| In the last couple of years I've become interested | | | | at the time, I just didn't want to pay the price |
| in a couple of Japanese related subjects. Zatoichi, | | | | that they had bid up to.Buying stuff on eBay |
| "The Blind Samurai", which I accidentally clicked | | | | takes a certain predisposition for patience, I've |
| into while watching "Samurai Saturday" on the | | | | got some of the stuff but on the whole I would |
| IFCTV channel is number one. In case you are | | | | have to confess to a general shortfall of it. I |
| not up on Zatoichi, he's a chubby, blind, Yakuza | | | | made the decision and I decided that I would |
| who is kinda lovable, but is deadly when it comes | | | | wade in and buy a Hiroshige woodblock that I had |
| to cutting up people with his special sword.The | | | | found, I would have gotten it too if I hadn't been |
| funny thing about that sword is he holds it upside | | | | outbid - in the last 30 seconds. |
| down. I finally figured out that because he was | | | | Now, I'm neither cynical or overly skeptical, but |
| blind, they wouldn't let him go to the regular | | | | the fact that this person was able to skin me just |
| Samurai school, so he just stumbled along as best | | | | a few seconds before the bell hit a sour note |
| he could and ended up teaching himself. I doubt he | | | | with me. I repeated this exercise a couple of |
| even knows he holds it upside down.There was a | | | | times with the end result being I still didn't own a |
| guy a couple of years ago who went around in | | | | print. I decided that there may be some "black |
| the movies claiming to be Zatoichi, but you could | | | | ops" software out there that allows one to better |
| tell right off he was a fake, even before the first | | | | advantage oneself in this, the art of eBay |
| arm was cut off because he had blond hair. | | | | battle.Okay, I got to it and did a little sniffing |
| Zatoichi, with his shaved, monk looking hair was | | | | around and sure enough, I found the software |
| ahead of his time and at no time would he have | | | | that would put me on equal footing with these 30 |
| dyed it blond.My second interest is Japanese | | | | second guys. I did a little better than that though, |
| woodblock prints. Once I saw the bright colors of | | | | the one I found would let me hold my bid close to |
| these Japanese style woodblock art and the | | | | my chest, and with only 3 seconds to go, I was |
| everyday life of the Japanese people subject | | | | able to raise and it was too late for the other |
| matter, I was hooked. It also interested me | | | | guy. I'm sure he is still trying to figure it all out.The |
| because those Japanese artists used the same | | | | thing that will kill a new hobby faster than |
| technique, at least to me anyhow, that the old | | | | anything, at least that I've been able to dig up, is |
| comic book printers used. | | | | that no matter how much you argue with |
| I began to read about woodblock prints and | | | | yourself that this is the last one you are going to |
| looked at a bunch of them on the Internet and in | | | | buy of this or that for a while, you always seem |
| a few of those giant coffee table books that | | | | to run across another one you really can't pass |
| never end up on the coffee table. They are | | | | on.To prove my point in the clearest way I can |
| usually used by your spouse mixed in with a | | | | think of. just go through Jeff's old posts and add |
| stack of other coffee table books to provide a | | | | up all the camera stuff he has managed to put in |
| steady base for a lamp. Not long after, I | | | | inventory. I'm not saying Jeff is addicted, or |
| discovered that you could buy these prints on | | | | anything of that nature, but he sure seems to |
| eBay.Soon, I began to try to buy a print. I was | | | | have a tendency to get more than a few fancy |
| most interested in seeing if I could get a Hiroshige | | | | gadgets that he "just happened" to run across on |
| for a good price. Hiroshige was what I would say | | | | his way to the train station. |
| was the Japanese version of Norman Rockwell. | | | | I'm satisfied with the prints I have now and don't |
| eBay is an excellent place to buy things. I bought | | | | plan on buying any more in the near future, the |
| a laptop, credit card terminal printer, a Sanada | | | | chief reason being I don't ever travel by train. I |
| Hiroyuki movie, and a few other items that are | | | | have them framed and mounted on the wall of |
| now used to stack lamps on.I almost bought an | | | | my office here at home. It's satisfying, looking at |
| antique Samurai sword, but luck being with me I | | | | them and thinking about the Japan I remember. |
| was out bid by what I eventually found out to be | | | | Of course this was after the Meiji period, but |
| a shill who was bidding for the company selling the | | | | before the eBay period so I expect my |
| sword. He was trying to bid up the price. As a | | | | memories of Japan don't match the reality of |
| proper reward, they ended up buying their own | | | | Japan.Steve McArthurSteve writes articles on a |
| fake, Chinese made, Japanese sword because I | | | | varity of subjects that he is interested in. |
| didn't take the bait. Of course, I didn't know all this | | | | |