Bugyotsuji

Dale, re that strange hooked bend above. Today I was watching a programme about Ainu art, and noticed just such a feature in the design on the back of a long Ainu cloak.

I like it.

鶴焦… Kakushō?

Just to help you with the reading. I didn’t follow the rabbit hole any further!

https://tokka.biz/sword/morimichi.html Check that out, Mike.

Sadly, because of the state, the value is in how much you love it. A certain amount of cleaning these is possible, but ‘burnt’ paper like that is generally not reversible, in my limited experience. Not sure who did your Ukiyoe Kabuki print; my old eyes fail. One of the Utagawa school is possible. Someone here should be able to read that Gō and artist name.

Brown!?!?! I can do brown too! The actor 坂東箕助 Bando Minosuke… by… Utagawa…

Yes, Malcolm still lurks. (Thankfully) Loving your triptych.

武州住............................

This is from Vol II Netsuké & Inro by Lazarnick. (Some signatures are closer than others.)

This first page is from The Index of Inro Artists by Wrangham.

Hi Mark, no, sadly I am not confident, but so far no-one has contradicted or offered anything better. The first character would normally be the key to looking him up, but that one is quite squiggly. I can show you some examples of Tenmin signatures for comparison, not an exact match, but pretty close, IMHO. Also he likes to put a little comment in a line just to the right of his signature +Kao, sometimes including the character 翁 for old man. (I wonder if the illustration on the front is not also an exaggerated portrait of himself?)

He has made metal look like lacquer! All metalwork means it must be quite heavy.

Had some of these over the years. Both tanto and longer ones. Lovely to hold in the hands and imagine their past. Not sure there is a market for them out there, however...?

Some beautifully done calligraphy there, and a neat sword depiction.

Not obvious from the photo but Kagami-buta Netsuké metalwork were often signed. (You might need to pop it out to look on the reverse.)

Hmmm… also in Lazarnick it says that Tenmin was often copied.

My question is what the inro is made of. (Tenmin was famous for his metalwork.)

If that is metalwork…(?) it could be Tenmin. 天民 Sometimes signed Tenmin-O (翁), or Old Tenmin

大慶作 Taikei Saku March 21, Showa 60

I get a cookie page...

One Fujiwara Kaneshige (Kinjū) here for example: https://www.e-sword....katana/2210-1172.htm

If the blade is good and the mei is good, but only the date looks 'wrong' for some reason, then what do you do?

This August and September the Bizen Osafuné Sword Museum will be holding a two-part exhibition to mark the founding of Setouchi City, an amalgamation of towns in that area. Two famous armours will be on display, followed by the Sanchōmo/ Yamatorige.

Surely it is an indication of which way to place it over the nakago...(back edge?)