Bugyotsuji

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No, the poem seems to be quite separate, although happy to overlap.

If the carving is 主　ハチ (Aruji/Nushi: Hachi) then it could mean that the former owner was someone with the (nick)name of Hachi.

See this page: https://yamazakura.co.uk/ Yamazakura, The Mountain Cherry Blossom. The Yamazakura, Mountain Cherry blossom is held in high regard by the Japanese people. These are the opening words of one of the most famous poems in Japanese history, a tanka by Edo era scholar Motoori Norinaga which was later used, among other jingoistic purposes, to fortify the spirits of Japanese kamikaze pilots during World War II. A testament to its power as an enduring instrument of Japanese patriotism, it hangs, written in gorgeous calligraphy, on a scroll in the atrium of the Yushukan war museum on the grounds of the Yasukuni War Shrine in Tokyo. 敷島の 大和心を 人問はば 朝日に匂ふ 山桜花 shikishima no yamato-gokoro o hito towaba asahi ni niou yamazakura-bana My best translation is: If someone inquires about the Japanese soul of these Blessed Isles, say mountain cherry blossoms,fragrant in the morning sun. It is no coincidence that the first four kamikaze units ever created were named "Shikishima," "Yamato," "Asahi," and "Yamazakura."

I was preparing to throw up my hands and say “No way!” but actually the Shachi looks pretty good there. (If you need any more bling, why not go the whole way?)

The paperwork merely says it’s mumei (likely Kanesaki).

Mmm 😋 yes, I like the offset nature of that, and with the Ogasawara Mon as a bonus.

The large butt shape with a point, and the almost triangular trigger guard point me towards Higo guns. Hibasama come in many sizes and styles, and the way they anchor can be mechanically quite different. There is a strict law against 改造 kaizō in Japan which is open to interpretation by the police, which in turn means that anyone working on ‘fixing’ guns for customers generally does not advertise the fact, in case they are accused openly or in secret of falling foul of said law. Accordingly there is this silly game of everyone pretending not to know anything. Over the years I have had various odd lock parts which usually get passed on, in part thanks, to people who have done work for me. All I can offer here is to keep my eyes and ears open, and grab a hibasami (and locking pin) if I see one. Please do not hold your breath. (As I recall Brian was at one time looking for bits of lockwork, as too some other members.)

I don’t think many of them realize how much non-Japanese people value such seemingly innocent records of age as a brush-written owner’s name and date. Thus dealers will see the writing, but accord no further thought to it, having little meaning within the Japanese context.

You need to prepare strips in advance and thin out the ends and fashion them using glue into threading needles. You’ll need hundreds of little hidden support braces to flush out each himo appearance. Good luck. Taré is the word. If something comes before it, like a modifier, then the hard T sound changes to a softer d sound which gives you -daré.

The middle one, no writing apparent.

Just sorting through some old katana-bako and decided to take a couple of shots. I realized again that boxes with characters on them attract me. Left. Has a date on the bottom and is tied shut with cords through slits in the base. Right. Says 刀箱 katana-bako on the top, and is dated under the lid. Middle. Narrower one covered with oiled paper(?), has a 3-shaku+ (100cm) sliding drawer inside with an iron lockwork drawer face.

Different sects had different numbers of rings apparently. Yes, I was reading about the etymology of the word shakujō, but the prevailing theory is that it reflects the sound *shaku-shaku. ("Tin-tip staff", though is the literal meaning of the Kanji, so it could be one of these happy all-rounders.) Interestingly the ramrod of a J matchlock, more often called a ‘Karuka’ (from the Portuguese), was also sometimes referred to as a Shakujō, i.e. a tamper staff. (*Strangely like the English word shake shake?!?!)

Quote mecox/Mal: “and could be used in the hand or with a shaft.” Yes, this is a valid point and one I had not considered.

延寳　九 Enpō 9, Feb 1681, (?) but not a very clear photo.

