Baka Gaijin

Evening all. The aesthetics of abstraction are manifold: Enjoy Cheers Malcolm

Hi all Proximal & Distal Phalanges of the thumb and Metacarpal, Proximal, Middle & Distal Phalanges of the index finger of the left hand as one would hold the Saya and right hand on the Tsuka when the sword is drawn. Dem Bones........ Cheers Malcolm

Good evening Louis & Beakner, Both prints are from the series Kôetsu yûshô den, 甲越勇將傳 (Stories of Courageous Generals of the Provinces of Echigo and Kai) Essentially the prints eulogise the Generals of both Takeda Shingen and his enemy Uesugi Kenshin. Takeda Shingen of Kai Province conquered Shinano Province in 1547, expelling Murakami Yoshiharu and Ogasawara Nagatoki, who turned to Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo Province for help. A series of battles between the forces of Takeda Shingen and the forces of Uesugi Kenshin were fought on the plain of Kawanakajima in the northern Shinano Province near the modern-day city of Nagano. The five major battles took place in 1553, 1555, 1557, 1561 and 1564. Louis's print is of Morozumi Bungo-no-kami Masakiyo, One of Three Heroic Deaths in Battle (San uchijini no uchi, Morozumi Bungo-no-kami Masakiyo, 三討死之内, 諸角豊後守昌清) He was on the Takeda side. Beakner's print is of Usami Suruga no Kami Sadayuki (宇佐美駿河守定行) He was on the Uesugi side. In a similar vein, the last stand of the Kusuoki was a subject Kuniyoshi returned many times, usually in tryptych form: Nanke yûshi Shijô-nawate nite uchijini (Last Stand of the Kusunoki Heroes at Shijo-Nawate, 楠家勇士四條畷にて討死) 1851/52 Shijô-nawate nite Nanke no eiyû taiteki wo etc. (四條畷にて楠家の英勇大敵を...) 1857 http://www.japangalleryprints.com/image ... asp?id=615 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_l ... nawate.jpg Cheers Malcolm

Good morning Beakner It's from the series: Stories of Courageous Generals of the Provinces of Echigo and Kai (Kôetsu yûshô den, 甲越勇將傳) Publisher: Sumiyoshi-ya Masagorô c. 1848-1849 It depicts General Usami Suruga no Kami Sadayuki (宇佐美駿河守定行), deflecting a flying sword with the shaft of his spear Yours appears to be trimmed, it should measure 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), it's known as an ôban sized print. Cheers Malcolm

Morning everyone, There's a tsuba ascribed to Musashi Miyamoto which is based upon two namako sea cucumbers. cheers Malcolm

Evening all Check out American Civil War swords, in particular the M60 made by various makers such as Ames MFG Co of Chicupee Mass. (Ref CWS-97, CWS-95 & on page 2 CWS-88) http://www.johnnyg.westhost.com/swords-usa-cw.html Cheers Malcolm

Good evening everyone. The Pentacle in Christian symbology represented variously the five wounds of Christ or the five pure joys of The Virgin Mary, so not untoward for a decoration on armour. The Dark Magick (sic) usage is a conceit of various writers such as Eliphas Levi, Madame (Helena) Blavatsky in the 19th Century and Aleister Crowley in the early 20th Century. Cheers Malcolm

Morning all, Here's a link which may help..... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Xing Cheers Malcolm

Morning all. To add to Roy's comment above, and I am only speaking from a U.K. perspective. None of the main carriers offer Compensation Cover on Antiques, Works of Art, Jewellery, Gold etc. The solution, which is expensive is to use Art Shippers, and the deal is going to work something like this: The object is priced according to weight or physical size, whichever is the greater. Example: a gold ring will not weigh much, but it will be packed in such a way as not to look like a gold ring....almost Shoe Box size. So you've got a large package which hardly weighs anything, and you'll be charged for the Dimensions. Compensation cover is going to be charged at around 2.5% of the declared item value. The price only becomes competitive when a number of items are included in the package. Cheers Malcolm

Good morning Thomas, There is a wealth of information on the site, if you start looking into "Okkashi - To" as well as "Satsuma Rebellion Mounts" using the Search facility on the Forum. Cheers Malcolm

