Bugyotsuji

Quick 5/5 report. Yesterday the weather held, and families with their children came out to visit 吉備津彦神社, Kibitsu Hiko Jinja, the head shrine for Bizen and the Ikeda Daimyo family. In the morning after donning armour we received shrine blessings and posed for photographs. There was a display of Batto-jutsu (see Malcolm's recent videos), and then we performed alongside the lake, on the route of the Yabusame run. ("Do not fire your guns directly at the little yagura shrine on the island" we were warned.) After a bento and green tea lunch we light-trucked the static dsplay items to the shrine inner sanctum cloisters and set it all up with captions. Some of the bigger gun boxes weighed 50 or 60 kg. Around 4:00 pm we packed everything up and moved it all back to the changing rooms to gather the armour and load the cars. Last night I could hardly move after unloading the car at home. Today I have been taking things very, very gently.... This wheeled big gun from Osaka dwarfs our massive 100 Monmé on the left. A matchlock cannon. 棒火矢 Bōhiya

備前 Bizen starts with 備, so there is a huge hint, helping us to imagine 備前(国)長船(住)... Bizen Osafune Ju, etc. Study of the blade patterns may help narrow it down. PS Looks as if it's had a hard life. Is the Kissaki bent around or broken off?

'Specialist'? Searched everywhere throughout the news, but no clear photos and no description of what was used. Nothing from the Police. As if it doesn't matter to anyone. In prison, inmates will sharpen anything, including Brian's spoon above, for perceived grudges, self-defense, etc. Labour's 'action plan' above is full of buzzwords, and reeks of hypocrisy. Any of the UK's political parties could have written that.

Peek shots look good so far. An overall shot would be nice. Also important are the inside of the pan, the bisen breech screw, and the Mei if there is one under the barrel. Is the barrel held in place with rings or with mekugi pins? Zogan decorations on the barrel are very nice but just extras, i.e. not essential.

Thanx, Malx, fast running out of hearts! Found him, Suzuki Kinsen! 鈴木錦泉 - Wikipedia PS Your latest Ushiwaka one I love too. Reminds me of several scenes in Demon Slayer, Kimetsu no Yiba.

Saturday evening and the car is packed and ready. They had asked me to go and pick up another member on the way, but there's really no room for him and his baggage train, so luckily that idea was abandoned. Now, is there anything I have not thought of? ... It's so easy to forget things. On the bridge at Susai four weeks ago the guy next to me whispered, "Hey, I forgot to bring my powder flask!" This meant that each time we loaded, I had to lean over and tip some extra into his pan. Luckily I had enough powder to cover for both guns. Often it's the instant improvisation that smooths things over.

Ah, that's our local outfit. They use the same changing room as us. Will be seeing them tomorrow morning!

The Tachi was slung from the hip when wearing Ō-yoroi and there was a hip protecting pad to prevent damage to the scabbard. When Tachi went out of fashion, a Tantō or longer blade could be pushed through the long intermediate strings of the gesan (kusazuri) with the plates outside the scabbard. (The photo above is not quite right.) It was bound in place centered within the obi mawashi which to some degree protected it from rubbing against your own armour, but as the article suggests this could mean distortion of the saya as your mawashi needs to be tightly tied.

Thank you, Morita San. So, the way it is written suggests politely that this is the first gun in a series, with a very precise bore size measurement of just under 3 monmé, about 1.2 cm. We sometimes hear of ‘5 bu’ for half a monmé, or ‘3 bu’, but this is the first time I have seen ‘9 bu’. The fancy lockwork looks like Namban or Tanegashima Ryū with strong influence from S.E.Asia. The 1/4 cut '(?) woodwork has some lovely reflective facets in it.

Can we make out 御 一 … 弐匁九分 2 monmé 9 bu? The gun looks interesting! But one fuzzy photo with no other information is a hard ask!

