Bugyotsuji

A sword collector friend in Fukuyama grows some tall spiky green stalks which he said were traditionally used as sandpaper. He cuts them into sections and lays them out to dry. I think they were hollow, with rough exteriors. I’ll see if the name corresponds with horsetail ferns, which I had thought was something different. Hmmm…

Thank you Aaron, for some more background information to chew on while I go back and look at it once more.

Ah, great illustration, Moriyama San! “We live and learn!” Many thanks.

Thanks Jean for the quick reply. Very interesting! Is yours pointed? I have heard of sashimi-bocho 刺身包丁(Sashimi + Hocho) but never actually used one. PS I have just found a couple of likely candidates under antiques and sashimi-bocho! Breaking new ground for me! 骨董 and 刺身包丁 タコ引き刺身包丁 maybe for cutting up octopus... ! :eek:

Here's a bit of a puzzle. This blade turned up at an antiques market, and the dealer insisted that it is legal. At first I thought it was one of those narrow-bladed Japanese saws, but this one has a straight edge. The blade has a sort of shinogi line on the side that is signed, and almost a kissaki, but is hira on the reverse. Quite light in the hand. Photos will follow. The Mei looks to read 正, then a disfigured spot, and finally 久 (?). It has a wooden, worm-eaten handle, bound in rattan or bamboo of some kind. There is no evidence of a mekugi, but two or three small random iron pins that seem to be for fixing the binding, and no saya. Are we looking at a woodworking tool, or something for fish, or leather, or flower ceremony perhaps? Or a part of something else? All ideas welcome, (unless they are unwelcome). Length overall 33 cm Blade length from edge of grip, 22 cm Blade width goes from 1.6 cm to 1.1 cm at tip. There is almost no kasane, at 1.0 mm, or 0.1 cm Tip Mei Kasane

Well, I cannot answer for anyone else, Peter, but these guns in various iterations do come up with some frequency. Sawada Taira has a couple of chapters in his book (in Japanese, 日本の古銃, pp136~ the end) where he introduces many modifications. They seem to have been pretty inventive in Japan as they followed the evolutions coming in from abroad, adapting their own guns in various ways. Some would be one-offs, and other more successful adaptations might have been to some extent mass-produced.

Today a little birdie told me that the work on the guns is complete, so we will need to set up a collection day. I have one more long gun with a blocked 'himichi' vent that I may ask him to help with. I've tried just about everything I can think of, but every thickness and strength of wire gives up and bends eventually. If I could introduce an angled awl into the breech chamber... and attack the barrel rust in the vent passage from within, that could be a new angle of attack, though.

On a red lacquer dish, possibly Sasaki Takatsuna, judging by the Kamon?

Lovely examples, Justyn, and great background information. With his horse struggling to turn away, I can guess that Kagesue needed both hands and all his strength to pull back on the reins. Interestingly in your example he has both arms right through the bow, doubling the safety net on it. You would not want to drop your bow in the river, and the mouth is a useful third hand! https://www.yamada-shoten.com/i_item/2023/02/141840.jpg

Here are some shots of the serpentine match cord arm, and a Fuji vine pulling two strong bamboo together. External side Barrel side Power of Fuji wisteria vines, taken during a climb up the mound of a ruined castle nearby. And…

