Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Netsuke

Wow, that is awesome. Love the literal English translation, sword a long one. Lol.

Neat!

Any closeups of the fish monger with the abacus?

If I get up early enough before work tomorrow, I'll gladly take some shots of some of the others and post up. I'm very fond of the fish guy as well.

for the time period? hell it is outstanding metal craft for any time period.....cant reproduce it now other than to do it the old way, sure you can use auto hammers instead of apprentices manually hammering but other than that you still need a master craftsman to make them today to the same level of quality...

It is odd. The kinda crappy Japanese steel is what lead to the developement of the 'folding' method of forging those swords. With modern steel the folding to remove impurities really isn't needed. The sword spine needed to be soft and flexible to absorb shock, the edge was to be stiff and razor sharp. This is called differential hardening and I don't think anyone really knows who first figured out the clay on the spine of the sword to differ the tempering trick...

Though L and hopefully other's would like this video. This guy's reaction time and pure skill is super human:

Crappy shots (horrible light in my pad after sun sets), so quit after taking only a few, but here are a the ones I took that a couple folks asked for. When I have time, I'll get some proper ones taken and loaded up.

Thanks again for all the input.













[img]http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/birddown/Netsuke%20and%20Portugal%20food/IMG_1998.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/birddown/Netsuke%20and%20Portugal%20food/IMG_1996.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n29/birddown/Netsuke%20and%20Portugal%20food/IMG_1995.jpg[/img]

That's what she said...

Fought it for hours, but in the end simply could not resist. Apologies for my moment of weakness...

The 'skirts', eh? OK, I can see I am dealing with another hater. Wait a sec. Are you...you're not...an Englishman, are you? Well, if so, here's one use of the 'skirt' for ye, mate.

Another instance where I am not bothered a whit by rocking a...well, a kind of traditional garb that modern men might see as a, well... OK, a man dress, I guess. Though it admittedly pained me some to write that, I like to keep an open mind, brother. After all, sometimes it ain't all about what your buddies think.















[img]http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/...%20Chako%20and%20Tad/japanseries1077.jpg[/img]

I erred in my last response. A thousand pardons. I didn't do my proper research. I read about it, and the 'BTW' often appears on the finest netsuke. They're the initials of a man who washed ashore on a Japanese island in 1701, the sole survivor of a spice trader shipwreck. The man's name was Buford T. Wustice.

Alrighty then, I believe it's time to call it a night...

Just funnin' ya bud.

I stand corrected on my poor choice of words, and I agree.

Way back when, finished 'katana' (the so-called long swords), prior to being presented to a wealthy client--be it a lord or samurai--who'd commissioned them, the swords were tested. The best and most practical medium available? Cadavers.

A properly made katana, battle ready, in the hands of a skilled swordsman, would consistently cut bodies hung from trees in half with a single, powerful stroke.

'Looks nice, but lemme' test this here blade out, Charlie. You didn't exactly take it easy on the price, y'know...'

'Aw quit yer bitchin'. If you can't whack those three bodies in two with a slice apiece, I'll eat my hat'

Good times.

In one of my first philosophy classes at UA when the section on moral relativism was taught, the example of testing a shinken was given.

Except in our example the book read that it was acceptable for samurai to 'test the sword' on the peasant class. A shinken (real/true sword) would cut through a peasant from clavical to just above the opposite hip bone. If the samurai was feeling more generous, cutting through livestock from top of backbone through bottom of stomach was also an acceptable test.

Someone please bust out with some variety of a Kobe beef joke soon. It'll be a crime if someone doesn't swat this outside hanger right over the fence...

The DC area has many former government employees who've served extensively overseas and picked up a lot of "stuff". I've bought several interesting firearms from some of these folks.

Kamo, great pictures!

I'm just amazed at so much art condensed is such a small piece.
Any idea what tools were used for such intricate carving?

If it was a West Texas cow like those curdog4570 showed in his thread, the Katana wouldn't make it through the hide, much less all the way through the body!
Only way the Katana could cut through a cow is if it WAS Kobe beef...tender, tasty, gooooood!

(How'd I do, Leighton?)

Ed

6.9 Not too bad for a first swing.

OK, how about;

The Japanese HAD to come up with Kobe beef because they sure couldn't make a knife sharp enough to cut beef from anywhere else!

BTW, WHO but the most inscrutable Japanese would think of applying "couch potato" methods to cattle to make them fatter and more tender?

AND develop metallurgy that has taken centuries of study to even come close to duplicating?

Not to mention sashimi, sushi, and miso!

Ed

Clavicle Schmavicle....everybody knows the real test of a shinken is that neat Onion/Volcano trick they do at BeniHana's..?

Hey Ed, you need to ask DW444 for some lessons. Only took him one line to knock you out of contention.

Well played, DW. 9.6!

http://www.veoh.com/watch/v16036274NPTQq7zE