Quiz

[Bugyotsuji]

What are we looking at?

 

[Matsunoki]

Rabbit kebabs?

[Bugyotsuji]

Or coney kebabs as they used to call them in Norfolk…(?)

[raaay]

Piers , is it for pulling through and cleaning residue from your gun barrel's ??

[Bugyotsuji]

Ray, no it’s not, but you have taken this a step closer than skewered Easter bunnies.
 

If I don’t reply for the next few hours, candles out is fast approaching in the monastery.

 

PS But I did coincidentally do a big gun clean this morning after yesterday’s display.

[Matsunoki]

Being a country boy I reckon these are bullrushes that have gone to seed and “exploded”

[Baka Gaijin]

Looks like the flowering head of a type of bullrush....

[Bugyotsuji]

Snap! 
Part One correct. 
 

Part Two

So what would they have been useful for, or as Winston might have put it, for what would they have been useful?

 

Hint.

The answer is buried in this Japanese page.

https://greensnap.jp/article/10374#ガマの穂の使い方
 

*And I can provide a visual hint if needed.

[Matsunoki]

I’d be guessing without resorting to cheating! So I’d guess maybe some type of lamp or maybe fibres from stem used for fabric. Personally as a lad I’d have soaked them in pitch, tied them to an arrow, set fire to them and let em fly …..and prayed I didn’t set fire to the haystacks. You could do that sort of thing living on a farm🙂

[Bugyotsuji]

You’re very close now.

 

Visual clue it is!

蒲の穂入れ

Gama no ho iré (2 types of containers)

Soft, velvety, fluffy.

 

 

 

[Matsunoki]

Tinder lighting

[Bugyotsuji]

Yes,  essential part of your kit for lighting match cord for your matchlock(s). The Netsuké also act as bowls for protecting the lighting process.

 

Yesterday on the main steps of Tsuyama Castle.

 

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Right, blowing out the last candle, now!

Many thanks to those taking part in the quiz, or simply watching.

[Matsunoki]

Interesting Piers…..even a striker cover gets a dragon! I love little things like these. Tried to buy a couple of iron netsuke tinder lighters …..think they had a mechanism inside? Guess they would use bulrush? I was outbid though….most annoying☹️
Sleep tight, nite nite.🙂

[Bugyotsuji]

Yes, they use a snaphaunce lock and flint mechanism. A collector friend has nearly 50 of those, Colin. I reckon he must have cornered the market!

 

I’ll post a photo of one after matins tomorrow.

[Bugyotsuji]

Netsuké lighter.

Closed

Open, needs a flint!

Push button to release hammer.

Note hollow for tinder material

 

Many thanks to A for enabling this. 

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

‘Fuwa fuwa!’