Bugyotsuji

Stunning work, great subject matter, Brian. Congratulations on that! These clappers come up occasionally in antiques markets. Would you like me to keep a lookout for a pair? They are generally made of a hard reddish wood that resonates with a 'ping', quite a high-pitched clear tone. Not only Tokyo, you can still hear them in many countryside villages throughout Japan.(赤樫, akagashi, red oak?) Somewhere there should be some YouTube clips...

Just had a message from Lulu.com Order Shipment Confirmation !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, that was surprisingly good. Time flew. Many thanks. My only reservation was the commentator's pronunciation of Japanese. (She also had a couple of odd English pronunciations.) French and English background?

The bottom guy seems to be wearing earlplugs. Very sensible idea!

Pull the ripcord.

Got the rough info here, thanks. "鑑定書を発行した銃砲刀剣研究会の審査員小林幸信氏は、日本美術刀剣保存協会で元理事も務められていた方だそうです。 大阪府のむさし屋という刀剣屋でも依頼すれば発行可能となっています。 毎月2回、1万円での鑑定を行っているようです。"

Nice. No sound, right? What is JHTKK?

Congratulations on your lovely blade making it through the obstacle course unharmed. Intererestingly the blade is not described as 無銘　Mumei but as 銘、不明 Mei, Fumei, ie unclear/unreadable.

Having reread this thread which I derailed earlier, may I just say that the armour looks truly splendid, a combination of art, history and love. Stunning. Congratulations to all involved in bringing this to rightfully splendid fruition.

Like magic, Morita San!

Although, as Jacques points out, above in the general top lines it does indeed say: 茎: 生ぶ = Nakago: Ubu A mistake?

This line says 生ぶの長さに戻せば9寸（約27.6cm）ほどの短刀と思量される, = If you were to take it back to its ubu length, it would probably be a 9-Sun tanto, (around 27.6 cm).

Jean there is Tsuruginoya's explanation here: 説明 ： 　長船景光は光忠-長光と続く長船の嫡流三代目にあたり、現存する製作年紀は鎌倉末期の嘉元から建武まであり、その間30余年にわたっている。景光の作風は父：長光ほどに丁子が目立たず、互の目を主調とした小模様の乱れを焼き、刃幅が概ね一定したもので、刃文の華麗さでは父に及ばないものの、鍛えはよく錬れて約み、その精緻なるは父に優るほどである。また特色ある片落ち互の目を完成したことも特筆されるが、刃文全体が整然たる片落ち互の目で構成されたものは短刀で、太刀は一部分にこれを交えるのが通例である。 　本作は、第四目釘孔が生ぶ孔と推察され、約5cmの磨上げとなっており、生ぶの長さに戻せば9寸（約27.6cm）ほどの短刀と思量される。磨上げながら、やや細身の身幅に内反りつき、棟は三ッ棟の中筋が広くなるなど整った短刀姿を示している。地鉄は、小板目肌がよくつみ、精美にして、杢交じり、部分的にわずかに柾がかり、地沸つき、地景入り、淡く直ぐ状の映りがたつ。刃文は片落ち互の目を主調に、小互の目、足入り、匂勝ちにわずかに小沸つき、金筋入り、砂流しかる。無銘ながら長船景光の極めのついた優品で、精良なる地鉄、片落ち互の目の刃文といった景光の特色があらわされている。 And Tanobe's description here. (Both say Suriage, above it says 5cm) 「備前国長船景光 長七寸七歩半 時在丙申陽月 少シク磨上無銘也 片落ち互乃目主調ノ乱ヲ焼キ直グ映リヲ現スナド同工ノ特色ヲ顕現スル所作也」 You'd like a precis of the former?

How common is it to find a suriage tanto?

Michael, your wording above: "I would be interested in ascertaining the quality of the blades" might cause a museum to pause before granting viewing rights!

Oh, yes. Great information! Many thanks.

Aw shucks, wish I'd known about the secret code!!!

Jesper, the book has been updated, tweaked and re-edited since you saw the initial trial version a few weeks ago. Now it’s a horse of a different colour! Looking forward to my copy.

What the good folks above have said, and I too have just ordered a copy! Well done on adding to the knowledge base of this relatively unknown area.

You are welcome, Krystian.

Iron tree stump?

Brian, I will take that as my cue. They are cut sections of an old Bizen anvil. Really rough and rugged on the outside. I saw them sitting in the forge of the sword museum the other day. The swordsmith was curious as to how such a huge lump of old iron was constructed and had had it sliced up into chunks. (He pointed to the present-day anvils and said that what we normally see above the surface is repeated underground, and placed upon buried rocks, which are also packed all around. They must weigh hundreds of kilograms. One of the modern ones is a perfect upright oblong, but the other is an isosceles trapezoid.)

大阪寛文 Osaka Kanbun 重康 Shigeyasu 上総大掾藤原重康

I can see where you are coming from, but they are not really connected with guns.

Just beginning to wish I hadn't brought this up. The 'answer' will probably raise more questions, which will mean further work for me! Pig in the middle.