Bugyotsuji

Nice timing! Great, thanks. Definitely some strong similarities there, Jean!

Hi Peter, thanks for the further clarification. Most everything you say in your first paragraph about the police and modifications still holds true. I do know one importer who has deactivations performed abroad and successfully seems to import almost anything in some quantity. He must have established a track record to do this. Matchlocks modified to percussion caps do come up regularly in auctions in Japan. To purists, they do not hold the same value as a straight untouched matchlock, so interest will thin a little, but many collectors will not be too worried by the lockwork if the decorations look good, and most dealers will be aware of that and still hopeful they can sell. Some years back while I was writing the definitive Tanegashima book with Jan, we needed a gun for the Choshu section. I had a finely inlaid matchlock which had been modified to use percussion caps, so I sent him a set of photographs. "Actually, can you source a genuine matchlock?" he asked. Now that was difficult, as most Choshu guns you find on the market today were once modified to percussion. Eventually I did find an untouched Choshu matchlock, which I still have, but it does illustrate that in the case of Choshu guns it seems that modified ones are actually more common. Modifications certainly pre-date Meiji, and were happening in different iterations from Tempo (1830s?) onwards. Pill locks came first, but percussion caps soon followed; in strong demand regionally, guns were either imported, native guns were modified, or they were specially built in Japan.

Hi Jon, apologies for the late reply. For some reason new threads in the Tanegashima section never come up in 'All Activity', so I have to go and open up through Browse to check manually. You'll be asleep when I write this. Genuine Tanegashima pistols are relatively rare in Japan. We are the only matchlock group in Japan where every member has one, I believe. Actually some of our newer members may still be waiting to source one. Dealers tend to bump up the price if they do have one, so the question becomes how to find one at a reasonable price. It is legal to buy and own one, but it must have a registration card with it, or the transaction will be illegal, and the penalties are harsh if you are found out. This means that you would have to deregister your potential purchase for export, or find a dealer who might be willing to do this. (Some may be willing to send abroad with the paperwork still attached, although this is illegal too, but that would require a level of trust that your friend may not be able to establish on a short visit.) All things considered, and the recent lottery of laws for customs and excise baffling most UK officials, it would be safer and easier if you can find one there in the UK. (If I were ever to bring mine back to the UK it would be a challenge as to how to do it successfully.) As to cord, this is a very good question. I am running out myself, with only enough for one further display this Sunday. Yesterday I was even sewing odd leftover pieces together! We have ordered previously from a (clothes line?) supplier who treats their cord for us in some specially different process, but I don't know who they are, or whether they are still going. I will ask on Sunday. I think we ordered about 300 meters' worth last time, but that was a special order a few years ago with no guarantee of repeat business. Can you tell us where you shoot? The only blackpowder experience I have had in the UK was a fun-packed day at Bisley with a variety of old firearms.

Brian, for some reason I missed your inspirational answer here. I can 'see' in my mind exactly what you are saying; that will be a really great tip for next time. Although I had booked a slot at my friend's house for this coming Saturday, I actually managed the break-through yesterday morning. The wife was out so I had the house to myself, and I decided this thing was not going to defeat me. Altogether, including previous sessions, the whole effort took about six hours, but using Kure 5-56 spray, a tough wire and various pipe cleaners, from outside through the pan vent entrance, and from inside the barrel (angled sunlight showed the inner end of the channel), I started to get a blacker colour of gunge on the wire tip. It was a question of belief, as I could not be 100% sure that it had not been deliberately deactivated. Gradually I began to be able to 'see' what the tip of the wire was doing (the passageway is only one strand wide), as it scratched endlessly and then slowly began to engage; minuscule changes in the colour of what I was wiping off it became my only source of courage. But what a relief! I was dead pleased yesterday, and this morning the same feeling of relief is still with me. This matchlock (the Inatomi-Ryu long gun I was discussing in the translation section) was no more than an interesting decoration when I bought it, but it is now back to full working order. Lesson learned. Always check everything, including the vent channel; assume nothing.

My friend tried to gve me some, but I wondered what I could use it for and hesistated too long..................

The back of the blade is mirror flat, with no discernable hollowing to it. As to the steel, it looks monosteel, though I am not confident as to what to look for. Is a traditional Japanese Nihonto a laminate blade? As to the handle, I had a look and it is a single section of wood, with the blade set into it. Your idea of damage and remediary binding makes sense. There seem to be three bindings, mini-pinned at each end. Interesting link. Thanks! (I think one is described as 刺身包刀 sashimi-boto, using the character 刀 instead of today's 丁 of 包丁 hocho.)

Tokusa (spiky) https://x.com/nano_723/status/1092986946509451264?s=46 Broader waxy leaves Mukunoki.

A sword collector friend in Fukuyama grows some tall spiky green stalks which he said were traditionally used as sandpaper. He cuts them into sections and lays them out to dry. I think they were hollow, with rough exteriors. I’ll see if the name corresponds with horsetail ferns, which I had thought was something different. Hmmm…

Thank you Aaron, for some more background information to chew on while I go back and look at it once more.

Ah, great illustration, Moriyama San! “We live and learn!” Many thanks.

