Bugyotsuji

He/she's great fun, isn't he/she! Kutani? It's a big piece. Do you know how old it is? Did you inherit it, or purchase it, Eric? Surprisingly realistic pose and expression. (Unfortunately, aside from a few blue and white vases and tokkuri sake bottles, I can't collect china, pottery or earthenware as I feel completely unable to make judgements on them. I pick up something I like and my Japanese collector friends all shake their heads sadly, or in the worst cases laugh. You should be going for this, they say, handing me something I don't like at all. My wife maybe has the right idea. She only buys chipped or cracked pieces. That way she's built up a collection representing some of the best potteries and ages, and they look great, from a discreet distance. Since she paid very little for them, and has no intention of selling them, she is happy having them decorating the bookshelves.)

Mmm... very impressive. You must have a happy family! What is that Tardis-like thing behind the gold byobu? A glass case?

Where in Germany is Pfalz Speyer Museum? It looks good, and your friend Klaus has a smile on his face! Good luck with the exhibition. PS Will you be keeping the taped crosses on the glass windows? :lol:

You are probably right, Koichi san. I was kind of joking (laughing at myself) when I suggested that by cleaning it I was wiping off 'hundreds of years of history'. I was exaggerating my crime for comic effect, but also to compensate for my secret guilt.

Well, if no-one else can add to this, I will follow Nobody's example and stick my neck out a little further than I really should... The reading of the school on the right hangs very much on the first character, which has unfortunately been chewed up a tad. The second character too, contains one more stroke than it 'should'. Use of the imagination produces this in my mind: é¾ä¸ˆå­ Ryu-jo-shi (?) With no knowledge of schools or artist studios, I cannot do any more than offer that. Having just posted this and then gone back and read the whole thread again, I notice that Kochi san had already offered this above. Apologies!!!

Eric showed some of his lacquer here, and then a question came up over the specific usage of a lacquerware container on the parallel Matsukawa-bishi thread. This might be a good moment to show these two lacquerware containers which I bought quite separately for their attractive appearance. In each case the dealer told me he thought they might be for cosmetics for ladies, but he wasn't sure. The smaller one does have a similarity to an inro that a man might have carried, but was an inro not for medicine?

Thanks, Steveï¼It sounds as though you have the right mixture of hands on mechanics and driving! Oh, and yes, I agree about the library idea. (An awful weight to organize, though, I should imagine, as it could overload. )

That's a deep translucence there. Stunning. Brings the best of the Raden out. Never seen it like that before. Thanks.

Mmmm To my untrained eye that saya looks wonderful.

I know Toyota makes several hybrids, as do Honda, but,,, is there a Fiat hybrid, hybridfiat?...and is that one of the car forums that you belong to? Just asking as I spend 70% of my time on sports car forums!

Steve, an antique dealer was telling me that you can buy traditional Japanese lacquer in spray cans. He said the nozzle soon gums up, so you need to spread out everything you need lacquered and do them all at the same time. You should also spread very thinly as it tends to ripple and drip if you apply too much. I don't know if you can get a few small cans for a series of applications, but it might be one possible avenue to investigate.

Martin, yes, I believe that is one of the theories of the beginnings of this pattern. The hishi diamond shape itself came very early on, and the name actually means water chestnut or caltrop. Some early weapons resembled it. The 'Matsukawa' pine bark version of the hishi/bishi pattern seems to have appeared much later.

Thank you Brian and Thierry. That all slots together in my mind now. Thierry's link with the later book looks to have probably covered anything that might have been in my earlier pamphlet.

You may be right. It's quite large though, and looks from the outside as though it has three stages like a ju bako, even though it actually has two. Most natusme I have seen have been small and rounded and very cute. I've actually go two of these ... chaki? ... the other one is smaller, but three-tiered and has an internally metal-lined section at the bottom. I ran a Google search on Matsukawa bishi and came up with so much material I don't have time to read it all. This page, which suggests one of the three traditional lozenge/diamond shaped mochi was actually made of pine bark (!) is very interesting. Because preparing and eating the bark got people through famines, it became a symbol of longevity... ? http://www.city.yurihonjo.akita.jp/yash ... yoku03.htm

Not sure where to post this, but finally decided on this section. About four years ago I went to a militaria fair in Kent or Sussex and among the very little material on Japan I found a pamphlet called "Japanese Military Swords" by R. Gregory. Elliot & Snowden, London 1971. No. 037, Circa 50 pp (no page numbers) It cost me 16.50 GBP, which I thought was a bit steep, but the seller said it was a 'limited edition'. It's a variety of about 40 swords taken from Japanese POWs during WWII, with b&w photos of Oshigata, Mon, fittings, etc., & with explanations. In English. Some obvious mistakes through lack of knowledge, but generally informative, I thought. Does anyone know this book?

