Bugyotsuji

It could be 18th c but as you say more likely 19th, although there are couple of indications of age. Is that old-looking pan cover/lid original, for example? Hizen no Kami is decorative and probably added later, post Edo. In the blue box the remains of the nationwide Jinshin registration of 1872. A Mei under the barrel would tell us more.

The Koshiraé is Inaba Koshiraé typical of Tottori on the Japan Sea, black lacquer with silver chrysanthemum fittings. I bought it because it straddles the two Ikeda Daimyo strongholds of Okayama and Tottori, the wife being from Tottori. I thought one of the offspring might want it but thankfully 😅 not, (“I don’t like black”) so I get to keep it.

Looks as if it's been in a fire, and the barrel is missing. That one takes the cake! I wonder where the Kanji characters are located. (Some Korean snapping matchlocks looked very similar and were based on Tanegashima, btw.)

Interesting observations, Alex. Thanks. My sword sensei here says my blade is by the father right at the end of his career, an example just before his son took over, although most people are generally not aware there were two generations of Sukekane.

Hi, yes, took screen shots, cropped them, turned them upright and saved them. The first is a Settsu (Osaka) gun made by a smith (name obliterated) working for the House of Enamiya. 摂州住榎並屋ｘｘｘ衛作 The second has stuff I need to double-check on. The date at top is fuzzy but looks like 萬延 Man-en Gannen (1860). The Mei 鈴木鉄造　典直　作之 Suzuki Tetsuzo (?) Norinao Saku Kore, = made by Suzuki Tetsuzo Norichika/Norinao (not sure about how he wanted those characters read!) but no place of manufacture is indicated. NB I did find a record of another gun made by this second smith above Nick, dated Bunkyu Gannen (1861), which does put yours inside the ballpark.

Hmmm… at that angle and focus it is difficult to say much. The 備 of 備州 looks somehow wrong in that shot.

Ask them to make a copy for you, before it is deregistered.

All lovely examples of Kinkō workmanship.

Jean, down below left, where it says Wei H. Glad you are reaching out to various Togishi, Wei. Actually, even in Japan there are few who will touch Yari. There is one guy here called Fukutake San who says he enjoys polishing them but maybe he has special stones.(?)

Umabari/Bashin/Kankyūtō. Sadly in poor condition, but it does have some redeeming features. Fairly slim, the kasane at the Nakago ranges from 22mm~25mm. Overall length 22.1 cm, or nearly 8 3/4”. The cross-cuts on the tang may have been to enhance thumb grip. The characters for ‘protection against lightning’ (Kaminari yoké) 雷除 can still be seen faintly among the blade scratches. This was a general invocation against natural calamities like fire, flood and earthquakes, and the centers for such prayers were Kitano Tenmangu in Kyoto, Kaminari Jinja, etc. Although used as fleams for horses’ ankles, there is a theory that they were pushed into the temples of trophy heads after battle for Kubi jikken before your leader. And 雷除

Just had lunch in Fukuoka at the udon place called Bizen Fukuoka Ichimonji, and was explaining to one of the offspring that this name means more than just a random udon shop by the river.

Can’t see ‘Fukuoka’ mentioned anywhere, though.

Love it. Congratulations!

Jean, did you ever get a reading for that Mei? Recently I came across a Kankyuto, bashin/umabari, and realized that it’s been some time since I saw any. There must be a few out there, but… are they just not appearing in the marketplace ?

And they’ve just received a donation from abroad! So they’re now looking into the possibility of facilitating such international donations from now on, although that was not part of the original plan.

Sorry to hear that he has passed away. I have his signed book on pole weapons. Is his wife still going strong?

Meiji 2, father, 1st gen. Sukekane, on the cusp before the son took over the name. All very close, but Alex clinches it!

Wow, that's close! Very close.

Here’s another quiz question. Two sides and two different reflective backgrounds. What does this blade appear to be? Tanto, NBTHK Hozon. A B

On Saturday Mr Koike told me they have already seen over 1.5 million JPY in donations towards the project. (One person alone apparently gave ¥1,000,000.)

https://www.town.okuizumo.shimane.jp/kosodate-kyoiku/kyoiku/bunkazai/1001000000611.html See No.62 圓正堂　圓正寺 At the end of the inscription we can see the word: 木刀 bokutō (not chatō)

Those are both sweet, John! (Was the little kozuka still inside the first copper example?)

Check out 武蔵太郎安国 Musashi Taro Yasukuni (Mito) who also signed 左正安国

I’ve been wondering about crickets, but it could simply be tinnitus.

Strangely the most useful tool in my workshop is possibly a toothpick, the very same one that I have already used for tweaking so many little jobs! Two Sundays ago one of our matchlock troop showed me some photos of a zunari kabuto that he is restoring. He has rubbed it all down to a base in preparation for a lacquer coating. One of the wakidaté side tsunomoto was missing so he has created a new one for it, and that too will be covered in lacquer. I expressed amazement at his courage and ability in attempting such a challenging job! Thinking about that later, and conscious of this thread, I then decided to take a box of restored powder flasks to our latest meet on Sunday April the 12th. They all crowded round as I set them the challenge of finding which parts were original and which bits were restorations. In the beginning no one found anything, and even real old parts were questioned, but gradually as they got their eyes in (with a little help from me!) they started spotting things. Some cheeky questions bubbled up like “If we get the right answer, can we keep them?”