Bugyotsuji

https://kojodan.jp/castle/82/memo/1884.html In 2005, to mark the opening of the newly-built Bitchu Yagura corner tower at Tsuyama Castle, we were invited to dress in full bushi armo(u)r and fire broadsides over the city from the remaining castle walls. The finale in front of the assembled suited and seated dignitaries was for our leader to fire the 100-Monme hand cannon. We were not sure what would happen as it hadn't been fired for centuries, and I now suspect that he had added extra blackpowder in order to impress. Well, when the thing went off with a sizzle, a whoosh and a BOOM!!!.... it blew the wigs off the dignitaries, and they swallowed their dentures. Afterwards I noticed that he had a bleeding hand. Despite binding his left hand to the stock, the Ozutsu had kicked back, the pan/lid tearing open a gash on his right thumb.

Can't imagine it would make a difference. The plug is not an intrinsic part of the blade. Incidentally, I saw a gold plug the other day which caught my attention. It could have been either solid gold or possibly gilt, gold on copper.(?)

No, I mean that this particular description (the wording) is not on any of Jussi’s lists. Naginata-naoshi-gatana

薙刀直し刀　it says on that page!

I have one really looooooong Yari with a very small Sankaku 🔺三角 blade.

Thomas above said something that caught my eye. “I suppose I am the soul of my collection.” This is probably true for me too. I have several ‘collections’ of things, mostly of what I like, with no conscious philosophy behind, things that resonate with me, or call me. Generally background education and artistic sensibility help funnel or channel the inflow of these. As to Nihontō specifically, there is admittedly a little more of the brain involved, shaped by what I have ingested over the years, but not enough yet. This must come from lack of serious study and lack of funds. Serendipity is part of it: a slow way to collect, but gentler on the bank. I am still able to forget, not constantly on the boil. Each of the few blades I have is a pleasure to recall whenever I happen think of them. Actually, I do not even think of them as a ‘collection’.

Ended up watching the whole thing, DL. LOL. Many thanks!

Australia only…

“The soul of your collection” means the soul that runs through it. Like a philosophy. OK. Here I was trying to imagine one piece that lies at the heart and epitomizes it!

Kind offer, Dale, appreciated. One of my sideline jobs has been proof-reading, so we are ok in that department. Back to your original question, though, Mr Sugawa is a tireless investigator, so for that reason alone (and the photographs) I would recommend getting his Book 2 in English, as part of a broader background. My instructor told me not to bother reading Sugawa as so much was plain wrong, back when he was new to the field and first writing books. "It would take too much time to sort out the good from the bad", he would say. This brought me into direct conflict with Eric (sadly no longer with us) who started Edo Period Corner Part II on this forum, and wanted me to tell him exactly what was wrong with it! As to Noel Perrin, I am not here to teach my grandmother to suck eggs, but bear in mind that his subliminal message was/is that if Japan could give up guns, then surely the US could too. He seems to have overlooked that Japan continued to have a mass of guns right through the Edo Period, but they were strictly regulated, whether used within the various schools of gunnery, or for target practice at designated shooting ranges or in communities for hunting. Japan never 'gave up' guns. This 'continued-but-well-regulated' usage is something that Jan documents in our new book. Actually, although something is known about how guns originally reached Japan, we switch on a light and fill in the as-yet unknown gap from there onwards, between the arrival of guns in Japan in 1543 through to the end of Edo/beginning of Meiji.

Bruno, I spent some time checking my books but although there are other possible readings, Eisei is still most likely. Sadly nothing in my Kinko book, but could be a later disciple of one of the listed 栄 Ei artisans.

美作真島森島載方作 Mimasaka Mashima Morishima Saiho/Norikata Saku Made by Saiho (possible alternative reading Norikata or Toshikata?) Morishima in Mashima, Mimasaka.

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/木更津県　 Well done on finding this gun. Many people are searching for a decent example but they are comparatively rare. For those marks on the side of the butt, look for very early temporary Prefectural names like 'Kisarazu Ken' which start with a Ki 木. National firearms roundups and registrations were held for all guns in Japan, starting with the big Jinshin roundup of 1872 in early Meiji. If it is a 'Jinshin Bango' you should be able to see some faint numbers there too. Registration stamps were placed either in the wood or sometimes on the upper part of the barrel.

