Bugyotsuji

Sawada Taira seems to suggest in his book that the 'Karuka' ramrod was pushed through the Hayago, but I must admit that it would be hard to control the Hayago over the mouth of the barrel with the left hand and organize the insertion of the Karuka with the right. You'd have to grasp the Hayago and the barrel together like the teat of a cow's udder. I suppose you could pour the powder in with the right hand and then do the ball with the Hayago in the left hand after that. This illustration is taken from his book, Nihon no Furu-ju. It's not clear from either the text or the pic what the direction arrow indicates, a finger/thumb, or the Karuka...

Ah, wonderful. Many thanks, Morita san! How do you do it?

Thank you Keith.

A friend is trying to read this: http://forums.netsuke.org/file?id=989611 The closest I can get is but in reverse??? Would anyone be able to read the first character?

The owner has told me he does not want to sell it. So, no piccies and end of thread! Apologies for the false flag, but many thanks for the educational roller-coaster ride!

2 Shaku 2 Sun 9 Bu, I seem to recall. Many thanks for the advice, Jean. It's the romantic in me. I need to take a chill pill and make a more rational decision. (Besides which, I am not completely sure how to get the money together this month for everything that has to be done...)

Franco, thanks for the prompt. I went back and found the interesting Pressley article that you mention. My guess of 1550 may well be way out. I was told end of Muromachi, but not Momoyama. This is something else I will need to check. So Jean, you think it might be Kazu-uchi mono? The blade is quite striking and gets good comments. I may have to take a rain check on this sword... :| The Koshirae is tachi and beautifully done overall in su-aka. Not gold or silver, but inscribed red copper. The lacquered scabbard, the fittings and the Tsuba were probably made at the same time and are all of matching color and style. Everything is Mumei.

Keith, this sword and Koshirae is owned by a friend and it will be featuring in an exhibition next week. If I can find the time, I will nip round there and take some shots of it. Please watch this space if you need pics. Apologies. In the meantime all I can say is that there are two Mekugi ana in the Nakago, and a vertical line of what? ...perhaps 8-10 smallish Bonji down the edge of one side of the Nakago. They could almost have been the Mei, if only they were in Kanji. The other side has a single small Bonji up close to the Habaki, and then a gap and some small Bonji in a vertical arrangement further down. I have seen this sword once for a few minutes, so this is only a general impression. I cannot really imagine that they were on the blade at any time before a Suriage. The plan is to send my present Katana and Koshirae for sale at the dealers' auction and to use the money realized to help towards the purchase of this 'upgrade'.

Ah, Stephen and Jean, many thanks for the clarification. And Nobody San, ouch, yes, you have a point. A very sharp point. I will need to check this! Thank you.

Yes, it is probably Suriage. You think the Bonji were added later? Hmmm...but why there? Thanks anyway Stephen. I will go round and get some shots in the next few days. I am going to ask my Nittoho Sensei this question in due course as I am sure he will come up with a gem or two, but I thought I would post a general question here first as there is an amazing depth of knowledge on this site.

Just a quick general question. (I ran a search but could find no information.) Background. I am planning to buy a Koto Mumei Katana/Tachi from the end of Muromachi (around 1550?). The sword is attributed to Kai Mihara and it has Hozon paperwork. I am hoping to take it for Tokubetsu. The question? Oh, yes, the Nakago has a series of Bonji running down one side of the Nakago, and there are a couple on the other side. Otherwise there are no other Horimono or Hi. Would someone be able to read the Bonji if I took a photo of them? Are there many examples of swords with Bonji only on the Nakago? Is there a particular meaning to this? Eg Has the owner done something sinful and needs unseen protection? Why is it Mumei, but covered in Bonji where you would expect a Mei to be? Or would such a sword be displayed as protection for the Jin in battle, as one friend has suggested? Many thanks in advance! This looks like many questions, but it's really one big question mark!

