watsonmil

I think tomorrow, too tired tonight, I will put up my Tsuba Collection, and possibly a Sword. I thank those who have already made a purchase ( from my so far unlisted items ). If there is something in Japanese Art or Weapons ( all antique ) that you collect just email me : 766watson@gmail.com I probably have at least one item of interest as I have been collecting for over 40 years and bought ONLY the best that I could / could not afford. so there are well over 100 individual items in my collection. ... Ron Watson

Gentlemen, Some of the " old timers " on this forum will remember me. My Name is Ron Watson. I am 74 now and since my son & grandson have no real interest nor money, I wish my modest collection of Japanese Art Works to go to those who have a serious interest in preserving and studying the ARTS of the SAMURAI. I will start off slowly with three items and we'll see how things progress. I will try and add a items a week . At that rate I should finish in about a year. My entire collection is available and I do NOT plan on hanging on to but an item or two which I have promised as a keepsake to my son & grandson. I did many articles for the NMB and I believe that most of these are Archived, ... so if you scan thru the articles and see an item I have not yet listed, an email to : 766watson@gmail.com will get a reply. All sales will be FINAL and payment by International Money Order or Wire Transfer to my bank. I must warn you however that given the WORLD"S confusion and being totally frustrated with SHIPPING RULES, ... I will only ship within the rules of CANADA to International Buyers. I will not use CANADA POST as our Post Office is no longer reliable for anything which will cut and / or possibly fire a projectile ( even if ANTIQUE ). For all other items I can use CANADA POST but will have to quote individual shipping costs for both Canadian and International BUYERS. I believe Air Canada Cargo will handle or possibly Fedex but I am not sure of Fedex. Anyway Buyer is responsible for shipping and shipping costs. The First Item : Katana Sword in newly custom made Saya with period Fittings ( Fuchi, Kashira and Menuki ) and Waterwheel Tsuba of nice iron. The Fuchi Kashira with gold and silver on a Shakado base ( unsigned ) Tsuka is new and wrapped with good quality same and silk. Katana is signed : Yamashiro ( no ) Kuni Heianjo Ju ( Nobuyoshi ) Nagasa : 71.9 cm Sword Shape : Hon Zukuri Jihada : Ko Mokume Hamon : Choji Midaire Era : Late Muromachi ( 1490 - 1510 AD ) Period : Sue Koto Boshi : Kaeri-Fukashi, with Mune-Yaki extending back over the mune for about 14cm. Sunagashi is prevelent, as is occassional line of Kinsuji The Shinogi-ji has patches of hitasura spaced evenly along its entire length. APPRAISED and papered by Kotoken Kajihara in 1984 Photographs may be seen by referring to an Article I did for the NMB by typing in the search box " A Favorite Sword Ron Watson " This article is archived by NMB and was done in 2010. For additional photographs please email me. PRICE $ 10,000.00 US FIRM

Dear Guys, There is no point in beating a dead horse. The Post Office, DHL, UPS, PUROLATOR, TNT, ... have all stated they are not interested in shipping firearms and at least some ... NO WEAPONS period. They made it abundantly clear this includes PARTS of Firearms. If I were in France, ... I am pretty sure I could have arranged shipping, ... but I am not in France and there is only so much one can ask of a friend. After Purolator telling me they would ship, ... they came back to me with the ridiculous figure of $ 2438.30 US ... knowing full well that anyone with half a brain would decline. As I previously stated, ... I could have flown over myself and brought it back as Cargo Luggage ... BUT... it would have to be locked in a hard gun case. Most outfitters I know in Canada and the USA tell their clients NOT TO BRING YOUR OWN FIREARMS as a gun case is an invitation saying : STEAL ME ... instead we will supply you with hunting rifle and ammunition. I appreciate your suggestions, ... but enough already. I worked on arranging shipping for a full bloody month to no avail and even had free lance shipping agents working on the problem. Weapons whether Antique or modern are rapidly getting to be a NO GO in spite of the LAWS of the two nations involved. The PO's, Courier Companies make their own rules ... and you Sword Collectors had bloody soon see the writing on the wall. I at one time operated one of the World's finest Antique Weapons/Militaria/Fine Art/General Antiques businesses in the world. I never got rich, I did it for the love of history and to preserve what little is left. Shipping was one of the major reasons I shut down. I also had one of the best collections of SOE/OSS/WWII Resistance artifacts supplying International collectors, Governments, Museums with the very rarest of artifacts from Enigma Machines to the most deadly of Assassination Devices thought up by man. I SAW the writing on the wall post 9/11 and thankfully cleaned house. With today's restrictions I would have been stuck with thousands of dollars in inventory not to mention my personal collection which luckily for me I also disposed of. Take Ivory as another example ... and see what the bloody Obama government has done, .... all in the stroke of a pen and be smug and sit back thinking oh well it wouldn't happen here. Well my friends try shipping a piece of Antique Ivory and see the hoops you must jump thru no matter where you live outside of an Asian country of course ( the biggest importers of poached ivory ). If anything destroys the collecting of NIHONTO it will be shipping issues, government restrictions and the general populations obsessiveness with Political Correctness and peoples apathy in view of the so called Nanny State doing all your thinking for you. I am truly sorry for painting such a bleak picture, ... but prove I am wrong ... PLEASE. ... Ron Watson

