Bugyotsuji

This is from Vol II Netsuké & Inro by Lazarnick. (Some signatures are closer than others.)

This first page is from The Index of Inro Artists by Wrangham.

Hi Mark, no, sadly I am not confident, but so far no-one has contradicted or offered anything better. The first character would normally be the key to looking him up, but that one is quite squiggly. I can show you some examples of Tenmin signatures for comparison, not an exact match, but pretty close, IMHO. Also he likes to put a little comment in a line just to the right of his signature +Kao, sometimes including the character 翁 for old man. (I wonder if the illustration on the front is not also an exaggerated portrait of himself?)

He has made metal look like lacquer! All metalwork means it must be quite heavy.

Had some of these over the years. Both tanto and longer ones. Lovely to hold in the hands and imagine their past. Not sure there is a market for them out there, however...?

Some beautifully done calligraphy there, and a neat sword depiction.

Not obvious from the photo but Kagami-buta Netsuké metalwork were often signed. (You might need to pop it out to look on the reverse.)

Hmmm… also in Lazarnick it says that Tenmin was often copied.

My question is what the inro is made of. (Tenmin was famous for his metalwork.)

If that is metalwork…(?) it could be Tenmin. 天民 Sometimes signed Tenmin-O (翁), or Old Tenmin

大慶作 Taikei Saku March 21, Showa 60

I get a cookie page...

One Fujiwara Kaneshige (Kinjū) here for example: https://www.e-sword....katana/2210-1172.htm

If the blade is good and the mei is good, but only the date looks 'wrong' for some reason, then what do you do?

This August and September the Bizen Osafuné Sword Museum will be holding a two-part exhibition to mark the founding of Setouchi City, an amalgamation of towns in that area. Two famous armours will be on display, followed by the Sanchōmo/ Yamatorige.

Surely it is an indication of which way to place it over the nakago...(back edge?)

Off topic once more so apologies, but I heard that an Osafune polisher is selling the finest home-made uchiko powder you can imagine; he had been developing it for quite a long time, I hear. I was tempted to buy some in the Osafune Sword Museum shop, but it wasn't cheap! And many years ago in early summer I visited the descendants of the Karo of Ise Kameyama Castle, who had inherited the storehouses and the keys to them. They said they had some lovely swords but were unwilling to bring them down and show them to me. "This is the wrong time of year to remove them from their shirasaya", the father explained.

鉄扇　Tessen Fans used for Tessen-jutsu can be normal spreading fans internally, with strong iron external sections to ward off blades. In the case above though, like Dale, I see maybe a ginnan (ginkgo leaf) kanzashi hair ornament. 芸者の簪 - 検索 画像 (bing.com) 芸者の簪銀杏 - 検索 画像 (bing.com)

語弊熨斗鈴家紋 語弊熨斗鈴家紋 - 検索 画像 (bing.com) 語弊熨斗鈴家紋 - 検索 画像 (bing.com) Maybe we need to add 鈴 suzu (cat bells) to our search parameters. PS Oh, no, that was George above that added those!!!

Chigai Gohei, yes, and it also has elements of Noshi papers in it. 熨斗家紋 - 検索 画像 (bing.com) Another example... 語弊熨斗家紋 - 検索 画像 (bing.com)

Humidity 95% yesterday in my area of Japan. Now… 4:15 am

We coud start a movement called ノーモア指紋！！！ No More Shimon!!! (fingerprints)

Sadly though, although most combatants still carried swords in the Bakumatsu, battles were decided by succeeding evolutions of the gun, which was by then the principal weapon.

貞行 Sadayuki

Regardless of the paperwork, it’s a great object to have, especially with the inscriptions, and the historical background is probably right.