Bugyotsuji

Two other possibilities present themselves. One that it is a fixed reference point for some kind of clamp and... actually I will go with that to start with. I was going to suggest a measurement/direction marker. Or... a seal of approval stamp in the production process.

Agreed on the warning over pitting in the barrel. We fire black powder with light wadding, without inserting a ball. The guns are all checked over by our resident expert. I would want my gun to be 100% further certified before ever adding the pressure of a projectile. Morita san, thanks for the accurate reading. I thought it was Kagoya, but when I get back to Japan I will double check with the book.

Eric, being away at the moment with limited reference materials it is hard for me to interpret that signature. Can you take a couple more shots of the bottom two thirds? The gunsmith family seems to be Kagoya of the Osaka area (sometimes written just Kago, and sometimes with a different set of Kanji) and the individual smith perhaps something like Yozaemon(-saku), but I would not like to commit until I get back to Japan. I used to have a very nice pistol by Kagoya. Your gun seems to be in good condition. The name suggests made in Settsu, but to an order in the typical style of Choshu (present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture). The exposed end of the barrel (foreshortened stock) is typical. The moto-meate (near sight) contains the Mori Mon, flat on top for the 'one' stroke, and three Dango balls within.

Interesting thread. Many thanks Malcolm and Ron for the heads-up and links. Yes, looks good, and I'd be happy to go and check it out and do a writeup sometime. No proper internet access at present but should be more able to participate on this forum within a day or two. PS Eric, Hiyadutu is just a different Romanization of the Japanese, more normally written Hiya-zutsu (flame arrow gun) for Western understanding. Bobiya means the same, Bo being a pole or handle or stick, and biya being the same word as Hiya.

Eric, I have one Fukuro-yari with two mekugi/meneji, and one with one. So the Japanese had both types for a start. Your comment about pitch is interesting as I have been trying to find a perfect solution to the socket on my old Chinese three-barrelled gun. Now, if I wound twine around the pole tip, and dipped it in pitch and pushed it in firmly, and then used the ends of the twine out through the sleeve slit to tie it all secure... now that would be a good scenario. Oh, and the answer to your question about the length of the Kuda-yari = 二間　2 Ken. This school, according to the excellent link above, fought with long poles right through Edo, so I am not sure that length alone will be an accurate indication as to age. Indeed, the brass mechanism looks to my eye to be late Edo, but what do I know?

How well do you know the seller? Many would be reluctant to hand over an object in that condition and would insist on fixing it. I would like to think he/she is doing this out of common manners and hope for future business. There are a few dodgy people out there, but in this case I would just take it at face value and allow them to fix it for you. They will not do it in such a way that the same problem occurs, is my bet.

And my daughters are Hako-iri Musume?

Bonus shot. Various boxes for various projects...

Promised pics...

Almost a week now. Not a lot to report. The Kuda-yari I posted up on the 'Where were the Yari' thread. On Sunday I went to the last antiques fair to be held in Bessho, east of Himeji. They will be moving next month to a temple not too far away. There was a lovely old black lacquer Edo Period No-bento carrier frame containing a tray and some drawers for the food, and a large square lacquer container for the Sake. It had iron clasps and locks and square iron rings to take a carrying pole. I hesitated over buying it, but now I am wishing I had grabbed it, even though I've not had access to much spending money of late. Heavy snow here lately. An evening project? Did someone mention boxes again? ... Following the fun I had with the Tanto box on the previous page, I have been working on creating or should I say adapting another box for my Tanegashima pistol. It is now just about ready, apart from the choice of ribbon or cord to tie it with, and the attribution to write upon it. The first job was to find a Japanese traditional box with enough headroom to contain the gun upright. (Most flat Western gun cases open to reveal a gun or a pair of guns lying on their side in shaped hollows.) I found a copper-nailed box with rather thin walls and lid, removed the brush writing on the cover and reduced the surface to a nice consistent plain finish. Inside I wanted to create a removable display stand which would serve to a) strengthen the sides and lid of the box from within when closed, b) protect the gun in transit and c) pull straight out for instant display either on top of the box or elsewhere. The temporary result is generally satisfactory, given the limited choice of materials and tools I have to work with. It may need some further minor changes. Some pics will appear here in a little while...

George and Mark, about the edges I will have to withdraw the comment. My coins are stapled into little cardboard frames; I was planning to open them up and take shots to illustrate the edge differences. "See the edges", I had been told when they were given to me, and a quick glance showed rough file marks. From what I can see now on closer inspection, however, the edges seem all different, not at all what was in my memory cells. The two 'fake' Ni-shu Gin are quite different from each other in design and execution. Nothing to go on there either. The only things I can say about the 'fake' rectangular coins is that they are impossible to bend in the fingers, and the Ichi-bu Gin is much yellower than genuine silver Ichibus. Also, on any Ichibu, one of the sakura flowers will normally be upside down, telling you by its position the mint and date. This feature seems to be missing on the fake. Loved the coin-hiding koshirae, Carlos. The Tempo-looking 'Chinese' Nozarashi coin you posted Mark, says Namu-Amida-Butsu in a mixture of hiragana and Kanji... nice design, but I wonder what its real purpose was? http://www.google.co.jp/images?hl=ja&cl ... 24&bih=579

Eric, I didn't measure it, but somewhere between three and four meters I should imagine. Eleven or twelve feet...(?) The present owner mentioned he was thinking of cutting it down, while preserving the essential functions. I begged him not to as I have the perfect corridor for displaying it as is. He says he will let me have it when I come back in the early spring. Hoping it's still uncut.

Hmmm... nice find, Carlo. Perhaps there are so few of them available to photograph, and that one is relatively clear, so people used the same pic... without too much worry about copyright?

LOL useful in Afghanistan? :lol:

Forgive the poor quality of these. They were taken very much as an afterthought just as I was leaving...

Thank you Malcolm, I enjoyed reading that and seeing one in action. Here is a photo of a page in a Japanese armour encyclopedia. The spear looks very like this one, with brass pins to lock the tube shut, which become part of the spread tsuba when it is open and in use.

Mark, I'll put up a couple of shots later. The blade looked like nothing special so I didn't take any close shots of it. Watch this space...

Spent the morning playing with a very clean example of a 管槍　早槍　Kudayari. Nice long shaft. Ended up probably buying it. (Blade rusty though. Tempted to have it polished...)

Mariusz, what a wonderful Yoshitoshi you have there. It triggers off all sorts of thoughts and associations. Fascinating

At risk of taking this thread even further off-subject, I expect that yours are probably genuine Ron. When I was given the above Bu coins, I was assured that they were rare. The bloke might even have had them run up in China. I carried them around for a while. One day at an antiques fair one of the dealers pointed out a coin 'expert' in the crowd. I handed him the above coins and he looked astonished as he examined them. "Has it really come to this?" he asked. So I do not think we need to worry unduly. Just check the edges.

I like your frame and the display Ron. Apologies. Cannot find the 'old' Chinese/Japanese brass circular coins which might have been interesting in this thread. Instead I offer these, all fakes, including the Ichi-Bu Gin, the two Isshu-Gin, the Bu-Kin and Ni-Shu-Kin.

Incidentally I have a collection of fake coins that I have picked up over the years. When I can get the camera and some time organized I'll post them up, in the name of education of course! :lol:

Nobody, I like the way you operate, with that ace up your sleeve.

Do you mean the Mei (of mine) reads... ?

信光作　Nobumitsu saku. PS Look at this:　関 Seki 佐光　Sako Nobumitsu http://www.bidders.co.jp/item/137309973