Bugyotsuji

I am not jealous. Much. Now is probably as good a time as any to buy one, though, as antiques have been hard hit in recent years. I would personally love to own one. Thinks...

A rather coy starfish netsuke bears a difficult signature. Would anyone be able to read this Mei? Thanks in advance! http://hosted.pikipimp.com/pimped_photo ... mpiled.JPG Background story is here: http://forums.netsuke.org/tool/post/net ... st25484043

Bichu Matsuyama in Takahashi is well worth a visit. Takahashi lives in the past and many of the streets, houses and names are straight out of the Edo Period. The castle itself is a steep climb, and looking up it's something like a wizard's fortress built upon steep and jagged rocks. We had an exhibition in the Tenshu-kaku the other day with Katana and guns produced in that area. Before I left helping to carry stuff down the mountain I took a quick shot in the rain.

Come on, Moriyama san, give me a break. They are right next door to each other and I always put them together in my mind!!! Awaji and Awa no kuni are different, but they do sound very similar in English!!! I know you are right. :lol: Hai, wakarimashita! *****Anyway, James, the east of Shikoku is a nice part of the world! Please forgive the thread-napping...

You are right! But ...... All these years 've been saying A-shu, and I even had an Awa-zutsu, and nobody corrected me, and it's "Tan-shu"....... grrrrrr..... Moriyama san!

My guess at a glance...

Wow, is all I can say, Mike. Can we see a plate or two, please?

So Doug, you think this is a Showa-to and not a Gendai-to as advertised? And you think the name doesn't really matter so much? (As an afterthought, Is there any possiblility that someone might have signed it later on then, for whatever purpose?)

Stephen, apologies. I was starting to get the two mixed up in my brain. I need to step back and let go completely!

See this link: http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?t=87851

Just spent some time looking for examples of 'Paul Chen signature' but when I came across a site suggesting that there are at least two Paul Chens active in blade making, I suddenly decided to pull out of this discussion. It must be valuable for Jock to find out the truth about his sword, though, one way or the other! Good luck, Jock! http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls= ... tnG=Search

In my Japanese university classes I have many Chinese students. Most of them are aware of how to write their names in Chinese-looking Chinese characters and in Japanese-looking Chinese characters. I have studied Chinese on and off for years. Since we cannot find an example of a smith beginning with Nami or Ha, I started working on the possibility that it was a Chinese name. As I said in the spoiler, the Kanji are lovingly cut. You would only feel so much love if you were a Japanese, or if you were writing your own name, if you used a Japanese artisan to cut it for you, or you were using a laser from a Japanese Kanji data base. I could be wrong, but the 100 dollar bet stands, and I will pay if anyone can come up with a convincing argument! (I have been wrong before!!! :lol: ) Jock provided a clearer couple of pics. Thank you. The second Kanji is in a Chinese shortened form, but the first one is clearly the same character that we have all been debating.

Look at John's post & pic at 5:45 on the previous page. He shows a nakago of Paul Chen's, and you can just see the one character we were all wracking our brains over, the 1st character of the two, eg Nami æ³¢ The other is covered (intentionally or not) by the sticker...

OK, if I have offended or jumped too far to conclusions, then I apologize to Jock! Sorry Jock. (But how do I claim my free drink?)

Stephen, Are you sure? He posted a picture of a Nakago and said: "May I ask for your valuable help? Who can tell me anything concerning the signature/smith/history below? Thank you very much for your kind help. Regards, Jock" We eventually managed after much convolution to establish that the two characters of the Mei actually read "Paul Chen". He should have known that as he already has at least one other Paul Chen blade. Were we being tested???

Are you saying you knew all this already? You already had a Paul Chen blade? Why didn't you tell us? How much time have people poured into trying to answer your question for you when the name was in front of you all the time? Please tell me I am mistaken! PS If you read my posts you will see I have made no comment on the quality of the object. Your pictures were not very clear anyway. I thought I was trying to help out reading a Mei, but now I feel angry and used at having wasted my time... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Would love to, but too far away. Next time with any luck...

You didn't open the spoiler, I guess!

By the time I write this, someone else will have figured it out, I suspect! LOL :lol: Poland in Japanese is ãƒãƒ¼ãƒ©ãƒ³ãƒ‰ã€€or, in the older characters they mostly borrowed from the Chinese 150 years ago 波蘭 Po-ran which is a Chinese phonetic rendering, Wave Orchid, meaningless if you look at the characters. The Japanese character for Po there 波　can be read Po or Bo in Chinese depending on which system of Romanization you use. Chen (Chong) is a very common Chinese name, and uses the character for heavy, é‡ã€€which can be read as Shige in Japanese. The family name is kept, but many Chinese people take a 'Christian' name which is often phonetically similar to their 'first' name. My guess is that Paul Chen was born Chong Bo, or Chong Po, é‡ã€€æ³¢ and he became Paul Chen to the West, like Jackie Chen or Jackie Chan. As a Japanese sounding name it's not bad, reversed from Chinese but keeping the Western word order: æ³¢é‡ã€€ In fact I'd lay 100 USD on it...

:lol: Brian was headed the right way. For a hint, start with the Japanese characters for "Poland" and then play from there with Chinese characters. Are you really Scottish, Jock? Where's my malt?

Thank you for that, Jacques. Thanks also for the long post by Sencho. No, I wasn't aware of all of that, and it makes very interesting reading. It will take a bit of time to digest, (looking through a glass darkly) but I am now in a far, far better postion to narrow this and maybe... pin it down. Brilliant work, guys.

Jacques, this is the very page I was handed today!!! I have been looking for something like this for two years, (without investing heavily in serious books... hahahaha!) Where does this page come from, please? Also, is there any indication of where that wakizashi might be? In a museum or private ownership? I am automatically interested, as I bought a sword about three years ago, and no-one could tell me anything about the smith or the sword... little by little it is now becoming clear. PS Ford, I had a close look and the gold seems to be a series of Xs remaining in the iron. I think you are right!

Ford, thanks for the comment. I will have a close look with a magnifying glass and report back.

Thanks, John! I hope you had a brilliant time on your Japan trip. (Reading your posts I have no doubt you did.) PS Looking again at this old thread, I have looked at yours and then reconsidered my Jumyo tsuba above, and now feel it may be genuine, even if an attribution Mei.

Update. I now have an oshigata of a wakizashi by this Settsu/Osaka smith handed to me today by a friend! P.604 of a J. reference work. (I will need to get more details.) Mei, 摂津住源宗吉 (Settsu-ju Minamoto Muneyoshi). He did exist, and his work is typical early Shinto. Now my katana feels as if it's back on the known map of the world. It has a relative somewhere: a wakizashi! I can believe the Hozon paperwork more easily now. This is a huge relief to me, even though another Japanese friend laughs at me for wanting tangible proof such as paperwork, lineage, etc. Now I feel like I am hot on the trail! for reading!