Baka Gaijin

Hi guys, I would forget the so waka element and look for the seed syllables or alternate names, don't forget Fudo shows as Acala and so forth. Don't just include the so called War Gods, check out all deity options. And Jan, please pass on my kind regards to another esteemed Viking Blunderbuss Collector of whom you are well acquainted: and another Odin!!! Pip Pip Cheerio

Hi Jan., How's the Red Armour Collection coming on?? Just a random thought, but if it's in Bonji characters, chances are its an invocation or series of invocations to whatever deity or deities the maker or user held allegiance. The Siddham scripts which we know as Bonji are phonetic like Hiragana, so if I set you out two invocations in Hiragana, the esteemed Piers can likely take it further. ('Cos he's a sly old fox and well versed in looking sideways to find the real answer.... ) Watch out for seed syllables, which are points when only the beginning or ending of the invocation is used, like the Bonji "Kan - Man" carved on the famous Koryu Kagemitsu, an invocation to FUDŌ MYŌ-Ō, using the last two syllables of the invocation. http://www.emuseum.jp/detail/100178/000/000?mode=detail&d_lang=en&s_lang=en&class=6&title=&c_e=&region=&era=&century=&cptype=&owner=&pos=9&num=3 Here we go: FUDŌ MYŌ-Ō なーまくさーまんだーば さらなんせんだ まーかろしゃーな そわたやうんたらた かんまん BISHAMON TEN おん　べいしらまなや　そわか Oh, Jan, before the Grammar Police get on to you, it's not "Me and Piers", it's "Piers and I" (If you want to sound like a true Englishman). Moi, as a true Welshman do not................. Pip Pip Cheerio!!!

Hi Chris: I think he is an "Oni Ni Kanabo" (Demon with Club) 鬼に金棒 I think he falls into the category of Yōkai or Folklore Monster.

Putting my Jewellers hat on for a brief moment, difficult to make out from the images. The pale blue stone has the luminescence of Chrysoprase, which is a form of Chalcedony. The clearer stone could be White Sapphire or Rose Quartz. Pip Pip

Hi Erez., As a project it is a noble endeavour and you would learn a tremendous amount along the way. The cost involved will be "interesting" to say the least. Maybe save up and buy a complete gun?

Is the Yodare gake Kaga?

Hi guys., Was the pointy bit intended to have a more Martial purpose? (You can tell I know all the technical terms for these things...) Much in the same way as the so called Higo Ate-Gashira was intended as a means of attitude readjustment without having to actually draw a full blade? Pip Pip

Hi Grev and Ken., Since 1995, The Art Newspaper has published a yearly analysis of the rise and fall of Art objects (including Fine Wines) sold world wide. http://theartnewspaper.com/ It will take a bit of digging and perhaps an email, but they have the info.

I wonder if this is this connected to: http://www.samurai-store.com/ Much of the armour on display looks to be modern, though in the Gallery section, is that Paul Martin in the suit? http://www.samuraimuseum.jp/en/photopage/index.html At 1800 yen its an expensive museum. It seems geared at tourists who want to dress up (For an extra fee of 500 yen). The National at Ueno is only 620 yen and you can see national treasure swords and armour on display there. http://www.tnm.jp/?lang=en

James P (Jamesicus) wrote: "I do not want to bore everyone with old stories" I would say on the strength of the recollections you have contributed thus far........KEEP IT COMING!! You were in Japan during a very interesting period. Information, names, addresses, even partial, can be very helpful in tracking things down.

Hi Grant., Kotobuki appears on a variety of items, originally it was deeply Talismanic, sadly now relegated to the role akin to a Smiley in popular culture I have seen it variously on Tsuba, as a Maedate on a Kabuto, on an Agano Yaki Teabowl and it is also a popular subject for Kakejiku hanging scrolls with the character written in a variety of styles from formal to vigorous. Pip Pip

There was a chap during the mid to late 1970's who came up with a variety of textured finishes to simulate the ones shown above. He used textured ceiling plaster for Yari Saya and sieved powdered housebrick for Ishime finished Saya. They were very convincing at first glance, but much heavier than the real thing when you handled them. As I recall, he dealt in Japanese Swords and other Militaria in London's Portobello Road. His technique is done by laying a coat of the "plaster" over the primed base material and then using a thick brush or even a scrumpled rag to pull the texture up into peaks, most plasterers now how this effect is achieved with modern materials. He then painted with what was available and added a dusting of "Rottenstone" to give the aged effect. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotten_stone

Rumour has it, the magic machine could be persuaded to create rather wonderful Sageo....Allegedly Pip Pip Cheerio

Hi Axel You have to contact them with a request for prices. Alternatively there is also Nippon Kodo: http://www.nipponkodostore.com/ Cheers

I'm with you on that call Thibault. My reasoning being that A: The finish is a little too "prototype". B: The Habaki is a double style, which is almost cut through the outer section to accommodate the clip. Very interesting nontheless.