Mmmm... that pattern's great in green, Koichi san. What can you imagine? Strips of pine bark stripped from the tree and cut for roofing or something and stacked on top of each other? Or overlapping pine bark actually on the tree? Here you go, Martin. A shokudai candlestick and a lady's cosmetics container (?).

Thanks Jean for the printout. Great study material in itself! Peter, I am sorry to hear it. Cheers for the info, though.

According to this book on Hamon (Bessatu Rekishi to Tabi, Nihon no Hamon, Dai 3 go) the Hishi diamond-shaped water chestnut (caltrop) Mon goes way back, and examples can be found on clothes in the Sho-so-in. Many families used the hishi Mon in many variations, but it was the Ogasawaras that particularly used both the pine bark Matsukawa-bishi and the Three-tiered Sandan-bishi. The san-dan starts with a large bottom layer and grows smaller to the top. The Matsukawa has the largest layer in the centre/center, and is said to represent the way pine bark actually looks. (?) The founder of the Mitsubishi Zaidan, Mr Iwasaki, was descended from the Ogasawaras, and that is why he chose the company symbol, the book says. Incidentally I have a couple of Edo-ki household objects with the Matsukawa Mon, which I could photograph and post here or over in the Edo Period corner if you like.

The UK NTHK shinsa is now confirmed for Nov 2008 and people will need to start booking slots soon. Quick nip off-topic, but is there anything at all happening in the UK in March, would you know?

Yours is even more so, Milt! I see what you mean! (Don't push 'Submit' right away. When you push the button below which says "Add the file" it will go all silent for a few seconds while it swallows that first piccie, and then it comes up for more with another open window waiting for you to add a second picture. The waiting list grows. Finally you push Submit.)

The next three characters are æŸ³ç‡•å­ plus é€ ã€€made this. The three are Yanagi (Ryu or Ru), Tsubame (En), and Ko (Shi). Nobody will know better, but my first guess on the reading is Ryu-en-shi, or Ru-en-shi It has a sort of Chinese feel about it.... an art name? hmmm... 'Yanagi Enshi' ???

Last night I was chatting with a member of the NBTKHK and he mentioned that he'd had a look at possible smiths who might have been involved in the creation of this tanto. There were two Iyo smiths called Kunifusa and Kunimasa, and by following the style of the blade, the dates of their lives and the fact that some were mentioned as having worked in Uwajima, Munetada's fiefdom, he felt positive that we could identify the most likely one. Later I sat thinking about this. Knowing the way Japanese people think, to some extent, I would imagine that a katana kaji would not want his own particular style to show up too boldly in a sword his Daimyo was making, as that could cause the Daimyo to lose face when showing it to acquaintances. He would do his best to make sure that the Daimyo's work was as flawless as possible, and he would probably insist on it being restrained or understated, nothing flashy, in accordance with the status of his master. (Just my feverish imagination at work...) Anyway I will post here if any further info becomes available. PS The photos got left behind on the old board. They are not very good; maybe that's why! http://militaria.co.za/nihontomessagebo ... php?t=2524

One possibility would be to contact somewhere like the Osafune Token Hakubutsukan Museum where they have artisans doing all the work related to producing swords. Just the other day I was chatting with their Tsuka-maki-shi and he was explaining about, and letting us feel the different types of sharkskin that he uses. They get foreign tourists there, so to some extent they are aware of the need to use English.

Ah, that's how you pronounce Kusuri + Saji, = Yakushi. Thank you. Yes, I think you are right. It must be the 'saji' of the expression 'saji kagen'. Adding a little pinch of something to get the taste just right. The 'spoon' end is hammered very thinly out of one already quite slim needle of brass (square cross section). Do you think it is for 漢方　Chinese herbal medicines? Or do you think it could have been used for measuring gunpowder? The other end is thin and bendable enough to act as a ã›ã›ã‚Šã€€seseri for cleaning ç«é“　himichi, the little hole from the firing pan to the breech. (The dealer wanted 1,000 yen for it and he wouldn't bargain. He knew nothing about it. It was quite bent and battered but I've cleaned it up a bit.)

Yes, you are right. What I meant was that within Japan the lacquerware that would have been for everyday use, including much of the better stuff, is not worth a lot. The very best work will be in the hands of collectors or off abroad, attracted by the kinds of mind-boggling prices you mention, Eric. Your own collection is lovely. That iron kama pot must be for the tea ceremony, and with the original box, worth quite a bit, I should imagine. You should get the right kind of binding to pass through that hole at the bottom of the box, if you haven't already got one. I don't have anything like that, just folksy bits that I come across occasionally. I will typically sort through several thousand bits and pieces at two or three antiques fairs before I spot something that catches my eye and fits my budget. Here is one, representing the opposite end of the market from your pieces. I know what it is to some extent, but would be grateful if anyone can add to my understanding. It was black with filth and I spent several hours getting it to this state, rubbing off hundreds of years of history!!!