Dear All, As both Jean and Ian pointed out this is a Carbine ( Bajou - Zutsu ). Thank you for pointing out this oversight in my writing of the article. ... Ron Watson

CONTINUATION OF PILL LOCK PHOTOGRAPHS

I would like to describe a very rare and interesting Japanese Teppo of the late Edo Period. But first a little background information should be disseminated. Gun makers the world over had been interested in developing an ignition system to replace the Flint Lock mechanism. Napoleon had ordered French scientists, engineers, inventors to devise a more reliable ignition system than the Flint Lock. By 1800 several compounds had been discovered that were capable of detonation when struck by a sharp blow. A French scientist Claude-Louis Berthollet had been experimenting with such compounds with the intent of not ignition but of replacing black powder as a gunpowder. He abandoned his research when he found that the compounds were too explosive and forceful to act as a propellant. A Scottish Clergyman and amateur chemist by the name of Alexander John Forsyth was also experimenting with these compounds as early as 1793. His idea was not to find a substitute for black powder but rather a better ignition system to detonate the black powder charge contained in the barrel of his gun. You see he was an avid waterfowl hunter and often found on rainy days his flintlock shotgun was prone to misfires. It was to him that credit is given for the use of a compound and the development of his scent bottle dispersal of the percussion sensitive compound ( Fulminate of Mercury ) is to be credited. His system although effective was so delicate that few firearms were built on his invention. He patented his invention in 1807. It probably falls to a British Gun Maker by the name Joseph Manton ... who actually formed the explosive compound into a tiny pill. Thus with a single pill sitting in a tiny recess in the pan ... finally an easily workable SIMPLE system of ignition was developed to replace the flintlock. Far from being perfect this pill was so tiny as to be easily dropped and again the system was only in favour a very short time before the invention ( supposedly by several inventors ) was developed but credit is generally ( although erroneously ) given to an American Joshua Shaw who patented it in 1822, ... that being the percussion cap. Although of little significance to this article it has pretty much now been proven to be the invention of a French gentleman Monsieur Prelat in his patent of 1818. A small cup shaped piece of copper closed at one end that not only contained the ignition compound but could be fitted over a nipple with a vent leading to the main barrel charge. It was not until the 1850's that the percussion cap was integrated into a metallic cartridge containing all in one unit, .... the ignition, the powder charge and bullet. By the late 1860's the metallic cartridge had made the percussion system obsolete and for the most part the metallic cartridge is to this day the most common form of ammunition. Now on to the specimen pictured. Although very little is known of the development of percussion detonating compounds in Japan. It is known that one Sakuma Shozan a chemist and physician in Matsushiro Fief in Nagano Prefecture was experimenting with detonating compounds in the early 19th century. It is almost certain that he would have learned of the experiments being carried out in Europe via " Learned Books " being imported into Japan. It seems to follow that a certain gunsmith by the name of Katai Kyosuke Naotetsu from Shinshu may have been converting a few existing matchlocks to the PILL system of ignition by inserting a solid striking pin into the mouth of the matchlock serpentine. This being around Bunsei 10 ( 1827 ). This may be true as he is credited with upgrading the pill lock by the addition of a sliding pill box In Tempo era ( 1830 - 1844 ) as seen on the gun presented here as well as those found on page 171 of Tairwa Sawata's book on early Japanese Firearms. I do not know if Katai Kyosuke Naotetsu was the builder of this firearm pictured or if he is solely responsible for ALL of those pictured in Taira Sawata's book, ... but I believe ALL were created in the same workshop. I base this conclusion on the unique similarities. Note the style of sliding pill dispenser ( little or no variation ). The stock shape of each, ... the assisted lever for cocking the serpentine, ... the serpentine shape, ... the iron ramrod of peculiar style ( fitted with a hinge arrangement for withdrawing and inserting in the barrel and then fitting the handle into the muzzle when not in use ), ... the exiting of the ramrod from the stock part way down the stock. Trigger's and trigger guards pretty much identical. With the exception of the hinged ramrod ( a rarity on any matchlock but are found ) and of course trigger and trigger guard, ... I know of no other similar examples in Japanese firearms. This particular example weighs in at 3.5 kg. It is 95 cm in length. The caliber is 1.55 cm therefore 6 monme. The only missing piece that I have noticed is a small round iron cover for the firing pin arm spring. This could easily be made up and replaced with a little caution as to the thread size of the screw which would have held it secure. I will continue this article in the next post with photographs of the features found on this rare Teppo. As always any errors or omissions are mine alone. NOTE: Sadly since beginning this article, ... I was forced to sell the example I had purchased in France without ever having my hands on it. It is a long, frustrating story but the Pill Lock Teppo will NOT be coming to Canada. Please see my explanation here : Dear All, It is a long, frustrating story but the Pill Lock Teppo will NOT be coming to Canada. French Post Office will not ship, UPS will not ship, FedEx will not ship, DHL will not ship. Only Purolator Courier were willing to ship. The parcel weighed less than 7 kg. I believe in actuality, it weighs 5.3 kg. All French Customs and Canadian Customs cleared. I thought finally ... Then Purolator Courier phoned to get my approval .... Freight charge to ship to Canada .... $ 2428.30 US dollars. Purolator said they would only ship to a Customs Broker in Canada, ... so I would also have to pay Brokerage fees. Just having it shipped to Canada was going to cost me far more than I paid for the gun. I was then making arrangements to fly over myself and pick it up, ... bringing it back as personal CARGO luggage. This was fine, ... but another $ 615.00 ( economy fare return ) it is an off season right after the New Year so I was able to get a reasonably priced air fare ... and this is not including incidental travel , and other expenses. There is also the worry about THEFT in Airport Cargo both in France and Canada as Air Canada said it would have to go in a locked gun case ( talk about an invitation to theft ). Since I could only afford to be away 3 days ... with counting time in Airport check in, actual time in flight it added up to 40 hours out of 48 hours given the time difference between France and Canada. My health is not up to that ( I doubt a much younger person's is ). Fortunate ( in a sad way ) for me, ... a friend in France bought the gun from me at my cost. This issue of shipping has become nothing but a nightmare. PS. The National Sales Manager for Purolator Courier ( based in New York ) was to call me .... I guess she never had the guts. ... Ron Watson This post has been promoted to an article

Dear All, Here is a link to a recent thread now missing on : " THE NEW FORUM " http://www.militaria.co.za/board/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=20989 I can only hope that the above will act as a venue for continuing the discussion should interest warrant it. ... Ron Watson

Dear Jason, The Japanese are in many ways still a closed society. In many countries Spanish is spoken, in many countries French is spoken, in many counties English is spoken, ... but ONLY in Japan is Japanese spoken. The average Japanese may have some English language training but rarely use it. Many members of our NMB speak English as a second language. When I was in France, although I tried to converse in French, ... I often found myself being told ... " I do speak English "... or ... " Je regrette, mais votre français est terrible, peut-être si nous conversons en Anglais " I often felt terrible that most people under 40 years of age could speak very passable English yet I whose country is Canada have two official languages English and French and yet I could not converse properly yet I read French text fairly well. Virtually all sellers on JAUCE are Japanese and only conversant in Japanese so contacting the foreign buyer is virtually impossible. English being the International language of business seems to mean nothing to the average Japanese business man let alone the ordinary Japanese working man selling off a few flea market items for an extra Yen. ... Ron Watson