This is a 50 Monme Ozutsu from Sendai, Date Masamune's stronghold north of Edo. Sendai (仙台 today) used to be written with the old Kanji for 'dai'. i.e. 仙臺, as seen in the Mei under the barrel. Although rare, Sendai guns being quite sought after, and of relatively large caliber, this hand-cannon was to me always slightly disappointing, being very plain, and with no mon on the barrel. (Hidden underneath the barrel there are two faint stamps, one triple-comma mitsu-domoe, and one nine-star kuyomon.) On the other hand, there is some inlay, a splay of fuji wisteria-vine flowers and leaves down the serpentine, both on the viewing side, and equally on the back. I cannot recall having seen such style and placement of inlay before. In an effort to find out more about this gun, I came across the fact that Date Masamune had brought back a fuji root stock from the Bunroku campaign in Korea in the 1592-93, and today this wisteria plant is enormous, a huge presence in the city of Sendai. https://www.bing.com/search?q=伊達政宗ゆかりの藤&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-1&lq=0&pq=伊達政宗ゆかりの藤&sc=9-9&sk=&cvid=0FA35231BBE443FBB52CCB63F8AE2F42&ghsh=0&ghacc=0&ghpl= The cherries are coming into bloom, and this month so too will the wisteria be. In Europe wisteria can have a gentle aspect growing up the outside walls of country houses, but for the real meaning of 藤 Fuji, (think family names like 藤井Fujii, 藤原 Fujiwara, 後藤 Gotō, 加藤 Katō, etc.) you need to see how powerful these vines can grow in the wild. They are like a massive boa constrictor, crushing the life of any tree they choose to climb. Serpentine inlay photos should follow here... and yes, I did give them a polish; much foliage was completely hidden under layers of grime.

The reason I said 'semi-joking' is that they look like French button mushrooms.

Yes, many have attempted and a few have succeeded in recreating utsuri. Once I read about a modern smith coming to the conclusion not too long ago that utsuri was a by-product of smiths pursuing sharpness, in a time when beauty was not quite so important.

Masamune X Dai Mago 正宗　代孫 SoShu Ju Tsunahiro 相州住綱廣 (Still working on this. Hard to make out 'X', the generation number.)

備州三原住貝正近作 Bishu Mihara Ju Kai Masachika Saku Muromachii/Momoyama Period (?) Much better shots, thanks!

They look like mushrooms to me! (Semi-joking...)

Did we not see this same set with that bullet hole about ten or fifteen years ago here? Steve, thanks but those shots are now too close! Can you take a couple of Mei overall shots from different angles with differing light and shadows? Likely it says 備州長船住?... but then more faintly... 直 or 道?正?作

All good questions, Kurt. There may be no monetary value, although the ones on eBay are probably hopeful, but to some people these can interesting and special study pieces. Show what you find to people and collect opinions before making up your mind how to proceed. A friend here has reformed a couple into handy knife blades, keeping the best section of ji and hamon visible, if still available.

Yesterday I came across another old stone wayside lantern, the third I've discovered during long walks in this area. The square opening also reminded me of this interesting tsuba. Photos follow, from two sides. A B

It was bashin/umabari which were used (particularly in the Kyushu region) to cut the ankle of a hard-ridden and tired horse, to relieve turgid blood, as a fleam was used in other parts of the world.

If you crop your photos you should be able to post them here.

Coincidentally there is a Kozuke Daijo Sukesada thread here today... https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/51947-translation-help/#comment-542800

Well done on getting it open. That bisen is likely rusted into place. Yes, nothing yet legible, but it can’t be helped. Many were not signed at all. These Chōshū long guns were mostly made in Sesshū, Sakai (Osaka) where the Chōshū agent would go to place the Daimyo’s orders, so there is a very high possibility of that. I have had two or three examples over the years, with just the one Chōshū long gun today; it too was made in Osaka.

Hard to describe, but if you are right-handed, hold the gun upright, with your fingers and thumb gripping the top edges of the front of the stock, and with the hammer in your right hand, bang the barrel out into the palm of your left hand. Don't worry about the stuck ramrod. The ramrod looks short enough to allow hits on the base of the muzzle. (PS This is all assuming that the person who varnished it has not glued everything into position...)

You can cut out the 1500-1600 part, if it's shinto as they say. Their suggestion of Yokoyama 'Ueno' for 上野 is a wrong reading in this context. The smith they (the store) are alluding to is 'Kozuke' Daijo Sukesada, who was a genius in his own right. Sadly there are countless forgeries out there, so you would need to focus on cross-checking yours against genuine signatures. (The old paperwork itself says very little, only recording the two characters, and as Steve says, the Mei Sukesada does not suggest any particular Sukesada. Once upon a time, the word 'Sukesada' simply meant a Bizen sword to the masses.) See https://www.seiyudo.com/wa-090924.htm PS Congratulations on a lovely object with a particularly nice koshirae.