Bugyotsuji

Rather hard to track down what exactly is happening, but part I of this is displayed at the To-Ken Museum in Tokyo until August 23, and part II until Sunday November 1. Each of these parts then takes to the road and goes to... the Sano Art Museum and the Osafune To-Ken sword Museum, I think. (?) So if anyone is in Japan for the next year or so, there could be a chance to catch this. There seem to be 73 swords, many of them spectacular in their style/forging, and/or in their historical association/meaning. Some blades make a first appearance. (They have also managed to collect a group of representative kozori within the display as a sub-theme.) There should be both individual English explanations and a bilingual catalog(ue)... in due course, I have reason to believe. http://www.touken.or.jp/english/index.html http://www.enjoytokyo.jp/museum/event/1199453/ http://grut.to/detail_id_601.php http://news.mynavi.jp/photo/news/2015/05/22/217/images/005l.jpg

Ah, yes, very good. Many thanks for the English translation, Andi. PS I have a strange memory that Ian Bottomley showed me an example of a Japanese blade in Western mounts in the Royal Armouries museum in Leeds. Might even have a rather fuzzy sneaked shot of it somewhere. (?)

Fantastic find, Andi. My German is not good enough to understand the explanation, though...

Interestingly, Ogasawara had this 'three-storied diamond water chestnut' Sangai-bishi as their Omote-Mon, and Hayashi as their Ura-Mon. (One branch of the Yo-Ryu School was the famous Hayashi-Ryu.) Shots taken from 大名家の家紋 高橋　賢一　Daimyo-ke no Kamon by Takahashi Kenichi, Akita Shoten 1974

Dropped my Kama off in November where it joined the orderly sword queue, and collected it when I was back over in late March.

Aw shucks, Jan, you do have a way with words. PS "30 Mon-me" is a bore of 2.6 cm, meaning you can fit a US quarter easily inside, a JPY 10 yen coin, or from the UK a 10p or even a 2p coin.

Hmmm... yes, Jan, maybe we can organize a swap of something! (With newly-repaired trigger, and ramrod made from oak bo-jutsu 'bo'.)

Many polishers are extremely busy. Back-logged even. It seems to be one modern sword-related job that actually keeps the artisans in Japan alive and fed.

Oh yes, we like that! Congratulations!

Correction. The black circle 黒餅 、黒持 version of the Kuroda family Kamon is read Kokumochi, not Kuromochi.

Two and a half days have passed and the sword scabbard artisan Saya-Shi says he has fixed the trigger and surround, although he cannot open the Bisen without doing damage with his industrial vice. No problem as I plan to work on it gently over the weeks. Going to pick it up tomorrow, all things being equal! What bits were you looking for, Brian? Serpentine? Just on the off-chance...

Thank you, yes. There was an incredibly small window of opportunity, Brian, and just sometimes, everything feels serendipitous, if you are able to move quickly.

Geraint, yes indeed, it is quite a bit heavier than the 7.6 kg 20 Monme which I am used to. It can be fired from almost any position with the right technique, but they will expect this one to be fired mostly standing up. Last year I fired a 50 Monme and it nearly took the life out of me. The first opportunity will be in the autumn/fall when the weather makes fighting in armo(u)r more bearable. Will post a pic if there is a good one.

Reply from Mr Urabe just now, who says that my e-mail has fitted together three similar-looking names which he now realizes must be the same person. He says he will correct his list for the next updated version of his booklet. What is good for me is that one of the names, a Kojima Denpei, slightly different Kanji, is recorded as having studied in Nagasaki, and having made a gun at/for the Fukuoka Han in Ansei 3, ie 1857, giving us a rough time bracket of Bakumatsu.

This gun, at 30 Monme, weighs in at 11.4 kg. On the barrel are two Sangai-bishi 三階菱 Mon in gold and silver of the Ogasawara Han.　There was a branch of Ogasawara in Kokura, Kita-Kyushu. Registration paperwork shows Hiroshima, and there were Ogasawara there too, but the Jinshin registration mark of early Meiji (1872, Meiji 5) was struck in Fukuoka, where the Yo-Ryu were centered. The founder of the school was 安部家　the Abe family, and it spread to Tosa Han, Kariya Han (Aichi), Fukuoka Han and Akizuki Han.　This Yo-Ryu school used them not only for firing ball, but also 棒火矢 bobiya/bohiya, iron-tipped fire arrows/bolts. The 16th successor and present active head of this school of gunnery is a good lady by the name of O-no-Ue, 尾上. Yo-Ryu big guns can be recognized by the octagonal flaring shape of the muzzle, the flat cliff-cut of the front of the stock, and the exceptionally small grip. Yo-Ryu gunsmith names often begin with Kojima 児島, and they are recorded as having worked in both Fukuoka, and Fukuyama in Hiroshima. In this case it is "Kitae Makibari, Kojima Denpei Shoko", which is not recorded, so I have just contacted Mr Urabe in Shikoku, the author of the best Meikan IMHO, to ask him if he feels the need to update his lists. In good condition, but some small damage to the trigger and surround which the restorer is working on this week. This gun will probably be fired inside the local Budokan at the Kobudo-Sai in November this year. (The photo shows a top-quality Jingasa of the Kuroda Han, with the two well-known Fuji-domoe 藤巴 Kamon and the generic white ishimochi sun ball, 石持, often 黒餅 black 'kuromochi', but here lacquered in gold.)

Jan has something else that could be added to this thread, I suspect.

This thread is quite educational (and interesting) for me. Some lovely examples shown here. Thank you. There seem to be so many permutations of what was possible. Wonderfully inventive, the Japanese, within accepted but largely unspoken parameters.

Been building this one

Boring! No slipping one past you gentlemen! Grrrr... Yes, spot on. Slides open, hing(e)ing on the metal pin, and can fit most sizes of Nakago I guess. The bands would serve to lock it on to any blade. The size would make for a solid grip in two hands. Actually I thought I could see some Roman lettering on the cross-headed hinge-pin, suggesting 1930s to me. Might have another chance to see it today.

No, sadly Brian it got used. Today I saw an object that I could not get permission to photograph. Private collection. Mystery object challenge. Plain Ho-no-Ki tsuka, no traditional bindings or fittings. Extra large. Five or six mekugi holes in a line and one large mekugi. Two removable copper bands like those on a Hinawa-Ju gun barrel. A metal pin through the tsuka near the plain kashira end. Any volunteers?

Chatting with someone on the NBTHK board yesterday about this topic. (A dealer in London had recently expressed anger to me at the delays to Shinsa.) Apparently six of them come together for three days every two months, judging swords at one time, fittings another, etc. There is an increasing number of swords waiting for appraisal apparently. One thing that has really slowed down the process is owners making subsequent claims regarding the state of returned swords. "This mark was not on the shirasaya when I sent it away!"... etc. A fairly recent and growing trend, I was told. Ideally the blade and sheath should be minutely photographed and dated and mutually agreed before sending off, I thought, but who has the time and the patience for that, when there is no limit to the magnification possible?

Morita San, a living national treasure! Wonderful job. Thank you so much for your help.

No, definitely not pickled beans, Jan...

Paul, there are lots of photos on this web site and elsewhere showing pans and lids. Do you have the old pan lid? Can you post a photo of your gun? They swing open away from you, hinged with a hollow pin at the far end of the pan block.

Ah, that would explain it. Many thanks. (No-one replied to poor Justin's request, so I thought I would step in and take any flak.)