Baka Gaijin

Afternoon all, 1964, Christmas Steps, Bristol, Wakizashi, £4.10s, could have had its longer brother for another £6.00 but being 12 at the time, it was a small fortune.......still is in these enlightened financial times!!! Cheers Malcolm

Good morning all, Some time ago Stephen mentioned Iwai Zashi, and the general opinion was Boy's Day Sword. Tsuruta san of Aoi Art has listed for auction a Boy's Day Sword which he describes as Chigo Zashi, together with a useful description. https://www.aoi-art.com/auction/en/auct ... 1213703271 Cheers Malcolm

Good Morning Everyone, The red paint reminds me of several items in the Sir Frank Bowden Collection Sales which took place at Christies in London during the early 1980's. Cheers Malcolm

Good Morning everyone, I'm a little perplexed, is the image the Ura side of a Kodzuka? Cheers Malcolm

Good Evening Peter, I've seen something like this before, I think it may relate to the Yasakami no Magatama, one of the three sacred emblems of Japan. Check out Tesshu Yamaoka's Calligraphy, I think he may have depicted a similar subject. Cheers Malcolm

Thank you both for the information Cheers Malcolm

Thanks to everyone for the input. Here's another question: What is Senfuri? Which plant is it obtained from? It is relating to prevention of insect attack on Tsuka, particularly in the glue that holds same down. It is mentioned by Otake Risuke (Teaching Headmaster of Tenshinsho Den Katori Shinto Ryu) in the excellent book introducing the Ryu, recently reworked and published by Koryu Books. http://www.koryu.com/ The only mention I can get from t'internet is: United Nations HS 2002 Subheading 1211.90 - - Other (Stand-alone description: Plants & parts of plants, incl. seeds & fruits, OAKU primarily in perfumery/pharmacy/for insecticidal/fungicidal/sim. purps., n.e.s. in Ch.12, fresh/dried, WN cut/crushed/powdered) :? Cheers Malcolm

Thank you Ford Questions answered.......But more forming as a result I suspect :lol: to all Cheers Malcolm

Thank you Ted, A hot pin penetrates the material with an aromatic resinous smell coming off. I've managed to remove a small chunk of it, and will try the boiling water method as described in John's note. Cheers Malcolm

Thank You Stephen, Thank You John, in equal measure. oh and Cheers Chaps!! Malcolm

Evening Peter, Herewith a quick brainstorm re: Motoori Norinaga: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motoori_Norinaga I note he was adopted into the Iimaida Family in 1748, but this was reversed after 2 years. Just a quick thought: Motoori was the adopted name from his Samurai ancestors, he was a scholar and a Doctor for most of his life. Is the image him, or is the quotation one of his appended to another? If we could track down the Kamon as Iimaida, then we would have a timespace for the painting. Lots of possibilities, and a really interesting thread. Afterthought: He was a Kyudoka, and a Classical scholar, do the books in immediate foreground have a significance? I can see the immediate allusion to Bunbu Ryodo (Harmony of Pen and Sword), but is this appropriate for a scholarly Doctor? Cheers Malcolm

"Pine tree sap?" Thanks Stephen, A quick wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_tree) brings up sap of some varieties being used for turpentine and the production of pitch. I hazard a quick off the hip guess that the melt temperature is fairly low and the free forming semiliquid would need a binding agent to keep it fixed until the drying process takes over, hence the chopped up organic matter (which could be bamboo fibres)?????? I guess a Tsukamakishi would know the answer to this. EDIT @ 21.52 GMT 11.49 NMB: Working on a hunch from Stephen, I just went on to the Namikawa Heibei site and found this: http://www.namikawa-ltd.co.jp/cgi-bin/i ... e=14&no=32 "Matsuyani - pine resin.....Tsukamakishi used it to make Kusune(Traditional Glue) mixed with Natane Oil, prevents Tsukaito from slipping." Stephen. you Rock!!! So now I modify the question, what degree of heat is required to melt old Kusune on fittings? And how should it be applied? (Bain Marie type of controlled temperature indirect heat water bath or semi direct with a bounced flame source???) Cheers Malcolm

