Shogun8

Very, very nice hanbo, Alain - and as you say, very similar to the Takayoshi that was once in the Orikasa collection.

Graham, try the old magnet test... Very interesting dou indeed! Is that a haramaki type opening I see in the back? If so, I don't think I've ever seen a solid plate haramaki dou before - and how would the dou be closed?

Great discussion, gentlemen!

Hi All, We look forward to seeing you at the webinar on Sunday. This is just a reminder that if you are expecting to attend but have not yet registered, you will need to do so as soon as possible otherwise you will not have access to the webinar. As well, keep in mind that you must have a Zoom account in order to register and attend. Signing up for a Zoom account is free, so make sure that you do so if you have not already. When: May 16, 2021 03:00 PM Paris Topic: JAS Study Webinar: Suneate Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/registe ... SUPBcdZigA After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. To recap, if you would like to attend the webinar and do not yet have a Zoom account, please follow these steps: In order to access the webinar, all attendees must have a Zoom account. Sign up for free at https://zoom.us/ All attendees will be required to register with their real names and country of residence Once their registration has been approved, attendees will be given an access code to the webinar By registering for the webinar, all attendees agree to not make any recordings or screenshots of the presentations All content of the webinar remains the property of the Japanese Armor Society and/or copyright holders of the images contained within the presentations and cannot be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the JAS and/or the copyright holders Please note that the webinar is restricted to 100 persons only, and thus registration/participation will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with JAS members having priority over non-members. There are spots still open and registration is now open to the general public. See you on Sunday!

Hi All, We look forward to seeing you at the webinar on Sunday. This is just a reminder that if you are expecting to attend but have not yet registered, you will need to do so as soon as possible otherwise you will not have access to the webinar. As well, keep in mind that you must have a Zoom account in order to register and attend. Signing up for a Zoom account is free, so make sure that you do so if you have not already. When: May 16, 2021 03:00 PM Paris Topic: JAS Study Webinar: Suneate Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/registe ... SUPBcdZigA After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. To recap, if you would like to attend the webinar and do not yet have a Zoom account, please follow these steps: In order to access the webinar, all attendees must have a Zoom account. Sign up for free at https://zoom.us/ All attendees will be required to register with their real names and country of residence Once their registration has been approved, attendees will be given an access code to the webinar By registering for the webinar, all attendees agree to not make any recordings or screenshots of the presentations All content of the webinar remains the property of the Japanese Armor Society and/or copyright holders of the images contained within the presentations and cannot be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the JAS and/or the copyright holders Please note that the webinar is restricted to 100 persons only, and thus registration/participation will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with JAS members having priority over non-members. There are spots still open and registration is now open to the general public. See you on Sunday!

Mods, please remove if I have stepped out of bounds by posting here as well as in the Katchu section. Dear All, The Japanese Armour Society is pleased to announce our next study webinar presentation scheduled for Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 15H Paris Time. The subject of this presentation will be Suneate: Development and Evolution from Muromachi to Edo. Please note that in an effort to publicize the initiatives of the Society, and to provide a sampling of our membership offerings to those outside of the Society who may be interested in our activities and are considering membership, we will be opening this webinar to the general public. However, please note the following requirements: In order to access the webinar, all attendees must have a Zoom account All attendees will be required to register with their real names and country of residence Once their registration has been approved, attendees will be given an access code to the webinar By registering for the webinar, all attendees agree to not make any recordings or screenshots of the presentations All content of the webinar remains the property of the Japanese Armor Society and/or copyright holders of the images contained within the presentations and cannot be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the JAS and/or the copyright holders Please note that the webinar is restricted to 100 persons only, and thus registration/participation will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with JAS members having priority over non-members. Registration will be open only to JAS members until May 02nd, after which the general public will then be allowed to register. When: May 16, 2021 03:00 PM Paris Topic: JAS Study Webinar: Suneate Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/registe ... SUPBcdZigA After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Dear All, The Japanese Armour Society is pleased to announce our next study webinar presentation scheduled for Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 15H Paris Time. The subject of this presentation will be Suneate: Development and Evolution from Muromachi to Edo. Please note that in an effort to publicize the initiatives of the Society, and to provide a sampling of our membership offerings to those outside of the Society who may be interested in our activities and are considering membership, we will be opening this webinar to the general public. However, please note the following requirements: In order to access the webinar, all attendees must have a Zoom account All attendees will be required to register with their real names and country of residence Once their registration has been approved, attendees will be given an access code to the webinar By registering for the webinar, all attendees agree to not make any recordings or screenshots of the presentations All content of the webinar remains the property of the Japanese Armor Society and/or copyright holders of the images contained within the presentations and cannot be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the JAS and/or the copyright holders Please note that the webinar is restricted to 100 persons only, and thus registration/participation will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with JAS members having priority over non-members. Registration will be open only to JAS members until May 02nd, after which the general public will then be allowed to register. When: May 16, 2021 03:00 PM Paris Topic: JAS Study Webinar: Suneate Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/registe ... SUPBcdZigA After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Apparently, there will be a forthcoming edition that will focus on swords.

