Bazza

Ousaka Shintou??? BaZZa.

Just a 'simples' question - does any know or care to guess at the carbon footprint of chatGBT??? Or the internet??? BaZZa.

Thank you Emilll, it looks a very interesting article. I have saved it in case I ever get to the stage of reading Japanese fluently, but even so, it would indeed be nice to see an English translation... BaZZa.

https://new.uniqueja...o-ganmaku-wakizashi/ BaZZa.

George, The diagonal white streaks are scratches from a coarse stone. The whole thing needs shitaji togi, a foundation polish, to correctly shape the blade. However, I fear the previous 'carers' may have irrevocably caused damage to the blade by using a coarse stone, thereby possibly removing the niku - the convex 'meat' of the ji. I don't wish to naysay, but I doubt anything can be done to 'bring this blade back' despite our best wishes. The first thing to see if a blade is indeed worth the huge effort and cost to save it is to determine in the first instance if it is worth saving. Three filters I use are (1) does the nakago and any inscription suggest it could be a worthy candidate, (2) does the sugata, shape, look 'good'. If so then (3) have a professional polisher put a madoake, a 'window' in the blade. This alone can take at least 4 hours of a togi's work day. There are no short cuts and the efforts of the previous 'carers' have done nothing to help an assessment as to the blade's worthiness. Its a long, winding road to the junk pile... I'll leave others to comment on your first questions, but to try and be more helpful can we please see good pics of the nakago both sides with the habaki off??? BaZZa.

I'm reminded of Hokusai who was recorded as saying at 80 years of age "If I live long enough I might become a good artist". Well, I'm 80 and if I live long enough I might become a good student of Nihonto, recognising that after absorbing 16 years of the Message Board and looking at many swords and having numerous swords polished, I'm not really good at anything!! Kantei is enough to send one to a wailing wall... Keep up the good work Pierre and if you should ever get to Australia be sure to let me know. BaZZa.

QUESTION FOR COLIN: Colin, I believe your gun is numbered?? The inscription of the stock-maker reading KAWASE KITARO MASAWAKA has two kanji at the bottom to the lhs that I think are 拾五, which are the number 15. This being so I would expect to see the same number on the metalwork. My KATSUMASA is numbered on the bisen, barrel and stock. Best regards, BaZZa. EDIT. 'Looking around' my failing memory has just been propped up by discovering I have TWO Tayosuke Katsumasa teppo.

Colin's Teppou metalwork appears to be in far better condition than mine, so lovely to see. It's almost a dead ringer for the Tayosuke Katsumasa I've had for some 30 years. Thanks for the excellent photos and details. Like Brian, if I was in the UK I would jump on it... I'll have to get off my fat hakama and write mine up, though I might have done it here on the Board anytime in the last 15 years. I'll do a search on the Board and see as I'm not getting any younger!!! Congratulations in advance to the lucky person who does get to jump on it!! BaZZa.

I've just tried to send a bottle of nice Aussie Shiraz to a Wineaholic in the USA. The lovely Post Office Lady said to me "And what are you sending airmail to America?" I replied "A lovely bottle of Aussie Shiraz". She simply replied, knocking me off my feet, "Can't send wine to America." I was astonished. ASTONISHED. But a simple google search showed it was true. My next try will be sending said bottle of Shiraz to Japan. Any advice or clues from the cognoscenti?? BaZZa.

So lovely to see our Antipodean Comrade Justin on an arm-in-arm jaunt with Ford and Friends. "hammered" I understand in its manifold guises, having just come from a liberal lunch... BaZZa.

Modern??? BaZZa.

I know him well from many decades - many decades ago. Bendigo is where I last heard he was 'at'. 'at' I know know not what and the emojis don't exist for me to comment further... BaZZa.

Many decades ago I had a polished and papered katana in shirasaya so signed by this smith. It was lovely and I wish I still had it, but such is life that it needed to go to buy a more desired item. Sigh... BaZZa.

Signed BUSHU JU HIROSHIGE. BaZZa.

I'm a newly minted 80 year old, started collecting at 20. I empathise with the member who said he felt under-qualified here... Oh, and it makes me an 'estate-in-waiting'. BaZZa.

OTTOMH, I recall that yodareba means 'cow dribble' hamon??? And also that it was/is a characteristic of Kiyomitsu?? "yodare" means drool: https://www.nihongomaster.com/Japanese/dictionary/word/1210/yodare-涎-よだれ BaZZa.

Looks like lacquer to me... BaZZa.

Decades ago I read somewhere that the Jingal was a Chinese wall gun. This one appears to be percussion. BaZZa.

And if I remember correctly there are NO extant swords bearing a genuine mei of Sadamune. BaZZa.

G'day Tyler, A great 'sensitising' thread is the one by Bob Morrison over a couple years or more showing his collection of over 300 pieces - right here on the Message Board. Comments from Board members are very illuminating. This thread should keep you busy for quite some time and help to 'get your eye in': Best regards, BaZZa. Melbourne, Australia.

> it remains to be seen whether traditional polishing is really worth it. Christophe, maaaaate, yes it is - BUT - it all depends on the blade in the first instance. In the second instance it depends on who does the polishing, a legend in his own lunchtime wannabe or a fully trained in Japan person who has put 5 to 10 years into in-house study with a teacher. Then there is the wait time in the queue and the cost. This is a BIG topic that you need to get your head around. There are no shortcuts, none. As you are in Japan you should have it much easier than anyone in the West. BaZZa.

Piers san, even being aware of the radical issue didn't help me. Maybe I put it abck to front! I'm grateful for the help. Thanks. BaZZa.

Dear Folk, I have tried to translate a kanji in a NTHK origami without success. I have trawled nelson until I'm blue in the face without finding it, which suggests I'm missing something very obvious... Can someone please tell me what the last character reads after the era MEIREIKI?? Here is a photo. Thanks and best regards, Barry Thomas aka BaZZa.

I've known a Brian or twenty in my 80 years of existence... No shame in the name... BaZZa.

YASUCHIKA. The finish is I think ishime. They look good, very good, but above my pay grade to say whether genuine. BaZZa.