Jean Posted October 20, 2009 Report Posted October 20, 2009 Milt, wherever you're now, you're not forgotten I miss him too, what would he say about the $....
Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini Posted October 20, 2009 Report Posted October 20, 2009 what would he say about the $.... Anyway dentists always have a way out. I've just paid the bill for my children and suddenly Milton's avatar appeared me in a vision, floating over my wallet. :lol:
Bugyotsuji Posted October 27, 2009 Author Report Posted October 27, 2009 I could do with a good dentist right now. Owww...... Thanks for showing the Miso bowls, Carlo. No clear answers yet on what a) was put in wooden gun barrels or b) what the Chinese characters on the scroll relate to. All in good time. (Mine and I'll have to find it.) As to what goodies have sprung up from between the floorboards, there have been a couple in the last week or two. One is a Sai-hai officer's wand with dangly stuff, which may have got a mention a page or so back. Black lacquer rod with chased silver fittings, and white cut paper tassel. Edo Period. Last week I found an intriguing Edo Period billfold or wallet, with two completely different viewing sides. One side closes with a leather flap and brass/copper lock; the other side closes with an ivory ring symbolizing the moon which hooks over a little copper tanuki raccoon. Hmmm... for women? I asked casually. No, more likely for men, came the answer. Then on Saturday I found a cleverly-worked leather wood and ivory powder flask needing a bit of restoration work, some of which I have now done. Unusually well-preserved white leather musket ball bag attached. Potentially could be very good, but some perplexing challenges ahead. (Do you leave 10-15 woodworm holes through the lacquered leather surface of the flask, or do you try to find a clever way to stop them up?)
IanB Posted October 27, 2009 Report Posted October 27, 2009 Piers, You've done it again. Saihai and powder flasks are things we gaijin can only dream of and you seem to be wading knee-deep in such treasures. Ian
Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini Posted October 27, 2009 Report Posted October 27, 2009 ..hehehehe.... I concur. Pics, please.
Bugyotsuji Posted October 28, 2009 Author Report Posted October 28, 2009 Where did all those little chaps come from? :lol: For size comparison I have included a primer flask on the right, quite a large one, slightly smaller than the palm of my hand. The coarse blackpowder flask in the centre/center is the new acquisition. This is a small one as powder flasks go, rather larger than the palm of my left hand. I think it uses bone, not ivory. The collar is carved from some very fine wood, reminding me of Kannon statues. Byakudan/Sandalwood? Keyaki? (Need to check this) In Picture 2 you can see the new bone shovel duct/cylinder in place. The cap had been filled with a wooden plug by someone, which had been thoroughly glued in, so you can imagine the struggle to chip it out and clean it without cracking the cap. (Yes, I may need to pull the cylinder out a bit more so it can go deeper into the flask.) In Pic 3 you can see a closeup of the side with the holes. The worms were considerate enough to concentrate generally on one side. I used a toothpick to fill the holes with drops of Cashew lacquer. This morning I went round with a fine paintbrush and filled in the holes some more. I will use a resin polish to smooth out the crater rims, flatten it down overall somewhat and buff it up convincingly. I hope to post a pic of the 'finished' article within a few days.
IanB Posted October 28, 2009 Report Posted October 28, 2009 Piers, Thank you for the images, what a delightful pair of flasks. I suppose it depends upon the date, but during the Sengoku Jidai the gunners would only need a priming flask since the main charge was carried in the form of paper cartridges. I like the delicate little bullet pouch. I bought one for the Royal Armouries collection with the horn spout arrangement that allowed a ball to roll out into the jaws ready for easy access. The flask attached to it seems to be of heavily lacquered leather with a bone top like yours. Ian
Bugyotsuji Posted October 28, 2009 Author Report Posted October 28, 2009 Thanks for the feedback as always, Ian. Those ready-packed 12-apostle cartridge tubes are called Hayago. Some had a hole in the other end for pushing the ramrod through. As you know, each soldier would place a musket ball in the end, and then fill these tubes probably from the larger powder flask, in preparation. The large flasks were probably filled every so often by ammo runners during the day, carrying a box of drawers off the shoulders in the manner of a rucksack. I have a bullet pouch with a mouth somewhat as you describe. They are often called Karasu-guchi as they resemble the beaks of Japanese crows. Mine is a rather unusual snake with heads at either end. Here is a pic of the Sai-hai. I took several from different angles, but I fear for Brian's bandwidth, so will only post two or three. It has Inome heart-shaped windows, and there is a design on it that may or may not be a Mon.
