Bugyotsuji

古川元珍 Furukawa Genchin https://www.kandatoukodo.com/tousougu/kozuka22.html

Yes Peter, if you can give me a little time to check. At first glance, a complete looking gun, in good condition. Watch this space… (Later) There were a 吉田友左衛門 Yoshida Tomoemon, and a 吉田三郎左衛門　直道 Yoshida Saburozaemon Naomichi, both listed for Tempo. Do either of these fit what you can see? (Of course your stock maker could be related to these but unlisted, perhaps a generation before or after, since the name is very close.) *By the way, there is a gun listed for your smith Kunitomo Kyubei Enju dated Ansei 2.

What’s Dr Sato’s brushwork just below right of the Mei? (Something ＋無 銘?) *Hard to tell from the photos, but is it possible that some of the brush characters have been altered?

They all say the same name, written in sometimes markedly differing styles. Thank you for showing us this fine creative/collaborative work.

Fascinating catalogue, Pietro. Thank you. Interestingly, no dates or materials are shown for these wonderful, indeed genius pieces, many of them contemporary, helping us to transcend artificial concepts of time. ( Some lovely creations by Clive, but none by Natasha though?) Personally speaking, I collect Netsuke from an 'innocent' cultural time, preferably before the end of the Edo period, made for and by Japanese with no consciousness of Western eyes. Since I do not have the cash resources for top-end works, I look for unusual pebbles on the beach, i.e. naive Netsuke gems that rarely but occasionally bubble up in antique shops or street markets.

The paperwork describes it as 餓狼 'Garo' or 'starving wolf'. Garo, or 飢えているオオカミ Ueteiru Okami, is said to be a symbol of danger and fighting ferocity, as a Bushi ideal.

Fantastic cooperative effort, and thanks indeed to Moriyama San, but you should also be aware that some sources pronounce the two rather rare kanji 宗古 as 'Munefuru'. 1. The Kokin Kinko Zenshu lists 宗古 Munefuru (五鉄錬) as an artisan of the Tosa Myochin branch. (It also suggests he used the name 宗定 Munesada.) 2. The Shin Kacchushi Meikan on p.262 gives more detail about Munefuru, commenting inter alia that his work was good and that this name has also been found on (a) ryubu-men. These two do not list the name as Soko, but it would not be 'wrong' to read it that way, and I would not be surprised to find a 'Soko' reading elsewhere. See photo of entry 2 above for example:

People do put similar pieces together to create a Koshiraé. Always keep a healthy measure of doubt in your mind as there are many fakes out there. If it really bothers you, get them papered by the NBTHK Tosogu board, and then have a good night’s sleep. Meantime. Maintain an open mind, enjoy the workmanship, and allow your inner eye to see and build up a case one way or the other.

Oops, yes, thanks Mauro (and Peter)!

英秀 Ōmori Yoshihide/Eishū

On the tsuba in jiantizi, simplified Chinese characters.

Great attitude Hengu, vital for true learners, but so hard for most people to handle.

Same here. Gave up trying to access the site, figuring it was better just to leave a block of time for it to resolve itself. Came back strongly, though.

相模国住人久義 Have you considered? (Totally off the wall but simply looking at those strokes…)

Possibly something missing from there?

Are we seeing Rusu-moyo in Dan’s tsuba above, the cave signifying Daruma?

Is there no possibility that it is gimei, with one deliberately misleading kanji?

Sounds great Rob. Can you tell us any more…?

珎州 (住) To me this looks like (living in) Chin-Shu, wherever that is.

There are various facets to Netsuke, and everyone’s approach is different. Also we must remember that a genius is a genius, in every age, even in our present day.

長船 Osafuné 郷 normally read as Gō Heavy? One kilogram or more? Be careful though as there are many Sukenaga fakes, making for a wide disparity in values. The real Sukenaga worked around 1830-1850 ish

Just been reading this thread today, late to the party. There is plenty to learn and enjoy in this set, as Malcolm says, and you could even do some gentle cleaning yourself to make it more presentable. Ask for cleaning tips first! Stabilizing the cracking and huge lacquer flakes will take some thought. So much is lost on the kote that reducing them to bare iron could be a consideration. The kabuto looks nice underneath, and the overall shapes of the bowl and the shikoro look fine. The dealer probably knew little about it, as the sune-ate were upside-down. I'd look closely at the ho-ate though, as that could be (painted) fibreglass showing under the chin(?). I would mend or even change the maedate too as the destruction of the horn tips draws the eye and is ugly to look at. I feel that this armour will be happy that someone is giving it a home, and in return it should give you the new owner hours of pleasure. No need to listen to any negativity. Just save what you can of history, and eventually pass it on, hopefully in slightly better condition.

Thanks Steve. Tsubame had me puzzled!

Azalea and pheasants? The second one seems to read Quail in Chrysanthemums. Kiku Uzura Some kind of red-throated birds in Wisteria flowers.(?) Just off the top of my head in order to get the ball rolling!

Kmad, looks like one sticker over another…(?) Old Japanese price tag???