Bugyotsuji

Burnt toast is one step worse than toast… At least you can still eat toast. But I once found a bent and flaky rusty thing in a moat (it was originally a Tantō) and loved it. For a while.

Nope, toast it is not. Burnt toast maybe...

Good job, nicely done! Seki Ju Kanenao saku 関住兼直作 Made by Kanenao living in Seki.

Looks like: 相模国住人正廣作 Sagami no Kuni Junin Masahiro Saku

We are all weak at this, Ron! Since they are attempting generally to describe an object, including menuki and tsuba, etc., it often helps us to get the translation more exact if we can see the object being described! If you'd prefer not to show it, that is understandable, though.

The tag is badly rubbed, hovering on the edge between illegible and barely legible. It seems to give an address and a name, but to get the exact reading would take someone hours of detective work!

And there you have it, the dilemma of the sword collector. Whatever you choose will never be perfect, and there'll be something even better just out of reach... It is worth remembering however, that some of the most famous Japanese swords had a flaw. The Sanchomo (Yamatorige) for example has a bloody great chip missing from the blade. And hey, even the Liberty Bell has a crack in it, and they've even drilled it out to make it easier for Joe Public to see!.

岡田兼義　作 Okada Kaneyoshi Saku

And there you have it, all the thoughts that should already be inside your own head! Oh, and I hope you checked the wording and saw that it does mention shirasaya, and wondered why it is ranked a 'Chujo saku' when that is not in their list, and why they call it a 'wakizashi' (even in the original Japanese) at one point when it's not.

Which Vitaly is that Bruno? CANCEL (Not the Ukrainian one I was thinking about!)

Seriously though, a blade can tick all the right boxes, like buying a Honda Civic with all the warranties and service history, owned by one old lady. And you'll be happy with it, and learn stuff from it. Then you show it to your best buddy and he mentions he has just bought a Mazda Roadster Mustang Ferrari. As someone said today on another thread, and I agree, I find that I learn best when I can get my hands on one object for a while. This is followed by a period of ambivalence as people insert their various opinions.... , and then it's: have I learned enough from it, do I let go of it or not, etc.?

Magically, that rule will get ... uhhhh... adjusted over the months and years. I can hear your wife asking you, "Is that the same one?" And you, "Yes, I've had that for years!" (Never mind that it is longer, and in a regular koshirae...) PS I have a sword stand to sell you. OK if it's got space for three blades?

Jonas, wait till you get your money back before deciding whether to report the guy!

Mark, you remind me of the guy who said, "Hey, I'm just going to try one shot of this heroin stuff, just the one!" My reply would be, "What is so great about this particular heroin that it will satisfy you forever?"

Still incredibly cheap! Click bait?

PS Regarding the 九谷 Kutani plates above, I did some digging around for their background. The Japanese public were first told of the existence of these Kamikaze missions in September of Showa 19, 1944, and these plates are dated the same year, so they must have been produced in the last quarter of 1944. The planes shown are an early version of the Zero fighter with spatted fixed landing gear and a two-bladed prop, possibly A6M1(?), introduced in April 1939. Triple-bladed prop versions replaced them in September of 1939 partly because of vibration problems with the earlier iteration. The monoplanes on these plates seem to be decals/transfers. Was this simply an easy option for the Kutani pottery, or did they intend to show that older, outdated frames were being used up for the new' missions? The writings all look to be hand-painted brushwork. 零式戦闘機 Reishiki Sento-ki (Zero type fighter aircraft) 2x blue bowls (with cherry blossoms motif) 2x white plates (w/ sake cup indentations) 1x larger pink dish (w/ cherry blossoms) Photo of example base.

Maybe change the thread title to, ”The one that got away”.

Antique Sakura, not Sakura Antique, right? Never use Ebay myself. Please keep us updated!

Strange. Could be a scam, or hot property even...?

Agreed. Woodblock print, nishiki-e. He also went by the art name of Utagawa Yoshikazu.

The direction of the top stroke of 言 is quite different though. Looks deliberate, for whatever reason.

Agreed. Nice example. Unusual tsunomoto. PS Rick Nick Rupero....

PS Part of a Kutani set of dishes, Navy Kamikaze 神風特別攻撃隊 Tokubetsu Kōgekitai, (Tokkōtai), dated 1944 (when the Japanese public first became aware of the new policy).

If you include Bakumatsu and Meiji wine drinking within the definition of ‘saké’ then I will include these Kutani goblets.

Tempted to post some sake cups too. (Sadly there was some breakage a couple of summers back when a young marten fell out of the ceiling and landed on them. Pic of incident available though I may have posted it before.)