Bugyotsuji

Did you choose the frame, Jason? A page out of a book? Famous Kabuki actors? A winter (February) scene of a 55-yr-old travelling samurai wearing a cloak. In a shop? (Just guessing from circumstantial evidence!)

And a ‘nikuhitsu’ painting by the hand of (Isoda) Masakatsu, Hōbashi Koryūsai, active 1776-82. Kadomatsu with wrapped roots

My Kozuka shows nematsu or nebikimatsu with orizuru paper crane. (Shakudo gold and silver. Mei: Nagamine or Eiho. 永峯)

He can open a gentle 'window' in the blade to see what is under the rust there, and whether your blade contains potential for moving the process forward.

There is a polisher of Japanese swords in Scotland called Les, a good man. I'd advise showing it to him before any local restorer, if only for some sound advice and direction.

Check a list of Kinko artisans under Toshinaga, but if not, then try Toshihisa, Riju, etc., to find a reading that fits, as each one will have had a personal preferred reading.

Maybe the proposed Tsuka already had a deep and wide slot in it.

Conversely, it has been said that an excellent hadori will allow you to see all of the hataraki contained within it, a kind of ‘best of both worlds’.

Thank you, Moriyama San!

Loving the dark patina on this one. A trusty Ashigaru battlefield gun. Possibly Inatomi-Ryū school of gunnery, and possibly made in Kunitomo. Also I have a special attraction to the 鉄線 Tessen clematis Mon. Yours is Tessen-guruma or ‘clematis wheel’ design. Congratulations! Looking forward to your updates.

Thank you Uwe!!!

In my case, the Togishi told me he could reduce the blade to sashikomi, so I asked him to do just the one side. At the NBTHK local meeting we brought the blade for everyone to see, and among the members there was a more ‘senior’ Togishi whom he respectfully consulted for advice. When everyone finally recommended the sashikomi side (for Sue Bizen), then he was happy to go with that, especially to bring out the characteristic Sukesada Hamon.

The seller says alongside ‘Nakago’: 付け足し茎 Tsuke-ashi Nakago = added-leg tang (Nothing otherwise)

Hoping that anyone new to Netsuke here may get some idea of the variety there really was out there, throughout the Edo period and across all social strata.

大日本 Dai Nippon 吉田造 Yoshida zō/dzukuri 京都 Kyoto

笠原哲司 Kasahara Tetsuji (?) (Not sure of the Tetsu Kanji…)

This is the same blade but opposite sides. Hadori/Kesho to Sashikomi. PS Although Mumei, and papered to Sue Bizen Sukesada, many have suggested this is a blade by Yosozaemon Sukesada. From To

Took it to our local NBTHK meeting and elicited opinions. They took the blade in hand and compared sides. General agreement that Sue Bizen particularly can look better with traditional sashikomi. So that is what I went with, dumping the hadori.

No, I can see all of what you are saying, Rob, the brightness of the red, the unusual tiger, lack of foxing in the white etc., but the writing looks legit. Unless someone is copying from an original somewhere…(?) I was just curious as I have had several of these flags in the past, in varying materials and states, and I was wondering how everyone judges these, whether the fakes had any recognizable features in common? Good condition ones do sometimes come out of people’s boxes or drawers.

What makes you say that, h?

Stag antler. Finally, various stag antler netsuke examples. (Closer shots possible. Please feel free to add your own antler pieces.) Top row from left: 1. Pomander containing something fragrant, but also resembles an upright brazier(?) 2. Sho upright flute, alleged origin of the Western pipe organ. 3. Three examples of Obi-Hasami netsuke, to clip behind the obi sash of standard width. The middle one is Bakumatsu Edo work, signed. The second row are sukashi manjū style netsuke, with an unworked antler base on the right for comparison. No.1 and 3 are carved where the antler bifurcates. Third row. Mushrooms, stone pedestal, katchū Haramaki dō cuirass, and daikon root with leaves. Bottom row. Silk seal, head, with quality control hole and personalized seal underneath. Well-aged Shishi with ball. (Stomach?) Chinese sage with peach. Ama diving girl with small sickle.

This first lot of nine netsuke are: 1. Top left. Signed grotesque female head in Tagua nut ‘vegetable ivory’. 2. Lower left. Two bone Netsuke designed to look like bamboo. 3. Top right. Baleen netsuke, w/marine ivory. Wrote an article for Euronetsuké magazine outlining some theories about this one. 4. Second down on right. Walrus tusk manjū netsuke, two Edo travellers. 5. Mask and Jurojin in spermwhale tooth. 6. Bottom right. Two narwhal ‘ikkakuju’ or ‘unikooru’ slice ‘senbei’ netsuke. One is cut away, grated for medicinal purposes(?). The other has a silver central fitment with ‘kugi nuki’ kamon on front, and ring attachment at back.

Having mentioned ivory earlier, here is a little drawer of elephant ivory Netsuke that I decided to keep. Legally there is not much I can do with them, but they are fun to take out just to admire the carving and to remember the stories behind them. Today I was sorting out a larger drawer. Following this post I’ll show some of the ‘other’ ivories.

In Kagoshima there is a company boss called Yamauchi (or Yamanouchi?) San, I have heard, who has devoted one whole floor of his company building to his Satsuma sword collection. In fact one of the reasons it is so hard to find anything is that he buys up any stuff that comes into the market, it is said. There is another collector friend who is creating a museum or exhibition rooms in the southwest of Kyūshū for his wonderful collection. He too sucks up anything Satsuma related, as I have painfully discovered, but he is a rather quiet and private character. Personally speaking I have a few odd bits of Satsuma material which I would be afraid to mention to these two magnetic characters! Reading your post, Moriarty, makes me rather envious when I see someone with a clear aim like you! Wishing you luck, and hoping we can learn more about what you have so far and what particularly you are searching for, and why!

Mark, since you brought this up, I had a papered Sue Bizen mumei Sukesada, which was polished in hadori/kesho-togi. Out of interest, I asked a Togishi if he could rework just one side in sashikomi, in order to see the difference for myself, before deciding which way to finish it. (Now to go back and read this whole thread!)