>
> Charles Andrews wrote:
> (snip)
>
>> No hanky-panky implied, rather,
>> why in the name of sanity do Japanese collectors bid up the price
>> of these things
>> way before the auction closes? It makes absolutely no sense, and,
>> as an on-topic
>> matter, it drives up the prices for things beyond what they might
>> otherwise be if
>> these bidders used the sane way of bidding, and sniped stuff.
>>
> (snip)
>
>> Do these guys get into some kind of shooting contest? Who wants to
>> waste money in
>> that way? If I'm a seller, I love it, of course, but if I'm a
>> buyer, it's nuts.
>>
> (snip)
>
> From what I've heard over the years, bidding the item up instead of
> sniping at the end of the auction is a matter of honor amongst the
> Japanese; the honorable thing to do.
>
> Chuck Schmidt
> South Pasadena, Southern California
>
> .
I believe this has something to do with the old samurai ethic of making one's intentions clear for all practical purposes. If a confrontation is apparently imminent, the bushido tact calls for a slight loosening of the sword from it's sheath by a few centimeters or so, to let your opponent know that your choice is to participate in the altercation if the matter is pursued, and thus a threatening gesture possibly deserving contemplation. Either that, or we've been watching too many "Dirty Harry" movies over here?
Dennis Young
Nearly cherry blossom time in Hotaka, Japan