miura_anjin

Thanks again Chris and thanks Adam, self study it is then! May I ask your thoughts on the blade? Where do you think would be a good starting point to research? Best regards, Andy

Hi Chris thank you for your reply, it looks like that would be a waste of time then. Do you think it would be worth sending it to the NTHK or should I just try to further research the mei? Best regards, Andy

Hi, just a quick update. I put this and another sword in for the January shinsa in the end and have finally got the results today. My mumei wak passed and has been attributed to the Fujiwara Takeda but the mystery wakizashi proved too mysterious. They've reserved judgement and the results said I should further research the name. I put them both in for just Hozon papers, so would it be worth sending this one through Hozen/Tokubetsu Hozon in the hope that the Tokubetsu Hozon shinsa team will be better able to evaluate the sword? Otherwise I'm pretty stumped right now :? Best regards, Andy

Thank you very much Franco! ^^ I'm even more clueless about tosogu than I am about nihonto Thanks again, Andy

Thanks for your replies everyone, There's nothing written on the silver inlay unfortunately. I believe the other figure is usobuki/hyottoko that along with okame are used in Kyogen theatre often used as comic interludes during a Noh play. However they also seem to be used in the context of the Setsubun ritual (which was a few days ago incidentally) which could possibly make this a "fuku masu" (good luck box) that contained dried soy beans that people or children wearing okame and sometimes hyottoko or other masks would throw at someone playing an Oni to drive them out of the house/temple etc. http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/379029562_b31b2f93d0.jpg What do you think? Andy

Hi sorry for taking so long, here are the pics as promised Andy

Hi I recently went to London for some gift shopping and while I was there I stopped by a few antique shops and picked up this interesting masu box. I've never seen one with metalwork like this, it looks like copper and silver. It is decorated with noh masks and some kind of book(?) I tried tracking down Gyokuzan but there appears to be serveral artists in different fields with that name and I've had no luck in finding a match so far. It looks maybe late Edo IMO, what do people think? Any comments/help with the artist are greatly appreciated. Many thanks, Andy

Thankyou David, I've just come back to the UK for Christmas so I can't post new photos now but I'll do so when I return to Japan next month. Best regards, Andy

Hi I recently got this small menuki of a water dragon. No sign of its twin but I couldn't resist it. Comments welcome, and if anyone could help with with its age/school I'd be most grateful. Many thanks, Andy http://imageshack.us/f/855/menuki.jpg/

Hi everyone, my name is Andy and I'm from the Uk- though I currently live in Japan. I've been interested in Japanese history and art since I was a kid and its a big part of what drew me to come to the land of the rising sun. I have a modest collection of Japanese art/antiques including a few swords and its wanting to know more about nihonto that brought be here. I must say this is a fantastic site with well-informed members and fascinating topics and articles. I am very much a novice when it comes to nihonto but I hope in time to become more knowledgeable with the help of the great members on here. Nice to meet you all Andy

Indeed he does, as mentioned in the original post. Best, Andy

Hi Ludolf, Tsuruta-san does attribute it to the early Fujishima school-"時代の古い藤嶋辺り" (in the english version he mis-typed 'Hujishima' school)so I was just curious to know if any of the smiths in your books were of the Fujishima school. I fully agree the only way to be sure about the blade is to send it to shinsa. Fortunately I live in Japan so it shouldn't be too costly in terms of time and money. To that end I will be handing over this and another blade to the N.B.T.H.K on the 7th of next month for the next shinsa so if all goes well by the end of December this mystery should hopefully be solved. Best regards, Andy

Thanks again Ludolf, do the books mention with schools the smiths belonged to? All the Best, Andy

Thank you very much Ludolf, they do both look like the likeliest options for the kanji. :D I unfortunately don't have any sword reference books to see the smiths you mentioned. If the sword is early muromachi then the signature is extremely unlikely to be that of the smith who made the sword, but rather the one who shortened it -or if not then gimei. Looking at the sword, do you agree its early muromachi? And looking at the tang, when roughly do you think it would have been shortened? Best regards Andy

