Bugyotsuji

Well, now, you are all guessing wildly but I was hoping someone would know for certain, as I don't. Milt's suggestion is just what the dealer told me. Miniature spurs, possibly as a symbol of the workshop making them, possibly as a project for an apprentice spur maker. I bought them on the spur of the moment, and was chagrined to discover that careful examination of one of them had not been good enough. Never assume that because they are a pair, the other one will be in equally good condition. The dealer showed me the good one. I paid good money for these. When I got home I discovered the other one was jammed/rusted solid and someone had broken one of the very sharp spikes trying to get the wheel to move. Grrrr............ Spurs are called Hakusha in Japanese, which also means encouragement, or urging, today. (Oh, and two days of gentle application of penetrating oil, and very careful work with pliers, files and picks has eventually freed up the second wheel, for the first time in many a year, I suspect.) So how were Japanese horses urged forwards, do you suppose?

OK, this is even more seriously off-topic, but it's a kind of quiz. There is no connection with Japan, as far as I know, but I was given a date of about 1820 (Edo Period, innit?). In the UK right now, so please forgive... Questions. 1. What are they? 2. What do you call them in Japanese, if indeed such things were known in Japan? hehehe

Erm... what kind of a dragon is that, Milt? :lol:

Hi Nick, the simple answer is the Katana kaji is 'Moritsugu', on 'a day in September'.

Symbol of long life, turtle?

Agreed. Very satisfying composition and detail. (Is the Mae-date a face, or an insect, or what, I wonder?)

He mentions the age on all of his other items, Curran, but not on this one. And all of them end with 'No claims, no returns' at the bottom. Not saying there was anything wrong with it, but with the very high quality of some modern tsuba, and the high price he was expecting for this tsuba, you can never be too safe... IMHO

Pete, yes, I looked at that, but I think the top is Nogi-hen. Nobody will know, but in the meantime I would lay my money on Ko-zan.

Try Kozan (or Kyozan), if the first character is Kaori...

Hmmm... no declaration as to age on this one. Possibly forgot to mention it. And, 'No Claims, No Returns.'

Would it be possible to get a clearer shot of the 'first' Kanji, the 'second' Kanji and the 'third' Kanji, please?

Have to agree, that tsuba looks really special. Congratulations!

I put 'top' in inverted commas as they would be on the 'bottom' for display purposes.

Guido, that is excellent, and has cleared up a long question mark I had hanging over me. So, the loop would be fitted over, using the left hand, before withdrawal, or it would hang loosely until the sword was drawn and the wielder could slip his right hand through it. There is a twist in the illustration, so maybe it needed a special flick of the wrist... The udenuki holes would invariably be on the 'top' of the tsuba, then, I wonder?

Ya got me there! I'm liking your painting!

Great to hear from you Ken. Sounds like you've been having fun! Occasionally a mantis-themed object appears and I wonder where you are. Glad to have you back (with a fine filly in tow?).

Wow, just waves! Beautifully done. That's quite unusual, in my very limited exposure to Japanese painting. The signature? A specialized field. Way over my head. Yoshihisa Saku? You could try posting this in the translation section, Rob. One of our heavyweights might be willing to step in.

John, do you know of any illustrations showing how this worked in practice?

Thank you for the information, Moriyama san.

Ian, thanks for posting those. A sudden thick vein appears! :lol: Your clock is a new world for me. I wouldn't even know which way up that was or where you read the time... It looks like a fantastic object, though. Can you find anyone who might be clever enough to work on it for you? (For love, not money?) The Douran is very nice. I am in the UK, so unfortunately no Kamon books to hand. Do you know the Kanji characters for Yendo? As to your two long guns, which you have sensibly cut in half for the shot... (but where's the muzzle end? Would like to see that!) :? they look like good examples. Do you know their bore/caliber/Monme? I have no trouble with the Sakai gun as everything shown looks representative. The lower gun, though, might be Okayama, with influence of Bizen. Would it be possible to include a shot of the rest of the muzzle end? Can you confirm whether there is a two-inch cut/shaved away section at the top/end of the stock/butt on the opposite side from your cheek? (Do I see it in your shot there?) Is there a kemuri-gaeshi on the back of the pan, and is the pan lid slightly open in your photograph? The rounded 'filed' barrel could be typical of this region. A Rakkyo (pickled-onion) muzzle shape might confirm this. Oh, and you've obviously had them apart.... do they not have any Mei?

Just found it, ...but Markus got there first! Fantastic! Haki means, 'what precious thing that you wear from your belt', ie sword, so "On the front of the sword".

The first character of the first part in brackets has me foxed. It says, "Front surface of the xxx-ki" ..."Back to front?" The last section says "Hirado influence", or "Hirado tradition". Sorry I can't help more.

A good read, and amusing about having to get off the horse before shooting! Thanks, Jacques. So, these are really cavalry pieces, or shortened long guns, as opposed to pistols per se. Both were in fashion in Japan, but even today the smaller and shorter they are, the more they seem to be valued. An overall length of under 30 cm is best, if my memory serves me.

Yes, Guido, this figure of yours of 300,000 is exactly what they cost nowadays, especially since the recession. You might get one for 250,000 and you might find one at 400,000, but anything above that and the dealer is either a blagger or he's trying to get his old pre-bubble money back, or he's got something super-special.

As it's Monday here in the UK, I thought I would quickly post a recent acquisition. Ian and I posted pics of our Muna-ate, or chest protectors, not too long ago, but I can't find the actual posts. You will have seen an example or two in leather, in Sugawa's homepage above, no doubt, which reminded me. I had the original one with the crossed feathers Mon, possibly from Aki in Hiroshima, or maybe Ako Castle in Hyogo Prefecture. Nothing missing and pretty fair condition, considering its age. Very small, though! A friend who knows that I like (and to some extent collect) Kuyou-Mon, or nine-heavenly bodies Mon, recently found this set of Muna-ate and headband at a dealers' auction for me. The neckstrap and obi-stoppers were missing and they were generally in tatters, but with a bit of application and careful study of the original border stitching, my wife was able to repair this set quite presentably. They are made of cloth and some kind of felt, and would never stop a bullet.