Geraint

Just one question Brian: "How do you get drool off a keyboard?" Seriously, thank you very much for that one.

I can't believe that it is thirteen years since publication! I have all the issues and re visit them quite regularly because they do contain so much useful information. Great to see them on the website; if you think Issue 1 is a treat then just wait!

And it seems that Juyo swords are not immune from this sort of thing. Have a look at this article, http://www.nihontocraft.com/japanese_sword_papers.html Towards the bottom of the page some information regarding fake Juyo papers. I get the impression that these are out and out fakes perpetrated by persons who have no connection with the NBTHK but as has already been intimated the love of money is a root of evil..............

Hi Folks. Just been browsing the Hartman catalogue and came across lot 183, fuchi, kashira, kogai and kodzuka signed Isshin Masatatsu. Would make an excellent koshirae with the tsuba illustrated in Robinson as Plate 4A also signed by this artist. Perhaps the Hartman set and the Tsuba in the V & A museum were originally a complete set. What a koshirae that would have made!

Here, here! Looking forward to it being ftb with great stuff!

There is no boat house at Hereford. Not nails, ain't got no Oakleys, not one for wearing cravats in the bath, just got Google and a suspicious mind!

Hi Brian. Before anyone else jumps all over you here is a thought. Cleaning out the saya liner for a gunto is a reasonable thing to do but be careful when sanding. Always small particles of the abrasive medium on the "sandpaper" become detached and embedded in the wood you are working on. A recipe for serious scratching to your blade if you are not careful. Might I suggest that rather than sanding you investigate some small, shaped scrapers? Easy enough to make and far safer in the long run. All the best.

Dear Christophe, What a pleasant koshirae! Just wanted to ask why you think the habaki is too big? Is it a habaki added to replace one that perhaps was left with the blade, in which case as it is not original to the koshirae then a wooden one would seem like the best move.

Hi Anders. Welcome. Can't help you with the references you request but perhaps with your last comment. There is nothing up with the tang, (nakago) That shape is a classic for a Kaga sword. Hope that helps, unless your comment was directed at something else? Cheers.

Certainly mounted as an uchine now, but the seller is quite clear that the koshirae is modern. All the uchine I have seen have very conventional yari blades or normal fukuro yari. Have a look at the shape of the shaft in the bottom two pictures where it has been shaped to fit the socket.

Inoshishi no yari = wild boar spear. Hefty, leaf shaped blade. Had one once, think it is in France now. It was mounted on a distressingly short shaft which appeared to be unshortened. Frightened me.

Jean, Kago yari always seem to be very conventional, small head and small koshirae. You are right, the one Brian found does not have a shoulder for the bowstring, the one in Stone does. As to the mekugi ana, well, the one illustrated in Knutsen does have one as well, perhaps these were added later to secure the yari into a more conventional mount. Also worth bearing in mind that the one that started the topic is described as Shinshinto and some pretty peculiar things were going on then as regards weapons and armour. Likely we will never know on this one unless someone out there has the definitive answer.........?

Knew I'd seen it somewhere: Stone's Glossary, Fig. 872. Called, unsurprisingly, yumi yari. Another illustration in R & P Knutsen, "Japanese Spears" Fig. 30 i which is probably the same one. This one shouldered so that the loop of the bow string could still fit over it and function, presumably the tension of the string kept the yari in place.

Fukuro yari for the end of a yumi?

I had resisted that temptation Malcolm but I was pondering the differences between a craft activity and the sort of instinctive response that this sort of training produces. I know a little about the craft end of this but not so much about the military aspects of muscle memory. In craft their is a continuous feedback process going on which involves many sense at once as the worker adjusts by infinitesimal amounts what the next in a series of actions may be. Plannishing a piece of hollow ware the sight, sound and feel of each hammer blow in a series alters the next subtly, in cabinet work the same applies when planing for example. To what degree is this feedback present in swordsmanship or the more contemporary military arts? I have always thought of them as useful in one time actions. Anyone?

