Edo Period Corner Part II

[Stephen]

You live in a wonderful world Bugs.

 

Kneeling mats, ha who's going to get me up? Lol

[Bugyotsuji]

18 minutes ago, Stephen said:

You live in a wonderful world Bugs.

 

Kneeling mats, ha who's going to get me up? Lol

Tell me about it, Stephen! 

[Matsunoki]

Piers, wow, that koshirae is beautiful. Thanks for showing.

Was it for sale or just to drool over?

[Bugyotsuji]

Haha, wish I could say it was mine!

Apparently it was having some work done to it, possibly being fitted with a new tsunagi, and had just surfaced momentarily from someone's collection. 

[Brian]

That's some seriously high class laquerwork.

[Bugyotsuji]

On Wednesday the phone rang and a friend said that there was an archaelogical dig in the riverbed in Sakatsu, Kurashiki, at the foot of the hill at the top of which is the old Hachiman Shrine, built in AD 947.  "Sakazu" as it is pronounced locally, is where Aoe swords were produced. He'd heard rumors that they might have found remains of Aoe sword workings, but that the public was not allowed to get anywhere close. Well, we drove to the site, and took photographs from across the river. We spent the next hour driving around figuring out how to get closer, and in the meantine climbed hundreds of steps up to the Hachiman Shrine. Eventually we parked the car, grabbed some meishi cards, and walked somewhat nervously past the 'No Entry' signs to the site where they were just finishing up for the day. The leader, initially a little hostile, proved to be quite friendly and told us about what they had found. It had once been a community in antiquity, but apart from the tachi in a stone-lined kofun tomb/grave, they had sadly not yet found any evidence of sword smithing. The river is low at this time of year, permitting such digs. Their plan is to continue their work next year beyond this season.

 

Our next adventure will be to go find where Unji, Unju etc., i.e. the 雲類 Unrui lived. We have found the spot on the map, where there is a house with some kind of an explanatory sign, apparently. Watch this space.

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

View over Sakazu and Kurashiki looking east from the Hachiman Jinja. The Takahashi River in the foreground. Aoe swords were once fashioned in this area and in the foothills to the left.

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Here you can just see the tents where artefacts are sorted. From partway up the shrine steps.

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Was needing some cash so I sold a Kishū Wakayama long gun about two weeks ago. 

Then on Friday someone offers me a Sendai long gun. Well, I’ve been looking for a Sendai gun for many a long year.
It was expensive, more than I got for the Kishū, but there are times when a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do…

[Bugyotsuji]

Off-season but surprisingly busy for March.

 

1. Went to Fukuyama as I mentioned to see the Masamune exhibition.

 

2. Big tsuba exhibition now on at Osafune Sword Museum, which I want to see.

 

3. Related to that, at the NBTHK local sword meeting on Saturday we were encouraged to bring along some of our own tsuba, which I did. The sensei went through them all pointing out their salient features. (After years of feeling 'tsuba' ignored, I was pleasantly surprised to garner some positive comments and to learn a little more about my own tsuba too.) Photos may follow...

 

4. I have a small blade to give to the Togi-Shi but our paths have not yet crossed.

 

5. Was offered some rare 'objects' which cleaned out my bank account, but for some strange reason I am not crying.

 

6. The phone rang and a dealer offered me a super deal on a matchlock pistol. I told him my finances right now would not allow it, but he would not take no for an answer, so I may have to stand on the street corner for a month or so to supplement my meagre pension.

 

7. Our first public full-armo(u)r blackpowder demonstration of Reiwa 6 will be held on the 31st of March at Tsuyama Castle. Will need to drag out the moldy, rusty armour, get some air into it, clean the guns, and otherwise plan ahead for that.

 

(Oh, and I am just starting to create a base for a small cannon.)

 

 

 

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

When you find a naked barrel.
Tempted to either a) copy the real base of another cannon... or b) just make it like other simpler ones I've seen.(?)

 

a) Preliminary no-brainer idea: 

 

 

b) One I made several years ago.

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Step 2.
Fingers aching. Thumb bandaged. Enough for one day.

Drilling the mekugi holes will be an all-or-nothing excitement.

 

 

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Step 3.
Luckily the holes lined up through the block and the mekugi rings! (You only get one try at that.)

 

Had some spare hours this afternoon, so with one saw and one very rough file I started to shape the outline.

 

From here on, when I get some time, I will use finer files to re-shape, refine and smooth.

 

After that, only the metalwork and the lacquering will remain.

 

This is an exercise to create a decorative object, following in the footsteps of an Edo stock maker. I can even see the filemarks now of the artisan who made the original; they correspond closely to what I have been doing. Some of the angles have even been a constructive lesson!

 

(Most of this I am doing by eye and by feel, although I should probably be more professional, measuring everything precisely.)

 

Photos follow...

 

 

 

 

[Brian]

Doing a great job.

[Matsunoki]

….and I bet you’re enjoying every minute of it Piers. I love doing stuff like this. Keeps us sane in a mad world. 
I’ve never even seen one of these before…how/when were they used? Castle ramparts?

Look forward to following this one.

Excellent.

