Justin Grant

I have posted bits and pieces of armor I have purchased over the years, and none of it "complete" armor. Last week Eric (Estcrh) posted a link to an eBay auction from Toraba (Trevor Absolon). It was for a complete late Edo Yokohagi Ni Mai Dou Gusoku. Sunday, I looked at the auction and there was no activity, and with 15 minutes left I tossed out a ridiculously small bid and to my surprise I won! I had to check it several times, and could not believe I won. Trevor was not the happiest of campers and understandably so. Since I know Trevor, I offered to let him keep it and relist the armor, since I know he paid more for it than the winning auction bid, but Trevor was very stand-up and said a deal is a deal and insisted I won it. This is my first complete set of armor, top to bottom, and it looks to be in great shape. I have posed his pictures of the armor, and it should be here in a week. Now, I have to figure out how to get it in the house and displayed and act like it has always been there before the bride finds out.. She will have a stroke. I have, as she put it, turned the formal sitting room into the Shogun's armory with all of the bits I have collected. I am sure this will put her over the top! More Photos : https://picasaweb.google.com/1040542998 ... directlink Thank you, Justin

I just acquired this Hanpo. It has some unusual features, the cheek areas feature some lines in the metal, I have asked our resident internationally renowned expert what he thinks of the lines. I purchased this from Toraba and Trevor is always a pleasure to deal with. I asked for an example of a simple Hanpo and he found this for me. It has some traces of urushi on it, sabiji by the look, but 99,9% of it is missing and I don't know how it all came off and left but a very small footprint behind. Maybe it was real sabiji, I need further guidance on that thought. FWIW It is laced in leather. More photos here: https://picasaweb.google.com/1040542998 ... directlink

While I can't speak to these items directly, I can speak to dealing with Trevor. I have purchased several items from Trevor, and they are exactly as advertised, he won't hide a flaw or sugar coat anything. He tells it like it is and at the same time, won't push you into something you don't want. As for his book, it is a must read. I have and will continue to purchase armor and related items from Trevor. If this is not appropriate for this section, please delete, but figured I would offer a testimonial on dealing with a reputable seller, as it can be a daunting task to send serious money online with no knowledge of the seller. Justin

Keith- My wife has a great sense of humor, and depending on my latest transgression, would lovingly take anyone up on a trade to save herself form the bonds of shackles she would surely be placed in after she has finished using me for some odd form of medieval torture! As for the mask, I now have some concerns, one would be best to research this to the ends of the earth.

I don't even want to ask, simply because the price would depress me. Althought, I have a very pretty wife... Maybe a trade is in order....

There are prong like clips (like the one for the meadate) on each side. I can't remember the exact name at the moment, but they are on each side, the wakidate slide over them and the "spring" action hold them in place.

Thank you. I am a relative newbie, but most Wakidate I see are not as "forward" to the front of the Kabuto, but more centered on the sides. Also, this one is missing the fukigaeshi. I am sure it is typical, but I like it.

Not in the same ballpark as the Namban or Toppai Kabuto(s) posted by Piers, and I am green with envy.... However, I just found my latest Zunari. It needs some serious love, but I am in love with it. I may opt to just stabilize and display. This is a mid/late Edo Hineno Zu Nari Bachi with Wakidate. The liner is not period correct and I suspect the shinobi-no-o is not correct either. It is missing the meadate, but most usually are. It will display nicely alongside with my Tetsu Sabi Ji Zu Nari viewtopic.php?f=9&t=10098 I also purchased a neat Hanpo that I will photograph and present later. The pictures posted here are from the seller. Justin

Green with Envy John!

I can't tell by the "bluing" of the "torch" section. It depends on how hot they got it when trying to repair if it did any damage. But Keith is most always correct, and it can be a killer to the sword, and as he stated, it can be repaired, but will present a completely different sword in the end. I would say a trained polisher will know.. Start there.... PM for names. Justin

Ian and Eric and others are much better than I am, but my guess is early/mid EDO. Why I think this: The Tokugawa Kamon and the Tehen strikes me as a later style. I forget the proper Japanese name of the style of the hachi, "Rear Mountain Victory" or something of that nature. It looks like it is Tetsu Sabiji with Kuro Urushi Nuri Shikoro in Kebiki style odoshi. These things I am sure you know. I am sure others with more experience will correct me, but regardless, I like it very much. Edit: I think the style of the hachi is called Goshozan?

http://www.jssus.org/nkp/swordsmith_database.html

Looking at the hachi, I am guessing mid/late Edo in the "revival of old" period of armor making because of the Fukigaeshi are the exaggerated look. The Kote are there, and look nice, but not sure (because of the small pictures) if they are a matched set with this armor. The Tetsu Sabiji finish does not seems to match the other sangu, the Kabuto looks as if it might be tetsu sabiji but the Men-o-shita (spelling) looks like it is covered in urushi. Higher quality samurai gear, but may be a composite set, but that does not mean I would not be proud to own it.

