Bugyotsuji

It's a good question to stir the old brain cells, Henry. I had to ask myself, would a lady fancy such a shape? But no answer came. I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts. I have a tanto which lacks a kurikata sageo cord bridge. A collector friend said "Oh, this makes it for a lady." Another collector friend said, "No, not necessarily." I am still learning.

Because the smith made it that way, and because you bought it that way. But then why or for what purpose did he make such a small Tanto? Hmmm... they came in all sizes. (How does your u-no-kubi blade length work out in centimeters?)

Not a menuki, methinks. What's the oval hole for? Some kind of fastening device? Two pin holes for.... an obi-dome? The original Japanese site will sometimes give more information. You can often learn something from the backs of these things.

Leaving behind centuries of Muromachi warfare, and gradually drifting away from actual battlefield practicality, the Edo aristocracy indulged more and more in gaudiness and showing off.

I don’t think it is a set per se, more like assembled parts, but some of it could be from the late 1500s, and some later. (The shikoro on the kabuto could well be a more recent addition.) Let’s give it a 24-hr day Tyler and see what others think.

Most of that looks good, Tyler, modern armor, i.e. 'Tosei Gusoku' of the late feudal age. Maybe a mishmash of good to mediocre parts, but you have a box for it to sit it upon, and the main thing at the time would have been to protect oneself. Great going, and congratulations on your first acquisition!

Hi Robert, it says Myochin Muneyoshi Saku.

Not only a merchant, but an artisan for example who had been elevated to bushi status, or granted permission to carry a sword might order one from a swordsmith, or possibly even buy an antique one.

For a shirasaya and habaki, if you want them made in Japan, you'd have to send the blade there, which is normally a huge hassle for most people both sending and receiving.

Some years ago I asked around for someone here in Japan to make me a shirasaya. Among the replies was one which surprised me. "Why don't you make your own?" "Must be joking!" I thought, but this person was serious. Since then I have paid more attention to shirasaya in general, and although most are beautifully created, many of them do indeed, judging by the material and shape, look to be homemade. (So not totally impossible. I would want to learn how to do it first, though, if ever I were to try my hand!)

From everything I see written there he is thinking of you and your pocket. A shirasaya is not for display, but for protecting the blade when it is not in full koshirae display mode. Perhaps you could ask him for rough estimates of what a shirasaya, habaki and polish would cost in Oz? I reckon you could pay well over $2,000 for these, on top of your intial purchase price of $1,000.

Could be seawater damage, from the cargo of a wreck.

We have to ask you Hannah, what kind of camera were you using? Those are some of the fuzziest, strangely colo(u)red photos I have seen.

Just had a quick peek against my better nature (always afraid of looking at unknown files!) and in some of those shots it looks almost like two layers (of a layer cake) with a visible separation between them. Hmmm...

Also, if you can get a shot diagonally/sideways into the central triangular hole, or into one of the side holes, a spot or section where the side wall is 'clean', maybe we can see if the tsuba is solid right through, or made up as a kind of sandwich of metals. (Kagami-Shi or 'mirror makers' for example, often added two copper faces to their tsuba.) No worries if you can't.

In some of those early shots, it looks as if it might have an iron fukurin around the outside rim. A 'fukurim'?

Iron and copper both is unusual. The surface workings in copper? So, it's magnetic then?

Hi John, apologies, saw yours but decided I was not going to go there! (Rabbit, hole, etc.) These 11 familes are given for *'Nanatsu Yaguruma', three with Ya in their names: 太田、服部、高畠、日和佐、真島、田村、福井、能勢、大矢、矢作、矢部など Here: 七つ矢車紋（ななつやぐるま）：家紋のいろは (irohakamon.com) *Also called 七本矢車 Nanahon Yaguruma

Not really seeing what you are describing on your Sanbaso/Sambaso, Dale, but my gut reaction is no, not right at all. 三番叟 - Wikipedia

Haha yes, every little detail differed by family, but always need to make sure which way round it is too, white on a black background, or vice versa, i.e. there were positive and negative versions. 陰家紋 Yours is two positive lines on a sukashi background.

Was needing some cash so I sold a Kishū Wakayama long gun about two weeks ago. Then on Friday someone offers me a Sendai long gun. Well, I’ve been looking for a Sendai gun for many a long year. It was expensive, more than I got for the Kishū, but there are times when a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do…

But you could form a list of possibilities, and discuss each one in turn. That would be interesting.

It could have been made in the 1600s, and collected by the Dutch and sent over in the 1800s…

There are tsuba out there in all kinds of states. I bought one with cherry flowers in sukashi, a large and pretty tusba, but later someone commented, "Too bad it's been in a fire!" Even so, you cannot lightly throw such a thing away. There is so much to learn from each one of these, even if the market value to collectors might be low. In fact, collectors can be among the fussiest people you'll ever meet. As you grow to understand tsuba, you will begin to notice many things, including artefacts displayed in museums that are not particularly great examples.

丸に二つ引き紋（まるにふたつひき）：家紋のいろは (irohakamon.com) As this page shows, yes, prinicipally Ashikaga, but at least 50 other families used this mon, including the 'evil' Kira of 47 Ronin fame.. 寺紋足利市鑁阿寺、京都市竜安寺、京都市慈照寺 戦国武将細川藤孝、細川忠興、斯波義統、最上義光 幕末維新近藤勇、吉田稔麿 有名人吉良上野介 使用苗字古都、山名、由良、村田、堀越、畠山、細川、仁木、宮原、最上、福井、山中、山田、増島、中島、三枝、篠山、戸川、佐藤、遠山、杉浦、柘植、小林、富田、富松、関口、芝、壺井、高山、品川、里見、喜連川、一色、今川、吉良、牛奥、石原、内崎、上野、小田切、岩佐、岩城、大原、荻野、猪狩、奥田、成田、馬場、石塚、古川、斯波、吉田、田中、山本 大名旗本肥後熊本藩細川氏の替紋、高家喜連川氏の替紋、旗本山名氏、旗本由良氏、旗本仁木氏、旗本宮原氏、旗本最上氏、旗本篠山氏、旗本遠山氏、旗本柘植氏、旗本富松氏、旗本壺井氏、旗本品川氏、旗本一色氏、旗本今川氏、旗本吉良氏、旗本牛奥氏、旗本上野氏、旗本奥田氏