Dear Jason, Here you go .... http://www.jauce.com/category-leaf/2084 ... age=1&n=20 Actually this is a better link : http://www.jauce.com/ Over on the right hand side is an orange area that says Register. I have only bought a couple of items but had no trouble. Beware though that by the time they are finished handing your item over to ship, you will be paying around 30 - 40 % more for their handling fees, etc. ... Ron Watson

Dear All, There are at present two supposed Teppo ( matchlock ) netsuke listed on eBay. One is started at $ 850.00, the other at $ 950.00 .... both are listed as being in Japan. Interesting enough on Jauce ( a Japanese auction ) ... the exact same two are listed at 28000 Yen ( $ 235.00 US ) , the other at 32000 Yen ( $ 265.00 US ). BEWARE. ... Ron Watson

Dear Dan C. From what I've seen the TOSA School were primarily the users of this type of trigger guard. Perhaps Piers knows of other schools ? In this field of study one should never say " only ". However it is usually seen on only large bore guns where recoil would catch your middle finger on the trigger on the backward motion of the recoil and at the least probably bruise the finger. There is usually a reason for everything, ... but not always ! ... Ron Watson

Dear All, Well, ... I think this ole boy has just about had it. Since I last posted regarding UPS shipping of an ANTIQUE FIREARM out of France to Canada, ... I have been engaged with trying to arrange shipping. Jean our moderator ( in France ) has been of great help to me and I thank him profusely. There are no laws as far as I can tell that would be broken, ... but tell that to an f...ing bureaucrat or shipping courier. I will be seeing my Grandson over the next few days, ... and I think I shall at the very least advise him against taking over the collection. This shipping issue that MOST are having is just the tip of the iceberg. Governments will not be happy until they have completely destroyed our hobby and related hobbies ie. " Antique Weapons ". Yes we can write letters, .... but the day of dealing with government and/or bureaucrats has pretty much come to an end. They are now so isolated from US/WE that the days are rapidly coming to an end where you can sit down and use reason. The majority of people do not give a tinkers damn and it is the majority that governments are formed from, ... not rational thinking nor an even handed approach to everyone. Perhaps I will regret posting this " rant " as I'm not exactly promoting our cause, .... but never the less it is the truth as I see it. ... Ron Watson

Dear Dan C. I assume you are referring to the brass plate behind the trigger. If so this is a sort of trigger stop. They are occasionally found on larger caliber Japanese matchlocks. ... Ron Watson

Dear Brian, I am FAR from being an expert on Menuki or Kodogu of any kind for that matter, ... but I know QUALITY when I see it. You are one very lucky man to have acquired the item pictured. If it's not too much to ask, ... when you have time post a complete photograph of the Koshira. Amazing workmanship ! ... Ron Watson