Indeed, Simon. It's unfortunate that this happens all the time on Yahoo.

Exactly.

Hello all, Let me preface what I'm about to say with the fact that I'm not one to wade into a controversy (and not that I think that this topic is particularly controversial), especially when one considers that at the end of the day, what one chooses to do with items in their collection is personal and reflects their own approach to study preservation and collecting . The subject I'm referring of course, is that of whether one should or shouldn't open an ukebari in order to examine the interior of the hachi. For many - especially it seems many here on the NMB - this is sacrilegious and tantamount to destroying part of the heritage of the kabuto itself. However, for many of us whose main focus is the study and appreciation of armour, opening an ukebari (and I do mean opening, whether it be by detaching it from the koshimaki (preferred) or gasp (!), making an incision in the precious ukebari, but not destroying it - which again many seem to think is synonymous with the aforementioned procedures), is the only way to truly gain access to the insights revealed by the interior of the hachi. Of course, the first thing that one looks for inside a kabuto is the existence of a mei. However, it is the interior of the kabuto that reveals the most information even in the absence of a mei, allowing one to deduce period, school, maker and the very history of the particular piece (i.e. repairs, alterations, enhancements made are very telling). One also has to consider that rarely is the ukebari itself ubu, with the kabuto in question likely having several replacements throughout its lifetime. So, for certain collectors of armour, it is much more important to know the kabuto than to have a perfectly pristine and intact ukebari. But, then again - to each his own...and don't get me started on the subject of shikoro...

And thanks, Dave - but too bad we can't find it in English!

Awesome, Micha - thank you!

Hi Dave, No, the sword that was featured was indeed a rapier with a very fancy hilt.

Sorry gents, but it seems that the article has been taken down for some reason. I even tried to search it with the title of this topic (which is the exact headline of the article), but to no avail. If someone knows how to retrieve it please chime in!

Not sure if this has already been posted, but just in case, I came across this interesting article: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13068309

The mabezashi is interesting with the nawame fukurin on the inner edge only, which I have never seen before. I wonder if it once had the same fukurin on the outer edge which has since been lost (in fact, I don't recall ever seeing fukurin like this anywhere except the outer edge).

Hi Brendan and Brian, Unfortunately, I know absolutely nothing about reproduction armour (except the ability to tell that it's reproduction). I do know that there are a number of people who are more immersed in this world on Facebook and Instagram, if you don't find any help here.

Ruben, Please do post any information or images you may have!

Hi Jonas, I'm assuming that your question has not been asked tongue-in-cheek, so I will attempt to give you a serious answer. This is because ANY o-yoroi in existence is either a National Treasure, in a shrine or museum or exponentially less likely, still hidden away in some noble family's kura - they're certainly not floating around on the market, much less online. The real question is if this is even a real reproduction of an o-yoroi because even reproductions made by modern day katchushi have been known to have taken years to make with prices in the hundreds of thousands. I'm not sure what this particular example is (can't make out anything really from the pictures supplied), but it is assuredly not "real". Besides, it's from China - not the bastion of authenticity when it comes to Japanese antiques.

That's excellent, Grey and Geraint - thanks to you both!

Dear All, I'm hoping to gain some information on behalf of a very good friend who recently purchased the sword below. Unfortunately, the information is somewhat scanty with only the 3 images and the fact that the sword measures approximately 24" in length total. If someone can provide a translation of the mei for starters, that would be great. Thanks in advance.

This could explain why the plates don't show signs of taka-niku, Luc - as one would expect with a Yoshi-ryu kabuto.

Thanks for the additional detail, Gary!

Wonderful and rare armour, Gary! If the menpo is indeed signed, that would be even more special. There are other Zesai armour with similar characteristically Iwai menpo, but they are not signed.