Hi everyone I recently won the auction for this wakizashi on Aoi-art. The seller can't make out the third kanji down on the mei, and I've tried to find a matching kanji myself but no luck. From what I can see the first kanji read 川住 or kawazumi/sumi then the mysterious kanji plus 俊/toshi. Any help you can give is much appreciated. Also any thoughts on the sword? The seller (Tsuruta-san)says he's not completely sure about the sword, it looks osuriage and the name added after. Is it kiritsuke mei just gimei? Many thanks Andy https://www.aoi-art.com/auction/img/temp/1317114965/1317114989_2.jpg https://www.aoi-art.com/auction/img/temp/1317114965/1317114994_3.jpg Here's the sellers description in Japanese and english 脇差：拵え入り 銘：□州住□俊と銘がある。 研磨済み ハバキ：金着一重 登録証番号： 交付年月日：昭和平成年月日 刃長：54.3センチ 反り：1.7センチ 目釘穴：1個　 元幅：2.87センチ　 先幅：2.22センチ 重ね：0.56センチ　 時代：　室町時代初期頃 体配：表裏に棒樋を彫り身幅広め重ねやや厚く反りの深い切先延びごころの体配の良い脇差し。 地鉄：小板目肌詰んで地錵が付きねっとりとした肌合いとなる。 刃紋：錵出来互の目乱れに小互の目乱れが混じり刃中、足、葉が盛んに働く。 特徴：残念ながら茎の銘が判然とせず明確な刀工銘は不明ですが身幅もしっかりとした 作品で仔細に見ると大摺上無銘とも見え後に銘を入れたかもしれません。 時代の古い藤嶋辺りとも思える作品です。 拵： 鍔：円形の鉄鍔に真鍮で象嵌をほどこす。　平安城　安土桃山時代 縁頭：縁は赤銅磨き地に愛馬を引く人物と松の木を彫り金で色絵をほどこす。 鞘：状態に良い変り塗り鞘。 目貫：赤銅地で植物の図柄を高彫りする。 小柄：赤銅魚魚子地につり竿と魚籠を高彫りし金の色絵をほどこす。　小美濃 裏面に多少に小さな凹みがあります。 小刀：研磨済み　銘は判然としません。 葵美術評価鑑定：全身押し形 Wakizashi in Koshirae Signature:? Syu Jyu ? Toshi. The blade was polished. Habaki: Gold single habaki. Blade length : 54.3 cm or 21.37 inches. Sori : 1.7 cm or 0.66 inches. Mekugi : 1 Width at the hamachi : 2.87 cm or 1.12 inches. Width at the Kissaki : 2.22 cm or 0.87 inches. Kasane : 0.56 cm or 0.22 inches. Era : Early Muromachi period. Shape : The blade is wide and thick with deel sori and longer kissaki nice looking shape. Bo-Hi is engraved both sides of the blade. Jitetsu :Itame had and mokume had mixed with jinie attach sticky soft jigane. Hamon : Koniedeki gunome midare and komidare hamon. In Ha, there are many sunagashi and kinsuji scatter. Also Ashi, Yo work. Boshi is midarekomi and Yakisage style. Special feature : Unfortunately it is difficult to distinguish the whole signature. From the shape, the blade might be Oosuriage mumei(cut shortened and made signature on the tang). The blade itself looks like old Hujishima school. Koshirae : Tsuba :On the round iron tsuba, some parts were inlayed by brass. Early Edo period. Fuchikashira :On the syakudo migakiji, a horse and a man, pine tree are engraved with gold color. Saya : Very fine kawarinurisaya(good condition without kiss and screeches) Menuki : some designe is engraved by syakudo. Kozuka : On the syakudo nanako plate, fishing kit and fish basket are engraved with gold color. Kogatana : this Kogatana was polished but difficult to see the signature. Aoi Art estimation paper : whole Oshigata.