Bugyotsuji Posted November 1, 2009 Author Report Posted November 1, 2009 Another week goes by. Every day I have worked on the powder flask and it is a lot better than the holy photo above, close to where I want it, but not just yet. Each coat of 'lacquer' needs to dry naturally, and the process takes time... and now it looks too shiny! :lol: OK. Here is a little puzzle. Not exactly Edo Period per se, but something very Japanese. How much can you guess about this medallion? It's not dated, but there seems no doubt that it is from between WWI and WWII. You may need to throw away all your preconditioning in order to approach this dispassionately. (The trusty watch is for size comparison.) Anyone wishing to step forward?
Bugyotsuji Posted November 1, 2009 Author Report Posted November 1, 2009 There is an inscription on the reverse side which provides some information, some of it oddly puzzling. There must be a story behind the event. Anyone want a hint? Well, to start with, what do you see on the obverse? :|
IanB Posted November 1, 2009 Report Posted November 1, 2009 OK Piers I'll have a go. The two major sybols suggest to me the two religions - Buddhism and Christianity. On the left is a sprig of laural so I'm guessing it symbolises peace. On the right I'm less sure. Is it a lotus leaf and flowers? Quite what a lotus would symbolise in this instance I'm not sure but 'longevity' seems about right. Summing up - an occasion in which the two religions joined in peaceful conjunction. Ian Bottomley
Bugyotsuji Posted November 1, 2009 Author Report Posted November 1, 2009 Ian, you have done rather well there. That is slightly ahead of where I was this afternoon :lol: until someone pointed out another large object on the obverse... (Oh, and yes, I was wondering whether those were laurel leaves. Thanks.) Here I will print what it says on the reverse: Round the edge: 神佛基全國日曜學校教師大会参加記念 In the middle:主催 日本大學 Some of the characters are older Kanji; I've done my best to reproduce them.
IanB Posted November 1, 2009 Report Posted November 1, 2009 Like an idiot I assumed the cartouche was blank so that someone could engrave something on it. So OK, it is something significant. A mirror? If so that must represent the Shinto faith. So the two major religions of Japan, and the hidden religion are all giving up their animosity and becoming bosom buddies. Ian
Bugyotsuji Posted November 1, 2009 Author Report Posted November 1, 2009 Yes, the mirror being Shinto, Kami being the first of the Kanji on the reverse. I missed this too, but an elderly Japanese gentleman pointed it out to me at lunch today. I was looking on the net for background info on this.There was a historical struggle for the Christian (Catholic?) faith to obtain govt recognition of equal status as a religion. The concept of the big three, ie Kami, Butsu, Ki (Kirisuto) seems to have existed since some time in the 1870s or 1880s at least. (?) Some kind of official Japanese govt recognition took place in the early 1920s. Education and Sunday school teaching must have been involved. There was also a running problem with burials in general, and Yasukuni Shrine in particular. MacArthur wanted to abolish Yasukuni at the end of the war, but some Catholic priests persuaded him that it was enshrining the names of people who fought for Japan, regardless of whether they were Shinto, Buddhist, or Christian, (those three names crop up again) and fulfilled a function similar to many shrines around the world.
John A Stuart Posted November 1, 2009 Report Posted November 1, 2009 It looks to be a medal given at some Sunday school teachers convention that occured on Japan's National Holiday. It isn't easy to translate for me. John
Bugyotsuji Posted November 2, 2009 Author Report Posted November 2, 2009 The convention was held at Nippon University, so I wonder if these 'Kyoshi' are highschool teachers, university lecturers, or religious teachers. There were many World Sunday School meetings, but this is an All-Japan National meeting. I would like to know more about the background to this, but I guess it was born out of the struggle for the hearts and minds on the Japanese populace at a time when state Shinto was growing ever stronger under the influence of the ever more powerful army. Buddhism had receded into the background, and there was still a question as to the effective role of Christianity, or am I reading too much into the design? Any historians here? :lol: Thanks Ian and John.
