Bugyotsuji

Ah, now that's clever. I have bottles of water inside my suneate.

Not been to see this just yet but several people have recommended it. Allegedly including some rare and valuable papered Koshiraé. Will report back after visiting. @Osafuné Sword Museum, near Bizen. https://www.city.set...site/token/1315.html List of blades and koshiraé in link. (In Japanese)

Intending to go and see this very soon. Various (papered) Koshiraé on display. Friends have recommended this, if anyone is passing through. (Will post in the events section too.) https://www.city.set...site/token/1315.html

You’re based in the USA I see, where conditions are different to other countries. When you say ‘preferable’, in what sense? Personally I would ‘prefer’ to have the real McCoy to a repro any day of the week, but maybe you are asking about reliability? Tanegashima were built to last centuries but some have had a rough ride in the meantime. In general I would say they have a very good reputation for toughness, but each gun you find is an adventure and would definitely need to be checked out, especially for barrel pitting, and a worn vent may allow too much blowback for decent chamber pressure. By the same token, I would imagine that reproductions are probably made to a certain consistent standard.

You made all that yourself!?!?!?!?

Try finding them under a different title, such as under books or antiques in Buyee.

Hi John, the character should be 飯(島), and it’s actually a capital i. Pronounced Eejeema. The second of your photos looks a bit like 篠 (Sasa or Shino) as in 篠山Sasayama for example.

Right before the Meiji Restoration, long swords (approx. 3 feet) with no curvature were made. Sa Yukihide (from Tosa) forged this type of sword. Saigo Takamori (西郷隆盛)、 Sakamoto Ryoma (坂本龍馬) owned this type of swords. Both are famous historical characters during the Meiji Restoration, called Meiji Ishin (明治維新). Both of them were a part of the Kin’no-to (勤皇党) group which supported the Emperor and renewed the political system. Kinno-To – Study of Japanese Sword

Interesting ideas there. First thought is to wonder if kazu-uchi-mono may have short-circuited the laborious tamahagane method for the sake of larger production volumes.

Congratulations, Mark. Looks like you guys have cracked it!

Maybe you need to tell people you are a beginner and ask for gentleness before you pose your question.(?) e.g. “Genuine question here, but…” etc. For example your question above, after a sale has gone through, might seem to be a subtle criticism, throwing doubt at the seller as if you know more than them. When people are confused by your motivation in asking the question, they might chose a confused face.

砲金 Hōkin gunmetal was around 90% copper and 10% tin. Little to no zinc, I believe. (Not sure when zinc first came into use…) Quote: Two bronze cannon, cast in 1535 and 1628 respectively, were recently recovered from the wreck of an old Swedish warship, and were found to be only slightly corroded. The alloys used for these guns contained 84 per cent and 14 per cent of copper respectively with up to 14 per cent of tin and a little lead.

Good point. Actually the Mei on teppo and armour are very similar in construction, and there is some degree of overlap with popular name Kanji.

Aim ahead, always, but remember you will never achieve perfection, you’ll just get better and better at it. We all make mistakes, and we learn by them. And some Mei are unreadable, or turn out to be gimei anyway. And then more and more become dead easy. It’s a fun puzzle, and an enjoyable challenge.

Kanenobu Masazane？金信政真

Wow, that's great going, Chris, and I can imagine that you must have learned a lot. Quite envious actually! I once attempted to restring the shikoro on a kabuto, and got some advice from a famous Katchu-Shi on some of the finer details, but at some point I dropped out of the project. Lazy, I guess. There is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much to learn in the world of armour, including all the kinds of braiding, and stitching, and names for egawa patterns and so on. AAaaaarrrrgggghhhhhhh........................ PS Those plastic clips will surely make life easier when getting your kit on and taking it off. Do you have retaining bands at the back of the haidate flaps, or are they free-swinging?

X-ray eyes!?! Wow!

Very hard to make these out, Ron, for a couple of reasons, but I will start the ball rolling with 兼家 Kane-ie. Confidence rating, ...50%.

Ouch, yes! Having just missed out on something that I was actually prepared to buy, dang! I was on a hair trigger... a very dangerous place to be.

Thanks, Eric. I hope so too...

Should be working, deadline approaching, but just a small update. Not too long ago I had a chance to purchase a tanto in nice koshirae. A now-you-see-it-now-you-don't kind of auction setting. (I was saving to buy a second car, but when I boldly told her, the wife exploded, ...so I had a secret little down-payment stashed away.) Whenever this happens my friends usually laugh and warn me not to spend any further cash on it, such as a polish, and/or a tsunagi and shirasaya. Still, I like to add something positive to a blade if possible, but I usually end up letting the fish go on its merry way, taking a loss into the bargain. I always learn a little something, and with burnt fingers I take another long break. This time too I was reminded firmly that there is no point sending good money after bad. "And whatever you do, do NOT show it to your Sensei or the people at the local NBTHK meetings." Well, on Sunday I went to the monthly meeting and asked quietly about the possibility of getting a shirasaya made. To me it is a quiet, unpretentious blade, with little to see. This time, however, the reaction was quite strong. "Definitely spend money on this one!" my Sensei said. The Togishi had a look and he too was impressed. "A rare blade!" he commented. It's a mumei So-Shu Masahiro wakizashi (or sun-nobi tanto) of just over 30 cm. Second half of Namboku Cho. Tokubetsu hozon, NBTHK. They didn't even write 'den' before Masahiro. No photos as it's away at the Shirasaya-Shi. Just debating whether a gentle polish might bring up the hataraki, or more shingane. This time will it be a keeper? And the moral of the story is... well, wodja reckon?

Which world of artistry is this from? How about 柳一, Ryu-ichi.(?)

Maybe with zokumyo: Yokoyama Kozuke Daijo Shichibei no Jo Sukesada

Been there, got several t-shirts. Can’t give a better answer than Doug. Buying something you love with a guaranteed built-in future profit, is a hard double-act, but you can always aim for it. If you feel able to take the hits if and when they come, even better. Just don’t tell the wife, (until you hit a jackpot, and even then...).

Less decorative, less symbolic, more practical?