Guido

Interesting description, and very fitting (bad pun intented) I’m not a huge fan of Sōten, but they sometimes did amazing work. This is one of the “large characters” from my collection (tokubetsu hozon):

Ray said it will never go past hozon, i.e. higher than hozon, which is correct.

I bought fittings from them, easy to deal with, friendly staff.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2018/05/16/our-lives/sword-expression-absolute/#.Wv0hSktCSE0

Although I (we) could easily be wrong, I'm with Ian on this. The former altar boy in me even thinks it could be a monstrance.

Wakizashi with mediocre fittings are often called “merchant swords” here – but actually the opposite is true. Rich merchants usually had high class fittings on their (equally high class) swords, they kept the machibori in business. For the wealthy merchant who had everything else, a sword was a status symbol – like a Rolex would be nowadays – and they usually had the money to only buy the best. They went for the iPhone X, not the Xiaomi A1.

I know a few people who have a one sword "collection" in that price range (and above), and I only can congratulate them on their taste and quality. But you're right, buying many mediocre items without any direction isn't called collecting, it's called accumulating.

Although it most probably wasn't intended that way, it's actually a perfect allegory. If I want to prepare a decent meal myself, I don't go to Wal-Mart to buy their low-cost low-quality ingredients, especially since they have been accused of food safety violations on a number of occasions. If I want to enjoy some haute cuisine because I lack the skill to prepare it myself, don't have access to the ingredients, or simply don't feel like spending the entire day in the kitchen, I go to a classy restaurant. If I can't - or don't want to - recognize the difference between a tv-dinner and a well-prepared dish, it doesn't matter anyhow: my stomach got filled one way or the other.

There‘s virtually nothing that can‘t be faked. Even male orgasms.

You're correct, it was teamwork!

Slight correction : the finder has to contact the crime-prevention section of the district police (keisatsu-sho-bōhan-ka 警察署防犯課). There a hakken-todoke 発見届 certificate is issued to enable the finder to attend the tōroku-shinsa 登録審査 at the kyōiku-inkai 教育委員会, the regional board of education.

Minamoto no Yorimasa slaying the nue.

I'm with Ray on these swords. Sending them to Japan would be impossible - or at least illegal. Also, a Japanese polisher (even a lower tier one) would charge at least doble for polishing than what the swords sell for.

I don't think it's 之 - wich wouldn't read "no jū" anyhow - but maybe a cursive form of 王???

I can’t read the first character, but I think the second one is the abbreviated form of 東 (higashi), 东 (nowadays it’s the standard in China, pronunced dōng). After that 亮光作, Sukemitsu saku.

Your first tought was right : the papers say naginata-noshi.

So you didn‘t get a catalog either? Damn, I should have taken the offer from that Nigerian prince instead of wasting money on a non-existant catalog!

So far no e-mail (and no catalog). SAD!

Well, lacking a crystal ball , I go for the most contextual translation - the shop obviously used Google Translate or something like that. But whatever makes you happy, soberness can be so boring at times ...

The best translation for 寶玉 would be IMO the German "Kleinod", but that doesn't translate well into English either ...

The koshirae is indeed excellent! Btw: I would translate 寶玉 rather as "treasure" than "sacred jewel".

After a couple of disagreements the both of you had on this board in the past, do I see some male bonding sprouting here? As to the fuchigashira: I'm kind of torn between being excited to see how it left the workshop and was actually intended to look (after Ford's resoration), and the charm aged, patinated fittings often have. I still can't decide if I like the "before" or "after" better ... Oh, and since I was wrong about the motif of the other fuchigashira, let me add that

Don't forget Markus Sesko's "Signatures of Japanese Sword Fittings Artists": http://www.lulu.com/shop/markus-sesko/e-signatures-of-Japanese-sword-fittings-artists/ebook/product-21586815.html, and for further info and research his "Genealogies of Japanese Tsuba and Toso Kinko Artists" http://www.lulu.com/shop/markus-sesko/genealogies-of-Japanese-tsuba-and-toso-kinko-artists/ebook/product-21954709.html, and "The Japanese Toso Kinko Schools" http://www.lulu.com/shop/markus-sesko/the-Japanese-toso-kinko-schools/ebook/product-21951159.html.

Hmmm, maybe. But a lesser known kabuki scene on a fuchigashira? Well, I can't be always right (although I usually am ).

Fascinating – can’t wait to see how it gets restored / re-patinated! Btw, this fuchigashira seems to depict Bashikō 馬師皇.