Bazza

Dear All, Reported in my daily newspaper yesterday. The Board has occasions when such a mark is sorely needed: -------------------------------------------------------- Seriously top marks for sarcasm THE internet is said to be dumbing down the language, but at least it is trying to make up for that with plenty of sarcasm. So much, in fact, that a Michigan software company is now trying to make some money by adding a new form of online punctuation – the sarcasm mark. Sarcasm Inc said the Sarcmark, which looks like an open circle with a dot in the centre, is now available to be used by any computer and even on BlackBerry devices if you are prepared to pay to download it. “Statements have the period. Questions have the question mark. Exclamations have the exclamation mark. When you see the newest punctuation mark for sarcasm, you'll know the writer of that sentence doesn't literally mean what they're writing - they're being sarcastic,” the company claimed, without using a sarcmark. Not sure if this is serious or not, but – just in case – they are even selling sarcmark jackets for the real enthusiast. -------------------------------------------------------- Regards, BaZZa.

Giving credit where it's due, I got the site info from Board Member Stephan Hiller. Regards, BaZZa.

Craig, A very interesting find as I've never been to the Maritime Museum. I've just received two 90 megabyte downloads in zipped format from http://drop.io/. I wasn't aware of this website, but the offer is "Optionally upload files (100 MB free per drop, upgrade for more) ". You could put all the images there and give us a link. BTW, your tsuba5 is signed GOTO someone - I opine gimei as the kanji is sloppy... Best regards, BaZZa.

Stephan, Are there any rumblings at all in Germany about "banning samurai swords"???? My home State of Victoria here in Australia has done so, and England has done so. Anywhere else??? Of course, here now machetes and knives are the go, nary a "samurai" sword to be seen in the news. Nice to see swords written up in German in a good light. Barry Thomas.

Gentle Folk, I would like to get a very good photo of a 1944 Pattern tsuka, the one that has the 2 screws. Both sides preferred, but the screw-head side is the obvious one. Please send direct to me at warlord@iinet.net.au Many thanks for reading. Barry Thomas

I have seen SANJU on a BIG, BIG Tanegashima - a KAKAEZUTSU - and somewhere have an oshigata of it. I should find it in a few weeks when I move all my "shtuff" from semi-storage into my new study (25yo son is leaving home - YAY...). Regards, Barry Thomas.

Well, Gentle Folk, I have three Kunitomo matchlock guns of the short, heavy barrelled type with internal locksprings. One has both the gun barrel and stock signed (different makers of course) with all parts numbered 21. The lock has a maker's kokuin inside. Another one has a silver dragon the length of the barrel top. I've also got some hard-to-get literature on Tanegashima (meaning I accidentally stumbled upon an old article in an obscure English journal). I've been "gunner" photograph these for a couple of years now and write them up, so if the moderators are happy to accept a Tanegashima thread I'll get to work on them. It will take me some time as other needs and projects are ahead of them, but I'll get there... Regards, Barry Thomas.

It is time for me to personally thank Moriyama san for his presence on our Board. Of course I knew that the three strokes also meant MI (as in mitokoromono), but couldn't see where it fitted. You grace us struggling gaijin (speaking for myself) Dear Moriyama san with your knowledge and the unstinting willingness to share it. So saying, I hope we give back to you in some measure the warmth and comradeship I personally feel from you "being here". Best regards, Barry Thomas (Melbourne, Australia)

