John A Stuart Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 I think those sharpened sticks are actually for cleaning the bowl between loads. Usually the pipe is tapped on a ceramic bowl in the box, however it can be stuck and the mouthpiece can fill with tar and need cleaning. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted January 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 I think those sharpened sticks are actually for cleaning the bowl between loads. Usually the pipe is tapped on a ceramic bowl in the box, however it can be stuck and the mouthpiece can fill with tar and need cleaning. John Excellent stuff. We live and sometimes learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hybridfiat Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 I remember a saying about pipes: " A pipe gives a wise man time to think and formulate an answer that is full of wisdom and sense and it give a fool something to stick in his mouth" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted January 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 I remember a saying about pipes: " A pipe gives a wise man time to think and formulate an answer that is full of wisdom and sense, and it give a fool something to stick in his mouth" Lovely saying, Steve. Reminds me of my uncle who was a Rear Admiral. He used to puff on his pipe thoughtfully and then with a wicked glint in his eye, come up with something pithy that amused everyone and at the same time made you feel comfortable to be alive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted January 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Well, if you enjoy a mystery, what do you think this box was for? Ian is not allowed to take part as he usually already knows everything before I have even discovered such things exist! (Except in the unlikely event that he doesn't know! Are you listening, Ian?) There is a Farmer's Market, as they call it, at the "South Village" twice a month. There are various stalls, most of which are flea-market (or as the J like to say 'free market') recycle type affairs, but with a few interesting antique stalls mixed in. An ex-Imperial Army soldier mans one stall there and gives me twisted grizzled looks, but he often has a few interesting bits. This was his offering last Sunday. Say if you want a hint... :lol: Tried for 30 mins, but photo won't post, so I am off to sleep. Maybe tomorrow. Erm... try this then: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baka Gaijin Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Evening All, I drift towards a kind of boxed Shaving tool for Katsuobushi, the first drawer being to catch the shavings, the second drawer to contain a spare blade. Cheers Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John A Stuart Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 A box can be made for anything and the contents a mystery. A wild guess, a 'suzuribako'. Rather mundane, so, probably something exotic, eh? I have 'chabako' similar. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 At Last : A box to stack my Lehman Brothers stocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanB Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Piers, Of course I know what it is: a mobile phone. Haven't a clue what the lacquered box is for. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Piers, is that Mon upside down and the box has drawers on the other side as well ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted January 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 Nobody's there yet. But then I had no idea what it was at first. A Suzuri-bako was my first thought too. Let's see if the photos work today. Here is the first hint. The bottom drawer. Inside I found one of the Saji spoons that I had been wondering about and actually posted earlier on in this thread! This was maybe what tipped the balance in my decision to buy this box. You can also see a pair of small brass chopsticks linked together by a short chain. I added my earlier spoon to the drawer contents as it seems pretty similar. The second hint is... no, wait for it! PS Photos are not working today either, so using PhotoShack. (Edit Brian - pic uploaded fine for me?) PPS Ian got half of it right! PPPS The bottom drawer goes all the way to the back. The top drawer is half-sized. The mon could be right- or wrong-way round. I don't know. PPPPS The answer is not too exciting, so don't build up your hopes too high... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 This kind of box? http://www.museum.osaka-u.ac.jp/valuabl ... e0014.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John A Stuart Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 That is a great game box for Mah Jong, Koichi san, but the metal tweezers lead me to a need to move charcoal. My chabako guess was ignored so must be wrong. The ladles confuse me, so, my last guess is kobako for incense ceremony. John BTW Saji is spoon 匕 what do you mean by saji spoon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 That is a great game box for Mah Jong, Koichi san, but the metal tweezers lead me to a need to move charcoal. Ah, they surely look like Mah Jong pieces, but actually they are wrapped medicine. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John A Stuart Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 My goodness!!! That's a good one. :lol: John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted January 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 The Romans crossed the River Flumen, John, on their way to Edo Jo Castle! Yes, I have an annoying habit of providing the English renderings next to Japanese words to make it easier for the lay reader... apologies for the dumbing down! John is now the closest, but I really do like the medicine box that Nobody found. I was sure it was Mah Jongg!!! OK, here's the next hint. (Maybe too big?) Hint Number 2 There is a recent thread on this site, and it pertains somewhat to that. In this sense the box is topical! