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Everything posted by Bugyotsuji
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It doesn't look like a repair with filler. If so, it would have been much more professionally done, wouldn't you agree? It's rough to the touch. The site seems to go right through to the other side, causing a little bulge or distortion, and it's quite a thick tsuba. The green leaching (?) you can see in the photo is not apparent to the naked eye. Bullet? No? Possibly it could have been hit by a piece of hot flying metal debris?
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This Week's Edo Period Corner
Bugyotsuji replied to Bugyotsuji's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
Visited a couple of local archaeological display rooms today, one at Soja City, and the other belonging to Okayama Prefecture. What astonished me most perhaps was that the swords they have found in tombs from the Kofun Period have certain very strong resemblances to what we think of as Nihonto today. Ok, they were nearly straight, and heavily rusted, but you could recognize the tsuba at once, and the kissaki, then the Habaki, and closer inspection revealed a mekugi (admittedly iron) pin. Not only that, but under the strategically-placed magnifying glass you could see little bits of curly silver inlay on the tsuba, in the design of Kara-kusa-moyo! Wow! This has to be from some time around 500 AD? Aoe and Bizen are near here. And come to think of it, the oldest Tatara iron foundries in Japan are found at the foot of Mt Ki-no-jo, so the iron must have been good quality way back then... good enough to pull waves of Korean artisans here... Definitely moved my Japanese sword origins concepts back a few years from the Heian and Nara Tachi, Nagamaki and Naginata that I saw at the Oyamazumi Jinja on Omishima on Monday. -
What have I done? Two further tsuba have sold themselves to me. One is a copper Naval tsuba with what was described as a bullet mark to the Mimi. The other is a large Edo copy (?) in copper/brass of a Muromachi Toko/Katchu-shi tsuba, the seller said, with pine needle designs. Why do I keep buying tsuba? Am I ill? What does 焼き手腐らし技法 mean?
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New Japanese organization being formed
Bugyotsuji replied to b.hennick's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
Many thanks for the intelligence, Barry. -
Very interesting. So the Brits as usual go with the absolute minimum! Thanks John for the enlightenment. I'd like to say we live and learn, but at my age...
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... and then went back to today's 925 again? Hmmm.... must ask him about that!
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This is a helpful thread. I can now place most of my Kisseru more accurately with the knowlege of the silver markings and dates. My friend the Shirogane-shi keeps telling me how they do not like to work with 925 Sterling silver on their Habaki. Too hard, I think he was saying. Only pure silver will do, etc., ...
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Looks more than good to me...
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This Week's Edo Period Corner
Bugyotsuji replied to Bugyotsuji's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
Good set of photos. Well used set, but probably quite good quality in its prime. The pipe doesn't quite look silver to me. The computer translation of the Notes if AWFUL, yuckkkk............cringeworthy. -
This Week's Edo Period Corner
Bugyotsuji replied to Bugyotsuji's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
Henk-Jan, what a wonderful picture of you two together! Excellent! Behind your nice cups and pipe there is a castle. One of your creations? I have a few pipes myself, but do you smoke yours? The idea of sleeping in the castle is great. No, we are far too civilized for that, and it is only by mistake really that we get to taste real history sometimes. A couple of years ago we went to Tsuyama Castle to the dedication of a new corner tower, the Bitchu Yagura. The dignitaries were all seated in rows by the tower, so we were asked to change in an old ruined raised section some distance away, above the castle walls and looking down on the town. It was very cold, and the early morning sun was just touching the great stone blocks. As the soles of my feet lost their warmth into the formidable rock surfaces I felt contact with the people who manned those walls hundred of years ago. We were all jumping up and down to keep warm as we hurriedly tried to get our kit on... As to archaeology, I can't really answer your question properly. Many Japanese are superstitious and dislike disturbing the past if there is any possibility it still has a connection with them. Sekigahara visitors' hall is built upon the mound in which the dead were buried in a mass grave, I have heard. Our troop members shiver and tell vividly the various misfortunes that have happened to them since they last gathered there in a national re-enactment. (Luckily? I wasn't with them that time.) There is an ancient (-7thC) Korean-style mountain-top stronghold near here where archaeological excavation has just started, and this is fascinating, but it may be more possible because people do not feel a direct descent from it. They even rebuilt one of the gateways, using the same pillar holes: http://members.at.infoseek.co.jp/yagumo/kino.htm -
If it's a recorded Netsuke artist, the Mei will be in the Lazarnik index - "Netsuke and Inro artists and how to read their signatures", 2 volumes by George Lazarnik - (which is based on photos of Mei). Quite expensive, but well worth the investment. My books are still packed, but I'll check after returning from the DTI. Possibly then it's not a recorded artist, as the bloke seems to know his oats and I am sure he will have Lazarnick. As to the Sosho script download advice, I will need a little time to pluck up courage to try what you suggest. Thanks Guido in the meantime!!!