To summarize, the essential metalwork is all of one strand, (rings apart) with a flattened tang at one end, finished with yasurimé and one mekugi ana. The other end has been split into three strands which splay out and pull round to form an inner pagoda, cleverly sealed to show no seams. The inward point seems to emphasize that this is a purely defensive object. There are no sharp edges. The 8.7 cm wide ‘Tsuba’ is loose and rings brightly, but I liked the thought that the defensive role of a tsuba-like disc is emphasized, and being made of iron, in the right hands could ward off an attacking blade. The construction could well be by a country blacksmith, as Mail says above, but it does show overt elements of bugu weaponry transcending agricultural implements or typical Buddhist shakujō bronze work. If the finely-shaped concave disc was made by a Tōsho swordsmith, then maybe here indeed is an element of consciousness from the past that tsuba did once have a defensive role to perform.

Managed to remove the mekugi for the first time.

So what do the mekugi and reversed point and disc suggest?

John, thanks, I have been putting it to good use since yesterday! They were Buddhist symbolic purifying weapons against evil, but also as you say to warn animals of the approach of pilgrims, Yamabushi etc. They were also used by certain schools of martial arts as physical weapons. They nearly always have a pointed pagoda or stupa at the top which could be painful if driven into certain spots on a person’s body. The ones I have seen are generally set onto the shaft like a fukuro-yari. https://www.google.co.jp/search?q=shakujo+weapon&client=safari&hl=ja-jp&biw=414&bih=715&sxsrf=ALiCzsaCrG7dffXqa2MlunfsYuu24fz0hw%3A1654423630038&ei=ToCcYojyAe2xmAXJg6EI&oq=shakujo+weapon&gs_lcp=ChNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwEAMyBQgAEMsBMgUIIRCgAToHCCMQsAMQJzoHCAAQRxCwAzoECCMQJzoJCAAQgAQQBBAlOgUIABCABDoKCAAQgAQQsQMQFzoHCAAQgAQQFzoECAAQQzoHCCMQ6gIQJzoGCCMQJxATOgcIABCABBAEOg0IABCABBCxAxCDARAEOgoIABCABBCxAxAEOgYIABAEEAM6BwghEAoQoAFKBAhBGABQsgxYzVtggGBoA3AAeACAAYQCiAGlFpIBBjEuMTQuNJgBAKABAbABD8gBCcABAQ&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp Good article here: https://www.eastlondonkempo.co.uk/blog/the-staff-of-the-mountain-monk-history-and-meaning-of-the-shakujo

Yes, two doors you are knocking at there, Mail.

So the likely original pattern was maybe Warabité or unfurling baby fern tips.

The iron plate does resonate nicely, yes. To keep the ball rolling, take a look at some of the detail in the photo, and feel free to question.

Yes, Chris, I agree. Iron usage is rather unusual though, and there are some other aspects which set this one apart. 錫杖 Shakujō https://www.google.co.jp/search?q=錫杖&client=safari&hl=ja-jp&prmd=isvn&sxsrf=ALiCzsY1XdIPAEoV3BkCzyqjQFv98Mhs0A:1654392087079&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1mK3lkpX4AhUAwTgGHegJDRAQ_AUoAXoECAIQAQ&biw=414&bih=715&dpr=2 Short handled Te-shakujō https://www.google.co.jp/search?q=手錫杖&client=safari&hl=ja-jp&prmd=isvn&sxsrf=ALiCzsagf2vkRfFDPGKBDm2AlJ4m3nDWMA:1654392720028&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjxupWTlZX4AhWP8HMBHfbhC6AQ_AUoAXoECAIQAQ&biw=414&bih=715&dpr=2

Here is a one-handed object that has been around the house for about fifteen years. Gradually I have built up a background to it in my mind. Some of the possibilities are interesting. What do the honorable members think?(I may have shown this before, many years ago, but it’s had time to mature.) Information. Iron, with a wooden handle. Disc 8.7 cm (wangata) has a fine clear ‘ring/ting…’ when struck. 12 iron rings which rattle. Dialog(ue) now open. Take it away!

Yes, that is the stockmaker’s family name. The name on the barrel is the gunsmith’s name. You say .73, so that must be … er… uh… 1.85 cm, so yes, 10 Monmé!!! A goodly size/weight of gun, not for the faint-hearted. It was a cooperative manufacturing process between the barrel maker (the central figure) and the lock maker and butt/stock maker.