Thanks Jean for the quick reply. Very interesting! Is yours pointed? I have heard of sashimi-bocho 刺身包丁(Sashimi + Hocho) but never actually used one. PS I have just found a couple of likely candidates under antiques and sashimi-bocho! Breaking new ground for me! 骨董 and 刺身包丁 タコ引き刺身包丁 maybe for cutting up octopus... ! :eek:

Here's a bit of a puzzle. This blade turned up at an antiques market, and the dealer insisted that it is legal. At first I thought it was one of those narrow-bladed Japanese saws, but this one has a straight edge. The blade has a sort of shinogi line on the side that is signed, and almost a kissaki, but is hira on the reverse. Quite light in the hand. Photos will follow. The Mei looks to read 正, then a disfigured spot, and finally 久 (?). It has a wooden, worm-eaten handle, bound in rattan or bamboo of some kind. There is no evidence of a mekugi, but two or three small random iron pins that seem to be for fixing the binding, and no saya. Are we looking at a woodworking tool, or something for fish, or leather, or flower ceremony perhaps? Or a part of something else? All ideas welcome, (unless they are unwelcome). Length overall 33 cm Blade length from edge of grip, 22 cm Blade width goes from 1.6 cm to 1.1 cm at tip. There is almost no kasane, at 1.0 mm, or 0.1 cm Tip Mei Kasane

Well, I cannot answer for anyone else, Peter, but these guns in various iterations do come up with some frequency. Sawada Taira has a couple of chapters in his book (in Japanese, 日本の古銃, pp136~ the end) where he introduces many modifications. They seem to have been pretty inventive in Japan as they followed the evolutions coming in from abroad, adapting their own guns in various ways. Some would be one-offs, and other more successful adaptations might have been to some extent mass-produced.

Today a little birdie told me that the work on the guns is complete, so we will need to set up a collection day. I have one more long gun with a blocked 'himichi' vent that I may ask him to help with. I've tried just about everything I can think of, but every thickness and strength of wire gives up and bends eventually. If I could introduce an angled awl into the breech chamber... and attack the barrel rust in the vent passage from within, that could be a new angle of attack, though.

On a red lacquer dish, possibly Sasaki Takatsuna, judging by the Kamon?

Lovely examples, Justyn, and great background information. With his horse struggling to turn away, I can guess that Kagesue needed both hands and all his strength to pull back on the reins. Interestingly in your example he has both arms right through the bow, doubling the safety net on it. You would not want to drop your bow in the river, and the mouth is a useful third hand! https://www.yamada-shoten.com/i_item/2023/02/141840.jpg

Here are some shots of the serpentine match cord arm, and a Fuji vine pulling two strong bamboo together. External side Barrel side Power of Fuji wisteria vines, taken during a climb up the mound of a ruined castle nearby. And…

This is a 50 Monme Ozutsu from Sendai, Date Masamune's stronghold north of Edo. Sendai (仙台 today) used to be written with the old Kanji for 'dai'. i.e. 仙臺, as seen in the Mei under the barrel. Although rare, Sendai guns being quite sought after, and of relatively large caliber, this hand-cannon was to me always slightly disappointing, being very plain, and with no mon on the barrel. (Hidden underneath the barrel there are two faint stamps, one triple-comma mitsu-domoe, and one nine-star kuyomon.) On the other hand, there is some inlay, a splay of fuji wisteria-vine flowers and leaves down the serpentine, both on the viewing side, and equally on the back. I cannot recall having seen such style and placement of inlay before. In an effort to find out more about this gun, I came across the fact that Date Masamune had brought back a fuji root stock from the Bunroku campaign in Korea in the 1592-93, and today this wisteria plant is enormous, a huge presence in the city of Sendai. https://www.bing.com/search?q=伊達政宗ゆかりの藤&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-1&lq=0&pq=伊達政宗ゆかりの藤&sc=9-9&sk=&cvid=0FA35231BBE443FBB52CCB63F8AE2F42&ghsh=0&ghacc=0&ghpl= The cherries are coming into bloom, and this month so too will the wisteria be. In Europe wisteria can have a gentle aspect growing up the outside walls of country houses, but for the real meaning of 藤 Fuji, (think family names like 藤井Fujii, 藤原 Fujiwara, 後藤 Gotō, 加藤 Katō, etc.) you need to see how powerful these vines can grow in the wild. They are like a massive boa constrictor, crushing the life of any tree they choose to climb. Serpentine inlay photos should follow here... and yes, I did give them a polish; much foliage was completely hidden under layers of grime.

The reason I said 'semi-joking' is that they look like French button mushrooms.

Yes, many have attempted and a few have succeeded in recreating utsuri. Once I read about a modern smith coming to the conclusion not too long ago that utsuri was a by-product of smiths pursuing sharpness, in a time when beauty was not quite so important.

Masamune X Dai Mago 正宗　代孫 SoShu Ju Tsunahiro 相州住綱廣 (Still working on this. Hard to make out 'X', the generation number.)

備州三原住貝正近作 Bishu Mihara Ju Kai Masachika Saku Muromachii/Momoyama Period (?) Much better shots, thanks!

They look like mushrooms to me! (Semi-joking...)

Did we not see this same set with that bullet hole about ten or fifteen years ago here? Steve, thanks but those shots are now too close! Can you take a couple of Mei overall shots from different angles with differing light and shadows? Likely it says 備州長船住?... but then more faintly... 直 or 道?正?作

All good questions, Kurt. There may be no monetary value, although the ones on eBay are probably hopeful, but to some people these can interesting and special study pieces. Show what you find to people and collect opinions before making up your mind how to proceed. A friend here has reformed a couple into handy knife blades, keeping the best section of ji and hamon visible, if still available.