Bugyotsuji

Back to swords for a second after all the finery! The little Chigo-zashi came back from the Togi-Shi and I listened to how hard he had said it was to do a professional polish on a tiny katana! The returning blade was pronounced, by one person whom I totally respect, to be forged in the Yamato style in every respect. An antiques dealer on Sunday however, whom I also respect, offered a different opinion. He said after peering at it for a while in the sunlight, that the Masame in the blade suggests Yamato, at first yes, but more so Mino, particularly the work of Jumyo, around the Bakumatsu period. Now this fits quite well with background information I have been collecting on this boy's sword, so I am inclined to take all of this on board. Now, when will I be able to step in and make a definitive judgment myself, I find myself wondering.

Thank you

A well-written article on the wisdom of our ancestors: http://www.japantoday.com/category/life ... -ancestors

Hmmm... yes, Mike Jay of Katori Shinto Ryu would know, I expect. Good idea.

Come on guys, this is not about me. It is about furthering the greater knowledge of humanity! PS That tip about the right rein sounds useful, Sanjuro! :D

Thanks for the as ever well-considered reply, Ron. So, grasp the reins, left foot into the stirrup, and with a light spring in your right knee, swing up and over, carrying 100 kgs of body weight and another 30kg of armour... :|

How did fighting Bushi mount a horse in full armor/armour? Was there some kind of platform, or were they lifted up bodily by surrounding troops, I wonder? In Anime they might come running up and take the horse in one bound from behind... :D Granted horses were of smaller stature, but if Japanese saddles were not strapped down as firmly as western saddles, would not the whole operation of mounting and riding a horse have been precarious at best? (The reason for the question is partly personal. Next Sunday I have been asked to bring my full set of Katchu, with Tachi to boot, as some photos will be shot of us on horseback. How to get on without hurting myself or the horse???)

If you have some extra cash, get a Biolite. The light given off averages out electrical waves so that although it is artificially generated light, it is close to natural flame, or to morning sunlight. http://www.biotechs.co.jp/main/product/biolite.html

First of all, John's Nitohen Sankaku Yari. This makes sense to me, although I have never heard this expression before. It means a triangle of which two sides are equal. Secondly, the description of Hira and Sei above come out of the same Sasama's Japanese armor/armour and weaponry encyclopedia that I quoted earlier. It's an old book, but quite well regarded and I was pleased to find a copy of it last week for the book shelf. As to Yarimi, it could also be pronounced Soshin, perhaps, but -mi is difficult to render into English. It's the same -mi in Sashimi, and it means meat or body, a delicious slice, the best bit. Just another way of saying the Yari blade, Eric. Finally, in the English list quoted by Eric above, I think there is a slight problem not with the Japanese, but with the English explanation. Where it says 'A hira sankaku blade with three equal sides' by definition it is not a hira Sankaku any more as it doesn't have one large flat side. Perhaps the author in choosing to use Hira again was imagining that all three sides are flat, not curved or humped. (?)

Look for 'Hira/Hei Sankaku' 平三角= flat triangle, and 正三角Sei/Masa Sankaku = equilateral triangular cross-section.

Rich, you can see some shots of one down this page here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2554&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=1335 It has been away for a polish and I should be getting it back this evening.

This is a different yari, right? My guess is that with the bulge further forward, it would not be called a Sasa-ho tsukuri, but a 'Ryo-shinogi Choku yarimi' 両鎬直槍身　 Using 日本の甲冑武具事典　p402

Eric, Tsukuri means 'made' but more particularly 'the way it is fashioned', and in this case 'fashioned into the style of' sasa-ho.

Keith, I am glad it is not just me. (Had to go back and rewrite an earlier post which just didn't make sense when I reread it. Nuts...)

The tip of an arrow, ya, is termed a shiri = butt/rear/bottom or ne = root.

The word Ho (or after a prefix -Po) means a head or an ear on a crop, as well as blade. Another example of such naming that I would love to own is a 'Gin-nan-po', 'Gin-nan-ho' with a blade shaped like a Ginko nut. Interesting that spears are envisioned with the 'head' up, whereas arrows are considered to point down.

Ah, thanks for that Keith. Excellent information.

Will look forward to the photos then, Eric. In the meantime the phone rang with long-awaited news. (Not as long as some, though!) I reported here on 17 December 2010 the sending-off of the Chigo-zashi to the Togi-Shi. Well, it is now ready and I am to pick it up on Saturday at the Token meeting. I have just asked for a shira-saya, as an afterthought, but was told firmly that I should have mentioned that before having it polished, as the saya maker would be paranoid about getting any scratches on a newly-polished blade. The Koshirae is anyway quite suitable as it is, they tell me. The blade is held firmly inside the saya by the Habaki and the tip. I have semi-reluctantly agreed.

Bag lady? Bag man? What do you need me for? I am enjoying reading the posts here. The above photograph is unusual in that the presumably original Saya and then the Fukuro are both extant. I like it! Every so often bits and pieces appear and I like to acquire them. I have odd gun bags and sword covers and handle covers and lattice armor/armour boxes, but nothing complete like that. (If it is the original set?) I suppose with the extremes of climate in Japan, precious objects were wrapped in more and different materials in the hope that they would withstand whatever Nature could throw at them. We can see an extension of this Japanese penchant in the way that goods at department stores are still gift-wrapped to the gills.

Only just seen this thread, a day late. Many thanks for your unstinting guidance and help, Moriyama San.

Update on the Kuda-yari. Went round to see my friend after a six weeks' absence and asked about the yari which I had asked him to hold for me. Unfortunately he had forgotten our conversation and sold it to a famous collector who, seeing how unusual it was, had immediately snapped it up. Well, it saved me from using some pocket money, I suppose. :|

Well, here is one, but the wording clearly states that the Koshirae (apart from the Saya) is modern. http://www.e-sword.jp/sale/2010/1010_4015syousai.htm

Very pretty, Mark.

It's possible that having lost its Ishi-dzuki someone has hammered something onto it. Ishi-dzuki are quite hard to find and not cheap when you do find one.

One further point I forgot to mention. Spears are very hard to sell in Japan today. Few people have houses large enough to display them. When dealers will find genuine untouched Yari in a Kura for example, they may immediately consider cutting them down for a) ease of transport and b) sale, whether domestically or internationally. They will use the original fitments and replace them onto the shortened haft. Keith/Eric, are the two Ishi-dzuki above the same? (The one cut off, far right of the shot, and the one close-up with the leather thong.) If they are, then I retract my comment above about being modern. In the second pic it looks much better!