Bugyotsuji

No sheep in Japan traditionally; mutton was eaten by the Mongols etc., but uncastrated it was considered too pungent for Japanese tastes. Raxa was an expensive imported woollen felt cloth but open to attack by insects and the elements. Most people would not have known what a sheep was, let alone a ram.

Hold on a mo. Most people know but they probably haven’t yet seen this thread. I’ll have to go and look it up. It’s me old memory failing me. Don’t have things at the fingertips any more. (Some time later) Got it! Les Stewart.

No secret, Jean, but I do not have his full contact details in Scotland.

"Of Kunishige it is deduced that there were more than one artist..." it says in Uwe's appraisal above.

Yes, but they may be busy.

Nice Satsuma style tsuba

There is no defined age cut-off point. When do you stop driving, for example? Everyone is different, though health and advancing years do play an increasing part. Some of the people I know in Japan have been discussing decluttering, and letting go of some of their collections. I know people who have gradually narrowed it down to their two or three favorite blades, wishing then to either pass them on to an interested relative or to donate them to a museum. Personally I am not yet ready to give up driving, but I have found that my general enthusiasm and desire to collect in various fields has gently begun to evaporate. Having said that, if I see something nice...

Try for line 2 曇りても佳し and hiragana is used for the okurigana 変わらざりけり

What makes you think it is gimei, Francis?

Hizen Jakushi link sounds reasonable. Here’s one I had until recently…

Rawa, re “paper”. (if it has papers, it’s papered.) Etymology: papyrus

If you look at a Noh stage you see pine trees and a passage or landing leading off left to where the gods resided. Golden eyes on a Noh mask indicate a godly, not human figure. When you see pine trees with clouds, we are in the realm of gods and dragons, begorrah! (In Japanese art we find several species of Japanese pines, each depicted rather conventionally, i.e. not strictly accurately.)

Never bought anything from Aoi myself, so no expectations to start with.

Why? Hamfish, do we have to read the whole page to find out why you dislike this dealer?

The rings may be tortoiseshell…(?)

Yes, Jan, I like this idea. Generally with a matchlock you do not have the cord fitted or the serpentine 'cocked', so touching the trigger is not a problem. With a fitted, burning match, however, a trip or a branch could indeed set it off early. A sniper might also appreciate a trigger guard. As to your colection being 'humble', well, you are just being humble modest!

勢州住 is living in Seishu (Ise), and the date given in the sayagaki is 天正 Tensho period.

Interesting! Some guns (Satsuma for example) had no split at all under the stock.

Many of them never had a trigger guard. Some have lost the guard and the inlet holes have simply been filled in. Guns with an extant trigger guard are relatively rare. Good luck if you go the replacement route. I too like to restore anything obvious myself, or find someone to step in if it’s beyond my ability.

Had a quick search but it’s not here. It must be with the other lot. I’ll get back to you in October! My initial impression was that they are not crimped in place like bezels, but set somehow with… glue(?) and the curved sides simply act to protect the stones from sideways knocks.

We were not given the sizes, but this figure is just a small figurine really, (almost like a decorative chess piece) as it is not within the traditional Japanese Netsuke/Okimono remit. If we had to choose a definition, then Okimono would be closer, which literally means ‘an object for placement’ or static object. Okimono from Japan became popular from Meiji onwards, tending to be rather larger decorative figures. (But Stefan’s above is more like an NLO, or a Netsuké-like object.)

It is iron, a large Namban, with a silver fukurin. Four and three, for seven amber cabochons. I am imagining early to mid Edo, when Namban were fashionable.(?) The reverse

Hi Stefan. Thank you for posting. These rather better quality Chinese figures, Okimono, are not so old, (1900s), sadly made of ivory for the tourist trade. As ivory is illegal to buy and sell in most countries today, it is of little worth in the west. With no obvious Himotōshi holes they would not function as or qualify as Netsuke. The name Gyokuseki 玉石 has been added for ‘Japanese’ style cachet. The classical figure is probably Shoki the Demon Queller

I have a tsuba decorated with small rounded amber cabochons, but not exactly stones or jewels per se. They are set on circular rimmed presumably flat bases.

“Pre-1920” tells us that it cannot be a real teppō as they finally went out of use around 1860. As to “Netsuke” I cannot see it, but it is not my place to criticize auction descriptions, which can vary wildly. Size, weight, smoothness and roundness in the hand, functionality as a Netsuke?