I'm a bit in Henry Wilson's camp here, now some pages back - and as Pete Klein eloquently put it "my brain hurts". It is a long time since I left university and all that wonderful reading that underpins the stimulating discussion between Ford and Steve. However, in the essence of simplicity Franco earlier hit the nail on the head. In matters Nihonto, Japan is the homeland of our beloved art and the arbiter of "what's what" in collecting and recognition of art vs function etc etc. Even in Japan "fashion" at times dictates what is "more collectible" - for example, suguha vs choji midare... And I believe the revisionists are hard at work modifying the kantei of earlier sensei. Such is the nature of art!!! I can't pretend that I easily follow the Ford vs Steve discussion/arguments, but I can say I have enjoyed them immensely and will read and re-read them until I better understand the points. Rattling around in my noggin is a memory that far, far more tsuba were made than there were ever swords to put them on. I have seen tsuba that have never been mounted in a koshirae, and a fabulous Ishiguro fuchigashira that have never adorned a tsuka. It is clear that large numbers of tosogu were made as gifts and never intended to be "used". Are these then "not tsuba" or "not fuchigashira" because they were never mounted on a sword and given as gifts wrapped in silk??? I hope the PM exchanges between Ford and Steve conclude in an entente cordiale and are published here to give us a plenary session of sorts to bring this most interesting and compelling thread to a fruitful conclusion. Regards, BaZZa.

A starter off the top of my head without going to the books: SEKI SHU(? unusual) MINAMOTO(?) MASA HIDE SAKU BaZZa.

The daisho tsuba I mentioned earlier where the dai tsuba had a sword cut was of iron, and yes the cut was more of a "nick" than the heavy cut in the tsuba Pete showed us. Pete - a question. The colour looks as if the tsuba is yamagane rather than shakudo - is this right?? Regards, BaZZa.

Do we not already have one in Dr Gordon Robson??? Barry Thomas

David, In my very limited experience Customs will want to see proof that a blade being returned from restoration was originally sent from (in our case) Australia. Years ago when sending a blade out I would take it to a Notary (a Justice of the Peace or someone sworn to take affidavits or statutory declarations) with an oshigata of the blade and after showing thwm the sword and explaining "the deal" have them stamp the oshigata with their seal attesting to the fact that they had sighted it. Any false declarations along these lines has the potential to get anyone in very deep caca with Customs. When it comes to treasured blades honesty is definitely the best policy. Jean - you are certainly right, but here in Australia at least it is possible (or perhaps was) to just put a blade in the post and send it off. When it is returned by post from Japan is where the caca could hit from Customs if one did not have proof that it was originally sent out of Australia. If sending by a freight agent your question certainly applies - but OH MY - the costs can be horrendous. Recently (two or three years back) the charges alone to get a returning blade through the freight agent and Customs was about AUD$800. As others have said, shipping swords anywhere can be a nightmare unless one does one's homework and gets it right. Regards, BaZZa

WELL!! I can't imagine what I could have contributed to the discussion thus far, but there are a few things that haven't been touched on. I'll get to those later in another post, but here I've chipped in to talk about battle damage to tsuba. I once had a daisho that had clear clash marks on the blades. Somewhere I have a hand-drawn rendering of the marks. On the dai tsuba was a clear cut from a sword. Taken in conjunction with the clash scars on both blades there was no doubt in my mind that it was a sword cut. After the daisho passed from my hands I saw the tsuba quite some time later and was shocked to find that the new owner had peened the cut closed. I dunno why he did this because it was still evident "something" had happened at that spot. So, Ford, here is a singular example for you. As the koshirae was clearly late Edo I feel the clash marks happened in that very turbulent time known as Bakumatsu, possibly even in the years before the Haito Rei in 1876. Notice I haven't used the expression "battle scars". As the blades were in fairly decorative "civilian" koshirae the clash more likely occurred in a street or domestic environment rather than a battlefield. Also, the fact that the blades had not been re-polished suggested the damage occurred at a time close to the end of the samurai as a class. Further on the Great Discussion of the tsuba as a hand guard, recently I viewed (on the web) an image of an ukiyoe of a battle scene. The writer commented that it was very unusual because the artist had depicted the "little bits" on the ground - the fingers and hands that get cut off during battle. Whither tsuba as a hand protector??? Not apparently of much use if a cut comes from left-field (or right-field!) and takes a swordsman's hand off at the wrist!!! So it would seem that the random occurrences of cutting in the hurly-burly of battle makes the discussion of the tsuba as protecting the hand (or not) something of an exercise in over-intellectualisation??? Regards, Barry Thomas.