My usage was picked up somewhere but I never meant it to be definitive. Thanks for the clarification. Sorry to let go of that word, it had a certain picturesque appeal to it. I do remember seeing an early woodblock print of a Western musketeer where the 'bandoliers' are described as 'apostles', but where and when? It's funny, but I have also had a half concept that a bandolier was the cartridge belt itself. Mexican soldiers? As to Japanese usage of Hayago, the leader of our group is adamant that Hayago were not used until the latter part of Edo. He says there is nothing extant to support earlier usage. This is not something I have looked into, but it would be fun to trawl the J sources and look for early mentions. He also said the other day that despite the hole in the end of some Hayago, the ramrod was never pushed through it. The ball was kept at the end with its head slightly proud of the circular lip, but it was loose and could be rolled down the length and out of the Hayago. Again I take this with a pinch of salt but it is another aspect to look into further. Many thanks for bringing this whole subject out into the light, Ron.

Many thanks Clive. This goes some way to filling a gap in my knowledge as I've had zero exposure to Showa-to. Some percentage of the surrendered swords will have been older and more valuable, I can imagine. These are the ones I was conscious of in my first post. Family heirlooms that may have been confiscated and handed over reluctantly with the ex- or implicit understanding that they would be returned. In fact it wasn't the swords so much as the possibility that we may have been guilty of underhand tactics, probably not such a big worry back then. I know that 'spoils of war' have a long history, but still hoping we have some moral highground to stand on!

Brilliant story. Many thanks. So in your mind, owners were indeed generally expecting their sword to return one day. In the above story the motive would be more a sense of obligation and responsibility, to bring back an object bought by the local community.

Meaning of 'surrender' tags. If this subject has come up before, please ignore. I did try running a search but found nothing. I can guess that 'surrender' means a) the armed forces' general surrender, and b) the surrender of each individual sword to a collection authority. My question is about why those names and addresses and details were written on the swords that were about to be surrendered. Was it because 1. the owners were told that they would get them sent back in due course? Or was it 2. so that a record would be kept together with each sword? Or were these tags 3. for Japanese military internal use which just happened to be on the swords and had no real contemporary 'surrender' meaning to them at all? If the owners were told by the J and/or the US authorities that they would eventually get these swords back, then I could understand why the tags were written like this. But if this is the case, then perhaps we should reconsider the way we treat them nowadays. A minimum effort should perhaps be made to return them to their family descendants. I would not like to think that they were given up only after false promises. Just hoping that I am wrong here.

Really interesting Ian. Since then I have found that the Mon is probably of Matsuura of Hirado, one of the most powerful Kyushu lords. Originally representing a group of three stars in Orion it was known in China as the three warriors or three generals. Genji and Oe used it in Japan and it was inherited by Matsuura.

Hmmm... yes, that makes sense, Ron & Ian. I can now see a narrow area down the inside lower edges where a Fukukaeshi or cheekpieces might at one time have been fixed/wedged to a Kabuto or Menpo. One could have come loose and the rivets could then be a later repair. I am tempted to use these as Gyoyo with my armour/armor anyway, but many thanks for the considered feedback which I genuinely value! :D

Here is a bit of a puzzle. I noticed these at a friend's house and commented on how they had a good feeling to them. Some weeks later, he gave them to me. They appear to be Gyoyo and made of Uchidashi iron, but has anyone seen anything like them? You may notice a line of small rivets down one side of one of them. Why? More photos supplied if requested.

Thank you Stephen.

Stephen, your last link not working? Such footage fills me with mixed feelings. Not easy to watch. Am I the only one?

Wonderful. Many thanks for sharing this. Quite an eye-opener.

Chris, he was given a 'copy' of it.

Late at night and my eyes and cricked neck are playing tricks but can I see Tada- there? Elements of Nori- too. What is going on?

Sa means left 左　and U 右　means right. Sa were famous. There was at least one Kanbun smith who signed with this one 右　character only, as George says.

Many thanks, Gabriel. Nice little box too! These arrowheads when they come up tend not to be cheap. Lots of fakes going around to catch the unwary, though...