sencho

So then, it is nothing to do with staggering out of a JPY15,000 per hour club at 3am with a Kyabajo on each arm, realizing that the last train left 3 hours before, you lost your Suica anyway and have no money left for a taxi?? Never slept on a doormat for any other reason!!

The trick is, John, to get the last train home (usually with Guido - always an adventure) and then find a local izakaya (or snack bar/kyabrakura ) within staggering or rolling distance of your home/accommodation... there is usually somewhere within budget.. even way out in the countryside... (however the snack bars can get a bit dodgy, the further from the city you get!) Cheers!

It turns my stomach to say so, but I fully agree with Guido... Cheers!!

Just heard this on BBC world service too... http://www.maritime-executive.com/artic ... f-nagasaki http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111025a2.html

Henry, I saw the women warriors piece too, but also this one... http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ ... 009a1.html I spend a lot of time in the Seto Naikai and know many of the locals throughout the islands so this was of particular interest. The penultimate paragraph made me laugh though... Sounds so romantic doesn't it? I guess the writer has not dealt with the fisherman's union! Some great guys to eat and drink with, but they can be the biggest "pirates" of all when it comes down to business..!! :lol: Cheers

:lol: yep... I guess they have to make it easy for the masses....

for those who like such things... http://metropolis.co.jp/arts/agenda/netsuke-exhibition/ cheers

It is Chinese crap, so it could be made out of any old junk/scrap steel... old car chassis, bits of demolished building... then someone took a dremel to it and carved some not so convincing characters.. Hopefully you will display it in the trash bin! Cheers.

Just flew from Tokes to London and noticed on check in that ANA specifically considered "Swords" a prohibited item to carry in checked luggage, along with (amongst other things) explosives, poisonous substances, corrosives and radioactive materials. cheers!

Dear Morita san, Sumimasen arigatougozaimasita!! This is very appropriate for the person receiving this gift. m(_ _)m But I am not Gentleman... Hennagaijin dake desu! Thank you again!

Dear Moriyama san and Morita san, Is it possible you can assist me with one more? It is the inside of the lid of the box which contains the kakejiku. The kakejiku is in perfect condition so I do not want to unroll it too many times, but it has the same single kanji and signature. Can you possibly translate for me? I would like to give this to someone as a gift. Yorosikuonegaisimasu!

Hi Morita san, Yes, all my wives are Japanese :lol: (very expensive! ) But #1 wife is too busy being a competetive swimmer and shinobue player, so she gets angry when I push her to help me with this stuff, and it ends up in a fight! Morita san and Moriyama san, Thank you for your help with these... Morita san I am always amazed at your ability to read some of these things!! 1 and 3 are the same kanji, yes I should have noticed that... actually I have 4 of them with this same kanji. Thanks again

Thanks Moriyama san... If it is difficult for you, then impossible for me!! :lol: Thank you very much for the assistance. Best regards.

Cheers!

I have just finished moving my Mother in law from the ancient and crumbling family home to a modern apartment... While we were sorting through generations of bits and peices, I found in the back of a cupboard a pile of boses containing hanging calligraphies... Some are showing some staining from age, but others I beleive have not seen the light of day since they were first made... quite a fun and interesting find. If anyone can assist with the translation of these, I would much appreciate it... I think some of our Japanese members might be able to assist with some of the tougher ones! Here are eight that I have just taken pictures of....

Hi Raymond, Sorry, drifting off topic here, but.... Is it still on display? I am in Japan for the summer, but live during the winter in Lauderdale and have some strong ties with the Morikami. I chatted to the curator there some time ago and she was interested in showing swords sometime in the future in an upcoming exibition.... Would be nice if we could get all of the S. Fla collectors together to exhitbit their swords there for a few months... I always thought that combing that, and a sword show, plus with the gardens and Japanese orientated facilities.... and proximity to 3 international airports would be great! Anyway hope to meet you in S. Fla sometime for a beer! Cheers!

I beg to differ... maybe I am dealing with a whole different class of people, but business is booming with the strength of the yen... and how expensive the toy, is just relative... Cheers!

My last suit was a 10000 yen Jusco special... still looks bloody sharp I can tell you... have five of them now... they would not know the difference... Gaijin in a suit is a gaijin in a suit....

Erol... I take it you mean "extinct"? the tattoos maybe fading but they are far from exticnct.... ... except in Roppongi mind you, where they were run out by local government and the Nigerian cockroaches have moved in.... I would prefer the old style.... but otherwsie far from extinct.... just a little more difficult to detect nowadays... but they are there... Cheers!

Who? Cheers

Hi Mr. Moose, What it "looks" like and what it actually is, are two entirely different things. Forget the romantic notions. You can certainly buy menuki that are 500 years old (or brand new) and wrap the ito yourself, stick it on the mantlepeice and it may "look" authentic to you, however you will know that it isn't, and an experienced person will see through it immediately... The last set of menuki that this koshirae had are gone, so is the ito, kashira, etc., and cobbling together odd bits and peices procured over the internet are just going to make this all a bit of a joke. Having the blade professionally polished and then keeping it properly maintained and preserved, is a historically relevant process, and this is the direction that you should be looking. This may mean separating it from the koshirae that it is in right now. Cheers

Mr. Moose, I do not think you need to get the koshirae restored at the same time. Many people will have a new shirasaya made when a sword is professionally polished, and I think this is probably your best option. This sword has probably gone through various sets of koshirae in it's time, so you can almost separate the subject of the blade for the subject of the sword furniture. Then if your heart is set on making new, or restoring old koshirae, or a mixture of the two, you can take your time at least before doing it. My personal feeling is to appreciate the blade as it is. I feel that restored, new or cobbled together mixture of fittings has no historical relevance whatsoever to the sword itself. But that is just my view, others may not share this veiwpoint. Cheers.

Hi Keith, How can it possibly be a fact of life...? Being gifted and having an aptitude for something, does not mean you can necessarily do it without aquiring more information. I am (or think I am) a gifted maritime Captain... it is something (probably the only bloody thing!) that I have a natural aptitude for. Could not do it without 10 years of formal training of the rules however. I am sure many people have a natural aptitude for polishing swords, but how can they ever understand the traditional rules of polishing, without some kind of formal training? Or is the polishing of Nihonto a purely subjective craft? Cheers.

Whether you personally agree or disagree, or your feelings are hurt (boo-hoo!), it really doesn't matter... Chris's point is a good and entirely valid one, and should be taken more objectively that as a personal attack. Until someone comes back with a post that is convincing, I agree with Chris. However his post has yet to be responded to in any kind of intelligent manner that tries to counter his argument. "He hurt my feelings!", really doesn't wash! Cheers.

Jon, As Jacques also pointed out, the "e" is not pronounced "ay"... it should be pronounced "eh" , a short pure vowel sound rather than a diphthong "ay" or "ei" Mah-sah-he-deh Cheers...