Hi Joe. Lots to think about in your post. I'm not a swordsman so forgive any misunderstandings. It is certainly true that the best way of learning something is to teach it. It's also true that for a primarily physical skill description is much less efficient than demonstration and practice. I've never met anyone who learnt to ride a bike by reading the manual. Another feature of this is that people do learn and think in different ways, your student who seems to take a while to grasp things while others have moved on may be an example of this. I am trying to see what this suggests about artists and their development. I think it is true to say that our Western idea of talent or having the knack is a smokescreen. Just been reading a book whose key message is that if you put in the hours you will get the results in any field of endeavor. We say that someone has a talent for art as if it is a gift from the gods whereas what we probably find is that they have spent hours and hours working on this talent. I think I am suggesting that an artist who made progress in their work by teaching others might think of themselves as a teacher rather than an artist. Perhaps the starting point of this thread helps here, stealing the skill means that the master is simply practicing their craft to the best of their ability. If you want to master it you had better copy everything including the dedication. This sort of determination is exemplified by Kunihira Kawachi in his delightful book; "The Art of the Japanese Sword". He says, quite matter of factly, "I used to be left handed. But all the tools of my trade are made for right handed people. So I forced myself to become right handed." Lots more to think about.

Interesting thought, Chris. One of the difficult things to teach in craft is what to focus your perceptions on. Sight, sound, feel, smell, taste; all can tell you when something is going well or not So in the case of Sadahito, if it doesn't sound right then it isn't right. These are the things that our Western perspective does not generally take into account. I have also come across some very poetic descriptions about the right colour of the steel during forging and yakiire, one of the beauties of steel is that so much information is contained in the colour of the metal, from the selection of the right type of tamahagane to the control of the forging process. Similarly the polishing process relies on the selection of the correct stone, feel, sound and maybe even smell provide clues about what is and isn't right. Fascinating stuff and adds to the wonder of our subject, don't you think?

Ah, Malcolm, what a question! I am sure that Ford will have some thoughts to offer from the privileged position of having both a Western apprenticeship and a Japanese experience. In the meantime, here is a link to some more detailed thinking; http://designfizzle.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/47/ Points to ponder: Japanese, and indeed all other swordsmiths learned to manipulate the properties of steel empirically, a staggering achievement the more you think about it. Much of what they knew was what Polyani calls tacit knowledge, I know how to do it but I can't explain it. Put it this way, if I read a book on sword forging I can say that I know how to forge a sword, right up to the point where someone gives me a piece of tamahagane and a hammer, then it emerges that I know almost nothing of value. A fairly modern western orthodoxy in the arts has been that skill/craft is a distraction and that there is no need to spend time learning in this way because you can "pick it up" from a book when you need it. Underscored by Grayson Perry, (if you don't know he will be easy to find), who says that he causes more trouble by placing a finely crafted pot in an art gallery than he does by turning up in a dress. We want to distinguish between art and craft for all sorts of reasons, Japanese aesthetics don't do this in the same way. So much more to say but I will confine myself to this for the moment. Let's hope that others join the debate.

Thanks Jean, had a coffee before replying and didn't refresh the page. Nice to see another Lensman reader by the way.

Looking good Brian. Very surprised to see your blade described as unokubi zukuri though. (Already covered I see, posts crossing.) No one has answered your question about the value in relation to the mon. I think unless you have a documented connection with a daimyo family then the use of a mon is not significant, unless the koshirae is of startlingly high quality. (Again, already covered, ah well!) Enjoy!

Touche! Just goes to show how similar they are. Either that or eyesight failing.

I'm sure you have heard the one about impulsive samurai tying the sword to the saya with a piece of paper string...............? Guessing as I am sure you can tell.

Brian, I think you are right in this regard, the images of the overall view of the first two swords in their shirasaya are identical; it's the same picture. Case of image confusion on the part of the seller I suppose. Cheers

No problem, Jean.

http://www.yamabushiantiques.com/KABUTO28.htm Same one?