Bugyotsuji

根付 Netsuke background knowledge. From the late 1500s onwards, it became fashionable (mostly for males) when wearing kimono to hang Inro (personal seal) cases (and other things) from the obi waistband, the string anchored behind and on top of the obi with a Netsuke stopper, with an Ojime bead (slide) to hold the strings together. A Sagemono (hanging) set would thus be a) the Inro, or specific object hanging by strings from b) the Netsuke, with strings loosened or pulled together with c) an Ojime slide. All three objects can be creations of beauty, and avidly collected. When bans on dress gaudiness were issued by the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Netsuke was one small way to show off your wealth, as too with the swords you might wear. Rather like a watch or phone today. A good netsuke would need to be able to take and anchor a string, either through two 'himotoshi' holes, or various other ways. It would need to be interesting to look at, and well carved, to be admired equally from any of the six directions, and naturally fit in the palm of the hand. Almost any material might work as long as it was strong enough and would not get caught on or damage clothing. Many Netsuke were unsigned, but there are many books recording the names of Netsuke carvers, the oldest of which The Soken Kisho (1781, 57 carvers) also recorded metalworker sword guards etc. As clothing fashions changed to Western dress, Netsuke lost their primary usage, but were sought after by visiting Westerners. For this reason you may find more of them abroad than in Japanese collections. You may have noticed the Gyoji referee in Sumo wearing colourful kimono, and if you look carefully you may spot an inro set hanging from their right side. The TV series Mito Komon also uses the Kamon on an Inro for identification of the good characters at the end. Netsuke continue to be carved even today, some of exceptionally high quality; others (NLO) can be cleverly designed to trick the unwary into parting with their money. Sorting out the good ones takes learning, exposure to collections and books and gatherings in order to develop an eye. Purists like to collect good condition well-carved Netsuke from their Golden Age, signed if possible, before Western influences become discernable in them. Well-known Netsuke carving areas were Iwami, Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, Edo etc. Since the modern fall from grace of ivory, other materials such as wood and stag antler have risen in popularity. The above, written in haste, could be subject to change as and when! End of May 2025.

Done, Brian. (No point in advertising it either then.) PietroParis used to drop in occasionally here. He is a wealth of information. Colin is experienced and should be very good value too. Malcolm? And John C(?) is it, in California? Wait-and-see sounds good.

New, hopefully educational, thread for Netsuke. (Opinions offered, but be warned there are many *NLO out there, so gird your loins against disappointments.) •Collections •Recent acquisitions •Mei signatures •Materials •Reference etc. *Netsuke-like objects. This phrase was coined on the INS (International Netsuke Society) site which is currently undergoing running repairs.

The other day a friend offered me a sagemono purse/fold with a rather nice ‘Mae-Kanagu’ front fastener. Without removing it, I cannot tell if it was once a Menuki before. (The original netsuke had already been snaffled by another friend.) They both looked lonely, so…

Wow! Great idea, Rob! Well, Nagawo in Thai is obviously the equivalent of Nagao in Japanese. Good guess there at least!!! (Pats self on head.) As to the other... Incidentally this was a great film if you haven't seen it. Biruma no tategoto (1985) - IMDb The Burmese Harp (1985 film) - Wikipedia

This would ultimately be a decision by Brian whether or not to set up a corner, unless we use what we already have with a single giant catch-all Netsuke thread, within 'Other Japanese arts'. Netsuke are a huge subject though, with octopus tentacles, so one thread may well be asking too much. There have been Netsuke posts and queries on and off here on the NMB, also over in the translation section, maybe fifty or more in total over the last ten or fifteen years. We could call it something like, erm... uh.... hey, here's an original idea, what about "Netsuke Nook"? (Cheesy, but actually that's quite good, Malcolm! ) Disclaimer On a personal level, with some exceptions, I do not collect upmarket provenanced Victorian-era Netsuke from auction house sales, because I could not afford to play with the big guys and gals. Luckily I never invested heavily in ivory as that could have cleaned me out. My collection was mostly built visiting collectors, and trawling local antiques fairs and markets in Japan, looking for the genuine and unusual, some rustic or artisanal, spotting the odd gem; this year so far in total about seven or eight Netsuke. Four particularly interesting Netsuke have led me to write articles for Rosemary Bandini's EuroNetsuke magazine. In some cases I have found an almost identical Netsuke by the very same carver, worth something in the West, but with no provenance behind it, incomparably cheaper in Japan. (Yes, I know, Jack-of-all-trades, that's me!)

Taking the Tamba theme one step further, still in the fevered imagination of course, if you combine the number 八 eight with these pot lids 亠 (tō), then the outline and internal piece of the Kanji 丹 Tan may be covered, or suggested.

If this medic was with the army, stationed somewhere on the continent, packed with vital medicines it would be a good idea to have contact information in the local language(s).(?)

Re Kurikata/Bruno. Playing with the Mei, which looks like 丹州篠山定正... (?) and then playing with 丹 Tan, and the Mon for that... Could it be eight of these central pieces? Photo of Kamon, Tan

The question is Kurikata Bruno's, right? Dale's is showing the I Ching, the Book of Changes. I ching - 検索 画像

PS When doing your research make sure not to confuse 貞一 'Sadakazu' with 貞勝 'Sadakatsu', another Gassan smith.

As someone once said, smoothbore matchlocks were never going to be seriously accurate. With no rifling, the knuckleball effect almost guarantees a measure of inaccuracy. For this reason the sights, especially on larger hand-held weapons, were more like a token statement. The only other photos I have come from Sawada's book. One is the front sight with a hole, from a Satsuma gun. The other is a ladder sight owned by Mr Sawada himself that he proudly carries around showing people, being such a rare object. And double-boxed! 1. 2.

Dyslexic is fine. Thanks for letting us know! Get both!!! (That’s what they tell me.)

Gassan Sadakazu Tantō. (How long is the blade?) (Short answer)

凉楽 Does anyone see this?

Meantime here are some bronze arrow tips found in a kofun period tomb. Cleaned up for the local museum

That’s what I mean. If it says Kikusui 菊水, then we are all happy, but it looks as if it has been written over, so unfortunately I cannot be sure either way. Anyone else? What was in the box?

Does anyone else get feelings of Bizen Sukesada?

Can't read the two characters, although I would like them to be 菊水 for simplicity! The other single black splash/squiggle is a Kao 花王 artist signature.

(Kevin, apologies, I was replying to the thread starter.)

Sure Alex, it's a tough one, and a case can be made either way. As with classic cars, if it is a part of history, and there's enough good meat in it to enjoy, then why not? Many if not most examples out there have a repair of one kind or another, often old repairs, but not exclusively old. Some new repairs are fine, others plain naughty! Auctions sites will often mention evidence of repairs. In my case the barrel was mostly fine, a gift from a friend, but leaning in a corner doing absolutely zilch, nada. Then another friend offered me this old battered stock from the woodpile, and I was surprised to see how they fitted together pretty well! As a decorative object, with genuine parts, it's just about got its foot in the door...

Jacques, what do you mean by 'upper' and 'lower'?

And the Mei Luckily the wife was out shopping

Meantime I finally got the long Yari down for a health check on the tiny sankaku blade. Signed Yamashiro no Kami Kunishige. Overall About the length of my forefinger.

Maybe I’ll leave it like this. (A friend urges to go the whole hog, i.e. fix it up with a working lock and serpentine.)