Bugyotsuji

So the guy says it might take until October. Covering my disappointment I replied, “No worries, I’m not in a hurry.” And today the phone rings and he says it’s ready. This week I don’t have time to go and get it…… aaaarrrrgggghhhhh…

Will be there, at least in spirit.

I have a Netsuké cup with ‘overflowing’ designs indicating saké perhaps, shōchū, or doburoku, Korean style cloudy saké. The only shot I can find. Apologies!

Yesterday I met the guy who is arranging the work and managed to catch up a little on the long gun. Although he is supremely busy with his livelihood, he said he couldn't resist taking the lockwork apart. The internal mainspring coil is iron, (many are shinchu) but the little catch had worn away, preventing the serpentine from staying locked in the upright position. He has filed a new notch, and says it now works fine. "These things needed constant adjustment", he commented. That reminded me of an old Kamakura screen showing the garden of a residence with archery stands and accessories, and various bushi drawing and stringing bows, etc. After fashioning a new sakura-za for the mekugi ana, he will pass it along to the guy with the magic to loosen any (?) stuck Bisen. And Bob's yer uncle! (I managed to extract the jammed ramrod, and to find a genuine old one which fits almost exactly.)

Really looking forward to this. They have offered to pay my expenses, but instead of staying in a hotel there, I have decided to catch an early shinkansen and save them some money! Just hope the typhoon stays on course to miss Japan.

Hmmm. it does not seem to have any function there towards the end of the saya, being purely decorative. Does it refer to an exotic sake jar, from Okinawa for example, or the Ainu perhaps?

Kitau, kitaeru are the same 鍛 as Tan. It seems many of the signatures end in 鍛之 "forged by Kane-somebody", and the stamp is an added guarantee of reliability & authenticity. So Bruce would like to know here which particular forge in Mino/Seki added this hot stamp, right?

濃州住人兼常鍛之 無し Nō Shū Jū Nin Kanetsune kitae kore (Reverse) Nashi (nothing)

Ah great, thanks! (Is that cork?)

Mmm… quite understated, Oli. Not a bad thing. How does that look from other angles?

Wow! Congratulations to Ford et al. Spotted several people I know on that list. Must remember to say well done!

群がる muragaru, get together. I guess one sage would be OK, but two of anything is not generally considered a lucky number in Japan (divisive, set up for strife, except for marriage where two become one), so three could be ideal. (Four is also avoided, and five would surely be too much work for most artisans!)

Great that you could see it, Richard. Are you the first among us? I am sure that most of us would be more than interested. Swords, armo(u)r, guns.......................... I've been meaning to go, and now someone museum-related has offered me a personal tour next week! Looking forward to it.

Nice object. Looks like it says wind 'once a week'.

Last month.

These are not too common! Interesting. Somewhere I have a very old pair of iron 蝉 (semi) cicada menuki, with remains of zogan, but the features are largely rusted away. Will add them here if I can remember.

Thanks. It was that tilted stroke that threw me. Run a comparative signature search with: 正阿弥包矩

Can you get a clear shot of the two-character 'Kanenori' on your left tsuba, Howard? I cannot see the 'nori' clearly.

模 has the meaning of ‘in tribute to’, or ‘copy of’. (兼元Kanemoto？)

Nothing to add really. Nice tsuba. It seems that you have the idea right, but I am not sure why these three sages should be gathering together here. (Gama Sen-nin's toad often has only three legs, but that is not really clear here.)

Good article and good supporting materials, including Steve's Nobuie. Somewhere I have a Yodo no Mizuguruma tsuba too, but thanks to this article it has now risen somewhat in my understanding and appreciation. Also the broken roof tiles decorating the hall here! (Many years ago someone asked me to find a tsuba with a waterwheel, so I went out on a limb and bought quite a large one, but then they said it was not exactly what they were looking for.)

Apologies, Chris, I was getting you mixed up with DoTanuki Yokai above! Aaaarrrggghhh.... Getting my Chrises crossed! (And thanks for the invite! I'd love to. I lived about six years in the US many, many years ago, mostly on the east coast, but the last time I visited must have been back in the 1990s. )

Christopher, there was a long gun that I just had to have. (That's why I did not have any cash left for the Ken.) As usual with these things it needs some work. The bisen needs loosening, the ramrod is stuck fast, the lockwork mechanism does not engage properly, and a crucial part of the decorative fittings is missing. It is away in a bucket-brigade of artisans being given some TLC, and I forgot to take any overall shots of it first. I can give you a word picture, though. I know we all prefer words! Despite the torukusho saying the Mei is partly unreadable, I've figured it out. This was for me historically interesting. It was made in late Edo in Matsushiro, the castle there originally ('Kaizu Jo') built by the famous Yamamoto Kansuke. This castle served Takeda Shingen under the command of (his lover) Kosaka Masanobu (Kasuga Toratsuna), and was fought over by the Uesugi and Sanada. Later the castle was awarded in 1622 to the Sanada clan who renamed it Matsushiro Jo, and they remained there until the end of the Edo period. The castle itself was repeatedly burned down or destroyed in earthquakes but always rebuilt. The gun in question. The Bakumatsu 1850s~ gunsmith studied under a well-known Edo Bakufu smith named Akagari. In a nod to their old Takeda roots, I guess, the little ibo-kakushi screen is in the shape of a hanabishi mon. There are two or three other unusual features to this gun that originally piqued my interest. Will report as and when. Am I forgiven?

Ah, yes, now we are talking! That eases the pain considerably, Christian!

Note that atari 邊 traditionally means 'beside' 'near' 'in the vicinity of', etc.