Bazza

OTTOMH - Satsuma?? Very late, likely even 1920s-30s. The dot technique is possibly for Western tourists??? But what do I know... BazZa.

Beloved Brethren, Here is one for the photo enthusiasts: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/massive-military-photographic-archive-mostly-wwi-56A46BDA1A?utm_source=house&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=exclusive&utm_content=jam080717 The description is very lengthy so to whet interest I'll just post the introductory words plus selected excerpts: ==================================================================================== Lot 2062: MASSIVE MILITARY PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVE, MOSTLY WWI-WWII, AMERICAN, ALLIED, GERMAN, Japanese.Description: This archive is a lifelong collection of the consignor who has a publishing company and had hoped to publish photo history books utilizing images from this incredible archive. This dream never came to fruition and a change in life has instead led to the consignment of this treasured photoarchive. Archive consists of about 33,000 vintage and first generation photographic prints and 18,900 negatives, over 500 slides. Also included are five 8mm newsreel films, one 16mm newsreel film (original German newsreel footage of Fallshirmjager troops parachuting into Holland), 25 stereo-cards and miscellaneous ephemera belonging to photographers whose work is now preserved in this photoarchive including letters, correspondence and military service records. ... Many negatives included in this archive are large format and glass plates. Virtually all of the archive has been researched for the historical content, placed in acid free archival sleeves and boxes and labeled. All the 8x10 custom-made, wet-process prints were made by the consignor who has had fifty years of experience working in photo darkrooms ... Vintage photos and negatives all taken by Marine tanker John Quas on Iwo Jima ... Scenes from India, Burma, Suez Canal taken by WWII Signal corps photographer Robert W. Lavelle with two books of his negatives, truly excellent photographs and 200 1st generation 8x10 custom prints. ... Over 1,000 sample images and a brief description of the contents are shown in our on-line catalog. Prospective bidders should examine this archive in person. CONDITION: Very good to fine overall. There are images that have damage, though vast majority are fine. Interested parties should examine lot in person. 52429-1 ==================================================================================== WW2 Japanese related images are also listed and I'll leave reading those to the particularly interested. Good luck to any bidders. This looks like an absolutely fantastic opportunity. Best regards, BaZZa.

Jeremiah Mate, Dinna worry Laddie, the pitfalls are many. I have a good friend who once opined about my "more outrageous pronouncements"!!! BaZZa.

Thanks Ray, I was wondering when someone would address this nomenclature slip!!! I was waiting to find the right Round Tuit!! Add fumbari to the misunderstood terms list... BaZZa.

KANE 金 something???? BaZZa.

Jean, having many of Msr Burawoy's publications I remember this very item and article. I'm saddened to read such a rare treasure is buried out of sight. Here in Australia there have been a number of Nihonto exhibitions hosted by art galleries (rather than museums) with good items from private collections tastefully and very well displayed. Being personally involved by giving lectures and lending items I can attest to the consuming interest of the public, with such comments as "I didn't know there was SO MUCH in it!" The "temporary" enthusiasm, interest and professional dedication was there on the part of the galleries and is highly commendable, but a long-term commitment??? Sadly, as worthy as it is Nihonto in the grand scheme of things these days appears to be a niche interest. The legal problems of sword ownership also impinge here. Some decades ago a young undergraduate in museology visited private collectors and wrote a paper concluding and alluding to many of the issues raised above. Not a lot has changed in the interim. Philanthropy is not only the preserve of the uber wealthy as many a private collector realises his/her commitment and sunk capital are never going to bring a financial return - its certainly so in my case. The love of the art seems to be the driving force, a force that is patently obvious in this space. All we can do is keep on keeping on... BaZZa.

Spending time wandering around the internet when my wife would have doing something productive (like bringing order to the chaos of my "study") I stumbled on this website: https://www.revolvy.com/topic/Shakud%C5%8D&item_type=topic I was actually looking for a specific habaki reference when I found it. The website appears quite extensive if seemingly trivial, however I saw a reference to the Wolverhampton Museum Collection of tsuba, so I googled wolverhampton tsuba and found lots of related hits. A surprising hit told of a man, Ron Dutton, who was inspired by the tsuba collection to create medals: https://www.wlv.ac.uk/about-us/news-and-events/latest-news/2016/october-2016/wolverhampton-medal-artist-collects-prestigious-award.php I don't remember reading about the Wolverhampton tsuba collection on the Board... Within the first link is a variety of interesting descriptions about Japanese metalwork, including a ternary plot of the colours of Au-Ag-Cu alloys that I hadn't seen before. Anyway, FWIW. BaZZa.

Must have belonged to the Monkey King!!! BaZZa.

SO WAS I - Brian remembers me well, eh Komrad??? Only mine was going to be a variation - "Who isn't??" O 'tis a good day for a laff. Joe, I must tell you about my Kuniie sometime...

Yes, off topic now, but I asked because I have photos of a tsuba once lent to me that reminded me of Scott Irey's tsuba - thanks for replying Scott. I'll have to dig them out and write up a little story and post it on a separate topic referring to this. It certainly comes under the heading of "strange tsuba", so maybe it is on topic??? Bestests, BaZZa.

Stephen, Could you please give us a good, clear shot both sides of the tsuba to the right hand side in this image?? BaZZa.

