Baka Gaijin

Morning O.B. Interesting that they both are decorated with Inome 猪目. Is the woven material dry lacquered? Have you seen my son Aladdin? "Cinders, you shall go to the Ball....!" That's enough of the Pantomime references. 🤪 Elegant items.

Relatively speaking, the tebako has the decorative look of an era far earlier than the tray.

Wow, that certainly must have been impressive, when first laid down. Thank you for posting.

" Sadly, if you look too closely at a beauty, you may see her flaws and the ravages of the years upon her." Many years ago, I shot a TV commercial for a Sunday Paper, the Star was certainly in a Dynasty of her own, and timeless. In the corridor, which led from her dressing room to the set, and before I could get my Spotmeter out of its case, she told me in no uncertain terms where she wanted the key light to be exactly. When she looked at the set, which I had pre lit, the day before, she found that the key light was exactly where she wanted it "You've been talking to Marlene Dietrich haven't you..." she said with a wink of a crystal green eye. I just smiled and the rest of the day was delightful. It's the same when appreciating an item like your tebako, just delightful. 😎

The tebako is very interesting indeed. The choice of angular underlying lattice and symmetrical placement of the Kamon amid the flurry of the flowering tendrils suggests a tacit Western influence to me, so perhaps Momoyama is not such a wild call. Can you take some close ups of the Kamon and lattice please? PS, I've adjusted my gracious original offer of the item sent gratis to me, to an extra 100 Georgian Gold Guineas sent to me in a plain brown paper envelope, behind the third hot water pipe of the Guy Burgess rooms in the Anthony Blunt annexe of Waterloo Station. 🧐

Piers, Old Bean, すごい I have been waiting to see some examples of Saga Kirimon, ever since Ian B mentioned the form on the old Armour Forum. We are used to seeing Go San Kiri and Shichi Go Kiri, but, do I count Ju - Go Shichi Kiri on the box, and how many on the Tray? https://kamon.myoji-yurai.net/kamonDetail.htm?kamonName=嵯峨桐 Sadly these mere trifles have no merit, and I would be prepared to take them off your hands, gratis, providing you arrange for full double box Art Shipping and Insurance at your expense. 🤪 Well found, amazing!!

Just an update Gentlemen, Here is a useful reference source containing over 5000 Yojijukugo. https://www.edrdg.org/projects/yojijukugo.html I've been happily trawling through my image bank of Temple/Shrine and Dojo signs, Tenugui/Hachimaki and Kakejiku, playing UK Lockdown2 "Spot the Yojijukugo". They are everywhere Ki Ken Tai Ichi.............

Hi Ken, at the bigger Fairs in the UK before lockdown 1, the larger figural pieces were “enthusiastically priced” to say the least. It seems to be the larger more dynamic compositions, that are fetching serious prices. Certainly in the UK, there seems to be a trend of mixing old and new in Interior Decoration. These back issues of Bonhams Magazine should show the trends more clearly: https://www.bonhams.com/publications/bonhams_magazine/30691/ https://www.bonhams.com/publications/bonhams_magazine/

Good Morning Jonathan, The trite answer is because one person wanted it more than another at the auction..... but that doesn't help really. 😀 So let's look at the item closely, and why it might command such a price. Signed 19th and early 20th Century Figurative Japanese Bronzes are currently highly sought after. The example shown, which depicts Yoshitsune & Benkei in their encounter on Gojo Bridge, looks to be well designed, crisply cast, of a reasonable size, and complete with its original stand. I have reservations about the Signature cartouche, it seems less well executed than the rest of the piece, and I'm dubious about the cross hatching around it. Here's a list of recent sales of Japanese Bronzes and percentagewise how much they exceeded estimate: https://www.barnebys.com/realized-prices/japanese_bronze_signatures.html With some TLC, I would not be surprised to encounter this again, at a major Fair or in a Gallery at a price considerably in excess of its hammer price. Hope this helps.

Thank you for the images Dave, I love the last image of the bamboo drift. Quite sophisticated, has the same rustic charm as some of the old Chashaku Tea scoops.

Hi Barry, That's a great technique, applied crisply and with loads of kime, in my case, I mostly end up flat on the floor!! Still what do they say? "Nana korobi, ya oki!" 🤪

Great Collection Piers, Makes you wonder where they all went, with a Samurai population of 6 - 10% of the total population over the Tokugawa period. Or, being constructed of metal, were they high status objects? Did those lower on the Koku stipend use mekugi-nuki made of less durable materials?

