Baka Gaijin

"De gustibus non est disputandum" "I could have been a judge, but I didn't have the Latin"

Made for sainakago Define please Brian

Or do you have very small hands?

Hi Stefano, Pretty much what John said, top two look like Temmei last one looks like spring 天 明 六 丙 午 歲 ? 春

Here we go down the rabbit hole of speculation... Bottom line is a date, 18th day of the 9th month in the 37th year of 民國 which I think may be Republic of China which began in 1912, so maybe 1949?

The 1 2 1 or 31 is also painted faintly on both sides of the Nakago

This will be interesting: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2024/03/06/Japan/Japanese-romanization-rules-change-explained/

"used for harakiri." Of course its legit, if it wasn't, it would have read Harry Karry. In the UK it would have read Harry Ramsden. I'll get my coat.........

The Honjo Masamune....... (but please be discrete, just between you and I....) The one I let slip away in a moment of Financial weakness and regretted it ever since was a lovely slightly tired Koto Blade in Shirasaya with a sayagaki by Inami Hakusui and one of his "Speculative Origami" attributing in to Kanemitsu, dating it to Oei 1 (1394) and valuing it at 150 Gold Mai. I'd bought it from one of the Field Marshal Sir Francis Festing Sales, and later learned that it had been in BW Robinson's collection. Such is life....... We are merely Prawns in its subtle game.

There are two siblings, Greed and Stupidity, by themselves they are tolerable, but combined, they become the Twins of Evil. I'll get my Coat.....

The plotline of the 1964 film Onibaba depicts two women scavenging weapons and armour:

A memorial portrait of Kabuki actors Nakamura Utaemon IV and Ichimura Takenojo V 1851/1852 Can't trace the artist

I've just been researching an Edo period Boro Textile assemblage and encountered the term Mottainai 勿体無い. (A bit deeper than "Make Do and Mend" in the mid 20th Century UK). Is it possible that many of the unorthodox ana we encounter today are a result of Mottainai? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boro_(textile) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mottainai

Look at the drips of pigment on the underside of the Kura is this actually lacquer, and not another medium?

I'll leap in to start the proverbial in motion. Might it involve remounting the blade as a Nagamaki?