Colin

[Bugyotsuji]

Thanks both of you. My wife has been quite cooperative, allowing me to use the kitchen/dining table and cover the place in shavings and sawdust. She knows that I’ll vacuum up afterwards. Today she tried to get me to admit I was enjoying the work. It’s kind of compulsive. Gradually the idea of what I have to do forms in my mind and then the body follows through and I lose interest for a few hours in food, the TV and the internet.

Yes, I am enjoying it, despite the aching fingers. The photos and updates come naturally too.

 

As to these miniature cannons, the very smallest ones were funky powder testers (火薬試しKayaku-Dameshi) apparently. See photo below. The one I am working with and the one I am copying from are larger and could fire a serious ball. In the West we’d probably call them signal cannons. To be honest I would be interested in finding some definitive material on their original purpose and use. Generally this style of wooden-base cannon is called 置き筒 Okizutsu,a ‘placement gun’ or 火矢筒 Hiyazutsu a ‘flaming bolt gun’.

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Today I made steady progress and hope to be able to report very soon.

Daimyō lords in the Edo Period were always looking for something different. A miniature cannon capable of being fired could be an instrument of amusement or even used for instruction.

 

And now we face the most difficult part, the lacquering etc. Manyana! 
 

Getting prepared for the metal reinforcing band.

 

Pinned on…

 

 

[ROKUJURO]

Wonderful work Piers,

in 200 years from now you can sell it as old and authentic! 

[Bugyotsuji]

Jean, sadly there has been a setback.

 

Having thought about the lacquering process, and wondering how to introduce a little redness into the lacquer finish, I remembered a friend here who has successfully relacquered some gun stocks. He did a pretty good job, better than I could ever do without guidance and practice. Today I knew that I was going to bump into him at the antiques market, so I took the block along and showed it to him. 

 

Now, I would never admit this in public, so please do not tell anyone, but he took one look at it and said, "What a terrible job! You've chosen the wrong wood, and the surface still shows circular saw marks. The best I can give you is 40%." The guy who was with him, another friend, said kindly, "Well, I think it's a damn good job, and I would give you at least 50%!"

 

So............................................................................. it's back to the drawing board. 

 

Actually, he wants the surface to be uber smooth, absolutely no bumps or ridges to the touch. He says that I can have a try at the sanding and lacquering first, but he's willing to strip it back and do it again for me if my work is rubbish. He gave me a funny look. He told me that he senses that I want to do it, so he is not offering to do it for me. I said, no, I simply want to learn from him, regardless of who does the work. But I've seen him at work repairing ceramics and things. He is endlessly patient and takes weeks to finish a perfect job.

 

I am glad I asked him for advice.

[ROKUJURO]

Piers,

there is lacquer, and then there is lacquer. A traditional TANSU is often only lacquered with thin transparent URUSHI which is what is appropriate for your cannon base, and which will give it that reddish hue (if the wood does not turn too dark). You probably do not need ground clay as filler and a 30 layer build-up as in traditional lacquer-ware. 

My impression is that Japanese craftsmen often tend to apply their own scale of perfection to anything else.

Don't be discouraged! 

[Matsunoki]

If at first…….🙂

[Bugyotsuji]

Well, it’s another day and the wife is planning to take the car and go somewhere. My fingers are feeling rested, and I’m going to attack this once more.

 

As to the wood, naturally it should be Yew Red Oak 赤檮樫　赤樫 ‘Ichii-gashi’, but it’s mega hard to find, and even harder to carve. Yari poles, bokutō, matchlock stocks/butts. So I chose a large two-by-four of pine at the hardware store and had them cut the first block on their giant machine for ¥50 a cut. That accounts for the rotary cutter marks down one side!!! Sharp eyes, this guy!

 

So today is Saturday, er… Sanderday. (By hand of course.)

[ROKUJURO]

A selected piece of KEYAKI would have been nice as well, I think.

[Bugyotsuji]

Next time I will go to a specialist shop, Jean, but I like your thinking!

 

Today I followed the guy's advice and stripped it right back to bare wood, removing hundreds of years of patina, then sanded it to the proverbial finger-tip smoothness. The circular saw marks have gone. My hands and wrists are done for the day.

Nearly halfway there, on one side!

 

As you mentioned above, I then coated it in slightly-thinned suki urushi and filled the bath with hot water for a steamy atmosphere. (Ideally)

This process I will repeat until it reaches the depth of Manuka honey colour that I want. 
Bowls of hot water…

[Bugyotsuji]

PS I would have filled the bath but the drain is blocked… 

[Bugyotsuji]

Silence is Golden! 

 

Day by day the cheese matures. No rushing this process.

[Alex A]

Piers, no expert

 

Though you can buy coloured dyes/pigment that you add to a finish. I bought some and they mixed really well with linseed oil.

 

Used them on my cannon, tested on some old pine first.

 

You could match to your existing cannon

 

I think your doing a great job.

[Bugyotsuji]

Alex, thank you for the ideas. I was not planning to post a pic, but seeing your post above just now, here is sneak preview on how it's going! (10 days down this road.)

 

Photo will appear magically

Here...

 

No?

 

Well here, then:

[Alex A]

Looks fantastic.

[ROKUJURO]

Very nice! Looks as if made in Japan!