Bugyotsuji

Ah yes, ormolou, that was the other word I was looking for. Hmmmm... As to the DTI, that weekend the whole world is scheduled to descend upon me demanding attention in different directions. Aaaaarrrrgggghhhh..... Sadly once again the DTI ends up a no-go. I was also offered a one-off fat-cheque job around that time, but because of visiting relatives I have had to turn it down, and I haven't the heart to tell them!

Amalgam gilding seems to have alternative possibilities like ‘mercury gilding’ or mercury paste gilding, etc. Can we narrow down exactly what it is in English first? Or is this a Japanese process first, to which an English definition has been attached? Which came first? (Added later) Apparently his unique technique of etched Damascene was known as “Fujii zōgan”!

'sub 40 cal' means about 10 mm +/-? This would make it unusual, a 細筒'hosozutsu' small-bore 射撃銃 'shageki-ju' target gun or small game gun. (Not the typical flashily decorated Sakai merchant’s gun of slightly larger bore.)

Thanks for posting your new baby Dale. Congratulations. An unsigned gun. From what I can see, despite those variations, there is nothing out of the ballpark there for a Japanese Tanegashima, (but I did not fully understand your last paragraph). What is the internal diameter of the barrel in cm? The muzzle surround gets me thinking Sakai but I’m getting other indications too. That butt shape, that water drop trigger, that oval sear guard, etc. Need to hit my books for some comparisons, but I don’t have them here right now. She looks good. Will you be firing her?

So why are you asking again, David? PS Notice that Nobu is a different character from the literature quoted by Francois quote above.

In general you often come across this word 略式 ryakushiji even today, not necessarily related to swords, but as mentioned above it means a ‘simplified’ ‘summary’ or ‘short version’. A Spartan or ‘no frills’ version, just the basics in a simple form.

The last character is 舎 but what is that first one? 矩? Kane? 知? Tomo? 延? Nobu?

As Ray intimated above, I don't see that reading 談議所 Dangisho, unfortunately. Something like 信載町... possibly a place name (?), but almost unreadable for me.

The holes (from what we can see) do not follow normal Netsuke holes which are larger, more like tunnels. Yours look to have been drilled later on. The question is 'why?' I would still stick with a definition of 'Okimono', rather than 'Netsuke'. Admittedly they can be close in conception, especially in the Meiji period where Netsuke and Okimono can sometimes overlap. A Netsuke might have a flat bottom for example, taking on an increasing ability to stand alone as an ornament.

Yes, it is roughly inscribed Martin, but it does look like 兼元 Kanemoto. Short, two-character Mei. And the Hamon looks like Sanbonsugi, a Seki blade. (Which Kanemoto I cannot say.)

No experience of your man, but generally silence in Japan means there is no update, nothing positive to report. When it is ready they will contact you, actions speaking louder than words, and excuses being nothing more than wasted words. In my experience a message will come from out of the blue… (Just generalizations, but from what others have said above, his organization is simply slow, not criminal.)

Ono no Komachi, agreeing with Pietro. (Scrub Shojo!) A vertical hole is typical for an ojime slide, but not at that size, and not for a Netsuke, Graham. Are there no other holes in it? If not, then we are looking at a small *Okimono, probably not a Netsuke. The vertical hole could have been inserted later, but that would not change things apart from the ability to be strung. *Okimono literally means an object for ‘placing’, a decorative object for a flat surface, carved in the Meiji period at the earliest.

So definitely not Renaissance wax then, Pietro?

Although the yoshi 𠮷character on both nakago is not written the same way 吉 as on the paperwork (short vs long upper stroke), the signatures on those two look otherwise struck in quite different styles to me.

Ah, similar feeling, but now that dragon is katchushi, not tosho.

Dragon vs butter, but yours may be closer. Those same three dots…

The members of each specialty Shinsa team change over the years.

Very useful Dee. Thank you. I think I have run across that site many moons ago, but nice to rediscover it. I have a useful old tape measure showing inches, centimeters and shaku measurements on it. As a rule of thumb, one shaku is ten sun, and at roughly the same mark is one foot, i.e. twelve inches, which also coincides with 30 centimeters. A convenient convergence of three measuring systems within about half a centimeter.

You are right of course, Pietro. Many thanks for catching that. Referring back to Sekisen, here is the entry in Lazarnick. PS ‘Onka’ should be Onko ware.

This may be a Shōjō… https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shōjō The redness, the kimono sleeve, her hair…

The paperwork describes the surface of yours as Tsuchimé-ji, so would that not indicate that it is the original treatment? This one may be later (?) but offered just for comparison. And the reverse

No idea of age. The zōgan looks fairly crudely done but it’s a nice object regardless! PS There is a whole thread on Mekugi-nuki around here somewhere…

“Extensive lacquered wear on Koshiraé.” This is deliberate, a red lacquer surface, allowing black lacquer to show through, creating the famous Negoro-ji nuri effect.

That is clever! Many thanks for posting this. I have not seen this combination before, though you do find them disguised in other ways, inside Tantō Koshiraé, or as Jutte, etc. Ignition is by crushing of small pellets, ‘pills’ of mercury fulminate.

Yes Bruce the one you showed at the bottom of the previous page. And look at these two: