Bugyotsuji

Just to spoil the party here, "Party pooper!!!", I find the boxes do not solve all of the problems in life. As a static display they are fine, no, more than fine, very nice actually. And to save yourself rummaging through the pile you might need some system of quick identification without actually opening the lids to check. When you need to carry them somewhere for some reason (to a friend's house, to a display or going abroad etc.), however, unless you can figure out a way to make the original little pegs secure, (see John above) and the cushion and lid fit tightly, there is always the danger that the tsuba will break loose inside the box. This means putting each tsuba into a soft bag, and carrying the boxes separately. I guess you could place the soft tsuba bag (with tsuba) on top of the box and then wrap each bundle with suitable bands. Anyway, whatever method you choose, you need to be extra conscious of the alignment of your precious tsuba inside each box.

Funnily enough, sitting at the traffic lights just a moment ago…

Apologies, Stephen, I misunderstood your meaning. Don’t back out! Good idea for Les to measure the inner Nakago-ana dimensions!

Great job, Simon! Strangely, Stephen, although I only have about 50 or 60, most of my boxes are not exactly the same size! Try getting the wrong lid to fit... or a different base board to slot in. (Unless they are part of a batch of boxes made to a set standard.)

PS The base plate/board of some of these boxes will tap out easily. If it's one of those, you can see the underneath of it and usually the two small nails holding the central positioner on. One problem is trying to get the nails to realign afterwards, but if they don't, they create new channels, which is usually enough to split the nose piece asunder. Another problem is keeping the cloth intact or trying to find matching cloth, and wrapping it tightly. To tell the truth, if you feel confident enough, you'd be better off creating a new base and 'nose'. Or use the box for something else!

It can be done but it’s a hassle to do, the wood inside is usually already of poor quality and it would loosen the original pin fastenings, and they need to be tight. The best thing IMHO is to swap already occupied boxes around with other tsuba, and/or wait for the right box to appear. Collect more boxes in the meantime. There are never enough to go round!!!

Ah, now we’re talking!

Hi David, Gives me a crick in the neck! I fired up the mobile so I could look at that the right way up, and it does say Seki Ju Kane.... sada(?) the last character is poorly written for some reason, halfway between 足 and 定(?). If you have a firm date like that of 1670, then it must be written on the other side of the nakago, no?

Dale's Princeton example seems to be made with at least two different repeating patterns, a round file and three sharp inclined escarpments, to the centre line, then reversed for the other half. So rounded valley, sharp, sharp, sharp, round, sharp, sharp, sharp... etc. Simon, would it be possible to get a silhouette shot or two of the mimi edge patterns of yours, from the sides?

The listing does say 金無垢 'kin muku' i.e. pure or solid gold, but then it says 18k, and in the blurb at the bottom it does say that there are no guarantees, it is an amateur guess, and final judgement and responsibility reside with the buyer. The box is surprisingly downmarket, and the lid is on back-to-front. PS Some dealers show something desirable but out of reach in order to draw attention to their business.

Can't see any sheep falling off that one! Long shot here, but the scholar/monk Roben is said to have started the cold shower training here in 755 CE, and I wouldn't put it past the Japanese to play on the word Roben and bring their 'Ro' long oars to be blessed.

Yes, I was thinking the same thing. They seem to be leaning on one. I wonder if they are boatment and those are Ro long oars or Sao punting poles? (Not Kai paddles/oars)

Michael, I think it wants to mean sword 'fittings' but it chose some orthodontist/dentistry vocabulary.

Thanks for the updates. Good to know!

Spiritual purification in the sacred falls. Nice composition. Malcolm T. (pops in once a day if we are lucky) should be able to tell you more, about the market in the UK anyway. My instinct tells me that the condition alone (torn edges, faded colors, foxing, pinned corners), means that even $100 is too high a price to ask. Just one opinion.

That's a tough one. Last year I bought a 1534 Sukesada blade without noticing such a crack along the mune (actually even worse than that). I showed it to some artisans and they just nodded and commented, "Yes, this often happens." In fact I think it might have been cracked even before, then been drilled out and refilled, and then the refill had maybe dropped out. Anyway I asked if it could be fixed with umegane and it was! It's beautifully done. I wrote up some of the process with photos here on the NMB. OK, it cost me a bit, but I feel as though I have rescued a piece of history.

Tom, I was by the same Seto Inland Sea today watching the scenery when a cormorant flew over and back again, and then I remembered those famous evolved cormorants on the Galápagos Islands too. So, if not strictly a seabird, then AC/DC at the very least?

Fabulous. And… you’ve got one that I translated there. (Pats self on head.)

If you think about the shinodare ‘hanging’ spill elements decorating some kabuto, then Norton’s use of the expression Shino Yasurimé above does make sense. 篠誰shinodaré 篠shino 篠鑢(目) shino yasuri(mé) And in the description of this tsuba below, they also use the expression “shino yasuri” https://ginza.choshu.../munetsugu_tsuba.htm

The conversation at dinner was pretty random but somehow we all managed to share stuff. One lady suddenly asked me out of the blue if the English language is really based on Latin as they say. I cleared my throat and said, "Let me give you a little lecture on the history of the English language. I reckon 30 minutes should be enough...." Both tables, 16 people in all, fell silent and their polite faces turned to look at me, and I realized they had not got my joke. Ulp! Later I told my wife about this and she didn't find it funny at all. She said they were secretly thinking, "Oh God, here we go!"

Quick update on the Sukekane kozuka blade above. Took the kozuka to the NBTHK meeting yesterday, planning to ask whether it would be worth polishing, and saying... 'Yes, I know, these kozuka blade Mei are usually dedications by someone to a swordsmith they admire or aspire to." The Sensei took one look at the signature and said, "No, that's a genuine Sukekane Mei you have there." One of our members is a semi-professional polisher. It turns out that the backside is finished in a kind of yasurime file pattern that was probably intentional, never having been designed to take a polish. Plus it is quite 'togiberi' anyway, slimmed from plentiful use and repeated sharpenings. A hamon might appear there, but not much of it would be left. Glad I felt the urge to consult.

Yes, I was bitten by the Muramasa bug... (Actually about four or five years ago I did have an experience with a Muramasa which took a bite out of my savings.)

Oh, one of the blades this evening was a Muramasa tanto. Interestingly, the -masa part of the Mei was erased centuries ago. Probably something to do with the Tokugawa allergy. It just said 村..................

Prizes this evening. This year much more low key, with only 16 members staying on for the dinner afterwards. Last year we hired the castle and there were around 60 participants. (PS Don’t ask!) Table left. Table right.

Enju, 槐 Japanese pagoda tree, Stephen.