Bugyotsuji

Yes, I think we have to use our creative imagination for customs until they get trained properly. No need to shoot yourself in the foot with extra zealous wordage. I brought a fairly large telescope back to Japan from the UK as hand carry-on baggage and bubble-wrapped it and labelled it TELESCOPE all over. No-one thought to check it in any way. If I had written BAZOOKA on it, I am sure it would have been ripped open at once. The correct use of the Japanese terms is good. There also seems to be a difference according to which shipping system you use. Without going into detail on this public site, wrapping stacked opposed items to distort the silhouette may help too.

Thanks for your kind comment, Stephen. My pleasure entirely. Yes, I constantly think about how it must have been before and during a battle.

Unfortunately (well, fortunately for my pocket) the long Spanish matchlock musket with stand had sold. I did discover a couple of shops with some lovely (mostly continental) flintlocks for sale, but reluctantly had to conclude that I could never bring one back and register it in Japan. My prized Bashin/Umabari I gave to a friend for his 60th birthday. I don't think he really knows what a fleam is! There was a Glaswegian girl staying at his house for the lambing, a trainee vet, and she had heard of a fleam. (Must be connected to the word inflammation, and the removal of the flame.) Yesterday we had to demonstrate our martial skills at the Kobudo-sai at the Achi-Jinja in Kurashiki. Lots of Iai and stuff. When our turn came, our names and Dan rankings were read out. We were to do a short version of our normal displays, with long gun and pistol. Then the programme was for the bigger guns, demonstrated by individuals. I was asked to bring my black lacquered 20 Monme which normally I don't like to do as our equipment often gets damaged in transit. "Now we will have Spider Godwin firing the 20 Monme!" I have to go first, before the two 30 Monme and the 100 Monme cannons. I place my chu-zutsu on its block, and move forward to lift the black O-zutsu off the shogi. In front of the crowd I place it upright on the leather pad, and rest my left hand over the muzzle, bowing and flicking my right hand away. I move my right foot back, and place my hand on my hip, then bring my arm round and point at the imagined enemy target. Slowly I circle the extended arm around and up to a point above my right shoulder, then swiftly bend down and lift up the gun in one movement. I fix the lighted matchcord to the serpentine, balancing the heavy and still fairly upright gun with my left hand. The pan lid opened, I grip the stock, splay my legs fore and aft and heft the gun up into the air gradually dropping it to where it is pointing above the heads of the crowd in front. A gentle squeeze on the trigger and there's a click as the serpentine drops. Fizzzzzzzzz........... blaDAMMMMMM Gasps and claps from the crowd. My body swings right to absorb the recoil. I retrieve the dangling burning cord, place the gun upright in front of me, repeat the bow and then retreat. Well, that was how it was supposed to go! LOL. Our leader gave me 90%. Later his wife who had been filming in the crowd told me that a lump of my wadding had stayed together and a flaming ball of it had come zooming over and down onto them! We were given two Issho-bin of Jinja sake in thanks, and requested to come again next year as we are becoming a popular feature. It had rained on and off all day and we just managed to squeeze ours in between two showers. Rain and matchlocks DO NOT mix. Now I have to sort out the armour/armor, and wash the sweaty underclothing. Here is what the guns looked like before dismantling and cleaning,

You'll get the blade restored............... because the koshirae is good??? I don't understand your logic. The blade and the koshirae may have no relation to each other. How do you know they have always been together? And if the blade really is Muromachi Mumei, wouldn't that be enough of a reason to get it restored, regardless of the koshirae? But then I woudn't want to keep it permanently in the koshirae anyway as it could just go back to the same old state. Are you planning to have a shirasaya made for it? Why don't you post some piccies of the blade itself, BTW? PS These are just my cheap opinions.....

I think I can see

The Patience of Job There is a Habaki maker near here who holds the classes at our NBTHK study group. He is well versed in swords and how to read them. He is well known and well respected, but I am always astonished at how much patience he has with just anybody who approaches and starts asking him questions. In public, when people recognize him, that very moment seems to be a chance for them to grab him and start on whatever it is that's been niggling them. He never seems to complain, but sometimes he looks tired. I think I would lose my patience and fall silent well before him.

Some good stuff there, thanks for the links, Guido!

Well, let's hope that this was spoken in the heat of the moment and you will feel able to reconsider in the light of Monday. From what I have seen of your posts I feel that we need people like you on this site, and I would be unhappy if you actually went ahead and decided to follow through. Ultimately it is your decision, though. By the same token I must admit to agreeing here in public with much of what you say. For me it has been a lesson in diplomacy and tact just to stay in touch here. Sometimes I wonder what I am doing here, but then I always remember that there is so much to learn. I don't really need to understand the psychology or motives of some of the more unusual people on this site.

Why does it say 備前物? Is this usage of the word 物mono common? Like Bizenware? What meanings are contained in this choice of word, I wonder?

Chidori can be a way of walking ( staggering, chidori-ashi) or lining up (alternately kneeling and standing) that is taken from the movements of the plover, apparently. It can imply a zigzag, or a cross-stitch pattern too.

I was just going to ask you to post the pics. Thank you Jean! You must be proud to own such a blade.

The only word I would spend more time on is Majime. Even the biggest dictionary does not really give a good English word. 'Honesty', 'consistency', 'earnestness', 'honest workmanship', or 'sterling character' may be closer to the Japanese.

Oh, that's good! After I had finished, I started thinking about the 「ノ」 and how it works in there, and I began to think that it had a big role to play in that sentence and my translation wasn't allowing for it properly. It has all suddenly become clear! Thank you, Moriyama san!

Since no-one has answered, I'll have a little attempt: Somebody (Nobody?) please reject, rewrite or refine for me!

Looks good to me.

I am not jealous. Much. Now is probably as good a time as any to buy one, though, as antiques have been hard hit in recent years. I would personally love to own one. Thinks...

A rather coy starfish netsuke bears a difficult signature. Would anyone be able to read this Mei? Thanks in advance! http://hosted.pikipimp.com/pimped_photo ... mpiled.JPG Background story is here: http://forums.netsuke.org/tool/post/net ... st25484043

Bichu Matsuyama in Takahashi is well worth a visit. Takahashi lives in the past and many of the streets, houses and names are straight out of the Edo Period. The castle itself is a steep climb, and looking up it's something like a wizard's fortress built upon steep and jagged rocks. We had an exhibition in the Tenshu-kaku the other day with Katana and guns produced in that area. Before I left helping to carry stuff down the mountain I took a quick shot in the rain.

Come on, Moriyama san, give me a break. They are right next door to each other and I always put them together in my mind!!! Awaji and Awa no kuni are different, but they do sound very similar in English!!! I know you are right. :lol: Hai, wakarimashita! *****Anyway, James, the east of Shikoku is a nice part of the world! Please forgive the thread-napping...

You are right! But ...... All these years 've been saying A-shu, and I even had an Awa-zutsu, and nobody corrected me, and it's "Tan-shu"....... grrrrrr..... Moriyama san!

My guess at a glance...

Wow, is all I can say, Mike. Can we see a plate or two, please?

So Doug, you think this is a Showa-to and not a Gendai-to as advertised? And you think the name doesn't really matter so much? (As an afterthought, Is there any possiblility that someone might have signed it later on then, for whatever purpose?)

Stephen, apologies. I was starting to get the two mixed up in my brain. I need to step back and let go completely!

See this link: http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?t=87851