jamesicus

What are the flowers/stems/leaves on this Tsuba please? I imagined cherry tree, but the leaves are wrong to me. Thanks, James

I have found IrfanView to be an extremely easy to use and powerful facility for cropping and resizing images - and it is a free download. James

As a point of interest the other macro images in this series are on my shishi fuchi/kashira page accompanied by descriptive text. ....... I must retake the tsuba images - they are too fuzzy due to poor technique. James

Really excellent work, Ford. Your results are outstanding. James

Thank you very much for that information, Christian, and for the image depicting the beautiful deer. I am gaining a new perspective of the significance of these animals in Japanese culture. James

Nice pics Jean and Christian. I like to use macro images wherever possible. In "the olden days" (pre-digital cameras) I photographed all of my Roman coins in macro mode using a Nikon SLR and a photo stand with excellent results. For me, a rock steady camera hold, remote shutter release and careful clean-up (housekeeping) of the subject and background in order to avoid stray debris were the main determinants for best quality macro images. Having said that, I have now become lazy and impatient and I wield my inexpensive digital camera somewhat cavalierly when taking close-up pictures for my web pages -- I set macro mode and rest my elbows on the kitchen counter top (there is excellent diffused natural lighting in our kitchen). Then, holding the camera as still as I possibly can and holding my breath as long as possible, I snap it off - sans shutter release. I know this is awful technique, but my photo taking sessions are hurried affairs these days due to my somewhat fragile health and sometimes overwhelming calligraphy commitments. Actually the results are not all that bad: James

Please excuse the delay in posting a pic of the mune machi -- I was under the weather most of yesterday. After further examination (and based on the expert guidance offered here) I believe the hamon exhibits nioi-deki. There is no other activity I can discern in the hamon. The jihada is very tight grain. The nakago has certainly been cleaned. I didn't expect much of this blade - I really wanted to test my neophyte kantei skills IAW Nagayama. I actually bought this sword because of the tosogu which is to my liking. James

Thank you for your thoughtful and comprehensive reply, Lance - I appreciate it very much. I do not remember encountering that association when I lived in Japan, or I did not pursue a reference which is most likely for, much to my everlasting regret, I did not study enough the Japanese love of nature which is such an essential part of their character. The scroll, to which you provided a link, is beautiful and instructive. Thank you for that, Lance. Yes, it is exquisite indeed. Once again, Lance, thank you for your excellent response. James

What is the significance of this deer lying down and looking back over its shoulder at the moon? What is the design element abutting it's rear? James

.......... or, could it indeed be a snail? Variety of snail illustrations depicted here James

My first thought was a snail which carry a shell on their back and have twin horn-like protuberances on their head - but then upon reflection that didn't seem likely to me. I think your insect suggestion may be more on the mark, Hoanh. James

Thank you Curran. James

What do the following two menuki depict? Thank you. James

Thank you. I thought I had a good understanding of nie and nioi until I read Nagayama - now that I have been introduced to things like nie/nioi deki I realize I actually know very little. James

Thank you. I will do that tomorrow. I don't know - probably I think so - I will take close-up photos tomorrow. I believe there is nioi/nie attending the hamon - nie/nioi-deki ? but I do not know how to assess that. Noted - thank you. Again, thank you and noted. EDIT: I forgot (happens to me quite frequently these days) that we have family birthday celebrations and activities tomorrow and Saturday and I am set-up for a flea market on Sunday. I am informed by my darling wife that photography is out until Monday. James

I haven't posted anything substantive here for quite awhile, but here I go asking for help from this community. Some may remember my early postings wherein I reported that I first became interested in Nihontô in 1960 when I lived in Japan and assembled a small collection of blades and fittings. There were only two "Nihontô books" written in English available in Japan at that time - and no Internet - so detailed research was very difficult for collectors and enthusiasts like me. Just about all the reliable information I gleaned relating to Nihontô was as a result of visiting Tokyo sword shops and the National Museum. I have once again assembled a small collection of Nihontô (after a lengthy hiatus) and am deriving a great deal of pleasure in studying, researching and caring for them. I have spent the greater part of the past two years reading and studying (and re-studying) such books as "The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords" (Kokan Nagayama) - and many other other standard references. Now I am attempting to learn how to "kantei" my swords - but I have found that to be difficult for I don't have the depth of knowledge and experience possessed by most members of this Forum. There are no rare or exceptional items in my present collection, just representative examples that I cherish and enjoy. I have purchased all of my blades from well know Nihontô purveyors and collectors, including a member of this Forum. My photographic skills are very limited and I apologize for the lack of sharp detail in some of the images I have posted. I have found photographing Nihontô to be a very daunting task - the reflections from the highly polished blade surface is especially bothersome to me. Because of that problem, I have posted some pairs of images that are very similar to each other in the belief that there are photographic blemishes in one or the other (due to reflections, improper angle, stray background fabric strands, etc.) that are distorting features of the blade. Now to my request for help - to include corrections, additions, observations - and any other input, for which I will be most grateful: I am attempting to "kantei" the following Wakazashi blade (in koshirae) and here is what I have come up with so far: 1. It is mumei 2. I believe it is ubu 3. The nagasa is 40.80 cm. 4. The mihaba is 3.2 cm. (it is a "meaty" blade, but I have not measured the kokasane) 5. Sori (not measured) 6. Suguta is shinogi zukuri 7. ihore mune 8. Two mekugi ana 9. Okissaki 10. Jihada is very tight itame 11. Hamon is gunome midare ? - I have difficulty determining this. 12. Sword period (of manufacture) ? 13. School: (kaji) ? James

Thank you David. James

Thank you. James

Jean is correct, Brian. My sensei was Inami-san, whose book you display - there are several photographs of Tachi and Katana displayed correctly in that book. James

Well, Brian (bmoore1322), you have certainly taken your lumps on this Board and I admire your tenacity and thirst for knowledge - that augurs well for your future as a connoisseur of Nihontô that I think you will eventually become. And continuing that thought, I highly recommend The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords by Kokan Nagayama - this link will take you to the Amazon offerings that include new and used copies and also includes customer reviews. Of course, there are other vendors that might offer better prices. I envision you being a young man, Brian. If you keep asking thought provoking questions similar to the one that started this thread and deflect "the slings and arrows ....." like you have so far you will do well!

Brian (bmoore1322): Do you mean nagamaki rather than naginata? Refer to: Googlebooks extract: THE CONNOISSEUR'S BOOK OF Japanese SWORDS by Kokan Nagayama, Kodansha International, 1995 (page 49) James

My apologies, Jean - and especially to Dimitri, the originator of this topic. It was not my intention to highjack it -- I posted without thinking it through - just old age befuddlement on my part. I don't think my post merits a new topic - it seems to me this subject has run its course. James

Note: Post edited by me to avoid hi-jacking of this thread as noted by Jean below. James

Either way would be fine for me. However, I have a hard time traveling these days and so the mail-in is very intriguing. James

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Small-Japanese- ... 1c22c9820c James