Baka Gaijin

Good afternoon Jan, I wouldn't read too much into the choice of design motifs......Satsuma,Tokugawa etc. Ceramics bearing the Satsuma Kamon were made well outside of the borders of Kyushu. Items for export were often variously decorated with obscure and unrelated themes. The product of which, it may be suggested, inspired a whole design movement in the West known as Japonism. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japonism Cheers

Good morning Jan This may help: http://gotheborg.com/marks/index_jap_marks.htm Meizan Hododa (sic) is about a quarter of the way down the Satsuma link which is on the left nav bar. Cheers

Thank you Ian. Cheers

Good morning all, Here's a good study example of Nerikawa Armour on Trevor Absolon's website "Toraba". I note the chin padding on the interior of the Mengu, (images 14 & 15). Dumb question....did all Mengu have padding like this? http://toraba.thirdsectd-1.titaninterne ... 19188&pg=1 Cheers

Good morning all I agree that Part 1 should be held somewhere visible if possible 130193 views of Part 1 says something.......... Piers' Fanclub perhaps..... Cheers

Thank you Thomas, It is my opinion they uphold a great tradition of scholarship and in a real sense carry the torch which Sir Richard (Francis) Burton kindled. Cheers

Morning all, I'm interested in the Unokubi area, as I've seen similar with a short deep Hi in this position. Was this done to facilitate better balance in the blade? Cheers

Good morning Thomas, You might find this interesting: http://www.koryu.com/library/kb1intro.html Cheers

Morning all Just seen this, it's on pre publication offer of $37.39 at the moment.: http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Japa ... rtial+arts How it will compare with the writings of, Diane & Meik Skoss, Ellis Amdur, Dave Lowry, and the late Donn F Draeger remains to be seen. The author is already known for a scholarly introduction to the importance of Marishiten and the Samurai mindset. (http://www.koryu.com/bookstore/book1.html) Cheers

Good morning David P & Chris, The "collar" in your images looks to be formed from a thin piece of "retrieved" metal cut from a larger sheet such as a tinned box or can. Note the burrs where a file has been passed across to even the marks left by tin snips or similar. Also the braze point where the metal has been joined. I suggest the polychrome markings relate to the previous use and as such are interesting as an example of "make do and mend". Cheers

Good afternoon Piers, Fire away, I'll do my best. This should give you an idea of the sheer size and variation of the artists who were part of the Utagawa School: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ut ... ol_members http://www.ne.jp/asahi/kato/yoshio/frame.html Cheers

Thank you Piers, Kuniyasu! That's added a whole new aspect to my notes on the Utagawa school... I may have a name to the seated actor - Bandô Mitsugorô III http://www.ukiyo-e.se/artkun05.html http://www.secutor.se/ukiyo-e/umaxi021.jpg Cheers

Good morning Piers, It's close but not exactly the same, could be a recut from older worn blocks. I can't make the signature out to Kunisada, though it might be Kunisada II. It was published by Wakasa Ya Yoichi. Wakasa Ya Yoichi started life as a Censor. Cheers

Great pictures Andrey, Interesting to see how closely they rebuilt Kinkakuji after it was destroyed by arson in 1950. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Burned_Kinkaku.jpg Here ya go Roy: http://www.douglasbrooksboatbuilding.com/Japanese.html (Delve deep into this site for actual building techniques, the one in your picture looks like a Chokkibune..... ) Cheers

Add this...... http://forums.samurai-archives.com/viewtopic.php?t=1638 Again due recognition to Samurai Archives Citadel and the artistic skills of Member "Evalerio". Cheers

Good afternoon, Here, courtesy of the Samurai Archives Citadel and member "Marder" of West Yorkshire, is the complete O -Uma Jirushi annotated in English....7 Pages of it http://forums.samurai-archives.com/view ... sc&start=0 Cheers

Morning Jan, It's signed Toyokuni. (There are three signing varients of Toyokuni including Kunisada - Toyokuni III) Cheers

Morning all: Here is an amazing source of imagery from old Japan http://www.lb.nagasaki-u.ac.jp/search/e ... dex-e.html Enjoy!!! Cheers

Good morning all, I wonder if a complete O-Uma Jirushi & Ko Uma Jirushi would contain details? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uma-jirushi I've only seen the small "Kokudai" handbooks from the 1850's I'll try to find a Japanese online source (it would be a useful link). (Edited at 06.09 local time) Here ya go for starters at the National Diet Library http://www.ndl.go.jp/exhibit60/e/copy3/1emakimono.html Here's an excerpt from their manifest Over to you Piers & Ian, if you can access "Rare Books Image Database" 貴重書画像データベース kichōsho gazō dētabēsu which will be in Japanese on the main website, we might have a valuable resource here. http://dl.ndl.go.jp/#classic Edited at 08.20 local. Morning again all, "貴重書画像データベース" really is the magic key to a huge resource base of links in Japanese Technical Resources and University Libraries etc. Blue pill or Red pill? Cheers

Good afternoon Jan and Ian, Thinking it looked similar to the handle of the Warabite - no - Tachi at Shosoin; I found a few varient Kamon using the theme of young bracken frond - "Warabi", they were all multiples, not a single Warabi Kamon. See 8th line down numbers 3 to 6 :- http://www.tozandoshop.com/v/vspfiles/kamon/plant3.html Cheers

Morning Piers, Both are signed Kikugawa Eizan Hitsu. The top circle seal on both is Kiwame (Censor's approval) The seal under on print one as discussed. The seal under on print two is difficult, it may have zodiacal dates in it, but I cannot read it. The closest shape I can get to the Tangerine like cartouche is one used by a Shin Hanga artist, so of no use. I'll phone a friend Cheers

Morning Piers, Thank you Uwe and Piers for the enhanced images, the Edo publishing house Maru-ya Tokuzō used a seal like a bundogi weight, but they only used it briefly between 1860-61. Maru-ya Tokuzō took over the business of Nishimura-ya Yohachi in March 1860. Nishimura-ya Yohachi was one of the biggest publishers and certainly published Eizan and his line (One of which was accused of being a pimp...) . The Nishimura-ya Yohachi publishing house were most active between 1708/10 to 1834. The most common Nishimura-ya Yohachi seal is a mitsu tomoe under a single peak like an upward chevron The Tempo reforms put an end to much of their output, particularly books in 1841. The print looks very like work produced in the 1805 period, one could speculate however, that the print was made in 1860-61 from the older blocks, or very late work by or under the name of Eizan who lived until 1867. That's about it for now. Cheers

Good afternoon Piers, Could you make Image 4 from the top, second seal down (the scalloped edge circle) any clearer? Cheers

Ah, subtle..... Imperial Japanese ex servicemen's association? Cheers and just for the sheer beauty of the writing and timing:

Don't tell them your name P............ Cheers