Bugyotsuji Posted November 4, 2009 Author Report Posted November 4, 2009 Mystery objects? Acquired the copper-looking one today, because I've not come across one of these in copper before. The lower brass (?) one (the lighting makes it look brown, but it's very green) is one of two I had before one escaped. Tell me you like them! (Or not...) There is a word in Japanese 砲金 Ho-kin, to describe "gunmetal" (as distinct from brass and bronze). According to Wiki this was an alloy of 90% copper to 10% tin; cannons were cast from it, although you may also find the occasional handgun.... http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%A0%B2%E9%87%91
IanB Posted November 5, 2009 Report Posted November 5, 2009 Piers, Delightful little objects. They remind me of the miniature cannon and pistols made in the late Tudor and Stuart period of Britain as kids toys. Some of the miniature pistols are shaped like wheel lock dags, but have a simple serpentine pivoted to the side so were in fact tiny matchlocks. The cannon are usually fairly simple but have trunnions which suggests they were originally mounted on a carriage. People have found hundred on the Thames foreshore and by metal detecting. Ian
Bugyotsuji Posted November 5, 2009 Author Report Posted November 5, 2009 I never knew that, Ian. Presumably some can be found in museums. For anyone who has not come across these Japanese "Kayaku-dameshi" before, they were used for testing out the quality of gunpowder, thus the name. They are like miniature cannon, but held in one hand and set off by way of the touch-hole. Some have a separate vertical hole so that they could be pinned to a base or carriage in some similar way to Ian's description above. No mechanism, so they do not need registration papers. The following two pics show the difference in caliber. The larger calibre of the copper one is another reason I went ahead and bought it. (...despite the price!). These used to go for around 70,000~80,000 JPY a few years ago.
Jean Posted November 5, 2009 Report Posted November 5, 2009 These used to go for around 70,000~80,000 JPY a few years ago. And nowadays Piers?
IanB Posted November 5, 2009 Report Posted November 5, 2009 Piers, So they are really eprouvettes. I must say I have never seen one before. Ian
Bugyotsuji Posted November 5, 2009 Author Report Posted November 5, 2009 These used to go for around 70,000~80,000 JPY a few years ago. And nowadays Piers? Quite a bit less than that, depending on how far you can haggle...
Bugyotsuji Posted November 5, 2009 Author Report Posted November 5, 2009 Piers, So they are really eprouvettes. I must say I have never seen one before.Ian Ah, now there's a good word, Ian. Just what the doctor ordered! Thanks for that. Yes, they are cute, aren't they! I used to have another. I saw one at a collector friend's house today, and there is one for sale at the local sword and gun shop, (or there was a couple of days ago when I bought the other). So here in Japan I have seen at least six or seven in the last ten years.
Bugyotsuji Posted November 7, 2009 Author Report Posted November 7, 2009 Just a quick update. Back at the Sword & Gun shop this morning I asked if they would mind if I took some pics of their other gunpowder tester, Kayaku-dameshi. (Kayaku wo tamesu koto, = to test gunpowder). Quite heavy in the hand. Areas where base metal show through the green patina show flashes of yellow, and reddish underneath. You will notice that this one has no little leg-stand, but it does have the extra hole for fixing it to a bed; the camera is aimed so that you can see down the hole to the red felt below. To answer Jean's question above, the price tag says 35,000 JPY. 1
Aloof Pegasus Posted November 7, 2009 Report Posted November 7, 2009 Piers Since when does the local sword and gun shop serve tea with milk? Have they got McVitie's digestives as well. Tell the truth! Where did you take the picture. Philip
Bugyotsuji Posted November 7, 2009 Author Report Posted November 7, 2009 Piers Since when does the local sword and gun shop serve tea with milk? Have they got McVitie's digestives as well. Tell the truth! Where did you take the picture. Philip Philip, theirs is the best coffee in town. You'll have to come and try it sometime. The 'coffee fresh' milky liquid comes in those little cups. (Brian's been there, BTW.) Today the staff were away or not in yet, so the Shacho himself served me the coffee! He told me he wants to travel to Europe, specifically Italy. 1
Bugyotsuji Posted November 7, 2009 Author Report Posted November 7, 2009 Uh huh Philip... it's not what you think. :lol:
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