Bugyotsuji

The backgrounds are all very similar, in horizon and vegetation, almost standardized. A missing scroll makes sense. Is the figure on the left carrying a peach, for Momo Sennin? For the missing panel, another Sennin is likely.

By the way, the idea of using a peg to hold in a cord like that is neat, but I haven’t seen any evidence that the holes in the pinch flaps were used for that purpose. It’s an idea, and a small pin could serve to stop the cord blowing away at ignition, but cords burn constantly and need to be moved forward with every shot. A locking pin for carrying then, to prevent misplacement or loss of one’s match cord? Many serpentines do not even have holes there. There is also a theory that they were to allow air to permeate the cord, helping to keep it alight. Or were they simply decorative? Anyway just something to think about, as the answer is not yet clear. We’ve had this discussion before. The answer must be out there somewhere.

Possibly 法光 Hōmitsu (Norimitsu)

Here’s a long, actually very long shot, pun included. Neck on line. In 韮山 Nirayama there are the remains of Japan’s first reverberatory furnace where they once made cannon. ‘Barrel made at Nira’ could be got from these two kanji 韮張, assuming of course that the reading is not mistaken, which it could well be. (35% confidence rating) Anyway, just to get the ball rolling, but expecting to get shot down (pun included) at any moment. As they say: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Gerry, what kind of appraisal will this expert do?

The first one looks Chinese, and the second, NBTK, I’ve not heard of. (Awaiting others’ opinions or directions.)

The top writing when present was often the mark of the person later decorating a barrel, but when in fine silver etc., inlay, it was sometimes an exhortation. It looks readable but my brain is not yet coming into focus 韮張 plus 花王 doesn’t seem at all right… maybe you could post that in the translation section for fresh eyes! The woodwork of your gun could well be newer, meaning the gun was possibly rebuilt at some time. The absence of a front sight is puzzling, but these pistols were never designed for accuracy, meaning the placement of sights was mostly a token gesture. If the base marks of a front sight have been erased, it is a very good job.

A new addition for you? This looks like an example of a Namban Ryū (Southern Barbarian Style) pistol, a gunnery school in Japan deliberately designed to look foreign, to show exaggerated outlandish features. The front sight looks to have been knocked off…(?) As to the markings underneath the barrel, they do look fairly random as you say, and these among other signs suggest that someone has been tweaking or adding to the gun since its export from Japan. Despite some alterations, basically an honest gun I sense from your photos.

Well, as long as he does not talk directly over the blade! Oh wait… he did. Don't they have a Yosozaemon no Jo Sukesada on semi-permanent display up in the Japanese Gallery?

So if the Mei is legit, an early Tenbun/Tembun date could certainly fit with Fusamune.

Oh Moriyama San, stupid me!!! Thank you!

Stuff I still need to work on, but Tembun 7, November… is visible. 天文七年十一月 Either side of 10 (十) is the old date of Tsuchinoe Inu, 戊戌 土口日 (?… not sure what kind of day this refers to)

What inscription?

Missed my favourite programme… Just kidding!!! Monday TV is useless.

That was quick, Colin. I’ve spent the whole evening comparing waterfalls in Japan, China and Taiwan…

Gerry, as I said above, this last one is not a kanji, but a ‘Kao’ 花王, an artist’s personal seal or flourish sometimes added to a signature. PS Fusamune has to be a possible reading, but I would compare it to other known Fusamune signatures as it is aiming very high!

https://www.nilsjapan.com/news/?p=4562 In Japanese legend, Kasasagi (magpies) as messengers of the gods created a bridge for lovers to meet on 7th July. (Tanabata) Was this created to celebrate a wedding, perhaps, with ume and bamboo symbolizing a new start? (Four artist friends create something together for the couple?)

A first for me too! Intriguing.

Referenced here:

赤尾清夫 Normally Akao Kiyoo but that personal name (second two Kanji) could be read several ways. One of the Akao school. Seio, Seifu, etc. …(?)

Possibly meant to be Nobumune…(?) + Kao, but the strokes are not quite right. 信宗

I think it says it’s a joint work between the four people named, dated an auspicious day of Showa 7. (Rich colours. Interesting thing! ) PS I am sure there are no cracks in your walls!

Ah, you spotted that! (I'm not just a pretty, er, handsome face)

Hmmm… let’s see what we’ve got here… Nope, I reckon you could win this, Dale!

Over the last week I have been attempting to recatalog my small assortment of kozuka, menuki, and tsuba on this side of the planet. It's confusing because I have a different set of numbers at either end, and when I carry some backwards or forwards the numbers can clash, needing renumbering. There were a couple of tsuba I do not remember buying, and for some reason left no record of how much I paid. Aaarrrgghhh... While doing so though, I rediscovered several that I had forgotten, or was thinking that I had swapped out or sold. It was a joy to see them again, and to consider that years ago I had appreciated them enough to have chosen them back then. Some of them I would never sell, I realized, as they speak to me personally and it is not a question of market value. It was a delight to hold them in hand and to find new aspects or details to appreciate. Why collect these things, people ask? Well, one answer could be that as my Alzheimer symptoms progress, I will soon be able to experience the joys of rediscovery as often as there are weeks in the year or days in the week! "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." Endymion, John Keats.