Baka Gaijin

尚古堂花親 内田家水図 金地錦紋色絵

Good morning Piers Old Bean, I thought the fitting points for a Guruwa were familiar. There are more images in this thread here:

Its a wild guess - A Cricket Box That is to say a box for a Cricket (Orthoptera), and not something related to the followers of Wisden and W.G. Grace.

A work of mingei 民芸. Sōetsu Yanagi (1889 - 1961) first coined the term in the early 20th Century, to describe the "art of the people"—anonymous, functional, and mass-produced folk crafts over expensive, "high art". His book "The Unknown Craftsman" is well worth reading.

Also you can read 玉石 as: Good and Bad Gems and Stones Wheat and Chaff

Kuraya Hashimoto just down from Nijojo Mae station on a corner opposite Nijo Castle. 408-29 Ikemotocho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8302, Japan Very friendly family run shop selling Swords and Sword related items. The owner has a good sense of humour and I've found him to be most helpful.

Good Evening Geraint and Piers, Thank you both for your input and kind words. As regards Nunome Zogan, which was used by Komai Otojiro and his followers, our chap Fuji Yoshitoyo was Kyoto born and bred, only moving to Tokyo later, where he patented a method of etching Bronze and applying an amalgam gilding to his pieces, which is distinctly different to the look of Nunome Zogan. One of the last pieces Ford restored for me was a box by Jomi Eisuke, decorated in Nunome Zogan upon patinated Iron. Please enjoy : The Fuji Yoshitoyo box is Bronze and the subtlety of the etched work far exceeds the flatness of Nunome Zogan on Iron. Similar to this: https://www.lefays.com/en-GB/asian-arts/fujii-yoshitoyo-Japanese-b-1868-komai-style-damascene-box/prod_10121 I'll post some Hi Res images next week, which will show the differences. Its a mystery to be sure........

Good afternoon old Bean The Plot Thickens......... It was Ford's last assistant who described it to me last week as Amalgam Gilding, but he wasn't sure what the name of it was. I know the Ormolou process quite well and wondered if it was the same as that? Ormolou as a process was banned in France in 1830, due to the extreme toxicity of the process, but was still being done here and there until the 1960's. I'll be at the DTI on the Sunday if you are in Town.

Good Afternoon Everyone, I am researching a charming miniature etched bronze box by Fuji Yoshitoyo with a design by Professor Bisei Unno (Yoshimori) who was granted the title of Imperial Artist “Teishitsu Gigi - In” in 1892. My question is, What is the correct Japanese term for Amalgam Gilding?

"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?

What Ho, Old Bean I'm interested in the significance of the O-Boshi Rivet placement of 3 2 1 repeats. My first thought is 3 Representing “The Triple Gem” Buddha, Dharma, and the Sangha. Or are we dealing with something esoteric, bordering on Mikkyo or Onmyodo? Or did they simply not have enough Rivets in the workshop? ........