edo early Meiji-period. Haven´t been able to find anything on the maker Hiromasa yet. Jan

Thank You for the quick translation, Morita-san! If anyone has more intel on this maker it would be fantastic. This is truely a new area for me. Thanks again, Morita-san! Jan

Hi! Just got a yumi into my collection. Don´t know so much about it. But it seems well crafted and it has a signature that is branded into the wood. Would love to have it translated. And also any other info that can be available via these few pictures. Thanks!!! Jan

Thanks, Uwe! It's always rewarding to learn something new. I've seen a few of these marks before. Wonder if this means some big clans used them for their ashigarus and thats the reason there are quit a few left. Jan

Well I finally managed to find out more about this mark. Thanks to Mr Shigeo Sugawa´s kind help, I now know that this is a so called "Iijirushi" or team mark. Just an easy way to define the different teppo-units in an army. This Iijirushi in question is a "Yamajirusi" (Mountain shape mark) so it was close to the mountain road There were a lot of these Iijirushi used. Many of them very well designed. One problem sorted, thanks to some invaluable help from an expert in the field. Jan

Managed to find the source of my "mountain road" thesis. Comes from an antique magazine. It´s part of a special about ashigaru armor. I still agree with Chris that it looks like a shinto "shide". I know that clans that associated themselfs with the shinto God of war Hachiman probably could have decorated their soldiers with this powerful shinto sign. But which clan? These mon/crests really can be a pain... Jan

So much for the mountain road explanation Thanks, Chris. Def looks like a shide. The question now is if there is a connection to a specific clan/family using this on their armor. So far I have struck out finding this connection Jan

This is a mon that keeps popping up once in awhile. Seen it on 3-4 occasions. Mostly on ashigaru jingasas for teppo units. Apparently its a mountain road. Anyone? :D Jan

Thanks guys for all the useful info. The Ost Asiatische Kunst Museum sounds interesting. I will def take a look at the Nefertiti sculpture. Will have the whole of saturday at least to roam around. And Uwe, I try to send a PM to You when I arrive. Perhaps we can start something on saturday night Jan

Hi guys! I´m off to Berlin the first weekend of may. Never been there before. Just want to know if there is any interesting to see for a Japanese freak like me. Any suggestions will be much appreciated! Jan

Thanx, sir :D