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