Note also that the Daimyou of Hirado fief also patronised the DOI SHINRYO school of swordsmiths. See discussion here: www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/20387-dohi-shinryo/ Best regards, BaZZa.

Well. I'll be hornswoggled!! It's a signature and smith I'm quite familiar with, but darned if I could read it. I'll study the KAISHOU stroke order and this little gem to see what I was missing. A very "colloquial" writing style I guess, and no doubt a glaring gimei. To the books... Morita san, thank you so very much for your time. You are a veritable treasure when the going gets tough. Very best regards, Barry Thomas.

All, this is my first translation assistance request (I think??!!). The subject mei is on a sword I am cataloguing for an auction for a very good friend. This is a quid pro quo unpaid service to my friend that in turn (a) gives me translation practice, ( B) raises the profile of Nihonto up for sale over the usual uninformed scrappy catalogue descriptions, thus © giving more substantial information to potential bidders, and finally (d) giving me an opportunity to see more Nihonto than I might usually encounter!! A further motive to ask here is to give NMB members something of interest to chew on. The (not very good) blade is 56.2 cm long in a Meiji period one-handed kyuu-guntou koshirae, the scabbard being black-painted iron. The blade is signed and dated. The date is composed of somewhat variant characters, but I believe these are easily read as KANBUN JUU SAN NEN NI GATSU HI - ostensibly A Day in February 1673. The mei, however, is a horse of another colour, or a different kettle of fish, take your pick. I can read some characters, but cannot gain enough context to research the mei. The main difficulty to my eyes is determining the radicals. Here is what I can read: KO ? ? ? KAMI KUNI ? - The first two might be a province or area within a province as the 2nd kanji has an 'I' look about it - The 3rd kanji might be JUU (resident) - The 4th and 5th kanji might be a town or title, with the last two being the smith's name KUNI ? OR - The 4th kanji is I know not what and the smith's name is KAMIKUNI (no such smith listed!!) with the last kanji maybe being KIN - respectfully (doesn't make sense). The rhs bottom "stroke" as a semi-circle of the last character is likely to be the 4-stroke GUCHI kanji. I hope enlightenment is on the way. Here is the mei image: Thanks and best regards, BaZZa (aka Barry Thomas)

I'd get around and look at a lot more swords before proceeding... Truly, the world is your oyster - patience. BaZZa.

Peter, This was very interesting to me. Decades ago at work a colleague had Okakura Kakuzo's Book of Tea. I was captivated by it and put off giving it back, so my colleague bought me a copy to get his back!!! It still sits proudly on my bookshelves. Imagine my surprise when in the 7th image down there was a photo of the man himself. To also discover he became a curator at the MFA was especially interesting. Magic stuff. Bestests, BaZZa.

Guido, thank you. I have hope that my only kabuto may one day be restored. I was also deeply moved by this story: http://www.nippon.com/en/views/b06501/ BaZZa.

Ah so!! My wife answered to sewer (as in needle and thread) but not sewer (as in the Cloaca Maxima under Rome). Her other preferred term was seamstress, but emphatically denied the term needle-worker. I dunno why... I sometimes know better than to probe further... Thanks Ken, I'll have to watch my contexts more closely. BaZZa.

On 28th May 2017 in topic: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/22644-silver-sword-bag/ Jay wrote: =================================================== This came out excellent. The fabric I ordered looks even better in person than it did online lol! I still have about 150cm left of this silk for anyone who wants a bag out of it. =================================================== I loved the look of the fabric and took Jay up on his offer to make a bag out of the remnant. It arrived a couple days ago and I'm delighted with it. The silver/grey colour might be gauche to some, but for some odd reason ("taste"??) it really appealed to me. My wife is a a sewer, having made her wedding dress and clothes for the kids over the years, and she gave Jay's work the thumbs up. I particularly had in mind the shingunto koshirae that housed my nidai Hizen Tadahiro katana. In fact, the bag looks so good I almost want to preserve it inside another bag!!!! Great transaction and another joy of NMB fellowship. BaZZa.

IMHO sheer neglect (edit out) in a Japanese forgotten place with humidity... BaZZa.

The upper one, the hosodachi, has a wide silver-lacquered strip along the mune and ha portions of the saya. Is this a lacquer imitation of a metal naga fukurin, the feature seen all too rarely on koshirae??? BaZZa.

Piers, of course the members are interested!!! BaZZa.

I am shocked and staggered to say the least. Honestly, I think the perpetrators should be named and shamed AND permanently banned from the Board. Although not a "document" person I have followed Randy's postings with the greatest of admiration and forwarded where I know of someone else's close and related interest. Criticism should be fairly and openly canvassed on the Board as it has (mostly) been. Fair-minded people demand nothing else. I too in my past have been "trolled" by people who, honestly, turned out to be nothing more than legends in their own lunchtime and thoroughly unlikable and unpleasant individuals. Randy, if you're still reading be assured that the majority of "us" are with you. Best regards, Barry Thomas aka BaZZa.

BaZZa thinks it is a great piece of work and would love to be "in". Thanks Randy. EDIT: Think I'm way behind on the 8-ball for this. Apologies.

So reminds me of when I started tackling kanji 50+years ago!! Stephen, the next hurdle is to remember that some signatures on genuine Nihontou are false, i.e, not the person who purportedly made the sword. Also, the sword may not be of the age that the signature, if false (gimei), points to. Welcome to the rest of your life... BaZZa