Baka Gaijin

Thank you John & Jussi for taking the time to answer, most thought provoking. Although a work of fiction, The Twighlight Samurai - Tasogare Seibei evokes a period where many of the Samurai were in dire financial circumstances. Markus wrote an excellent breakdown of sword prices and the stipend system: http://www.nihontomessageboard.com/arti ... amurai.pdf So, how did the lowest guys on the totem pole care for their blades? Are we perhaps seeing a simple Mingei artifact which may have be given another name and attributed another usage today? One for the Flea Markets perhaps............ Cheers

Good evening all., Certainly a lively and respectful debate, my thanks to everyone who has thus far contributed, but if I might pause a moment and restate the original question: What was the polishing really like in Sengoku and Edo periods? Was a polisher really a sharpener? Cheers

Thanks for the input Piers, Welcome to U.K.

Forming an orderly queue, according to rank, Jean Perhaps Zohyo Monogatari once had pages concerned with this http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/2541624 Cheers

Good morning all, Hi Henk Jan and Chris, thank you for your comments. However, the walls that I was told about were the Musha Gaeshi 武者返し the type the lower areas of castles were constructed from. The story I was told was that before an assault the canon fodder would often sharpen their edges against appropriate stones in the walls. Appropriate I guess being something like Binsui, Kaise or Chu Nagura ? Somewhere on You tube there is a Japanese TV programme with a priest showing a grave marker of a warrior and then showing a yellow coloured stone with various pock marks where he says yari were sharpened and long channels at the corners where he says swords were sharpened. I'm trying to find it. Maybe whetted is a more appropriate term. Cheers

Thank you John., Allow me to ask the original question: What was the polishing really like in Sengoku and Edo periods? Was a polisher really a sharpener? Cheers

Thank you Darcy

Hi Trent S I deal in really fugitive objects, textiles and works on paper. UV light is the culprit here. The Western approach is to put the item in an acid free environment within a closed box. Acid free paper etc.... Study in subdued light. The Japanese traditional approach is similar. Put the item in a box contained in a Tansu or Kura and only bring it out when you wish to study it. Add no substance or finish that will cause grief later on. Cheers

Good morning all, Here's a seemingly dumb question. What was the polishing really like in Sengoku and Edo periods? Was a polisher really a sharpener? I've heard tales of stone lanterns and particular sections of a wall which have gouges and lines where Yari and Katana were supposedly sharpened by warriors prior to battle. Is this true or Fantasy Island? Admittedly these tales are usually fueled by elegant cups Sake or chilled cans what certain denizens charmingly refer to in the U.K. as "Wife Beater". Cheers

Morning all, The Kanji for the Heart Sutra seems quite well formed and balanced. Could this have been a form of Omamori 御守 (Talisman) over which a leather combat cover would have been fitted? Cheers

I have had three of these Tourist pieces, the carving on the Tsuka is always identical. They usually have a wooden tsuba, and I had one with a wooden Habaki. (Most go missing it seems). They must have been centrally made because the stepped nakagojiri is common. I had one with Hachiman Daibosatsu roughly engraved on both flats of the blade (Is that the correct term?) The steel is quite soft. Cheers

Good afternoon all, I have my doubts about its reality as a weapon during Sengoku Jidai (or any other period for that matter). I was told once they were feudal can openers for armour........ The koshirae looks like a working on Ebi zukuri. A long time ago I saw a similar Koshirae in a Temple devoted to Hachiman Taro Yoshiie. (I recall it being described as Koshigatana, but that was a long time ago and a galaxy far far away...........). Cheers

Morning all I suggest that something's amiss with the tsuka... Cheers

Hi Chris, This may help: http://ohmura-study.net/906.html I do wonder of the origin and age of your pierced example. Cheers

Hi Guido xxx mei ga aru meaning something like a signature is there.......similar interpretation as the auction term "bearing a signature"? Cheers

Cheers

Morning all, Just found this by courtesy of Ohmura san's excellent Gunto site, is another Onshi type 94 signed Yasunori Tsutsushinde Tsukuru (real name Kotani Kenzō). http://ohmura-study.net/931.html Here's another Onshi, signed Yasuhiro-Kinsaku http://ohmura-study.net/932.html I notice that the 3 examples don't have metal Sarute. Cheers

Morning all, The Kanji on the habaki says Onshi - Imperial gift For Trivial Pursuit fans, Ueno Park in Tokyo's full title is Ueno Onshi Koen 上野恩賜公園 "Ueno Imperial Gift Park. An Imperial gift from the Taisho Emperor to the City of Tokyo in 1924. Cheers

Good morning John K http://www.jssus.org/nkp/index.html Cheers

Good afternoon Hamish, It might be Japanese Sword Hataya. http://en.japantravel.com/photos/Japanese-sword-hataya https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Jap ... !1e1?hl=en Cheers

Good afternoon all, In the case of holding the sword in the saya, holes at the top, holes at the bottom suggests the Tsuba was originally Tachi or Katana mounted. Cheers

Thank you John, A very interesting article, particularly the Chinese proverb “wealth shall not pass to a third generation”. There is a similar saying in parts of the U.K. "Muck to money and back again". Small World, astute observation... Cheers

It may help to analyze the term Hidensho 秘伝書 ひでんしょ HI 秘 - ひ - Secret - Conceal DEN 伝 - でん - Transmit - Go along - Follow - Report - Communicate - Legend - Tradition SHO 書 - しょ - Write I have heard there are instances in both Japanese Arts and Martial Arts where the phrase "Hidden in plain sight" is used. Cheers

Good afternoon Eric, I wonder if there is something of a cross fertilization between the European manuals and Japanese. i.e. the Japanese having sight of European gunnery manuals (Slight pun intended) During the latter part of the Edo period the Dutch sold more than 10,000 foreign books on various scientific subjects to the Japanese from Deshima Island. These became the basis of knowledge of the wider World and a factor in the Rangaku movement (Dutch studies). Just a thought Cheers Malcolm

Sorry to come to this late. My take on Eric's post is that it is an important piece of social documentation, like a Senufo dream mask, it really is irrelevant whether it seems practical or not to us. Consider this: If we look at many of the surviving Makimono (Rolled narrative scroll) of Ryuha (Martial Schools), much of the wording and illustrations do not seem to make sense. Seemingly incorrect illustrations and vague descriptions of actions are deliberately placed to keep the secret heart of the Ryu intact. Only those who had made Keppan (Blood oath) and passed through the levels of trust would have access to the secret knowledge that made the scroll (Makimono) legible. Thus if a Makimono fell into unauthorised hands, the secret heart of the Ryu was preserved. Yagyu Tsuba are an example of this secret symbolism. And I'm still going to look for Hamster Ladders........ Cheers