Bugyotsuji

Inscription on an Inro. Apologies for the amount of material. Can anyone read some or all of this? Please feel no pressure. Many thanks in advance. http://forums.netsuke.org/file?id=1001203

It's certainly a good-looking thing, but the article raises several questions. Japanese 'saki' (sic) was never contained in a bottle anything like that. Something Turkish or Persian perhaps. So, designed to look like an exotic import standing on the hall table in a new Meiji-style house? Well, maybe. As a handbell, for ringing for the servants? A soda/tonic water dispenser? :lol: Thanks for the post!

Well, they look to have been hammered in and then the heads hammered flat so they cannot be pulled out again. But that's just imagination. The tag says Periodically it undergoes inspection and renewal (big one happening right now) and this lot comes from an earlier such restoration, apparently.

Well, they are made with old iron, probably from Tamahagane, so traditional sword makers might want to drop one or two into the mix to increase the percentage of good stuff. For you, Sanjuro then, a clearer piccie! :D If you can't read this, then let's wait till someone puts us out of our misery!

Whoops, the discussion has taken an unexpected twist. Maybe a quick teaser might be in order. How's your Japanese at a distance??? :D Oh, and the species who might need these are people who create Gendaito, because...

Yes, I thought it might be three Ian. Odd isn't it, that they should start calling each other. As to the spikes, I do not know their specific usage. It could well be something along the lines of what you suggest. Yes, they are Japanese, and the answer to where they were used/not used is written on the little twist of paper. Anyone want to have a look?

Thanks for the attempt, sanjuro! Probably pre-railway...

Who is selling this? How many so far? I am a little surprised... PS While we are digesting that, I thought I'd add a little something to the pot. Only if you are bored. :lol: Picked these up at an early Sunday morning antiques market on the 27th June. Not exactly sure what I'll do with them, although there is a species of human that might need them, but can anyone guess what they are? (Length 21-22 cm)

There is an excellent little pamphlet put out in Japanese by the Sakai Teppo Kenkyu-kai, called 'Sakaizutsu' in Showa 59, full of interesting information, maps, photos etc. On P 9 is a description of Enamiya, and Kansaemon. There is a gun on pp 16-17 signed like yours 'Enamiya Kansaemon', and it is described as 'mid-Edo'. There is also a photo of a triple stamp that was hammered into some Sakai gun barrels around 1821 to guarantee Sakai quality, representing the three major contemporary gunsmiths in Sakai, two of Shibatsuji, and one of Enamiya. The name Kansaemon itself goes back to the early days when he became head of the rich family gunsmith collective known as Enamiya.

Eric, who would have guessed what? Barrels come up all the time in Japan. Do you mean the (high/low) price, or the rarity?

Lionel, I have known Don Bayney (Brian's list above) on and off for several years and he seems to be a decent knowledgeable bloke and willing to help out. Grays Antiques Market is outside Bond Street Station, just off Oxford Street, but you need to check the hours in advance as his shop is sometimes shut... Just my pennyworth.

It was an old Okayama word used by the people in the area around Osafune. There is a place called Fukuoka in Osafune, and there was a Fukuoka Castle overlooking the Yoshii River crossing. When they all moved to Hakata in Kyushu, the area overlapping Hakata was newly called 'Fukuoka' in memory, and some of the old local words survived there. 口縄 Kuchinaha for snake is one of these words, I was told. PS I can find 'Kuchinaha' in Iwanami's 古語辞典　but the 当て字？is 蛇, reading Kuchinaha. A local friend told me many years ago that the actual meaning comes from 'mouth' and 'straw rope'.

Koichi sama, that's wonderful work. Many thanks. The picture in Tensho style of the snake reminds me of an old word for snake in the west of Japan, くちなわ　= Kuchinawa. "Mouth & rope".

Fascinating stuff.

Thank you. I am sorry that you have to spend time on this, but glad that you have troubled to help me. I think I understand why you are suggesting 礼 When I look in Koh Masuda's Kenkyusha J-E dictionary under saishi 祭祀, it says: 'a festival (祭礼)', so even though the characters have different original meanings, they end up being very close, certainly when used together with 祭. PS Would it be more likely to be uya, iya as in reigi 礼儀 because of the context, do you think? In other words, are you working solely from the shape of the old historical characters, or does situation also play an important part in your consideration?

Thank you for looking and getting back. In picture two of your first post, there is just the suggestion of one. With heavy usage, the pan and the vent grow misshapen, causing various problems. A time comes when a decision is made to do the 'bugu-naoshi' repair to restore the Himichi's narrowness, and to strengthen and thicken the bottom of the pan. This latter will usually involve drilling straight up vertically through the bottom of the pan and replacing that section with a circular plug. Such a repair can be an indication of either a) age, or of b) heavy usage.

Ah, many thanks, bluelake. Yes, the pan looks like a later type, but well-used! Can you see a 'bugu-naoshi' circle underneath in the flat bottom of the pan, where the steel may have been repaired?

Hahaha... Ron, that's excellent. Thank you. Hmmm.... 4 monme, this would put the gun into smaller firepower, Ashigaru, Hosozutsu, (?) but it's a fairly long barrel. Military? Baby Hazama? Not really convenient for taking hunting, though not impossible, and the decoration at the muzzle does suggest personal use.

The 'riding crop' or whatever shown above gives no pleasure to the eye. It is crudely and garishly made and bears no second glance. If a punter wants to buy and display that thing in their house, then why not? It is true that the antiques market has been seriously degraded by the increasing flood of such stuff, but a greater problem lies at the higher end of the market, I suspect. In the meantime, let us create a small pool of people who 'will not be fooled'!!! :lol:

Not possible to answer your questions with any accuracy, Thomas, but the placement of the sight suggests later rather than earlier. The muzzle decoration is well done, but the Mei seems short of info. What does .54 cal work out to in Monme, I wonder? Do you have large hands, and which of your fingers fits easily down the barrel? The high number suggests either that they were making barrels of a certain type, say for hunting, which were then finished for individual orders and selling well, or that a bulk order had been placed for a castle garrison. If the latter then possibly in the years at the end of Edo 1840s to 1850s when Japan was rearming to meet the threat of the black ships. Can anyone else refine this in any way? A closer shot of the inside of the pan could help answer the age question. (Has it been plugged, BTW?)

Saku means 'maker' or 'made by', Thomas, as in swords. The No. 116 bottom left between the pan and the Bisen suggests one of (?) perhaps a large order of 150 or 200 guns. (?) I read that to make one gun took 40 days and nights of intense forgework. Enami or Enami-ya were a large and very famous group/line of gunsmiths in the Osaka area. About 180 Mei of Enamiya gunsmiths have been recorded, many with specific dates cut in the barrels.

Well, from Setsu/ Izumi/Sakai = No other markings anywhere?

Now I understand what you are seeing, Koichi san and why it is hard to decide. Hmmmm... Could this character be specially designed to be a crossover containing the feeling of both meanings? For example, I noticed in one dictionary that the two words 祭祀 and 祭礼 are given as having the same or very similar meaning.

Koichi San, I have been playing with your idea. How about 祀？(Matsuri, shi, toshi, as in 祭祀 saishi)

Yes, the Jutte looks much the same as most of these Jutte doing the rounds, new, but 'aged' just enough to fool 85% of the people.