Bugyotsuji

Definitely shades of... uncanny how plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose. Good spot, Ron.

Talking of apples, there was a bowl of them on the table on the verandah, but I cannot recall seeing anyone giving one to him. Old 'Milky' chomped constantly at the bit, and at one point was hoofing back the sand with his foreleg as if to charge the cameraman. The long photo shoot must have been a bit harsh on this 18-yr old veteran.

What, this?

And from the pot, the shot you have all been waiting for.... WAIT FOR IT!!! (Maybe he didn't like the apple?)

Experiment 3. One ImageShack size larger again.

Experiment 2. One size larger.

Thanks for the thoughts, 'Renzo! Well, here goes. This is an experiment... one photo at a time.

They are very well known here in Japan. I have friends who have had new stuff run up for them and they seem to do a good job. Not able to comment on their restoration work per se though, but I could ask around.

Well, this seems to have generated some interest and amusement here, so to fill you all in, the day went ahead roughly as planned. With an 8:10 am start and a heavily-laden van we picked up various members and headed for the hills. Stopping at a large hospital we met the rest of the convoy and the chief doctor who led the way through winding trails to the little parcel of land up in the morning mists, the 'Forest Horse Club'. Three of our members and the owner of the stables were to dress as Ashigaru and stand with the horse and rider. Three of us were to help these doctors and professional types put on some quite fancy examples of armor/armour. Early on I began to sense that my turn would never come, so it was easy to let go and focus on helping people. As the main dignitaries finished their turns, the poor old horse looking more and more exhausted with all this posing and camera work, it became apparent that they really did want us to join in too. So we three did a lightning job of preparing for battle and finally made the cut. There was a professional photographer there. Managed to sneak some private shots myself but the computer is dying. Will attempt an upload in a minute... (Edit. The pics are slightly too large, plus ImageShack is playing up. Giving up for now.)

John it's a warning as to how you must keep the registration with the object at all times and what you must do if you lose anything. This must be returned to the Education Committee of the stated town/city. An older example of a registration paper, the full regulations not yet being completely fleshed out at that time.

This spear has a good feel to it, Ian. Thank you for showing this. Is it a museum piece or something in your own collection?

Ron, I cannot decide whether to call those lovely or beautiful. I have seen some that leave me cold but these hit all the right notes. Thanks for sharing them. The pattern is also used in Mon/Kamon. Hexagonal Rok-kak-kei shape. Turtleshell = 亀甲　Kik-kou, 亀の甲羅　kame-no-ko-ra.

Very beautiful. Congratulations. (PS Just in case any new readers here are now tempted to go out and buy lacquer, it is a very tricky area for a number of reasons. Don't buy until you are pretty sure of what it is you are holding. Learned the hard way: Rule-of-thumb Kit, Lesson One. Sounds simple, but check to make sure it isn't plastic or resin, covered in lacquer. How heavy is it? Can you see evidence of wood rings under the surface? Lesson Two. Is it old? Is it new? Be aware of how lacquer changes color/colour as it ages... etc.) I love lacquer.

This thread has cheered me up immensely. Many thanks for your surprising revelations of further hidden talent, knowledge, humor/humour and understanding of horses' feelings! Definitely better prepared now.

Back to swords for a second after all the finery! The little Chigo-zashi came back from the Togi-Shi and I listened to how hard he had said it was to do a professional polish on a tiny katana! The returning blade was pronounced, by one person whom I totally respect, to be forged in the Yamato style in every respect. An antiques dealer on Sunday however, whom I also respect, offered a different opinion. He said after peering at it for a while in the sunlight, that the Masame in the blade suggests Yamato, at first yes, but more so Mino, particularly the work of Jumyo, around the Bakumatsu period. Now this fits quite well with background information I have been collecting on this boy's sword, so I am inclined to take all of this on board. Now, when will I be able to step in and make a definitive judgment myself, I find myself wondering.

Thank you

A well-written article on the wisdom of our ancestors: http://www.japantoday.com/category/life ... -ancestors

Hmmm... yes, Mike Jay of Katori Shinto Ryu would know, I expect. Good idea.

Come on guys, this is not about me. It is about furthering the greater knowledge of humanity! PS That tip about the right rein sounds useful, Sanjuro! :D

Thanks for the as ever well-considered reply, Ron. So, grasp the reins, left foot into the stirrup, and with a light spring in your right knee, swing up and over, carrying 100 kgs of body weight and another 30kg of armour... :|

How did fighting Bushi mount a horse in full armor/armour? Was there some kind of platform, or were they lifted up bodily by surrounding troops, I wonder? In Anime they might come running up and take the horse in one bound from behind... :D Granted horses were of smaller stature, but if Japanese saddles were not strapped down as firmly as western saddles, would not the whole operation of mounting and riding a horse have been precarious at best? (The reason for the question is partly personal. Next Sunday I have been asked to bring my full set of Katchu, with Tachi to boot, as some photos will be shot of us on horseback. How to get on without hurting myself or the horse???)

If you have some extra cash, get a Biolite. The light given off averages out electrical waves so that although it is artificially generated light, it is close to natural flame, or to morning sunlight. http://www.biotechs.co.jp/main/product/biolite.html

First of all, John's Nitohen Sankaku Yari. This makes sense to me, although I have never heard this expression before. It means a triangle of which two sides are equal. Secondly, the description of Hira and Sei above come out of the same Sasama's Japanese armor/armour and weaponry encyclopedia that I quoted earlier. It's an old book, but quite well regarded and I was pleased to find a copy of it last week for the book shelf. As to Yarimi, it could also be pronounced Soshin, perhaps, but -mi is difficult to render into English. It's the same -mi in Sashimi, and it means meat or body, a delicious slice, the best bit. Just another way of saying the Yari blade, Eric. Finally, in the English list quoted by Eric above, I think there is a slight problem not with the Japanese, but with the English explanation. Where it says 'A hira sankaku blade with three equal sides' by definition it is not a hira Sankaku any more as it doesn't have one large flat side. Perhaps the author in choosing to use Hira again was imagining that all three sides are flat, not curved or humped. (?)

Look for 'Hira/Hei Sankaku' 平三角= flat triangle, and 正三角Sei/Masa Sankaku = equilateral triangular cross-section.

Rich, you can see some shots of one down this page here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2554&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=1335 It has been away for a polish and I should be getting it back this evening.