The title of this topic seems to sum it all up. I would count myself very lucky to have one piece that he has in his collection, more or less the swath of items he presents. But, I still hold hope and I plot, that one day, I will have something as exquisite in my humble collection, until then, I appreciate that he presents these for us to enjoy and study. Many Thanks Justin

Mr. Schiller- I found your post very educational. While not trying to hijack this topic, I am interested in how one goes about repairing Urushi. I have seen topics where repair is not suggested, but a complete re-application of urushi is the best since the spot repaired will "fade" at a different rate than the original urushi. However, I have seen places send out Katchu and Saya for spot repair. Are there types of urushi or "styles" that lend to repair vs complete rework? While I would love to try my hand at it once, I know better, I would end up covered in rash cream and cursing the day I placed the order.

Hi Eric Here is the photo you asked for. It was listed as an early/mid Edo Tetsu Sabiji Zu Nari Kabuto (Russet Iron Head Shaped Helmet). It was purchased from Toraba Japanese Samurai Armours. I have had a affinity for Zunari helmets, something about them speaks to me, so to have a chance at a period correct unit was a dream for me. Like I said, this is not a top shelf item, but this is exactly what I wanted, a good used, everyday kabuto, as would be used by a mid to low ranking Samurai, the bulk of the field, if you will. I realize this is not everyone's cup of tea, and we should all collect the best of everything, but for me, this represent the best the "average" Samurai would or could afford.

Thought I would share my first Zu Nari purchase. I realize this is not a museum quality item, but I am very happy with it. Thanks! Justin PS. Photos are from the seller, and are his property.

Thanks to all fo you, I have emailed the seller. I directed him to the photos. I just received this late last week, so my daughter's new lens might have saved me some money. Regardless, the lens she has is very nice at collecting detail that a standard lens might not show. When my blade returns from polish, I will have her try and get some photos of it. Thanks Justin

I saw that too. It is not as obvious from the mimi but looking inside the cut outs, you see a parting line. It was listed as an edo piece. Did they cast tsuba in the late edo? Thanks!

My 15 year old daughter is an aspiring photographer. She just purchased her first macro lens and took some pictures of my newest tsuba. She attempted to get details of some of the harder to see areas of a tsuba, so here is her work. https://picasaweb.google.com/104054299888891235469/Tsuba# Not sure how many know how to use Google Photos, but if you click the photo in question, it will open up and just on the top right of the photo will be a magnafying glass. If you click it, you can then increase the size to see the detail work.

I have an Ashigaru hotoke dou that I am relacing with some... a lot... of guidance from Ian and a lot of reading and photos. You are correct about ashigaru gear, but it is out there. Good luck.

It is falling apart from lack of proper care, storage, and no love. Sure, things deteriorate with time, but this was accelerated with the lack of care. Provide a stable environment and it will be good. Justin

Thanks for the information. I realize the "burn them out" tactic was used, and still is today. Just seems that the burnt blades are very prevalent in the market. Seems for every 1/2 dozen that are not re-tempered, you find several that were. I don't know, just seems odd to me that a large number of these are in the market place in terms of percentage of the whole.

Looking for a continued education here. In my travels into the land of nihonto, I have seen and owned blades that were rumored to have been burnt. I can see the one off blade that was in a major fire, but in my limited travels in this land, I have owned two blades that are supposable blades that were in a fire and then re-tempered to bring new use out of them. I have seen several posts here about blades that are burnt and re-tempered. How common was this (blades being burned up in fires)? The fire would have to have some serious heat to do real damage, would it not? My journey has been short, but the use of the term “burnt” has been prevalent, so either this is a quick assessment to explain poor initial craftsmanship or the Samuari/Ashigaru were pyromaniacs. Thanks for any feedback. Justin

Toraba (Trevor) has a new book out. Ian's series of books are great. Then the books in Japanese. Takes times to read them but that is part of the fun.