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanB Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 Piers, Ah, now I think I might have it. Is it for the incense game? Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted January 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 Re Hint No. 2 above and Ian's post. Was there a recent thread on that? If so, then no, not that thread! :lol: (Although not too far off...) Well, OK, Hint 3, it's not a game, but something that every house would need every day in some form or another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted January 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 At Last : A box to stack my Lehman Brothers stocks The box is not big enough for all your stocks, Jean. You would need a dustbin or something for those... :D Oh, and the Mon is the 'wrong' way round because the lid fits on either way. I have changed the direction since those photos, Carlo, and thanks for pointing it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 Maybe a tabacco box? http://www.jti.co.jp/Culture/museum/tok ... ge1_3.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 Is it related to lighting and maintenance of house's fire/lights ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted January 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 Nobody, no! But again you have found something unusual. Carlo, I think we can say that you've hit the nail on the head... (Still not able to post the final pic. Waited a full 5 mins while it told me it was uploading, but no further progress so I gave up.) Will try another ImageShack link instead. (Edit Brian..they are uploading for me. can someone else upload something and see if it works for others?) Oil pot, wick pot, oil lamp tools Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 Carlo, Your guess is surely right. I found a similar box to store lighting kit. http://research.kahaku.go.jp/rikou/akari/sub8.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 Piers, Moriyama-San, my hit has no glory at all, as I've seen a similar one at Castello Sforzesco's collection when it was still available to students, 20 years ago. Can't remember anyway it's name (if I ever knew it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted January 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 Thanks Brian! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted January 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 Well, not a lot to report. When Brian was over we went to the antiques fair in Ako, and at one booth spent some time haggling with a huge suntanned chap in a blue tracksuit whose wife kept an eagle eye on him from the tent next door. Brian may have picked up a tsuba there. Anyway I went back and said hello to the guy and bought a toy Tachi that he had in his glass box. He threw in another toy katana as a sweetener for the deal. See piccies. Yesterday I was visiting a 'sword' friend and he said that all beginners would benefit from this series of books on Japanese swords. Nihonto Zenshu, by Honma and Sato. These sets occasionally come up second-hand at auction, and he tries to snap them up for acquaintances, so I bought this lot. to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Tait Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Hi, does this character mean anything to anyone? Think it's more likely Chinese than Japanese. (Hope I haven't commited a sin on this forum! ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sencho Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Kanji are Chinese characters used with Japanese language ... so same characters, different spoken word.... however saying that... it doesn't look like any kanji I have ever seen cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 maybe the sign for scale, or Libra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugyotsuji Posted February 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 By a stretch of the imagination it could be a stamp or seal based on a Kanji but elaborated. The character for king was 王 and if he held a precious stone in his hand the character showed king + stone = 玉 meaning a precious stone, or jade, and if you add more of those dots you could end up with a king holding four precious stones, and it would have some meaning to yourself and might be a recognizable mark for an artist, for example! Just playing with ideas here... ***** On the subject of this week's Edo Period corner (not the translation section here) I was offered something quite special yesterday. It is a set of Ko-te and Sune-ate, but of exquisite quality, the sort of work you would only ever see in a museum. It was way over my budget, but a fraction of what they would have cost in better times. It started me wondering what is happening now with this high yen and people losing their jobs. Is the old pool of customers flush with cash drying up, at the same time as foreigners are losing interest over the exchange rates? Could it be that the dealers are being forced to let go of better material in order to try and scrape back some of their outlay, in the need for ready cash? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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