Bugyotsuji

Just playing with 為秀 and 秀為 Tamehide, Hidetame, Hidei, Shūi etc.

Strange blurry shot! It’s Mumei Lewis, with Sairen attribution, 13th C Kamakura. (See info sheet at the thread start.)

https://codh.rois.ac.jp/char-shape/unicode/U+5E02/ Having looked at this page, however, Ichi/Shi 市 does seem to fit in some cases... hmm...

Greetings, good planet people. This single Kanji was stamped there by a hinawajū locksmith, probably recognized at the time by those around. How many readings can we get from it? So far I can maybe see ネ、令、or maybe the ‘hen’ 示、or 衣? Surely not 吉,市 or 京? The matchlock is not signed but I know the school of gunnery, so my suspicions fall upon Kunitomo. None of the listed locksmiths there have a likely candidate character in their name though. This character might… help narrow down the place of manufacture. 😊

Apologies for posting these in dribs and drabs, but I thought it unfair on the museum to post everything all at once. (Even though they kindly allowed photographs.)

You’ll find that some artisans changed their Kanji slightly on purpose. This can be a way of individualizing, and for you, cross-checking if it’s the same person or not. The correct form is 吉 with a longer upper line, said to be samurai 士 at the top. An alternative ‘non-correct’ form can sometimes be found with earth 土 on top (among kabuto makers too). Make a mental note as you compare with others. So, does Akiyoshi do this deliberately? Or has a faker added a ‘wrong’ stroke as a sign on purpose, which is a way for some to assuage their conscience.

and

Haha, well, that post deserves another Koshiraé or two! Watch this space. (Thank you in turn.)

Thank you, Lewis. The cards on the left are right on the edge of readable! (The lower one is ray skin.)

Word of warning re importing a... a... ssshhhhh.... For a dealer who is used to importing, there will surely be little tricks involved, but even so I reckon they take a gamble each time as you cannot know which customs officer you will get. Each officer will interpret the rules differently, none of them understanding the changing regulations completely, and as soon as someone objects an endless chain of bureaucracy can ensue, with no one wishing to take responsibility, all erring on the side of safety, consuming weeks and months of fruitless headbang, and in the worst scenario, confiscation of the article, regardless of how 'right' you may actually be on paper. The word? Oh, yes, even if you do everything correctly there is a definite element of risk, a gamble. And some things even get stolen, but I won't go into that here! Good luck with whatever you choose, and keep us updated!

Mal X content, thanks for the link. Must have been posted by my evil twin. I was tempted to put the red cross into that thread, actually... On another note, I hope to be updating this thread shortly with regards to the new pan lid/cover for the latest Sakai long gun. I have asked the guy if he can manage to loosen the Bisen breech screw at the same time. (He has some terrible vice, inherited from the old gunsmith.) Stupidly, I told him I am in no rush. Also, the So-Shu Masahiro 'wakizashi' tanto has been away for a while and I'm hoping that this weekend there will be a phone call announcing that the new shirasaya and tsunagi are ready. Stupidly, I told him that I am in no hurry, although that usually puts pressure on people here to speed things up.

Eric, if you refer to the iron one above, it is no longer mine. Sadly my records do not mention the thickness.

If you simply want to own one, as you say, it's much easier to source one already in the UK.

Nice work! 前立 Maé = (in) front Tate = stand(ing) When placed together, maé+taté softens to = maédaté

At first there were loud protestations, but gradually one's other half began to feel secure in the house with such a solid guardian presence. Something to frighten off the burglars. Now it is actively encouraged; within reason I hasten to add.

Once inside Japan, the missionaries probably moved island to island on Japanese native boats, typically with one main mast and a single broad sail. (Or even rowboats, but a sail image is more evocative of the sea.) For this reason I cannot absolutely dismiss the possibility of a religious image, especially if an artisan thought they could successfully get away with it, just as we still look with doubt upon it (is it, or isn't it?) even today.

Yes, we do find 真鍮 'shinchu' brass, but unlike bamboo they tend to either get hammered in too tight, or conversely, drop out and get lost. I have used both over the past 20 years, but bamboo does the job better than brass, although you could argue that brass looks better. Give the bamboo a try. Some chopsticks aleady have a somewhat tapered end, so the job of whittling and shaping is not too hard. File and round off the ends and rub in some olive oil to darken them a little. You can even grill them lightly, but keep an eye out or they will burn to a crisp.

The museum is probably optimistic with the Sengoku attribution, but it may well depend on their definition of Sengoku. I can imagine a batch of 100 pistols being ordered before the seige of Osaka, however. Anyway, glad you are happy. (I have one about the same age.) PS As with swords, mekugi pins were considered expendables; it is fairly easy to make one by whittling down a bamboo chopstick. Smoked bamboo is best, so darken the bamboo if you can't get 'susudake' (smoked bamboo). You don't want the barrel falling out when someone handles it.

Turning my PC on its side Kurt, I think I see Bushu Ju Masamichi... 武州住正道

Slightly different question, not of which direction to place the tsuka, but which side of the armour to place a tachi. Having just bought an upright tachi-gake/dai for my tachi koshirae, I was wondering which side of the armo(u)r to place it. All the indications are that since my armo(u)r rules the house, and I do not need to show respect to any superior, the tachi should be on its stand to the 'yunde' left when seen from inside the armo(u)r (or on the right of the alcove as we view it). Boys' Day displays seem to follow this 'convention' (if that is what it is), with the bow and arrows etc., on the opposite or 'mete' side. This has been puzzling me, so if anyone knows better, please advise. In the meantime I will continue to ask people. Today I saw one display of armour, and the owner felt somehow that the sword stand should be near the left hand of the armor, although he was not aware of any particular hard-and-fast rule for such displays.

An interesting story, and I now believe this is a good example of a fairly early Edo period matchlock pistol, perhaps originally one of a batch order. You can make a ramrod to complete the package!

Nowt to do with the price of fish but this ‘Celtic cross’ tsuba is actually a Kamon from the Satsuma area, probably a branch of the Shimazu, and Hatano Shi in Tamba no Sasayama. Tsuba Sadly no longer mine…

They speak and write English in the guns floor there at Token World. There is a sticky on this site on how to open a Tanegashima. It looks like your mekugi pin is missing, so just pull back the serpentine a little and gently lift out the barrel. It may be rusted into place, though, needing a few taps with the back of the hand or a rubber mallet. Part of the stock at front has split off, also not uncommon as the wood shrinks against the iron. PS I wrote 400 but have since changd it to 100, still an exceedingly large number for a pistol. See if you can find 94 anywhere else inside. If not you may have to entertain the idea that the pan cover comes from a different gun. (Not the end of the world.)

The thought had not crossed my mind, Colin, but it is a valid question, and I am open to possibilities. I'll have a closer look at it when I get some time. (The answer may lie under the black mimi coating, or more specifically the parts that have been rubbed away. Naturally I am hoping you are wrong as I paid good money for this!!!)

Try sending these photos to the museum at Token World. It would be interesting to see if there is a series number under the pan cover there. Looking at that shinchu bead front sight... Could they both be part of a series? (But surely not over 100 of the same pistols produced!) From your newer photos I can see this barrel has some age to it, certainly not the end of Edo, and maybe even 17th century, early Edo. Take good care of it! PS Have you checked under the barrel for a name?