Bugyotsuji

The history of Aizu is interesting, as is the history of these 'ken' that Brian mentions. Genuine examples are comparatively rare, so they tend to be somewhat sought after; for this reason modern smiths will occasionally try their hand at one.

Aizu Masahiro Saku Using the old kanji for Ai 会津正弘　作 Since the nakago (tang) looks clean, it could be a modern work, but using the old kanji form for Aizu, i.e. 會津

Ah, thanks for the correction. 鳥城 = Tottori, Bird Castle 烏城 = Okayama, Crow Castle Both Ikeda family domains! (I was thinking of 今泉俊光 Imaizumi Toshimitsu)

烏城, not 鳥城 I think.

烏城　 Ujō possible? (Okayama Castle)

Many years ago at an early morning market in Fukuyama, I was looking at some Edo period coins. A middle-aged man handed me a bag. "These are all fakes. Study them carefully", he said, walking off. I was left speechless! In my experience there are more real cash coins around. I have a box of Ichi monsen, yon monsen, ju monsen and Tempo hyaku monsen in various conditions. 一文銭、四文銭、（宝永通宝1708~）十文銭、天保の百文銭 As to Koban, they are so valuable it would be strange if there were not fakers out there. One coin dealer in Tsuyama looked at my little Hime-koban for me and told me that the better fakes are actually worth quite a bit; some people even collect them. There is an organization in Tokyo who will for a sum give you a certificate if they deem your koban to be genuine. Hard enough to judge in the hand, the problem will surely be magnified buying off FleaBay. If you are up for a gamble, though...

RCIN 17722 - Model of a cock on a drum (kankodori) (rct.uk) Quote: Japanese legend tells of a ruler who placed a drum at his gate to be sounded in the event of an attack or civic dispute. However, prolonged peace meant the drum fell into disuse, and birds began to live on it.

Yes, nice, and the 'umebachi' mon was used by the Maeda of Kaga.

Tempted to add some more… Chrysanthemum flowers and leaves. Water plant from Chōshū Bit of everything, another botanical garden?

Yo Shu 豫州 is the old kanji for 予州, Iyo 伊予 in Shikoku.

本 may also indicate an order batch, and/or 'belonging to', such as a castle armory.

Hmmm... that is a mystery indeed, Dale. Thanks for the background thoughts so far.

Dale, six/seven of what kind? Mokko and...(?)

If that’s on the blade, then it’s more likely a dedication than a signature. (One photo is rarely enough help to see something indistinct. Can you change the angle and lighting conditions?)

Following outrage after famous incidents like public killings, laws were passed limiting the length of swords. The dates of these laws are generally known, and can help you narrow down when the work was done.

LOL yes. It could suggest that Jesuits came by ship, as a historical fact, but if the authorities questioned you, you would still be free to say, "That is not my faith!" Or "That is the tiller, stupid!"

Late to the party! Attempting to get some 3D quality…

I used to own one of those, I think. Water under the bridge. Nice to see it again,though.

Subtle…(?)

Some real treasures in this thread. (One of my secret favorites, Tessen clematis. Nice to see so many examples here. )

My wife freaked out having a suit of armour in the hall, but gradually she came to like it there. Now she feels that it somehow guards the house. Actually it's pretty amazing when you start to realize how many materials were used and what skill was involved to fashion the armour into something functional, not too heavy and not too light, which also looks both good and fearsome. And then you start to discover the endless blend and variety of colour and material to be found extant. Instant time slip. And people sometimes comment on it, and ask questions. In some ways the ultimate decoration, the traditional centrepiece of the house of a bushi.

Hectic times here. We have blackpowder displays every single weekend until the double on 7th and 8th of December, so 10 in total including last week at Tottori Castle. On Saturday and Sunday we had the local NBTHK sword society display with some lovely things in glass cases. One corner was set up for the public to try their hand at tagane work. One wall was for a teppo display, which was my watch. With one Satsuma long gun from the south-west, and two Sendai guns from the north-east, I was finally able to complete the display I have been dreaming of, two tables with various guns representing many of the regional manufacturing areas throughout Japan. I used the green felt cut-out for the four islands. Honshu Sendai long gun Sendai 30-Monme 0-zutsu hand cannon (Date Masamune) Matsushiro (Takeda/Sanada) long gun Kii, Wakayama 20-Monme O-zutsu hand cannon Kunitomo pistol c.1610 Bizen pistol Bizen long gun Choshu long gun (Mohri) Shikoku Iyo long army gun, made to order in Nanto (Nara) Yamato Kyushu Kumamoto Castle long army gun (Hosokawa) Satsuma long army gun Apart from the nigiri deppo, for added variety, all the above were matchlocks. (Kept four back in reserve, so as not to clutter)

We know that now, John. I spent several hours researching it, and worked with your photos, and tried to provide alternatives for you. All I can add now, is that from the state of the barrel and the size of the mekugi surrounds, the missing cover and amaooi, and the repaired pan (buku-naoshi) your gun has seen heavy use, and is probably earlier than late Edo. (1700s Mid Edo) A previous owner must have felt the need to strip it back and make the stock and butt look more pleasing to the eye. Do you have a measurement in cm for the bore diameter?

Yes, Kokura makes sense. Thanks, Yoon! 1871-1876 https://en.m.wikiped...ki/Kokura_Prefecture

Many of the stamps are not clear, so they are to a degree open to interpretation. Usually with these Jinshin registration numbers there is an indication somewhere on the barrel or stock nearby noting the place of registration. If we follow the same direction as the numbers (which go from right to left), then the bottom word makes sense as Kokufu Ken コクフケン. With the Kanji it would be, as I said above, 国府縣 if you use the old kanji 縣 for 県 Ken (prefecture). (Originally I thought it might be ユリフ, but that did not make much sense as I could find no record of such a place.) This would tell you simply that a gun originally made somewhere in Japan was picked up in the great registration of 1872 in Gifu.