It requires the use of one of those odd stances where the knees are braced inwards rather than outwards. If I remember correctly it gets its name from the crescent movement of the front foot required when moving in stance. " Absolutely correct John. When Funakoshi Sensei named both the stance Hangetsu Dachi and the Kata Hangetsu back in the 1930's, it was a result of the Butokukai putting pressure on all Martial Arts groups to make things Japanese, hence the original form which was from Naha - Te, was known as Sanchin Dachi and the basic form of the Kata was Sanchin and the advanced form was Seisan. And also in Shotokan, there is a Crescent Kick known as Mikazuki Geri, literally three day moon kick.

Here it is:

There is a Japanese Karate Kata known as Hangetsu.

It was a pleasure Axel, I learned a lot as a result of it. Particularly about a Shoami Tsuba which I have, which depicts stylised snowflakes. Prior to Sekka Zusetsu, their common depiction looked more like Covid 19:

The moon in water, as both reflection upon and motif for spiritual teaching, also has a long history in a number of Koryu (Old School Martial systems). Probably the best known example attributed to Miyamoto Musashi doesn't even have the moon displayed pictorially, just powerfully executed Kanji. 戦氣 Sen Ki - War Spirit 寒流帯月澄如鏡 Kan-Ryuu-Tsuki-o-Obite-Sumu-Koto-Kagami-no-Gotoshi "The moon in the stream on a cold winter night appears as clear as a mirror."

Good morning Gentlemen, Just to get the math into my head: So 32.5 万 & 31.5 万 would be 325,000 & 315,000 respectively?

Piers, Old Bean, As resident, revered Japan Hand, and NMB Bugyo, your opinion would be greatly appreciated. I was told, a long time ago, in a Dojo, far far away, when even God wore short trousers, that the best Susu - Dake came from Madake Bamboo ( Phyllostachis Bambusoides ). Have you encountered this? Or were they just having friendly fun with the "Baka Gaijin"............ 🙃 Hmm....... Perhaps another name change?? It's certainly an appropriate Nom de Guerre pour moi.

Hi Piers, Looks like you guys had a real Blast!! 😎

Just for fun, I was researching the impact that Doi Toshitsura's images had upon Japanese design, following the publication of his studies. It was an unleashing of new patterns on Kimono textiles, and the late Edo fashion world embraced it with fervour. Woodblock print by Keisai Eisen c.1840 Edo no Matsu Meiboku Zukushi Oshiage Myoken no Matsu ("Pines at Oshiage Myoken - From the series "Old trees of historical interest in Edo") Property of Koga History Museum Woodblock Print by Utagawa Kunisada c.1844 Poem by KouKou Tennou No 15 from the series Hyakunin Isshu Eshou (A Pictorial Commentary on One Hundred Poets)

Thank You Axel, I've drawn a blank with earlier studies in Japan, however, I did find out that even by 1810, microscopes were still comparatively rare items in Japan, and Doi Toshitsura, as Daimyo of Koga would have had to go through an application process through the Bakufu, to obtain the microscope from the VOC at Dejima. Sekka Zusetsu (Pub 1832) was the result of over 20 years of study by the Daimyo. Rangaku ( Dutch Studies ) had been popular with the upper levels of Society, and both Dutch Books and Translations of them into Japanese were available. Perhaps contacting the curators at one of these links may shed some light: https://www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.com/voc https://www.westfriesmuseum.info/category/east-india-company/

Hi Axel & Jean, Masaru Emoto is 20th / 21st Century. The popular reference may come from a late Edo period publication called "Hokuetsu Seppu" Snow Stories of North Etsu Province, a kind of Encyclopaedia compiled by a merchant called Suzuki Bokushi in 1837. Hokuetsu Seppu contains studies into Snow crystals by Doi Toshitsura, Daimyo of Koga. He wrote a book called Sekka Zusetsu (A Study of Snowflakes) in 1832. How apt a title for today........🤪 https://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/2536974

Hi Mark, Perhaps contact the To-Ken Society of Great Britain. I believe there are some members in Jersey & Guernsey. https://to-ken.uk/

Fascinating, does Moses train in Old School Okinawan Karate?