Baka Gaijin

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

Job Done... Thank You Stephen. Cheers Malcolm

Good Evening Gentlemen. Thanks to John, Ian and Grey. I've found the titles mentioned on Amazon. Where does one obtain the Kanji Flashcards? Cheers Malcolm

Good Evening all, What books would you suggest for Kanji and reading Japanese art names etc? Cheers Malcolm

Late Evening to all, I'll leave page one to the experts, but throw my hand in for page two. Top cartouche gives the reference number 299584 and the date the application was received: - Heisei 20 nen 6 gatsu 17 nen - 17th June 2008 Under your name, in ink: Heisei ni ju nen ju ichi gatsu ni ju hachi nen, being when the kanteisho decision was confirmed, or the papers ready for return:- 28th November 2008, although looking at page one the actual date of Kantei was Heisei ni ju nen hachi gatsu ni ju ni nen = August 22nd 2008 Hope my first attempt at translation was helpful...... :| Cheers Malcolm

Thank you Piers, Is the flat himo called "Sanada Himo"?; like the type you find on Tea ceremony bowl boxes??? Oh and Stephen, it depends upon the caliber of the Futon Cheers Malcolm

Afternoon all, Piers, is the timber Keyaki (Zelkova)? And could we see some pics of your Teppo Box? Hi John, also thanks for showing some Great Tansu. Cheers Malcolm

Afternoon Piers, Great find!!! Looking at the internal dividers, it looks set up for 4 katana length. Are the internal dividers free to move? If so, it looks as though it could fit three katana and three wakizashi. Cheers Malcolm

Evening Kyle, I reckon it's Chinese, Dr Stein has a section regarding these on this excellent site. Cheers Malcolm

Good Evening All ThaiTsuki simply isn't Nihon - To, save your money and get something real. Here's a link to the swordforum thread regarding them: http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread ... adid=64157 Cheers Malcolm

Thanks to you both Moriyama san and Jacques D for the information. Reading through the To-Ken G.B. article in the link given, it mentions a feature being blue colour in the Jigane. This reminds me of the depiction of Nihon - To in 19th Century woodblock prints. Again Gentlemen thank you for your information. Cheers Malcolm

Good Morning Everyone, On the Kashima sisters Usagiya site they mention the term "Kuwana" in the context of fake signatures: Quote: "This is a Shin-shinto blade with a fake signature "Sukesada". Such a blade that Shin-shinto with Koto signature is called "Kuwana-blade. Kuwana-blade was made as originally trick blade. That is popular in 19th century." Unquote: Can anyone expand upon this? Cheers Malcolm

Good Morning all Herewith a Taisho period Woodblock showing a war axe amongst other pieces of Samurai hardware. By kabutogane at 2009-01-13 Got there!!! :D Cheers Malcolm

Good Evening all, This is a bit of a sideways question regarding Mekugi - ana and modern era Japanese Sword Laws. Am I correct to say that once a Mekugi - ana is formed in a blade, that goes toward the Smith's yearly total? So, if a Mekugi - ana is formed and the blade subsequently develops a fatal flaw on polishing, before going to end user, can the blade be rejected and destroyed, without affecting the Smith's yearly total? Cheers Malcolm

Evening All, I drift towards a kind of boxed Shaving tool for Katsuobushi, the first drawer being to catch the shavings, the second drawer to contain a spare blade. Cheers Malcolm

Good Morning all Adopting the Devil's Advocate position briefly: Hagire is an extremely emotive term. Looking closely at the images of the blade, I can only make out a faint line, very very small which looks like a 90 degree Hagire about a "screen" inch away from the Yokote. As far as I understand, Hagire can be acceptable in a blade providing it does not go through the hamon into the core metal. The blade is described as being quite wide and thick with Suguha Hamon, which suggests a more robust edge strength. Perhaps one of our sword swinging members can elaborate. Best regards to all Malcolm

Hi Piers, some scrunched up newspapers inside the kote will blend the sode line nicely. Best regards Malcolm PS Nice Gun..........

Morning all, I have been told by a Japanese Tea Ceremony student that blades of this shape, in plainer Koshirae admitedly were utilised in and around the Cha - Do -Jo for cutting flowers or branches appropriate to season, and splitting bamboo for Cha shaku etc (See Teshigahara's "Rikyu" c.1990) Cheers Malcolm

Hi Henk - Jan, Given the limitations imposed on Swordsmiths in Japan, it is highly unlikely in my opinion that such a blade would be made, as the character falls into the area of Cosplay. However, I would recommend Tozando Budogu Ya in Kyoto, who are able to call upon their list of Specialist Swordsmiths who would probably be able (if willing) to make to order a passable Shinsaku To in that style. It won't be cheap though..... http://www.tozandoshop.com/default.asp Cheers Malcolm

Hi Ian, You can access the online complete copy of Legend in Japanese Art by going to the link on this very site courtesy of Brian. Go to General Nihonto Related Discussion. The first Announcement has the links through to the various classic books. Cheers Malcolm

Message for Henk - Jan regarding Eugene Collache Polak, Christian (2002). 日仏交流の黄金期　Soie et Lumière, L'Âge d'or des échanges Franco-Japonais (in Japanese and French). Hachette Fujingaho. Polak, Christian, et al. (1988). 函館の幕末・維新 "End of the Bakufu and Restoration in Hakodate." ISBN 4-12-001699-4 (in Japanese). These titles may shed some more light on the situation. Le Tour du Monde was published by Librairie Hachette et Cie, 79 Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris 79. Here's a link to a copy of the 1874 compilation of Le Tour du Monde http://www.biblio.com/books/11327211.html The modern Hachette publishing group is vast, they may have a tame archivist. Here's a link to their main site:- http://www.hachette.com/ Cheers Malcolm

Hi Piers, "So who owns what?" That's a thorny question indeed. Let's take for example Yoshitoshi's series Kinsei Kyogi den of 1865. The origination of the image was Yoshitoshi's. The cutting of the blocks and the subsequent printing was down to the publisher, therefore the copyright of each image as a partial multiple would be the publisher at the time. Yoshitoshi died early and his son went on to become a woodblock artist in his own right using the Noh theatre as his subject matter. So as an example of Artists Resale Royalty, he could have had moral rights to the reproduction of the image as is the case in France for 75 years after the death of the artist. Meijii Copyright Law is particularly vague it has to be said, so I doubt it. In the 20th Century Kinsei Kyogi Den was down scaled and recut minus the background narrative in 1918 or thereabouts and published as a small booklet (Which I have a copy) In fact the image of the chap clearing his nasal passages on Wikipedia is minus the text and thus from the booklet, not from the 1865 blocks. The copyright of an image on the internet and the lifting and printing thereof is subject to a can of worms situation dependant upon which country you are in, where the image was lifted from and what you intend to do with it. Example: Jack Vettriano maintains, as far as I am aware, the Copyright of any Painting sold to a private individual or public body. Clear it up any?????? :? Cheers Malcolm P.S. The chanbara figure of Zatoichi comes from one the real life characters depicted in Kinsei Kyogi Den...............