Edo Period Corner Part II

[Bugyotsuji]

Jean, thank you for the supplementary thoughts. I discussed these with some friends. Of course you must be right on both counts. Thank you!

[Bugyotsuji]

Wordsworth said something about emotion recollected in tranquillity.

On Saturday I laid out a table of objects, this and that, and with the help of the organizers, gave a talk to an audience of local citizens. Since then I have heard back through the grapevine that it was an acceptable afternoon and that people enjoyed it. I may have put a noose around my own neck though, as the city has now asked me to do a static display for their children's event later this month. Hmmm...

Onko Chishin, 温故知新, learning from the past, to fashion the future? The past can teach you about the future?

[Bugyotsuji]

Every weekend this autumn we have been donning full armour and putting on displays with old smoothbore ‘Tanegashima’ guns. Busy, busy, busy. On Sunday we will be part of the Daimyō Gyōretsu at the old Honjin (inn) Sankin-kōtai stop at Yakage.

 

The constant wear and tear of equipment means the ever-present need for running repairs. Most of these, you have to be ready to do yourself. The medieval battlefield would have been similar but more extreme.
 

I have just finished applying glue to broken tsukamaki strings on the tachi koshirae. A cheaper fix than ordering an identical complete restring! It looks fine, except when it rains and the transparent glue sections turn milky white.

 

Half a day I spent on reattaching loose  iron plates and chain mail on the kote sleeves, and the main frontal cord of the haidate had snapped and needed replacing.

 

Meanwhile, the matchlocks also need constant cleaning and prepping, before and after each display.

 

(PS Yesterday with Igor I bumped into Les and Ray at the sword museum! Small world.)

[raaay]

Hi Piers ,

 

yes it was very nice to bump into you too , pity we did not have more time there ,  Les and I  just got back home today , 

Edited November 7 by raaay

[Bugyotsuji]

Children’s Day Sunday, actually part of the annual Buddhist Kuyosai ritual commemorating the souls of Osafuné swordsmiths. The day started off with speeches, incantations and pinched offerings of incense. Kōzuke Daijo Sukesada’s gravestone is here, behind the dark green bush. I went round later to have a look. “No photos allowed” the sign said.

 

It was the first time I had been invited to do a stall illustrating Bizen guns. I unloaded the car and set up the display at 9:30 am. Imagine my surprise then, when they required my attendance in the special dignitaries’ tent, and to be called in turn by name to go and offer incense and prayers at the altar. I watched closely and tried to memorize the ritualized movements of the Mayor etc., giving an internal moment of thanks for the lives of all those Bizen smiths of yore.

 

Various attractions and events were held during the day for the children, with whole families joining in. Most visitors to my little display were respectful and full of questions, but a couple of the hyper kids were grabbing antiques as if they were playthings, and needed close watching!

 

 

Family sword play

 

My table

 

 

 

 

[Viper6924]

You managed to pull together a nice display for that event. Well done

 

Jan

[Bugyotsuji]

Thanks! Jan and Kat were supposed to be visiting this weekend with their friends Petter and Helena. It was to be my first free weekend in nearly two months, to which I was looking forward, and then suddenly the city had to come and ask me to take part, bang in the middle. Should have refused, maybe.
Still, we managed to hang out and do some fun things together! 
 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

For the kids, I prepared a flint and striker and challenged them to strike sparks, as part of the old way of lighting a fire or matchcord. Naturally there were other examples of tinder, tinder holders, netsuke ashtray, iron strikers, etc.

There were also various instruments for creating noises, which they could try out, a triton (conch), a mokugyo, a shakujo, some hyoshigi clackers, etc.

Many objects bore Mon/Kamon, challenging them to see if they could name some famous Daimyo families.

[John C]

Piers:

Nice display 

In re: your jingasa, I read somewhere the light, flat wide-brimmed jingasa were used by tamegashima ashigaru because it kept the rain off of the match cord. Any truth to that or was it just a light and convenient sun shade for marching?

 

John C.

[Bugyotsuji]

John, I have not heard that one before, but I can well believe it. As you look down to apply priming powder to the pan, water tends to drip off the front lip of your kabuto mabisashi straight into where you are looking. Firing a matchlock in the rain requires special tricks, and a light, broad jingasa would surely help, although it would not be much protection against enemy ball. But then again, Ashigaru were light foot soldiers with only rudimentary armour.

 

The one in the photo is covered in Mon of the Kuroda house. (Kuroda Kanbei)

[Bugyotsuji]

These are teppōtai members from Tanegashima. We went to Portugal together in 2010.

[John C]

I have a similar flat jingasa with the 5 rays (forgot the name) and tassel. Never looked up the mon, however I believe it's common.

 

John C.

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Nice, John! The Mon are called Suhama.  Not so common in my experience, but it probably depends where you are in Japan.

Yours is of much higher rank than ashigaru.

[ROKUJURO]

John, are you sure that rays are depicted on your JINGASA? I believe it could also be symbolized KEN blades.

SUHAMA MON on TSUBA:

[John C]

Jean:

I called them rays for a lack of a better term in English. The Japanese name I was thinking of was shinodare, which I suppose could be representative of swords or arrows.

 

John C.