Bugyotsuji

Oh, but that was my first opinion, and you asked for a second opinion, no? Hmmm...

梵鐘・仏像・銅像・寺院仏具の　老子製作所 | 梵鐘(釣鐘)・寺院仏具・仏像・銅像の老子製作所は、伝統工芸高岡銅器と共に 鐘の専門メーカーとして、寺院仏具金物や洋鐘、カリヨン、モニュメント等の鋳物製品を製造しています Although Lao Tsu or Laozu is spelt like this, the Buddhist manufacturer of bronze bells is called "Oigo" (Old Child) 老子 with these characters, so presumably that is how they would like it to be read. Their blurb says that they made/make objects in the spirit of Laotsu. 老子青銅作品 - 検索

Nick, notice your original thread was still alive with more information.

Today I had a chance to see it again, luckily at a time when there were fewer visitors, so I tried some different shots. A B

I have a kozuka signed Sukekane on the blade. One of our NBTHK members questioned it with the sensei, who took one glance and said 'genuine'. Another kozuka has a rubbish-looking wildly inscribed (Kunisada?) Mei on it, but after polishing the hada and hamon on the other side are totally beautiful. I still have no idea who chiseled the Mei or why. So, as expressed above, the exceptions do sometimes seem to prove the rule!

Quick follow-up. Further requests from overseas have nudged them into finally expanding their web page to include bank details in order to accommodate donations from abroad. Quote: (On second thoughts anyone interested please find the details from the QR code in post#2 above.)

Agreed! It’s a wonderful old house. Looking out across the fields of young barley towards Osafuné and the hills beyond. Saw this from the car window as I was about to drive home!

And D E F

Some general shots of the place. A B C

It’s upside down, but that’s the easy part. Are we seeing Masa(?)hide(?) Saku(?)…正秀作? (Something)hide Saku? Or is that 守？ *just to get the ball rolling. But usually these are names of smiths who the makers aspire to.

As part of the Golden Week display of Sanchōmō they were running a shuttle bus today to the old Nakazaki-Tei in Fukuoka Village next to Osafuné. Spread over three rooms were a display of Koshiraé (no blades), a display of Tsuba, a case full of Tōsōgu, and a display of Bizen guns and accessories, etc. The latter was my alotted corner. Not expecting anyone to visit our humble exhibition, I was surprised to see more than fifty people come through during the day, from all over Japan. What pleased me particularly (apart from the obvious interest shown by the visitors) was that I was asked to provide some Koshiraé, and everything I had brought with me got added to the display. Seven Koshiraé! This is the very first time that my pieces have been considered worthy of their displays. No negative comments, all silently accepted. Made me all warm and fuzzy inside, it did.

Nick H?

It could be 18th c but as you say more likely 19th, although there are couple of indications of age. Is that old-looking pan cover/lid original, for example? Hizen no Kami is decorative and probably added later, post Edo. In the blue box the remains of the nationwide Jinshin registration of 1872. A Mei under the barrel would tell us more.

The Koshiraé is Inaba Koshiraé typical of Tottori on the Japan Sea, black lacquer with silver chrysanthemum fittings. I bought it because it straddles the two Ikeda Daimyo strongholds of Okayama and Tottori, the wife being from Tottori. I thought one of the offspring might want it but thankfully 😅 not, (“I don’t like black”) so I get to keep it.

Looks as if it's been in a fire, and the barrel is missing. That one takes the cake! I wonder where the Kanji characters are located. (Some Korean snapping matchlocks looked very similar and were based on Tanegashima, btw.)