Baka Gaijin

Good morning Steve, Brian and Piers That's an Interesting process to get the 3D. What would Sharaku have made of it? Kuniyoshi would have been making Cats!!!! 良いお年をお迎え下さい。

Good Evening Christian, Perhaps suggest to your chum, that if he is convinced of its quality, then he should perhaps put it on Japanese Ebay, where serious Samurai and Ninja experts, who are also Medal of Honour recipients, and ex French Foreign Legion, Special Air Service and U.S. Navy Seal Operatives, who clandestinely protect the Emperor and the hidden gravesite of Hattori Hanzo, would see it, and be so impressed by its quality and rarity, that they may bid it to a final value in excess of $100,000,000,00. Just to bring this cultural icon Home. Worth a try.........

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Hi Bruce, There are also examples of a coded version of Bonji inscribed into the stones used in Castle Walls.

Sometimes, Bonji were cut into a Blade, Tsuba or Armour, for Talismanic purposes, specific to the original user's belief system. If you look at Steve M's s example above, the Katakana on the right hand side of the Bonji gives the Seed Syllable Sound , which was usually the last syllable of their individual Invocation Mantra. Fudo no Myoo - Kan Jizo Bosatsu - Ka Fugen Bosatsu - An So it was like a shorthand way of drawing down the influence from the respective Deities A little like the Omamori amulets that are available at Temples and Shrines today:

Good morning Gentlemen, The term used for hanging Tsuba etc under the eaves for natural patination is Nokishita 軒下 のきした

On the modern dual thread mekugi nuki, a simple application of a thread locking gel to the part that goes into the hammer head sorts the issue out.

How about links to their contributions and articles maybe? Lest we forget? Gratitude can have a half life in seconds to future generations.

It is really quite a remarkable resource.

Hi Kirill, Try Pre Modern Japanese Studies (PMJS). There are many of the articles available here: https://groups.google.com/g/pmjs?pli=1

Ages back, there were folding Concho style bootlace ties in the form of a minature Tsuba, with a folding drift a bit like Piers example, available at DTI. I can't find an image, but I think they were also available at the old NBTHK Hakubutsukan shop.

That's what I wondered, a base coat or coats of Urushi and the Fabric stretched and patted so that the lacquer bonds with the fibres during the curing. A bit like resin and fibreglass sheet. Arguably it makes for a robust surface and strengthens the body of the box, where leading edges of lacquer would otherwise be prone to abrasion and potential cracking etc. Well Puss, how far is it to Old London Town? (Note to Self, you can stop channelling your inner Arthur Askey..........)

Good morning Thomas, I really like the larger hammer with the Kamon. Is it lacquered metal or wood? Reminds me of the type of hammers in kit to remove reluctant Tsuka. Hi JP, I've seen those type of Mekugi Nuki at DTI. Here's a link showing Mekugi Nuki made from original nakago: https://www.yamatobudogu.com/products/mekuginuki-made-of-a-antique-blade-nakago Also Aoi Art used to sell ones made of Silver, I always wondered if the silver was too ductile for the job?. https://www.aoijapan.net/silver-mekugi-nuki-youko-fox-spirit/

Morning O.B. Interesting that they both are decorated with Inome 猪目. Is the woven material dry lacquered? Have you seen my son Aladdin? "Cinders, you shall go to the Ball....!" That's enough of the Pantomime references. 🤪 Elegant items.

Relatively speaking, the tebako has the decorative look of an era far earlier than the tray.

Wow, that certainly must have been impressive, when first laid down. Thank you for posting.

" Sadly, if you look too closely at a beauty, you may see her flaws and the ravages of the years upon her." Many years ago, I shot a TV commercial for a Sunday Paper, the Star was certainly in a Dynasty of her own, and timeless. In the corridor, which led from her dressing room to the set, and before I could get my Spotmeter out of its case, she told me in no uncertain terms where she wanted the key light to be exactly. When she looked at the set, which I had pre lit, the day before, she found that the key light was exactly where she wanted it "You've been talking to Marlene Dietrich haven't you..." she said with a wink of a crystal green eye. I just smiled and the rest of the day was delightful. It's the same when appreciating an item like your tebako, just delightful. 😎

The tebako is very interesting indeed. The choice of angular underlying lattice and symmetrical placement of the Kamon amid the flurry of the flowering tendrils suggests a tacit Western influence to me, so perhaps Momoyama is not such a wild call. Can you take some close ups of the Kamon and lattice please? PS, I've adjusted my gracious original offer of the item sent gratis to me, to an extra 100 Georgian Gold Guineas sent to me in a plain brown paper envelope, behind the third hot water pipe of the Guy Burgess rooms in the Anthony Blunt annexe of Waterloo Station. 🧐

Piers, Old Bean, すごい I have been waiting to see some examples of Saga Kirimon, ever since Ian B mentioned the form on the old Armour Forum. We are used to seeing Go San Kiri and Shichi Go Kiri, but, do I count Ju - Go Shichi Kiri on the box, and how many on the Tray? https://kamon.myoji-yurai.net/kamonDetail.htm?kamonName=嵯峨桐 Sadly these mere trifles have no merit, and I would be prepared to take them off your hands, gratis, providing you arrange for full double box Art Shipping and Insurance at your expense. 🤪 Well found, amazing!!

Just an update Gentlemen, Here is a useful reference source containing over 5000 Yojijukugo. https://www.edrdg.org/projects/yojijukugo.html I've been happily trawling through my image bank of Temple/Shrine and Dojo signs, Tenugui/Hachimaki and Kakejiku, playing UK Lockdown2 "Spot the Yojijukugo". They are everywhere Ki Ken Tai Ichi.............

Hi Ken, at the bigger Fairs in the UK before lockdown 1, the larger figural pieces were “enthusiastically priced” to say the least. It seems to be the larger more dynamic compositions, that are fetching serious prices. Certainly in the UK, there seems to be a trend of mixing old and new in Interior Decoration. These back issues of Bonhams Magazine should show the trends more clearly: https://www.bonhams.com/publications/bonhams_magazine/30691/ https://www.bonhams.com/publications/bonhams_magazine/

Good Morning Jonathan, The trite answer is because one person wanted it more than another at the auction..... but that doesn't help really. 😀 So let's look at the item closely, and why it might command such a price. Signed 19th and early 20th Century Figurative Japanese Bronzes are currently highly sought after. The example shown, which depicts Yoshitsune & Benkei in their encounter on Gojo Bridge, looks to be well designed, crisply cast, of a reasonable size, and complete with its original stand. I have reservations about the Signature cartouche, it seems less well executed than the rest of the piece, and I'm dubious about the cross hatching around it. Here's a list of recent sales of Japanese Bronzes and percentagewise how much they exceeded estimate: https://www.barnebys.com/realized-prices/japanese_bronze_signatures.html With some TLC, I would not be surprised to encounter this again, at a major Fair or in a Gallery at a price considerably in excess of its hammer price. Hope this helps.

Thank you for the images Dave, I love the last image of the bamboo drift. Quite sophisticated, has the same rustic charm as some of the old Chashaku Tea scoops.

Hi Barry, That's a great technique, applied crisply and with loads of kime, in my case, I mostly end up flat on the floor!! Still what do they say? "Nana korobi, ya oki!" 🤪