On Sunday (Children’s Day) the matchlock troop has been asked to do a full blackpowder display at Kibitsu Hiko Jinja. So I am all packed and ready for that. Three guns and full armour. In the afternoon the shrine priests have also requested eight tables featuring a static display of matchlock-related artefacts/artifacts. One guy has been asked to bring some rare, large acquisitions from his collection. They want me to provide the wooden peek-shield, certain guns, some red felt cloths, and any gun stands and accessories that I have, plus printed captions on card holders. I have done the latter in both Japanese and English. Some on the request list I can provide, but not all. Today for a bit of decorative background fun I made a target, based on an Edo Period shooting range print by Hokusai. Anyway, on Sunday morning early, the car will be loaded with both sets of equipment if all goes to plan.

This is a good question which will surely never be answered fully. I think the tsuba-ko artisan generally created several pieces, showing what kind of work he could do. A special order from a certain bushi customer though, might have expressed a desire to show (even distant) affiliation with a specific clan. Remember that tsuba were interchangeable, and seasonal poetic references were important too. Ume were generally the first blossom to flower, so they represented the New Year. I have another similar tuba with a series of different sukashi flowers (and a shell) on it. Now I am just beginning to wonder if it could have been a shop piece, illustrating what the artisan could offer... (?)

Thanks for that, Chris. Here’s one with some similarities, but I actually prefer Henry’s one above with the large uchiwa-shaped Hitsu-ana. Iron, go-ishi-gata with Kikkyo bellflower sukashi. 7.8 x 7.8 cm. It has a fine rim at the mimi on which you can just catch your fingernail.

This is an Inoué-Ryū pistol, David.

Chris, do you know the kanji for 'ko' sukashi? Is it 古? I am guessing ji sukashi must be 地透かし?

Blocked from seeing the site in my location.

By a stretch of the imagination you can see that since 'kami' means 'protector' or 'guardian', this smith must have worked well and hard, and eventually inherited (or was awarded) this title, suggesting that he has become the new keeper of the tradition, a 'sensei', a recognized authority or overseer of swordsmiths in that region.

This is a rather large Tanzutsu matchlock pistol verging on Bajozutsu size. It has a slight feeling of Inoue-Ryu (school of gunnery) pistols, which you tend to find more of in the Sanuki region of northeast Shikoku. I have owned a couple myself. The shape of the butt on your tsuba is double, though, letting down the image of Inoue Ryu which typically ends in a solid, almost rounded butt. The hinawa matchcord and the target are generally correct. Matchlock pistols are rather rarer overall, but they were typically of this sort of shape throughout the Edo Period. The details are generally ok but not very well executed in some places, such as the (missing) pinch flaps of the serpentine, and the missing ramrod; the perspective (of the muzzle for example) is somewhat off, reminding me more strongly of Ukiyo-e of the later 1800s which were usually generic and never strictly accurate. My opinion, and I am open to others, is that the tsuba is older but the zogan work is all a later addition, possibly even post Edo. The fresh red rust around the butt increases this impression for me. As an object, it is unusual, and I like it, but these are my honest impressions above.

PS Found him, (however he liked to read his name). Edo, around Kansei period.

I see Arai Tatsunari, but perhaps there may be some other way of reading this, like Tatsushige, etc. Need to cross-reference with known artisan lists to be sure. 荒井辰成　 (plus Kaō)

Agreed. Possibly an attempt to make it look like Negoro-nuri, red over black. This was exactly how I saw it an an early morning antiques market in Fukuyama long ago. Despite the funky colour, I rather liked it!

You could even call it 四方富士 'Mt Fuji in four directions' and enjoy the clouds/snow!

And the drawers…

Here is a drawered cabinet I bought for my daughter as a tool box about 20 years ago, but she has not yet been able to claim it yet. (Small problem of shipping.) During a giant spring clean last week, it appeared out of the rat's nest!

Lovely cabinet. Congratulations. Can't see the smaller divisions that you describe though. Not an easy question to answer, but you could make eight/sixteen identical wooden grids, four/eight of these with different internal sizes to cope with the various different tsuba in your collection. Which reminds me of a cabinet I bought for my daughter's tools about twenty years ago. It came to light during a spring clean the other day. If she doesn't claim it soon, I might just 'borrow' it for tsuba instead!!!