Bazza

> we all have made poor purchases simply because something was cheap. John, tell me about it!!! My beginning years were full of blunders and bodgy swords because I essentially had no idea what I was doing and bought anything that was on offer. I stuck with it, joined any club I could find in the world and 15 years later hooked my first really good Tokubetsu Hozon katana. It was the cheese to the chalk my collection was up to that time. Then I purged the much lesser pieces I'd picked up in the intervening years. They all went. I persevered, studied the books AGAIN and AGAIN and continued seeking out other collectors to hold and look at their finds and learn from them. We all benefitted and some of the good people are still close friends today. Now some 55 years after the good find I still have that sword and I'm in as happy a place as I can be for my circumstances in life, still finding other collectors and making new friends along the way. Michael, take heart and keep on. This is a lifelong affliction, and it doesn't come easy. All it takes is money, more money, and persistence in the face of disappointment along the way. BaZZa.

Agree with Ian and John. The tang has a smooth appearance and combined with a blackish finish suggests artificial patination. Check for ububa (flat edge for a short distance from the hamachi) as Ian suggests. Also, your observation that the habaki seems to be a refit suggests a shorter tang lengthened by machiokuri to fit a WW2 koshirae. Now here's a tear (sob). I have a nida Hizen Tadahiro katana that had machiokuri performed to fit the blade to a shinguntou koshirae (sob again). Ubu, but no longer pristine... BaZZa.

Dear All, it is with great sadness I announce the passing of my good and dear mate in swords Roger Dundas. He had been unwell for some time and passed with his family present. I will miss his good friendship and the conversations we had. RIP Roger. BaZZa.

MUMEI is the most prolific artisan of all... BaZZa.

I wonder if its anything connected to the 'troubles' I'm having here... Anyone else in Oz having connect problems on a google word search??? BaZZa.

Well, as a complement to the discussion here is the Hikozo utsushi I bought from Ford some years ago. Passing time has not diminished its immense appeal to me. BaZZa.

Sticking my neck out - Nathan, if you add up all the component costs of polish, shirasaya, habaki, packaging, postage from Japan and incidentals, for a modest price you have a nice looking REAL NIHONTOU in better than good condition. Rather than return it at an expense can I suggest you keep it for some time to remind you of the best way to collect. Look for NBTHK current certificate format of HOZON and TOKUBETSU HOZON. BaZZa.

Ford - do you mean to say this is a gimei of Motoyama Ishitada??? Bob Morrison showed a tsuba No 267 of a similar construction with NBTHK paper and in katakiri: I know Ford said: > I wouldn't pay too much attention to the mei, whoever cut it could barely use the chisel . > Having said that the tsuba was decently constructed and the kata-kiri, while not exactly a masterpiece, is a fair enough example of late work. , Vitaly, if your tsuba is a genuine work by Motoyama Ishitada I strongly, STRONGLY suggest you let Ford restore it. I have a tsuba by this artisan and the style of signature with ISHIYAMA in small characters and MOTOTADA in 'normal' size characters point to a genuine, high quality work unless 'someone' says it is gimei. I honestly think that a gimei tsuba is hardly likely to be a sandwich construction of high quality shakudo facing pieces. I have compared the two signatures in side-by-side windows and even the mei on Bob's tsuba looks a tad clunky to my eye. Is there an expert in the house??? More below. This may well be gimei, but in this thread Stenbar asked Ford wrote: Posted August 14, 2008 To add to the picture of who the man was... the following is from Haynes; with some added speculation on my part. Mototada was also a painter, something which may have added to his design abilities. He was schooled in metalwork by the Kyoto branch of the Goto family and other Kyoto studios. I get the impression of someone somewhat outside of the mainline school system therefore. He inherited his father rank of 3rd level court noble ( Kuge ), perhaps this allowed him a certain freedom in moving between schools etc. This type of bold and sweeping kata-kiri work is more likely influenced by the Yokoya lineage, Somin being credited with the invention of the technique. Many other artists used the technique subsequently but this does have a strong Somin look to my eye. Some clearer, and larger images would allow for a better assessment of the quality of the work but it seems to me to reasonably good, as one would expect. Regards, Ford So maybe Vitaly's tsuba needs a closer look???? There is one more tsuba offered by Kyle Shuttleworth that has a similar 'clunky' looking mei - is this a characteristic of Mototada's mei??? Its the third tsuba down. BaZZa. PS: Edited to add that I would put up a photo of my MOTOTADA tsuba but I don't have a photo readily available. Furthermore, it is iron and in a completely different material and style, though of course the mei could stand scrutiny. I'll try and get this together.