Thanks Chaps, For a wealth of amazing ceramics, including the Honami Koetsu illustrated, check out this Link: http://www.ebara.co.jp/csr/hatakeyama/collection/# The legacy of Industrialist Hatakeyama Issei. Cheers Malcolm

Morning all I've seen pieces of Edo & Meiji ceramic with gold jointing repairs, I wondered what it was called and how it was done, http://www.youtube.com/user/kintsugisou ... 3mZgs0vkDY The aesthetic term Mottainai is used in the Video: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mottainai My favourite potter Oribe Furuta (1545 - 1615) a student of Sen no Rikyu (1522 - 1591) intentionally broke a Tea Bowl and reassembled it using Kintsugi technique. Not really on Topic, but adds to the knowledge base. Cheers Malcolm

Hi Ken, Google Translate on Google Chrome does a passable job of translating pretty much most of the page with all the eloquence of flat pack furniture instructions, which at least will allow you to navigate around it. Cheers Malcolm

Minasan Bump! 2 new titles 2nd sept 2010 cheers Malcolm

Bump! Check out the account of the First Embassy to USA in 1860.....Fascinating. Cheers Malcolm

Hi Roy, Warabite 蕨手 Literally a bracken frond uncurling, see the shape of the tsuka area. Cheers Malcolm

Good morning Eric, Looks like a Die for beating out low end Iai- To or Tourist type soft metal skinned Tsuba that were later filled with lead or pitch like substance. Ford would probably have a better idea than I Cheers Malcolm

Bump Post 1 with four new titles including an account of a Seppuku ceremony (Tale of Old Japan - A.B. Mitford). & Miyamoto Musashi (Japan in Days of Yore - Musashi volume - 1905) Cheers Malcolm

Bump Post 1 with four new titles including a piece about Musashi Miyamoto (Japan in Days of Yore). Cheers Malcolm

Good Afternoon Justin, If you start looking into "Okkashi - To" as well as "Satsuma Rebellion Mounts" using the Search facility on the Forum, you will find a host of information pro & con. Cheers Malcolm

Hi Jim, It most certainly is, and can be found in varying qualities on such items as Kendo Dou, Iai - To Saya, General Boxes for Sweets, Mobile Phones, Pens, Chopsticks etc etc. You'll need to find a Sayamakishi, there are some listed in the Restoration section of NMB. Cheers Malcolm

It's called Wakasa-nuri Wakasa-nuri, began in early Edo c.1660 at Wakasa in present day Fukui prefecture. Layers of different colored lacquers are applied to a ground roughened by the addition of pieces of egg shell or rice chaff. Thin gold or silver foil is pressed into the indentations and a coating of transparent lacquer is applied then polished to make a smooth surface. (Also used as a finish on Fountain Pens) Cheers Malcolm

Hi Ron, I think the more we show, the more we increase our combined knowledge base. The subtleties of design, particularly Japanese design in the immediate Post Edo period are fascinating. The writings of Basil Hall Chamberlain particularly: http://www.archive.org/stream/thingsjap ... 3/mode/2up Chamberlain was there closer to the time and some of his observations are to say the least...Insightful. Cheers Malcolm

Good Morning Ron, I believe that the Kiri Kamon (Paulownia Imperialis) used by the Imperial Offices and later the Office of Prime Minister counts five seven five petals (known as Go Shichi Go no Kiri) not three five three (San Go San no Kiri). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulownia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_Constitution Much in the same way that the Kiku Kamon counts 16 petals on the Grand shrines, Bank notes & Coinage, Japanese Passport etc but appears frequently with other numbers of petals on more mundane items. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Seal_of_Japan Similar numerical variations are found within the three petal form of the Aoi Kamon used by the Tokugawa Family and its extensions. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokugawa_shogunate I would appreciate a definitive please. (Purely for selfish reasons as I have an item bearing Go Shichi Go no Kiri Kamon). :? Cheers Malcolm

Bump!! Some really rare ones just listed in the first post 30th July 2010 Cheers Malcolm