Dear All, I believe UPS still allow swords to be shipped ( not sure about out of Japan ). Having said that UPS INTERNATIONAL shipping is not only expensive, but service is horrible. I currently have a very rare firearm being shipped out of France to Canada. Although I SPECIFICALLY asked the Auction House to ship : "colissimo international" (= EMS) of "la poste", the french state postal service, with insurance ... they instead shipped UPS. Now tracking the parcel tells me it is in Winnipeg, Canada awaiting Customs release. They also told me that since they were given a PO Box instead of a Physical Street address they would have to make at least one failed delivery attempt ( even though I was at that moment talking to their Customer Service Dept. ) and gave them my PHYSICAL STREET ADDRESS. No, ... " Sir " the rules state we must make one attempt at delivery before contacting you before changing the address listed on the package. I asked do you deliver to a POST OFFICE, ... answer " NO " .... then why would you make a delivery attempt ? " It's the rules .. Sir ". Ok, ... I said how be I drive the 100 miles to Winnipeg and pick the parcel up in person. " Yes ... that would be fine, but we have to make a failed delivery attempt first ". ! I said well the tracking says my parcel is in Winnipeg .... according to the young man I spoke to YESTERDAY whom I could barely understand. No Sir, ... your paperwork is in Winnipeg, ... but your parcel has not yet arrived. I then said, ... " let me speak to your supervisor ", ... and I can hear a foreign language being spoken. It turns out the UPS Customer Service Office is located in the bloody Philippines ! After waiting 30 minutes to speak to a supervisor the young man advised me that he was still busy ... did I want to hold ? I told him to run over and tell his supervisor to get off the bloody receptionist and make a little time for me. After waiting another 15 minutes on hold, I told him once the supervisor is finished with the receptionist to have him call me. I'm still waiting, .... he must have more " Staying Power " than a Porno Stud ! I will NEVER ship nor allow anyone shipping to me to use UPS again. Speaking " NICE " to idiots like Customer Service Reps or Politicians or Bureaucrats is a waste of time ALEX. I've ALWAYS found going for their throat solves many problems as they do not expect this, ... and you have suddenly turned the " authoritative attitude " to one of ... " Jesus maybe I should listen to reason and use common sense " Unless you speak up LOUD and CLEAR ... no one will take you seriously. Write your letters but ... make it clear you are pissed off and not some woosie nice guy ! Nice soft words are for diplomacy, ... Diplomacy I believe is governed by those carrying the bigger stick or who possess the guts to go above dealing with stupidity and say so in no uncertain terms. No guarantee you will win, but at least you will feel just a little taller for having stood up for yourself ( although my batting average is pretty damn good if I must say ). ... Ron Watson

Dear Ted, You can have mine ( son ) but not my grandson though ! ... Ron Watson

Dear All, Can any one identify this particular Mon ? ... Ron Watson

Dear All, I am very fortunate in that the Insurance Company I use, ... I've used the same company all my life. They agreed to insure my collection as part of my household contents. All they asked was for an itemized listing of all items and the values I put on them. I have All Peril Insurance so am covered for Fire, Theft, Water Damage, etc. The company sent over a representative to see how they were stored ( on display ). He said in over 40 years you've never had a claim and although technically we could ask you to take out a Fine Arts Floater but we will in consideration of your patronage overlook this. As he pointed out ... if your home burns ... it matters little if its furniture or swords and we still get extra premium because of the increase in household contents value. Then he went on to say as far as theft goes, ... anyone stealing this stuff would be a fool as they would be caught too easily. The trouble with most Insurance Companies are they are like the rest of big Corporations and Governments .... they are ALL greedy to take advantage of the consumer. I am one of the VERY LUCKY few and NO, ... I will out of mutual respect not divulge the name of the Insurance Company outside of saying they are honest and fair and understanding. Really at the cost of a Fine Arts Floater, ... most people would be better off with a good SAFE and a handy revolver ( or if a UK resident a Safe and pre-paid Funeral Arrangements ). ... Ron Watson

Now for some questionable and/or outright fake TEPPO NETSUKE : PHOTOGRAPH number 1 is questionable as to being genuine. If genuine it is of the Meiji era and probably made for the Tourist or Export market. Note the ring is correctly placed, ... but the barrel is not only CAST but the deep pitting and rust ( patina ) is extreme ... leading me to have suspicions. I would have to remove the barrel to see if this is as badly corroded before I would consider it genuine. This next netsuke ( PICTURE NUMBERED 2 ) due to the sizing of the photograph does not look quite the same as the netsuke in PHOTOGRAPH # 1, but it is practically identical when not squashed by my shrinking the size of the original photograph. Probably from the same workshop as the previous example, .... certainly no earlier than Meiji and to my eyes questionable until dismantled to examine the underside of the barrel and if as rusty ... then little doubt but a TOURIST piece meant for export and in my eyes not a true Netsuke. This next netsuke ( PICTURE NUMBERED 3 ) NOTE : The HIMOSHI ( cord ring in this case ) is too far back to have balanced the weight of the Powder Flask ( Sagemono ) in this example, which makes the Netsuke Teppo subject to question. The Japanese Netsuke makers were very careful about how placement of the cord hanging attachment, and this is just wrong. Also, ... the flask has been erroneously drilled ( cord attachment hole ) in wrong place for a powder flask ( the powder is going to leak out and NO the owner stated there is no tube to stop this from happening ). Done no doubt to make a more saleable ensemble. A very suspicious set. I could go on and on with pictures of questionable netsuke and outright fakes, ... but I think this should be enough to give you an idea. By the way many NETSUKE COLLECTORS would because they want to believe that anything supporting a Sagemono is genuine so long as it does the job and isn't made of resin is still a netsuke would almost certainly call these Netsuke .... SADLY. Thank God, ... Nihonto and Teppo and Kodogu collectors are not quite so naïve. Now just having an email from Piers, ... I should state that NOT ALL genuine TEPPO NETSUKE are working models. There are many that are of varying qualities. One must judge the workmanship, wear, wear-ability as well before making too rash of a judgement. Thank you Piers for bring my attention to this oversight when doing this article. I have deliberately left out any number of examples which can be found on eBay as although a genuine example shows up ... it would be rare. What you will normally see on eBay are out and outright FAKES made to deceive. The opinions written are those of myself and perhaps somewhat biased ... but honest in my opinion. ... Ron Watson