The same egawa leather pattern was also used on cloth.

I have one English book of his, and two of his books in Japanese. Although it is full of errors (as you say) of one kind or another, not only editing, it still contains plenty of useful stuff. Also popular but sadly misinformed is Giving up the Gun by Noel Perrin. The best illustrated book in Japanese is Sawada Taira's Nihon no Furuju (Old guns of Japan), but it's out of print, and they can be difficult and expensive to source. Full of mostly accurate information. Worth getting a copy though for the abundance of photographs alone! Jan Pettersson and I have written a pretty comprehensive illustrated book on the Tanegashima, but we have not yet found a publisher to complete the work. We really need to get this into print!

Hi Brian, this is a date of June 1 Shohei 6 (Shohei 1346-70), but it is part of a well-known conventional design that you often find repeated on armo(u)r trimmings.

That sounds great Dale, having a working plan like that for retirement. (Are you left-handed?) Strangely enough, right after you started this thread, I immediately found myself in roughly the same position as you. I am now the proud owner of a signed Bizen long gun, in terrible condition and missing the serpentine and other bits. By the way, your 2nd generation Morishima gun is from Mashima, not too far from Bizen, actually; their guns have a good reputation. Your pan has been refurbished at least once, so it's had an active life. I am assuming you have already got the full reading... The first generation was working around Kaei (1848~), so your smith was active either in parallel or sometime after that.

Valuable words. Today I messed around with the Bizen barrel that someone gave me a year or two back, and the old Bizen stock I was given ten days ago. They are so close! Obviously the Mekugi holes do not line up (about a centimeter off, although the front one actually fits!) so I had to cut out two new channels inside the stock for the little iron loop-hole bridges under the barrel. The stock is all split lengthways so I held a partly-successful gluing session. Anyway, if you want to see what a hybrid, two-thirds of two small-bore Bizen long guns, looks like, here it is. Transformer! PS Another friend says he feels sorry that I have to give back the Inatomi-Ryu battlefield gun. He wonders if I would be interested in buying his extremely rare Hōkin (bronze) barrel long gun! So kind. I said “No, appreciate the thought”, etc., but…

Re Piping. Red & white. Auspicious? Maybe this piping also incorporates the Japanese idea of harmonizing opposing sides, like the amalgamation of Shinto and Buddhism. It is said that the reversible red and white caps that elementary school children wear reflect the tradition of the Genpei wars, between the Taira/Hei and the Minamoto/Gen. A subtle statement of neutrality, of respect for both sides?

Resolution. No further action on this venerable old blade. A request for Togi would put a Togishi into making impossible choices. Although it could be tweaked, a Togishi might be tempted to give it the full works, but what would then emerge? Something very different? To summarize package update. Shirasaya created, received. Check. Tsunagi created, received. Check. Tantō blade tucked safely away for preservation. (*Shows typical Sō-Shū second-half of Namboku Chō workmanship. Around Eiwa.) Has accompanying Koshiraé and NBTHK paperwork. 長さ一尺O寸二分 反りわずか 重ね薄く、三つ棟板目肌に地景がからみ地沸つ く。表裏の刃文が違い、裏側は皆焼となる。”Length 1 Shaku 2 Bu, very slight sori, thin kasane, mitsumune, itame hada containing chikei, shows ji-nie. Blade front and back manifest contrasting hamon features, the back showing hitatsura.” (Quoting my sword appreciation sensei.) Photos available.

Steve, a tsuba collector friend today said he sees the Akasaka possibility, but he gets a stronger sense of early Edo Kyoto, i.e. Kyo sukashi. The sukashi walls are not straight vertical cuts, but rather at an angle, which is for him a strong indicator for Kyoto. Also the mimi are not as rounded as you might expect for Akasaka.

Nice! Are you talking about the smallness of the blade itself or the whole thing? Either way, yes and yes. Yari came in all sizes. (Sadly though, many longer ones have have been cut down from their original length.)

Unbelievable triple coincidence. Just arrived at the museum in town to listen to a lecture on special order swords. Guess what the very first one I am looking at is… had no idea it was here!

I am glad you found the link useful. SWB?