Bugyotsuji

祐光 Sukemitsu also might be possible…(?)

Agreeing generally with Uwe’s thoughtful comments above. There are two things you can do to improve the overall appearance of this venerable kabuto. 1. You can find a similar colour of fine string and thread it through in three (or five) places in order to reattach the shikoro. This will not damage anything, it will look better, and a professional restorer can simply remove it if ever you decide to get it properly relaced. 2. The lacquer was there to prevent rusting. Now there is dusty (active) red rust overall but it needs stabilizing. Ian Bottomley at Leeds Royal Armouries taught us all how to prepare a mixture of ‘boiled linseed oil’ and a little ‘white spirit’. If you apply it once and wipe it off a day or so later, much of the rusty dusty will come with it, and the base iron will deepen in colour. Rub with cotton cloth. Repeat as necessary until the bowl looks splendid. The magic mixture will also perform the protective duty of the original lacquer.

Need more shots under different-angled lighting

My sword sensei however floated the question on X and sent me the following reply: Invoking the protection of a 式神guardian god.

My reply just disappeared… (Hey ho! Trying again.) There is one book available in Japan on Taoist protective symbols which I plan to consult. According to someone who has kindly looked through it, this particular one is not listed although there are similar magic signs. https://www.amazon.co.jp/増補-霊符の呪法-大宮司朗/dp/4893507907 Since we can see three kanji buried in the designs I would like to think it reads: ‘pacify the active ogre(s)’ or ‘send active devils (back) to sleep’. 活鬼愚… (And I did find a little story to back that up.)

I think in Kantei you would be awarded 同然 Dōzen or something, as near as dammit. NBTHK gives it Masahiro, @ Tokuhon. Second half of Namboku Chō. (Possibly Gen 1?) (Signed Hiromitsu in later life?)

When I said 'locomotive', I meant my old brain, not the thread. Trying to follow the sometimes long posts, I found myself going off the rails, i.e. falling asleep or getting distracted. A bad attempt at light humo(u)r, for which I apologize. Fascinating to read all the different interpretations, though. (Oh, and I still count Colin among my friends, so I avoid any involvement in he said, she said!)

I have struggled to read most of it, but this locomotive has a habit of going off the rails...

Wow, that's a relief, thank you Calabrese!!!

Very, very hot now. The names were a little fluid around then, depending on which source you use. Who else is also sometimes said to be a son of Masamune?

The original question was "Why is saving for a sword taboo?" Wouldn't that question be illegal in a court of law? A loaded question like asking, "Have you stopped beating your wife, yes, or no?" Personally I got stuck at that point. Is it taboo, and who said so? Or is the word 'taboo' here tongue-in-cheek? Am I on the spectrum?

Wow, very good! Yes it is mitsumune, and Soshu but not necessarily later Soshu. Not Hiromasa, but very close. A hint lies in the fact that nie are present, apparently, when nie disappear with Sue Soshu.

PS Those of you who know the answer for some external reason, please hold schtum for a bit! Than Q

Yes, Lewis, 1 shaku, 2 bu. Sadly I do not have the blade here with me, just random shots from the phone memory, so overall view is not possible for some time yet. Here is the nakago on its own, (+ all I have of the blade). Nakago

Just curious to see what can be gleaned from this sun-nobi tanto blade. The blade is mumei but has clear NBTHK paperwork, although described officially as wakizashi. (No hints to start with, unless someone asks for particular information).

Unless I am mistaken any local Kasuga shrines were simply extended branches of the main Kasuga Taisha in Nara.

Thanks Tom. I ran a search on 'Kasuga Sha' and 'Hoki', and the following came up. Note that 'Sha' may just be a simplified form of 'Taisha'. They all seem to link back to Kasuga Taisha. https://www.bing.com/search?pglt=297&q=伯耆春日社&cvid=05a5e38fecc840088ea873209c3df477&gs_lcrp=EgRlZGdlKgYIABBFGDkyBggAEEUYOdIBCTE3NDAwajBqMagCALACAA&FORM=ANNTA1&PC=TBTS

PS As you will be aware, artisans quite often changed the way they signed, depending perhaps on the nature of the particular work, or what period of life they were in. They might change one or more kanji, or take on their master’s name for example. This can complicate the picture, requiring further thought and study.

https://www.kasugataisha.or.jp/en/about_en/ Tom, does the inscription on the nakago actually specify Kasuga Taisha?

Not a company but an individual ‘kinkō’ metalworker, possibly even of two or three generations. Although prolific, many of these pieces may have come back to certain dealers and collected together over the intervening century. Incidentally I found several different-kanji Yoshiaki artisans, (all sound the same in English, but not the same person) but one -aki using the same 明 character also shortened the left radical, to simply two dots in that case. Pic follows.

Agreeing with Colin (Matsunoki) above, sadly, a NLO. (A somewhat better quality Netsuke-like object. Young, so fine for actually wearing today!)

At a quick glance it is giving me a feeling of marine ivory, but that's just one opinion. It could be elephant ivory cut from the outer layers in such a way as to to hide any Schreger angles.

On the label, 髙橋伊八, Takahashi Ihachi, no?

There is no further information Yuliyan, except that it is designated 'Hozon Token', and the length of the blade is given as: 一尺八寸二分半 "1 shaku, 8 Sun, 2.5 Bu".

There are plenty of Yari Tanto, (Ken too) but I do not recall having heard the specific expression of Tanto Naoshi, or even Yari Naoshi. Hira-zukuri? Kikuchi yari tanto were also produced though, many in Kyushu. I wonder if that is what he was referring to?