uwe

Hi Stuart, checked it. The same content. So no need to buy it “once more”!

Hi Christian, had a quick look in the catalog (青津保壽) from the museum (須賀川市立博物館), to compare the mei. But couldn´t find him...?

I agree with you Piers!

I’ll have a look!

Right side is a date: “Tensho 3” (1575) Left side: “Nobumasa tsukuru kore”

Welcome, (to all that I missed )!!!

If you have some spare money, I wouldn’t think twice.....

Might be “貴道作”.....”Takamichi saku”!

Date seems Meiji 2 second month! (no warranty ???? )

I was afraid I’m the only one struggling (actually no clue so far...).

Very interesting! (I’m lurking and learning...????)

No clue Piers ????

Ian, I accept your honored opinion, although I do not share it! Thanks for the interesting discussion. Think we all increased our learning curve! Dave, agree with the second part of your post (that starts with Uwe....)!

It was already discussed in another thread Piers...(Okihisa)....

It´s quite simple (although slightly speculative), Ian. The Haruta Ietsugu, we are (all?) refer to, is said, signed with three diffrent mei: „Bishû-jû Yamato Ietsugu“ (尾州住大和家次), the one from the MET! „Nanto no jû Haruta Ietsugu“ (南都之住春田家次) and „Yamato no Kami Fujiwara Ietsugu“ (大和守藤原家次), as I posted above! Unfortunately, Sasama is a bit vague in his classification.....and that seems exactly the problem. All expressed opinions here are (more or less) based on one source, Sasama`s "Shin Katchushi Meikan". The rest is made up by personal views supported by alignments of circumstancial evidence. Well, we know that this strained source, is sometimes not completely trustworthy. So actually, we have to live with the current situation, that nobody can provide a real proof for what he claimed. But we can try to narrow down the possibilities until we find an adequate specimen for reference! Dave, as a katchushi, whats your opinion?

Thanks Luc!

I’m afraid I can’t agree Ian. Based on the mei (here the obvious connection to Haruta Ietsugu) and the shape of the hachi, I’m almost convinced, that we can attribute this helmet to an Haruta blacksmith! It’s by no means the first smith not recorded in the Meikan. We noticed several gaps, not covered by Sasama.....as you mentioned! Luc, looks promising. Do you also have a picture from the kabuto? .....Hmmm, mei seems “Bishū ju Yamato Ietsugu”. In this case Owari!

Ian my dear friend! It wasn´t my intension to "proof you wrong". I merely found, it is an interesting piece of armor and worth a closer look (i.e. some more research)! Well, now we know the complete mei. Unfortunately, I just learned, that it doesn´t necessarily make it any easier... Eager to hear your opinion..... PS: I miss our "wine tastings" now and then...

Ian, I guess he comes from this line...

Hi Mark, nice and interesting hachi, probably from the Momoyama period. Although, strictly spoken, not an ”Akoda-nari”. It looks like a work from the Haruta school of armorers. Unfortunately I couldn’t find an Ieyoshi signed with Yamato, in a hurry. How is the yoshi character chiseled? Off for work.....

No grief from my side Piers ????

Indeed, what a incredible meetingpoint of likeminded great people here ???? Cheers....????

Hi Jason, I guess this kabuto is for sale somewhere, so I won’t comment the price or the authenticity of the wakidate. It’s said only so much, permanently mounted wakidate are very “unusual”...????. The zunari itself looks like an real Edo piece. I personally would stay away from this “beauty”, but this is my own opinion.

Exactly Eric!

Alexandr, Eric gave good advice. He provides a lot of pictures on Pinterest and if you scroll down, you will find an almost “exact copy” of the men in question. The problem is, there is still no proof... Well, I dare say it’s a replica (as I indicated above), maybe 20th century, maybe later. Not based by proof, but based on a bunch of circumstantial evidence. I’ll “arrow” a picture, if it is desired and I can finde time.