Bugyotsuji

Ah, yes, but how do you get those long 'o's?

Thanks Greg. (Just found out that this project will be going online with before and after shots.) John, Hono + to, give no indication that they are all long vowels. Hohnoh toh...? Hounou tou?

PS When I posted the new topic, 奉納刀　Ho- had a capital letter, but the site has reduced it to lower case...!

A new project is now afoot to restore one long sword which was dedicated to a shrine 370 years ago. The blade in question is by Hachirozaemon Kunishige, dated Kan-ei 18, kept in a split saya in very rusty condition at the Takaoka Jinja in Maniwa-Shi, Okayama. Only two swords of this Hachirozaemon smith are known and this is one. The plan is to ask for public support to fund the polishing and eventual display in a museum. Half of the money has been raised from members of the local sword study groups, and the rest, another 500,000 JPY will go to net cloud filing, donated by people throughout Japan. (Not possible to accept money from overseas apparently.) Those who give money will be recorded in a book at the shrine, and above a certain amount people will get an Oshigata. The blade is 137.8 cm long, at a time when the average was around 70 cm. It will be displayed and discussed in rusty condition at a meeting next month, alongside other possible Kunishige candidates, (next popular name in Bizen after Sukesada) and will be polished between June and September, eventually being displayed at Osafune Sword Museum in November of this year. As it would inevitably go rusty again in the keeping of the shrine, the Kan-Nushi has agreed that it will be permanently donated to either of two museums. Such a project was carried out 40 years ago, and another 32 years ago, but this is the first time in more recent history. There are some very high quality swords kept in poor condition in shrines around the country, and someone has to make the effort to start preserving them, is the idea. If possible I will see whether before and after photos can be taken.

Re: Care to guess. Not that I can read it, but does it not look like よ　を　+ kao ?

Neil Davey is still going strong, in charge of Netsuke at Bonhams.

27 million JPY starting price?

It's safer not to understand it.

It is an ad for J Yahoo auction, giving all the reasons why you would be wise to sign up for it. Wouldn't you love to buy something like this cheaply? Sometimes you will get surprisingly good deals, and the payment system is safe and watertight, the author says.

Unfortunately there are some unscrupulous dealers who have spare registration certificates which can prove useful on the odd occasion.

Bazza, this one is about 1830 ~ 1840, but you are asking about the other one he mentioned. (Finally got there, apologies!)

Jean, agreed, it is in pristine condition, good point, but so is the whole gun. I have seen stocks (almost) as clean as this, with little doubt as to the age. There are many corroded and battered guns, but quite a few of the end-of-Edo guns look almost new.

Quote: "the name Fujiwara was sometimes bestowed upon someone as a sign of recognition for superior skill or long service." Agreed. (Although there was a time in early to mid Edo when everyone, well swordsmiths anyway, bestowed fancy titles upon themselves.)

Lovely gun, Jan. Congratulations. Well, it is possible that there was a tradition of the Mei being recorded inside the stock in Sendai guns. (?) A good question for further study. There is a 3-Monme gun in Yasukuni Jinja in Tokyo, with a note saying 'superior forging'. It is signed with a longer Mei, "Sendai Ju, Imano (rather than Konno) Chosaburo Fujiwara Nobuaki". He is number 7 in a line of Sendai Imano smiths, and numbers 3 and 4 are listed as signing in Tempo 9 and Tempo 3.

Is this Sendai, Jan? Konno (Imano?) Chosaburo Nobuaki Saku *Edit, Imano seems to be the correct way to read these kanji for this smith.

Is this Sendai, Jan?

Opening at Bizen Osafune Sword Museum from this weekend. 45 swords on display until changeover March 4, apparently, second half going until 27 March.

We like Togo Heihachiro!

Regarding the Bizen Swords exhibition mentioned by Michel above, it does not end forever on the 24th of January, but continues on down to Bizen Osafune Sword Museum for another good chunk of time.

閣下　Kakka

The old Japanese gun literature tends to call them kayaku-dameshi, and so do the dealers at the military antiques auctions. As to absolute proof, I suspect that none exists, meaning that your question Brian, is an excellent one. Oh, and the prevailing theory is that the powder master tested in the time-honoured way by hand, judging the flash, the bang, the recoil and the smoke, much as we check the colour of our toast.

Yup, dems da plans!

Just fishfood for thought. If these are all described as kayaku-dameshi gunpowder testers, I wonder if and when a break was made from old-type testers to mini cannon style. Possibly after cannon foundry techniques improved into the Bakumatsu at the end of Edo? The cannon is signed 三明作 underneath. I have found no records in the gunsmith lists, but one unclickable reference online to a one-time bronze foundry in Bitchu Tahashi called Sanmei, but whether it still exists or whether there is a connection or not is a multi-question for a rainy day.

Nice object to have.

Very crude, but I guess someone saw a daikon in the marble stone! Length, 11cm.