Not a spelling error, methinks. Well, not in the sense of a romanisation error, of which there are 3 systems of rômaji to my knowledge. No, if I remember my 2 years of classroom Japanese from 30 years ago, in spoken Japanese 'spelt' -fusa can be 'spoken' -husa, the 'f' being pronounced more as a 'f' in 'phooey'. In other words, more like a short, blown 'phoo' rather than an 'eff'... I particularly remember a pronunciation of SADAFUSA in the film 'Gate of Hell', where Kiyomori in greeting a Samurai distinctly said "sa-dah-fu-sa", compared to my native Japanese speaking college tutor who offered the short 'phoo' pronunciation to his pink-faced students. Or so it seemed to me, the feckless gaijin struggling to learn any Japanese at all. Maybe I missed the subtlety of Kiyomori's pronunciation... BaZZa.

John, it may have something to do with a problem I've had for a week or so. Just sent this to my ISP: Dear Support Folk, I’m not sure how to approach this, but I will try. For at least the last week I have not been able to do a google search, yet I can access ‘named’ website links, for example https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/, https://www.msn.com/en-au/ and http://www.bom.gov.au/. Yet if I try a simple search like kinnoto, calisthenics victoria or white grubs I get the following alert: Note the alert search result syntax is: https://search.yahoo...isthenics%20victoria , whereas the syntax as I launch the search is https://www.google.c...alisthenics+victoria . There seems an inconsistency in these two browser window syntax entries. In short, I don’t know whether the problem is at ‘your’ end, ‘my’ end, or somewhere ‘out there’. I’m not aware of any local changes unless I inadvertently made a change ‘somewhere’. I’ve searched through my Firefox settings and wonder if it’s a proxy issue. Here are my settings. I hope you’re having a wonderful day wherever you are (I’m in Melbourne) and that you can solve my google connect issue. Yours faithfully, Barry Thomas (aka BaZZa)

Saw this very interesting sword on Mandarin Mansion: https://www.mandarin...aic-asian-shortsword BaZZa.

Seen on Peter Dekker's website: https://www.mandarin.../winged-dragon-tsuba BaZZa.

Yesterday Robin Alexander wrote: > can't find any historical or spiritual importance in the humble grape. It appears Japan only had one type of indigenous > (Koshu) grape from Yamanashi Prefecture. So traditionally grapes don't appear to be 'big' in Japan in terms of symbolism. I'd just like to interject here to point out that the grape and squirrel motif has been discussed in these pages. I searched on 'grape squirrel' and had more than one hit, but here's one just to kick off the byway: BaZZa.

Then comes Kantei... BaZZa.

Alexander, Wrong YOSHINAGA. I think this is your man. BaZZa. Yoshinaga Submitted by kazarena on Mon, 2007-05-14 20:13 Wazamono 吉長 [Help] ◯ 天文︱ 美濃 Yoshinaga ID YOS607 Province Mino Era Tenmon (1532-1555) Active Period 1532-1555 School Koyama Seki Source Rating Reference/Page Hawley 15 YOS607 Toko Taikan ¥2M 737 Signatures: 吉長 yoshinaga Login or register to post comments

Just saw this: http://www.bookmice....ilde/Japan/ainu.html Found it in this pinterest page that has lots of Ainu content: https://www.pinteres...=5310208407280597405 BaZZa.

I recall reading somewhere that even as the castle was burning the Toyotomi samurai passed swords down to the Tokugawa samurai by rope to save them. Anyone have more details?? BaZZa.

@mickie G'day Mickie, dunno how I missed this. What a stunner you are. Agree 100% with @Ian B3HR2UH and then some. Very impressive. There are many dyed in the wool collectors who could not have achieved what you have. I with everyone else around the Nihontou world will follow the story of your sword. If genuine (it looks good) and if restoration is desired by your family the sword must only be seen by the highest caliber of professional in Japan. Regards and best wishes, Barry Thomas aka BaZZa Melbourne, Australia.

Interesting google results Bruce. Try mine: Kinnoto/kinnotoh https://studyingjapa...ds.com/tag/kinno-to/ Meiji Ishin-To Right before the Meiji Restoration, long swords (approx. 3 feet) with no curvature were made. Sa Yukihide (from Tosa) forged this type of sword. Saigo Takamori (西郷隆盛)、 Sakamoto Ryoma (坂本龍馬) owned this type of swords. Both are famous historical characters during the Meiji Restoration, called Meiji Ishin (明治維新). Both of them were a part of the Kin’no-to (勤皇党) group which supported the Emperor and renewed the political system. BaZZa.