Deborah, I've sent you a PM (Personal Message), but if that is difficult for you to access at this stage send the pics directly to me at my "working" email address: warlord@iinet.net.au I'm in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. I'm guessing you are also in Australia by your mention of Timor on a tag and Yamada Kenzan, a polisher of sorts who visited Australia a good many years ago. Best regards, Barry Thomas.

Darn nice looking nakago and mei. I hope the blade is commensurate in condition. Barry Thomas aka BaZZa.

I think the hi has been put in with a milling machine. The symmetry and length of the hi end is typical of such a machine process. The lack of knowledge of the person putting the hi in shows with certainty an amateur has been "playing" with the blade. This is not a fatal injury, because if the blade is worth saving an artisan can extend the hi and make it a "proper" hi and a togishi can blend it in with his skill. Regards, Barry Thomas.

I've read all of this, have lots to say, but I'm exhausted already just by taking it all in. It might take me days to put it all together and respond, as it has taken Ford years of experience to be able to write his piece. A Tokubetsu Juyo reflection on the art of Tsuba, to be sure. Instead of spending a luxurious rest of the day cogitating on tsuba and creating a response to Ford's challenge, I now have to go outside and continue beating back the bush (i.e., mowing) that is part of our 2 acres of Heaven here in the mountains outside of Melbourne... I'll be back!! Bestests to all for 2010. BaZZa. Melbourne, Australia.

Arrrr, geeee, I'll just have a stab at it without going to the books - C3, the rhs mei. Barry Thomas.

I'm sure I'm going to state the obvious to many of you, and I apologise for that, but for the others - everyone reading this PLEASE NOTE. Not only does Lee Walker have a good camera, he has also chosen his images with great care (there must have been a dud or two!!), but more importantly he has CROPPED HIS IMAGES to exclude extraneous, non-essential background. Would that all our enquirers were so thoughtful. I'm reminded of the old adage "One picture is worth a thousand words", but only if that picture is carefully composed and prepared. Happy New Year, Barry Thomas.

I LIKE FORD'S SANTA - I'VE PUT OUT MY STOCKING. Hey, how did that get past Admin??????? I hope you got my PM, Santa Stephen... The Bestests of the New Year to all and huge thanks to the NMB Team. Fantastic Forum with many willing hands to give answers and the Moderators holding us on a reasonably even keel... Barry Thomas.

Ford, Thanks very much for your opinion. I'm encouraged to photograph the other two fuchi and the hakogaki for interest. It will take me a few days and I'll put them up on a new thread. Look out for "TWO YASUCHIKA FUCHI & HAKOGAKI" Regards, Barry Thomas.

Dave, Lovely story. Do remove the handle and the "washers" and "collar" in front of the guard and take good high res images of, firstly, the complete tang from tip to just past the notches that define the blade proper, then, secondly, take some similarly good shots of the characters incised into the tang below the chrysanthemum. In this process please do NOT do anything to clean up the tang or the markings. This is VERY important. To me the blade looks like a longish wakizashi of the Shinto era. It may be signed NOBUYOSHI depending on the form of the chrysanthemum. Take care. Regards, Barry Thomas.

Gentle Folk, FWIW here is fuchi I have with a single kakihan for a mei. The other two that came with it in the same box (no kashira) have YASUCHIKA as a mei. Dr Torigoye's hakogaki on the box gives the opinion that these three fuchi are by YASUCHIKA I. This opinion has yet to be tested at a modern Shinsa. The 'qun' at the end of the filename means 'question mark'. This is the only kakihan mei I can recall seeing in my collecting career. Regards, Barry Thomas.

Well, Hiroki san, if you don't know the answer what in the hell are you doing monkeying with the sword in the first place????? When I saw my first sword professionally polished I instantly knew there was no point at all "playing" with myself... Barry Thomas.