Good Evening all, Looking closely at a fairly wrecked late 19th C tsuka recently, I noted that the menuki and kashira had once been held on with a dark dark brown almost black paste like substance. Close inspection under a 30x magnification shows it to contain fine fibres as if an organic material has been shredded and mixed with it. Is this substance Resin, Glue or Bitumen? Does it have a name? What are its general properties with respect to cleaning it from Menuki or Kashira (i.e. does it have a low melt point, is it disolvable? etc). Cheers Malcolm

Good morning all, Absolutely fascinating: http://www.aoi-art.com/sword/wakizashi/ ... 8701-3.jpg The sixth paired image down showing the end of the old blade implies a clean line as if a saw had been used, and at the area of the hamon a jagged chunk missing, suggesting to me that the blade had suffered a massive damage to the hamon here. A number of questions arise in my mind: When was the restoration work done? Why was the original tang retained? Would the resultant two blades require separate Torokusho? Cheers Malcolm

Morning all, If you look carefully at the carved seal shape in the second picture, you will see a gap suggesting two stylised characters set "foot to foot" so to speak. In the seal shape on the tang, the gap is not there, and it has the look of an impressed stamp. Also the general look of the tang seal is cleaner, almost graphic, whereas the carved seal is more basic and has an extra half line on the righthand character. Chicken and egg scennario, did the carved material have a life before someone decided to make the blade much later on??? It would be helpful to see a picture of the whole item. Just a thought Cheers Malcolm

Good Evening all, Here's a Hachiwari/Kabutowari which has just come into my possession. I reckon it's late late 19th/early 20th Century Tourist???. Missing its habaki and probably a threaded screw type mekugi. Carved and lacquered with Cinnabar coloured Urushi. Interesting "stepped" Nakago Jiri. I throw it open to you all: Cheers Malcolm P.S. Thanks Guido for the knots

Absolutely correct Guido. Thanks to everyone, but Guido hit it on the head!!! Cheers Malcolm

Thank you for your able knowledge as always Moriyama san. The backs of the blocks/sticks are plain apart from two or three kanji. Cheers Malcolm

Hi Henry, They are not printing blocks, but blocks of Pine needle soot ink used in calligraphy and painting. I may have mislead you by referring to them as ink blocks, let me relabel them as Ink Sticks and amend the topic posting accordingly. http://www.theartofcalligraphy.com/ink-stick.html I'm reasonably sure sticks of this quality were given as high status gifts, and rarely if ever used. Cheers Malcolm

Good morning all, I've just obtained this beautiful set of presentation ink blocks. I think they are originally Chinese, late 19th/early 20th Century, although they came from a collector of Imari and Kutani wares. Now I'm trying to work out what the calligraphy refers to, Analects of Confucius is one thought, poems of seasons or years is another........Help please. Cheers Malcolm

Thank you Dick for the info. I've also seen some shorter styles of tying, often just the length of the tanto, ending with the sageo tied in a knot at its ends or fanning out as if jabara ito had been woven like kumihimo. :? Cheers Malcolm

Good morning all, What are main styles of tying or presenting sageo on Tanto? Cheers Malcolm

Good Morning all. Small postscript: I now have a paperback copy of Koop & Inada's - Japanese names and how to read them. What an extraordinary book. Thank you Gentlemen. Malcolm

Good Morning all, Agree with John & Brian, perhaps a pinch of client's remorse mixed with a hint of irrational expectation.... a "Master Mooney" blade to be included in the deal and somehow not mentioned in the description.... . Did the client know what the term Koshirae means? You could perhaps advise the client to take a look at Ohmura san's Gunto site for comparison. http://www.h4.dion.ne.jp/~t-ohmura/gunto_002.htm Cheers Malcolm

Hi Piers, it looks like what was described to me as Sanada Himo. Here's a useful "how to tie the knot" used on some boxes http://www.hakoyoshi.com/mame/mame01.html The company are very friendly and will custom make paulownia boxes. Cheers Malcolm