Brian wrote: > Anyone want to guess why one pair are signed something else besides Yasuchika? Because there was a whole bunch of them with famous names all made in the same 'workshop'?? It has just come to me that my mate Laurie's were signed SHOZUI but pinked as gimei - this is a some 45 year old memory guys 'n' gals!! I'll have to try and find my paperwork on this - it does exist - somewhere... BaZZa.

Decades ago my old mate Laurie Allen had a pair of near identical menuki with solid backs. I doubt I could find photos, but I do remember they were signed SHOZUI. The memory is faint, but I think he submitted them for papers. Again, I probably have a copy of the paper 'somewhere', but it would take me a week of looking and even then not find them. BaZZa.

Having read this thread I'm reminded that a member once suggested a "beginners' place" where one could read the ins and outs of the oft-repeated questions such as those posted here. I was immediately reminded of this thread: wherein I wrote: Well, there it is above!! Board software 1, BaZZa 0... Markus Sesko's website is well worth a thorough trawl by anyone contemplating a lifelong run down rabbit holes!! Knowledge is power even if it takes you decades to approach, yet never master...

BaZZa replied: > I think I can track down your early Meiji reference Piers san, but it might take some time in the best 'Gunnadoo' tradition!! Well, here we are many weeks later and I believe I've cracked both Piers' san and my vague memories on this personage, who I believe is none other than Isabella Bird. Here are my findings: Google keywords: Japan hokkaido isabella bird This link is an excellent start to following Isabella’s Bird’s travels in Japan. It is written by Kanasaka Kiyonori. Born Toyama Prefecture, 1947. Professor emeritus at the Kyoto University, where he specializes in human geography and the works of Isabella Bird and his photo exhibitions. Made an honorary member of the Royal Geographical Society in recognition for his work on Isabella Bird and his photo exhibitions. Has published complete annotated translations of Bird’s chronicles of her travels in Japan and several book-length studies of Bird and her life and times. https://www.nippon.c...Japan-topics/g00829/ This is essentially a review of Prof. Kiyonori’s book and a brief description of Isabella Bird and her travels in Japan, especially Hokkaido: https://www.Japan.go...h_isabella_bird.html This link explores the detail of Isabella Bird’s extensive world travels . It is a good portrait of the Lady: https://allthatsinte...ng.com/isabella-bird This is a 2015 brief introduction to Isabella Bird’s original (?) 1880 2-volume Unbeaten Tracks in Japan. It is a lead-in to a research article Victorian Literature and Culture , Volume 43 , Issue 2: EDITORS' TOPIC: The Nineteenth-Century Pacific Rim , June 2015 , pp. 371 – 388: https://www.cambridg...f%20Hokkaido%20(270). BaZZa.

A toad, even a handsome one, is not a frog no matter how much thinking might make it so. Adam in Poland, this sword needs to be seen by the NBTHK in Tokyo, nobody else, anywhere else. Myself and others on this Board have papered Hizen Tadayoshi school blades - shodai, nidai,sandai, godai, etc. I have a possible Mutsu wakizashi, a stout blade with a 'presence', but it needs a polish AND a Shinsa before I can say anything else about it. Until you have an NBTHK paper the maker of your sword is an open question and the 'rank' of the presenting collector has nothing at all to do with this process. As Paul said, accept your sword as a nice work and continue study. Line up some Tadayoshi in UK collections and go to England to study them. Best of an essential ingredient in collecting - luck plus study... BaZZa. (Melbourne, Australia)

Well, on the note of serious study, goose-making time coming up for me!! Brickbats welcome, bouquets more so. I may be wrong in 'precise' details and stand correction, but the message intent should be clear. A note on precision in measurement. A length specified as 60cm in metrology (the scientific study of measurement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrology) is understood to have a precision of 1cm, i.e., 59.5cm to 60.5cm. In other words, the 'uncertainty interval' is +/-0.5cm. Similarly, a measurement written as 60.6cm is understood to have a precision of 0.1cm, i.e., 60.55cm to 60.65cm. In other words, the uncertainty interval is +/-0.05cm. So, if one is relying on a description of a katana length as 60cm one had darned well better go and carefully measure it himself, or ask for a measurement to be made to the nearest 0.1cm (or 0.10cm to be more precise!!) Let the conversation continue... BaZZa.