Bugyotsuji

Hi Barry, that was a tall order for me! Well, here goes. Fingers crossed this works! Done my best with the camera. Never taken hi res pics before. The linking is experimental too. (I like your Namban tsuba, BTW. How big is it?)

Well, I'm . Wanna swap? :lol:

Nice understanding wife you have there, Tony, BTW! Congratulations on the prezzie.

Thanks for the observations, John. He produced a round lacquer box with a very thick black tsuba inside, took it out and passed it around. Nobu-ie. "This tsuba would get Juyo without a doubt", he said. There were two figures on it. "Just because the experts have never seen one doesn't mean that they don't exist", he said, launching into a description of having passed it around some tsuba Kanteishi and observed their expressions. "This may be the only one in the world", he said. "I have certainly never seen another." (This chap is quite a famous Nihonto carver, and says there are some works of art he has created in his life which he has never repeated.) He asked me how much I thought it might be worth. Tongue in cheek, I said, "I'll give you ten million yen for it!" "Here, you can have it," he replied, extending his arm....

If you cannot get any further, consider 正阿弥　かねのぶ

Was visiting someone's house yesterday for wild boar stew, and he came up with a surprising remark. He said that the received wisdom is that Nobu-ie did not put human figures on his tsuba. Before writing what he said next, may I ask if everyone agrees with this so far?

Have to agree that looks good. Not too OTT; a lot better than the original.

Check out the famous story of Inaba no Hakuto. (White rabbit of Inaba) He was quick enough to use sharks (or crocs) as stepping stones, but he is probably checking behind to see if they are after him.

Remy, Bonjour! (Bon soir?) Now I understand what you were originally asking! Please overlook the OTT reply. :lol: If the tsuba is not high of especially high quality, and if you monitor it from time to time, it could be a nice thing to have in there, if your wife does not object. How about a photo of how you display it! Is it iron with a lacquer finish to it, or is it some other material like copper or brass?

Remzy. What kind of bathroom do you have? What kind of heating system do you have in the house? Is the bathroom heated too? What temperature fluctuations do you have there? When you say 'bathroom' do you mean the room where you take baths? Why do you keep them in there?

I like it! Thanks for posting! Do you work with a die-cast model set, or do you make everything yourself? Himeji Jo... not far from here, and we have and had lots of interaction. They will be entering a period of refurbishment lasting something around 5 years, I hear. At 10:45 am on Friday the 26th December on the Educational channel, NHK Kyoiku, there will be some scenes of our lot demonstrating the use of guns protruding through various Hazama holes in Himeji Castle walls. The program/programme is for school kids and shows how things worked in the past. 'Mieru Rekishi' or Visual History. The NHK flim crew were astonished at the quality of the armor/armour brought along.

He's got 7 negative replies on this J site, (as opposed to over 1,000 positive) mostly relating to poor description, (no mention of damage) and discovery on receipt that the supposed antique was in fact not old at all, or it was modern Chinese... http://rating3.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/ ... &filter=-1

This one I guess: http://www007.upp.so-net.ne.jp/nbthk-tk ... museum.htm Maybe contact them in advance and ask for an English-speaking guide.

James, You don't mention where you are in the world, but climate would be a factor in answering your question about storage. On the antiques roadshow in the UK they seem to advise insuring for the top price, ie what you paid for it, regardless of its value to a dealer, so that you would get your money back in case something happened to the article. I have heard of cases where a dealer sells a sword for 10,000 to a customer, but buys it back for 3,000, so that he can then sell it again to someone else for 10,000. The sword will go round and round, netting him 7,000 each time it completes a full circle. An exaggerated illustration I am sure, and the price each time will obviously be affected by bargaining, but it helps me to keep a clear picture of what my swords are 'worth'.

The verb 'Togu' is to sharpen/polish. 'Togimasu!' would mean 'I will sharpen it!" "Toide-imasu" would mean that someone is "sharpening" it. "Togimashita" is the past tense, meaning (someone) "polished it." "Togi" would refer to the general process, and the person who does it is a Togi Master or "Togi-Shi".

Ian, thank you so much for your input. Those are very good ideas. I learn a lot from your experience. Come to think of it, the Do is hanging from the shoulder fastenings and somehow I always feel a subconscious reluctance there. Great hints.

Thanks, Malcolm, good idea. Maybe too realistic for Carlo, though!!! :lol: The Sode have been a problem because I have been altering the himo lengths to get just the right hang for my shoulders, and being slightly too tight (too loose the time before) one of the main himo broke last event and I haven't had the time or the courage to pull it all apart and do the alterations and repairs. (PS Malcolm. Will report on the pics when something definite, BTW )

We had some guests to stay and the hall looked a bit empty so I put up the black Yoroi-Kabuto. Little by little I am discovering how to display Katchu. I hadn't realized that this is a separate art in itself. I can see that some of what I have done is wrong, but to take it all down and do it again is a little daunting!

You mention the pound and parity and being unable to buy anything, Ian, but funnily enough, as the bottom has dropped out of the Gaijin market, the prices of J antiques may just be dropping accordingly. Coincidence or calculation?

Just playing now, but other possibilities are Kane 及　-chika, or Kane 戌　-ochi, -etsu. (masakari)

Thanks Sergei, that's great! PS The Toko Soran lists the Inuyama Kanetomo 兼友 on p. 85 (see earlier post). The date is given as Keicho.

Hello Sergei, The very bottom Kanji is proving difficult to read. You could try taking a close-up of this one Kanji from a couple of different angles, and it might help if you are happy to do so, (not that there is anything wrong with the photos you have already provided)... If the Mei is genuine, and not Gimei, then that might give us an idea as to the age of your blade.

I would agree with Nobody here, except for the last kanji which looks so much like 女. *There was a (koto) Kanechika 兼女 but from 美濃 *There was a 慶長Keicho era 尾州犬山住金友　Kanetomo, same person as 金伴、輝広

Me too. I'd love to read that. Are you still connected with them Ian? It would be such a waste if you weren't.

Yes, my dictionary gives them as the same Kanji too, 6476,6477, (新字源　角川）