Bugyotsuji

Easier to see like that. The Mon on the dō looks like Hanabishi 花菱 but the central petals are slightly pointed at their extremities.

We would need to see close shots of the fitment at the back, but overall I like the exaggerated composition/impression.

When you say, "Are they close?", are you asking about your thoughts and comments. If so, yes they are. Although not high quality, and the condition is 'well-used', there is much to study and enjoy in this set of kashi-gusoku, perhaps for a lower-ranked bushi or ashigaru. The kabuto and kote for example are decent, although the menpo looks to be from a set of Kaga armour. Not sure if the yoroi-bitsu is a later addition? As to price, perhaps a little on the high side, but you do get a bit of everything, and considering the original cost of shipping etc., maybe not too steep. It depends what you collect, but for anyone looking for a set of ashigaru armor, why not? PS "Are they close in their description?" is what you mean, I guess.

"On the shaft of these" you say, but the tops and bottoms are cut off, so we cannot see from those photos what 'these' are. If they are wooden spears, why would there be a single character saying 'metal' (or 'gold')?

Are you asking if that is Chinese or Japanese? Chinese characters were used throughout the Far East, including in Korea and Japan. It is hard to say in this case whether the writing style is one of the other, taken out of context like this. The context might help us decide.

Kanzan is Satō Kanzan. (Kanzan 極 kiwame = in the judgement of Kanzan)

Mumei Kanshiro. Early summer, Showa 56(?) Kanzan. Tetsu-ji. Everything is roughly as you describe, but it says 'Nage-Kiri Sukashi Tsuba' which means... a 'thrown paulownia' what ever that is! (Thrown, slapped in higgledy piggledy, like clay?), a favored technique of the Hayashi school. (PS Can't yet make out the top right wording inside the lid.)

Perhaps Henri is thinking of Marutake Sangyo in Kyushu. From those photos it looks as though it has been rebuilt for some reason as some 'byo' rivet positions have changed. As to cleaning, my gut feeling is that the remnants of the metallic decoration would be removed, so yes indeed, a very soft brush, or perhaps there is some magic liquid that it could be gently dipped into???

Haha! Just bare feet would have been better...

Pop out the pins. Remove the ramrod, and cock the match serpentine. Tap/pull the barrel away from the grip of the stock and when loose, lift out. Take photos of the bisen breech screw and the inside of the pan, with cover/lid open. Also. Please take an up-down photo of the Mei under the barrel Marplot, while pointing the barrel away from you.

Apologies! As Uwe says above! See some of these. https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=70bcee09bc372401&sca_upv=1&hl=en-gb&q=星兜大鎧&udm=2&fbs=AEQNm0Aa4sjWe7Rqy32pFwRj0UkWd8nbOJfsBGGB5IQQO6L3J_86uWOeqwdnV0yaSF-x2jo6Ttnu6iRjjgGjARfLolnBYg2tMdxbJFpG2a0dg6n0NSOUeL_Zp-ANwJjueSBq_UoE1Rqmx1qtxWQlddKd0bEv4-fvXrL1UXtmb7rYJIBkr79X849_zmlFz-2AGdL47Zwhhols&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjzwsXokrGHAxVRVEEAHZ7mDGkQtKgLegQIDBAB&biw=390&bih=663&dpr=3

Nice decorative piece, probably from Sakai, Osaka. A good example. There is tons of information on this site including a sticky on how to remove a barrel. Pins should push out from left to right, unless they’ve been inserted by someone incorrectly. The Mei under the barrel (if there is one) should clarify the origins. (The description is totally from a Western understanding in orientation, so some small notations will be necessary.) Can you get a clear shot of the ‘untranslated markings’?

Ah, thank you Lewis! PS 1951?! An early one indeed!

None of the Hozon numbers featured above start with a 3, Lewis, and the paperwork is June of Heisei 25, not 1952, or am I missing something?

My initial impression Paul, is that this is a late revival piece that has seen better days. Since the bare bones and decorations generally follow the remit for O-yoroi hoshi kabuto, and after the fire nothing is hidden from sight, it could make a good study piece for labelling the names of individual kabuto parts.

I’m pretty sure 生中心 means Ubu nakago, (i.e. not suriage).

Normally I dislike commenting on an auction that is still underway as someone's opinion might affect the sale.

Also, as Jacques says above, on the blade is not written 和泉 but 泉和.

Futa-suji-bi Soe-bi (Tsurebi etc.) (The 'h' of hi changes to 'b' in secondary position in compound words.

The one in question has no circle around it. 橘、薬師寺、小寺、武重、小倉、瀬戸、小野、米倉、赤井、井伊、貫名など The Tachibana family used this Tachibana flower mon; among other families using it in variations were Yakushiji, Kodera, etc., including the famous 井伊 ‘i i’ that is so hard to write in Roman letters. https://irohakamon.com/kamon/tachibana/

吉 can be read either Yoshi or Kichi but in this case as Uwe says, Kaneyoshi would be the natural first choice.

The possibility cannot be dismissed. The maedaté could have been created more recently to strengthen the appeal of an armour that did indeed come out of those storehouses some years back. (I cannot see any other Hachisuka Mon but maybe I’m overlooking them. (During the late Muromachi and Momoyama the father and son used a Christian bladed cross.)

別人 would be ‘not THE Kanemoto’. (= but a different one.)

Nice long blade! Look at the last 'sada' kanji of the name Kunisada 國貞 (Compare with Kanesada 兼定)

Tried to find a link between all the designs yesterday but gave up. July 7th was Tanabata (bamboo branches with Tanzaku poem sheet attached), but what are the leaves further up, decorating a nawa rope at a Jinja festival? The Okame/Otafuku mask and... a bamboo muchi whip, or just the lower main stem section with smaller branches and leaves further up?