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Tsuru or Tancho have a short straight beak & red skull cap... Japanese Red Crowned Cranes? http://www.allposters.co.jp/-sp/-Posters_i1244789_.htm
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This Week's Edo Period Corner
Bugyotsuji replied to Bugyotsuji's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
PS Just found some old footage of our lot taken at the Toki-no-week festival in Akashi in June last year, in case you've not seen it. Apart from the photos, you can see two video clips at the foot of the page. We have become a bit more disciplined since then! http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/tokodreamsto ... 706100000/ -
This Week's Edo Period Corner
Bugyotsuji replied to Bugyotsuji's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
Either tonight or tomorrow I must prepare the guns by removing the oil film from the barrels and pans, and then pack a large black bag with every conceivable piece of armour/armor that I might need for this weekend's enactment, including sword belt and wakizashi. Preparation means a couple of hours' fairly intensive work at least. (Actually I am not sure if enactment is the right word.) We are going to support the Amako (some say 'Amago'), a Han originally based in the virtually impregnable Gassan Toda Castle west of Yonago. Their mortal enemies were the Mo-ri in the West, and at one point the Amako allied themselves with Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi in hopes of getting their power base back. Unfortunately they were surrounded by 30,000 Mo-ri men in Kozuki Castle, and just as they were waiting for half of Hideyoshi's army to arrive as promised, Nobunaga was assassinated, so Hideyoshi called his men back and left the Amako to their fate... their descendants still gather every year to commiserate over their eternal loss. There is a festival, so we will go and get drunk on Saturday night, and then shoot things up a bit on Sunday! See last paragraph here: http://www.nihonto.ca/yosozaemon-sukesada/index.html -
Thank you for the link. It looks amazing, but I don't know much about computers and would be afraid to click the download button in case something went wrong in the process.
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Well, personally speaking I agree with Brian. I can see why you like that. Pity about the saya, but a good opportunity to ask for a special deal. It'll look stunning once it's done! Go for it, is my feeling. Some quality work there. Sakura bark often has a peeling effect. You don't think it's possibly deliberate?! A former girlfriend has a phobia about snails; stick a mouse on top and it would be very unpopular!!! :lol:
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Moriyama san, do you ever use this page? http://www013.upp.so-net.ne.jp/santai/santai.htm
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Recently saw a Nanban-tetsu tsuba on sale in a net auction and the very smooth quality of the iron looked rather similar to the one I posted above. My certificate makes no mention of Namban-tetsu, but does anyone think it is possible that it is? This is the Myochin tsuba I bought a couple of days ago. I was about to erase one pic which I took by mistake with a flash, when I noticed some colouring/coloring in the steel that I hadn't seen before. Covered in urushi? Not huge at 7.4 x 7.1 cm. Thickness at Mimi and throughout 4.5mm?
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Shinsengumi-The Real Last Samurai
Bugyotsuji replied to Leroy's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
What a great video! hahahahaha..... :lol: Lots'n lots of Last Samurai around, it seems! -
Thank you so much for appearing, Koichi san. You were just about my last hope!!! So you feel that the first Kanji must be 蔦 and the second äº regardless of the reading? I cannot find Tsutatei in any Netsuke artist list, but then again I can't find any other possible reading either! :lol: Thank you very much for your very precious input.
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an apology...of sorts
Bugyotsuji replied to Ford Hallam's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
Ah, Bordeaux. I was visiting just three weeks ago. Sunshine, vinyards, hilltop villages, old churches and castles. Heaven. So, if 400 of us come to visit we can empty your cellar in one night, Jean? Very glad Ford has elected to refresh and revitalize. Excellent! -
The following Mei is on a Netsuke with very good provenance. It is Japanese, antique, and finely carved, the owner assures me. He has tried unsuccessfully to read the Mei: http://forums.netsuke.org/tool/view/mb/ ... &id=671031 even enlisting the help of two Japanese native-speaking scholars in the US... I have offered the following possibilities, but without much confidence Can anyone help in any way, please?
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Shinsengumi-The Real Last Samurai
Bugyotsuji replied to Leroy's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
The Last Samurai, hmmmm................. The Last REAL Samurai? -
I have a feeling that it won't make any difference to ivory Netsuke values. There will be separate antique Netsuke markets around the world. Stupid, but that's life and politics nowadays. Perhaps now is the time to invest in non-ivory? Dunno. This is just some people feeling good that they've forced a high-profile business to make a public statement, IMHO. I won't be selling mine.