Chojugiga

I appreciate the background on kabuto styles -- many thanks!

I have an additional reason to be thankful this evening. SteveM, thank you very much for the extraordinary (and swift) assistance!

Dear all, I have a woodblock print (c. 1890s) of a kabuto alongside what I imagine is some poetry. The poetry is written in a cursive style and is difficult for me to decipher the kanji. Would anyone be able to take a stab at it for me? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. The artist is Toyota Hokkei (1780-1850). (And Happy Thanksgiving to those celebrating!)

Thank you for the input -- I think I fell short of fully explaining, apologies. I plan to provide Nosyudo (or another koshirae maker) with the blade and some of the metal fittings (tsuba, fuchi, kashira, menuki) and have them make a completely new saya and handle, etc. using those fittings. I appreciate the point about the fuchi, thanks!

Hello, all. I have a gendaito in shirasaya that I would like to get mounted with some (inexpensive) antique fittings. Having done a tsuba swap previously, I have somewhat of a sense of how the tsuba-ana must comport with the blade profile at the mounting point, so I would have to choose a tsuba with care. Is the fit less strict on fuchi with regard to the fuchi-ana matching the blade profile? My thought is that as long as the fuchi-ana is sufficiently large, the wood of the tsuka itself is doing the work in matching the blade profile. And with the kashira/menuki/kojiri/etc. is it anything goes? (Aesthetic considerations aside!) I am consulting with Nosyudo concerning the mounting, and am wondering if anyone has any experience with having them mount nihonto. I appreciate any feedback. Apologies if I overlooked search terms that would bring up previous discussions on this topic. Thanks in advance!

Those are some great leads. Thank you, everyone! I'll follow up if I'm able to make it happen.

Hello, everyone. Does anyone have any experience with or guidance for shipping a tansu from Japan to the United States? I found a tansu artisan in Japan, but he was unsure how to have one shipped to the United States. I investigated Yamato, EMS, and FedEx without success, though I may not be savvy enough to find what I'm looking for. I have also heard of large items being transported by ship, but am unsure where to look for that. (Also, naïvely, I checked if it could be checked as luggage on JAL -- a little too big.) Any tips would be greatly appreciated. If relevant, the tansu measures 129cm x 44cm x 78cm (51" x 18" x 31") and weighs 40kg (89 lbs). Thank you in advance, as always.

David and Mark, I really appreciate the tips. Thank you!

Hello, all. I've recently purchased a tanto that is missing kogai and kogatana, but has holes for both. Is there a science (or art) to replacing them? (Is it poor form to go to a sword show and see if any fit? Presuming dealer permission, of course.) Thank you in advance for any advice!

Thank you all very much for the leads! It's especially nice hearing that many of you had personal connections and correspondence with him. I've only just started going through some of his work, and it's truly impressive.

Does anyone know of any biographical information on Willis M. Hawley -- profiles, news or magazine articles, etc. -- concerning his contributions to the study of Japanese swords? From what I have seen, his contribution has been great and enduring, but I am wondering if he has been covered by media or any other sources. I am combing through the posts that mention him on this site, but have not yet encountered any formal coverage of his life and his work. Internet searches have yielded a couple reports of the (very sad) thefts of his swords, but not much else; the biography on his website is quite brief. Before I hit the library, I am hoping that someone may be aware of an article or two on him. Thank you in advance!

Thank you all for the very thoughtful input! It feels like it is sticking near the kissaki, so I will try some very gentle planing to see if it will fit.

I really appreciate the replies. I've attached photos of the blade and tsunagi side by side. To my eye, they look quite close, although the tsunagi is a little uneven in places. One photo shows the limit to which the tsunagi fits in the shirasaya. Would a gentle sanding be appropriate if it's sufficiently close?

Hi, Grey. Thank you very much for your response!

Hello, all. I have what is hopefully an easy question. I recently purchased my first nihontō from a shop in Ginza, which came in shirasaya with separate koshirae. I've since mounted the blade in the koshirae, and I assumed that that tsunagi would replace the blade in the shirasaya. However, the tsunagi doesn't seem to fit, too large for both the saya and the tsuka, and I don't wish to force it. Is the tsunagi intended to be kept in the shirasaya? As it stands now, I have three loose pieces: shirasaya sheath, shirasaya tsuka, and the tsunagi. In case it's relevant, the sword has been in Southern California for about three weeks, and it's cold and rainy here at the moment. Any advice would be appreciated -- thank you!