PREVIOUS ARTICLE CONTINUED:

Recently a thread was started by a new member yoroi-doshi pointing out a Teppo Netsuke that he had acquired. This particular netsuke had as I later found out had been on a Japanese Auction site I believe the auction site is called Ameba ... here is a link : http://ameblo.jp/jrp2ae2xx3/entry-11938831336.html. It was subsequently listed on eBay. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Netsuke, ... they were a type of toggle usually with two holes called himotoshi ( although a simple ring was sometimes employed attached to the Netsuke ) for the attachment of a cord from which you hung an Inro ( medicine container ), or writing paraphernalia such as an ink brush container and ink ( Yatate ). or a tobacco pouch and pipe (Tabako Ire and Kiseru ). The Toggle was slipped under the belt ( Obi ) of the traditional Kimono and allowed to hang over the top, thus securing the above various items called ( Sagemono ... literally hanging things ) to be carried about without loss. During the mid to late Edo period and on into the Meiji Period it became the fashion to wear a Netsuke and they became in reality Status Symbols among the Merchant Class. Samurai never really took up the wearing of Sagemono. The subject matter and materials used run of the gamut of most any subject and material. Fine examples today often run into thousands of dollars for these minute accessories. Many are considered fine art. Among the rarest of Netsuke are the Teppo Netsuke fashioned to look like miniature Matchlock Pistols. Along with all other types of Netsuke, copies or Fakes abound particularly those found on eBay ... Fake Teppo Netsuke abound. I would guess that 99.5 % of the Teppo Netsuke seen today are Fakes. Occasionally a genuine example will show up at one of the major auction houses and invariably bring a good price. Virtually all of these are however still what I call " tourist " netsuke made during the Meiji Period and exported to Europe as trinkets and never actually worn by the Japanese as true Netsuke. In the example I am about to describe, ... not only is it a Genuine example but I am reasonably sure in stating that it was not only worn but made during the Late Edo Period which makes it VERY rare As we go thru the photos which the new owner has graciously consented to use for educational purposes, ... I will endeavour to point out the attributes that the example shows vis a vis a copy or Fake. Ok, .... lets get at it. In the first photograph we see a side view of the Teppo Netsuke. Note the nice even patina on the steel. No artificial rust here. Also note the care that has gone into the detail, ... the nicely formed serpentine, even the cross groves to imitate the iron hammers of for instance the Kunitomo among other schools. Also note the small hole thru the serpentine head to accept a bamboo sliver to keep the match in place as found on many full size Teppo but rarely if ever on a fake. The correct amaooi ( barrel protector in brass ), the sear protector ( Ibo-kakushi ), the washer around the barrel retaining pin ( zagane ). Some or most of these features are not found on a FAKE. Also note the ring below the barrel to attach a cord. This although present on many fakes are often in the wrong place. This one is substantial and correctly placed. In the next photograph the pan is open revealing a vent ( himichi ), ... just like a full size teppo. In addition the owner tells me that this vent opens directly into the barrel ( something you NEVER see on a fake ). In the next photograph, the barrel has been removed and we can plainly see the proper and accurate inletting in the stock as well as the bamboo barrel retaining pin ( mekugi ). NOTE: I just had an email from the owner stating in this case the mekugi is made of brass rather than bamboo. My error as they are normally made of bamboo but on occasion brass. In the next photograph we can see the breach plug ( bisen ) ... and although round ( sometimes also encountered on full size teppo ) even though most are square. The maker has also placed a slot for the removal ( by unscrewing ) the bisen for ease of cleaning. In the next photograph, we see that the maker has signed his work .... Sadakatsu . A signature on a fake is almost unheard of. Also notice the strength of the signature chisling. This is the cutting of a confident hand. Finally a photograph giving some scale to this wonderful Teppo Netsuke. This Teppo Netsuke is owned by one of our newest members Mr. Arthur Greenberg ( yoroi-doshi ). I sincerely congratulate him on his find and for kindly giving me permission to do this article. I truly hope he continues to follow the NMB and bring his expertise to our attention. I will follow this article up immediately with some examples of questionable and outright fakes. As always any errors or omissions are mine alone. ... Ron Watson