Hi Axel., Try this company. http://www.shoyeido.co.jp/english/index.html I have always found them most helpful. Cheers

Hi Wouter, just a word of warning regarding the use of old Tsuka or Saya for Iai/Batto training. Get the Koshirae checked out before attempting anything involving drawing or cutting.

Way long before all these fine and sterling chaps described above was a charming little man (in stature, but a giant in spirit). His name was Emile Boin and he worked in one of the little side streets off of Great Russell Street where the British Museum is situated around 1960 to 1977. His Shop was called Sakura and the tiny window was simply decorated with a Saya showing examples of all the various Urushi finishes that he could do. He began in partnership with Michael Dean of Nihon To-Ken but he decided to pursue his dream of being a Laquer Artist, his teacher was a Mr Kaneko. He mainly worked on the restoration of lacquered Screens and he did work for the B.M. Basil Robinson of the Victoria and Albert Museum spoke very highly of his work. He was very much in demand, but he would always take time to repair a Saya, particularly if he knew you were training in Iai.(Mogito were unheard of then). (Often he would not charge for his service - once, he gave me a Zafu meditation cushion when I came to pick up a Saya he had restored for me). He was always helpful and polite, and briefly hosted a Zendo in his basement where the likes of a very young Aikido Shihan, Chiba Kazuo and Shotokai Karate Shihan, Harada Mitsusuke could be found sitting in Zazen together like roaring tigers. He is a long silent voice now, but he deserves to be remembered. He was related to George Boin of Parisian dealers Boin Taburet who were buying Japanese items direct from " the Yokohama". (Boin-Taburet was established in 1873 by the antique dealer George Boin and the jeweller Emile Taburet. The firm was credited for the revival of interest in Louis XV style silver-work in Paris in the late 1880 s, and awarded a gold medal at the Paris 1889 Exposition Universelle. As well as producing exceptional silver and metal work the company retailed small items of furniture and decorative objects of the very highest order, made by the leading ébénistes of the day. Emile Taburet and Georges Boin worked together until 1900 when Georges Boin associated with the silversmith Henry and created 'Boin and Henry' silversmiths.) https://nihontoken.wordpress.com/about/

Interesting. Fans? Closest I can get is a repeat of the paper shape used for fans known as Jigami: Maru ni Chuin Mitsu Jigami Or maybe stylised Ougi in which case Maru ni Mitsu Ougi 丸に三つ扇紋 What do you think of this? http://kamon-db.net/portfolio/mutsuougi

Good afternoon Ian., Fascinating stuff to be sure, is there any truth in the story of the various "Kapitan" at Dejima bringing in specific new technologies by "tacit order" of the Shogunate? Cheers

Hi Guys., Ian has it closely observed, excellent info BTW. For the rest of us mortals, if you use the zoom facility, you can clearly see that there is no Agemaki no Kan on the first image, there clearly is an Uketsutsu and Gattari that the Himo of the Agemaki is knotted into. Pip Pip......

Hi again Rob., If you fancy tying an Agemaki knot, here's a visual on the late Anthony J Bryant's site: http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/katchu/katchu.ch03.html Scroll down to the very bottom of the page and there's a diagram even a dumb Welshman like me could understand........ Pob lwc.......

Hi Rob, The Swastika shape of the knot is known as Agemaki 総角, on the Ō-yoroi 大鎧 (lit: great armour), it served to anchor the lesser cords from other parts of the armour. scroll down this blog to the fourth image and you'll see how it was fixed: http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/septaria77/65311790.html This will show you how it functioned: http://ikkaiyoroi.com/himo03.htm On later armour it can be argued that it became a decoration which may have originally possessed some talismanic aspects. Don't get too tied up over it......

Please excuse this posting if it is stating the obvious, but it only occurred to me yesterday and I thought it worth including for other dullards like me. Mejiro/Meguro This is I believe may be a clue to one of the anomalies being a Gaijin Phonetic mishearing: Mejiro|Meguro can sound similar if you are not tuned into Tokyo Ben (Dialect)東京弁. Mejiro and variations 目白 literally White Eye Meguro and variations 目黒 literally Black Eye Mejiro is in Toshima ward https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toshima Meguro is a ward of it own as well as a station area https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meguro Mejiro and Meguro are miles apart and transport there would have been difficult in the immediate Occupation period. A native Japanese would be unlikely to make that Phonetic mistake I believe, as they would both understand the Kanji and the intonation between Mejiro/Meguro. To add a grain to the mix on Mejiro / Meijiro. I think it is merely a phonetic anomaly similar to the example I cited above. And before the "Cool Japan Otaku" catch a drift of this, yes,we know Meijirō is the mascot of Meijii University...........(since 2010). Cheers

Hi Ray., I'm with you on your call of Toyokuni III later known as Kunisada, certainly on Image 4. Look left of the Toshidama cartouche (Used in various colourways from 1847 to 1860), on the right hand image of the diptych, I reckon that's the Publishers mark for Jōshū-ya Jūzō. (Looks like a single mountain with kana underneath). He published Toyokuni III certainly in 1858. Cheers