Dear All, This is an area of collecting that is causing no end of headaches and in the future may well put a stop to collecting anything other than " Barbie Dolls ". It was a MAJOR concern when I operated my Antique business and just one more hassle which led to my closing down my business. There are no end to items what you can ship and what you cannot ship depending on the country of export and country of import ( CUSTOMS ), .... plus the carriers whether they be Mail service or Courier. Among the worst in my experience has been : the UK, Italy, Australia, Japan, China and believe it or not the USA. For instance shipping a deactivated Maxim Machine Gun to Europe is fine so long as the aircraft does not land in the USA on the way over. In which case the US government will seize the shipment on the grounds it does not meet US deactivation standards which are brutal ( I guess the USA think they control everything ). The easiest countries I've dealt with are: Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and believe it or not RUSSIA ! ... Ron Watson

Dear Piers, Very interesting, .... but I would humbly suggest the item as a whole would be too small to act as a netsuke ... hung on a charm bracelet or a necklace perhaps. ... Ron Watson

Dear Arthur ( yoroi-doshi ), I never bothered looking at this netsuke until a few moments ago ... eBay item 400802257434, .... but in my opinion this is one of the very few genuine Teppo Netsuke I have seen in a very long time on eBay. If you purchased this Netsuke, ... then you have in my opinion made a very good buy. I do not think it is Edo period ... unless very late. It may well be Meiji period. In any case very nice to see. .... Ron Watson

Dear Alex, et al : The problem with IVORY is not the antique pieces carved 100 - 1000 years ago. The problem with IVORY is the failure of countries like Japan, China and other Asian countries to curtail the importation of NEW ivory. This sadly is the driving force behind the illegal poaching of Elephants. Most Western countries ( Europe and North America ) have long ago passed laws with respect to the importation of anything but Antique Ivory objects. A few countries ... in reality only the USA have imposed via Fiat ( Presidential Executive Order ) or is in the process of passing laws prohibiting the import / export ( even between states within the union of the USA ) any and all Ivory be it Antique or Modern. This Draconian law has for all intents made criminals out of literally hundreds of thousands of US citizens. I personally know of many Japanese Netsuke collectors whose collections at the stroke of a pen have suddenly become worthless. I personally know of many Antique Firearm collectors and dealers who have stripped the ivory grips off ALL antique firearms that had Ivory grips. This is absolutely ridiculous as even MAMMOTH Ivory is now illegal. Happily for now most European countries and Canada have not introduced such stupid laws. The only way to slow down the inevitable extinction of the Elephant ( over population of man will eventually lead to their extinction but for a few token animals closely guarded in preserves and zoos anyway ) is to put pressure on the ASIAN countries to stop the importation of new ivory by shutting down ALL of the shops currently carving trinkets ( the Chinese ) and modern Netsuke and Letter Seals ( both Japan and China ). I totally agree that Prince William is a Dink, ... and I believe his father Prince Charles has straightened him out according to what I have read. For those who are obsessed with being Politically Correct in not condemning Japan ... read this : http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/ ... JZ20140319 ... Ron Watson