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Nbthk Paper Numbering


Jussi Ekholm

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Well this is not factually researched information by any means, I just used common sense. :laughing: But of course someone could contact NBTHK for official answer. I read yesterday the article about German meeting and following speculation about how many swords there are currently left. So of course I remembered that Darcy posted some time numbers of total Jūyō items at that time (at least I am fairly sure he made a post like that as I have the memory of it in my mind but cannot find that post)...

 

And we've discussed multiple times how Jūyō are the cream of the crop and only small percentage will ever reach that level. So I immidiately thought I should look at the numbers on Hozon and Tokubetsu Hozon papers to get the idea of amount of items passed. I remember people saying NBTHK "changed" the numbering at some point and I think I got the why figured out with common sense after I tried to figure out how many Hozon & Tokubetsu Hozon swords there are. And I think the reason are Hozon swords hitting the first cap.

 

So here is the explanation shortly. Here are the numbers I think the current papering started with.

 

100,000 - Tokubetsu Hozon swords

200,000 - Tokubetsu Hozon fittings

300,000 - Hozon swords

400,000 - Hozon fittings

 

When adding common logic to the game after X99,999 they couldn't go 1 more as the next numbering category starts, so they have to add a number. for example 300,000 -> 3,000,000. The new shinsa system started in 1982 (Showa 57). I think they changed all numbering after Hozon swords hit 100,000. As I do not think Tokubetsu Hozon swords hit that 100,000 mark but their numbering is in Million range now as well as fittings too.

 

I believe the Hozon swords hit around 100,000 in number in 2013 and the numbering was changed. Here is a sword numbered 390,077 from early 2012 (Heisei 24) and sword numbered 3,004,286 from early 2014 (Heisei 26). http://www.e-sword.jp/katana/1810-1105.htm& https://www.aoijapan.com/katana-mumei-den-enjyu-2/

 

Just for fun here is a Hozon sword from May 1983 (Showa 58), so soon after Hozon papering started and it is numbered 301,044 so I believe it is 1044th sword to pass Hozon. https://www.aoijapan.com/katana-kun-yon-to-kurihara-hiikosaburo-akihide-saku-showa-18-nen-shogatsuhi/

 

For example here are two swords from March 2018 shinsa (Heisei 30) and their numbers are 3,016,216 and 3,017,194 http://samuraishokai.jp/sword/18110.html& https://www.touken-matsumoto.jp/product_details.php?prod_no=KA-0197 So following my logic these are actually Hozon swords c.116 - 117,000's. Also to be noted that these are from the same shinsa, yet the numbers are almost 1000 apart.  :o I also found blades between those numbers so I believe c. 1000 swords passing Hozon shinsa in March 2018. So if NBTHK shinsa is held 5 times per year that could in theory mean about 5000 Hozon swords yearly. And mathematically if I divide the my assumed current number of Hozon swords with years we get to little over 3000 Hozon swords yearly. So roughly 600 swords per shinsa. I think the amount of submissions has risen a lot from earlier years.

 

This also might explain a bit why the shinsa team cannot spend too much time on one particular low level item as the number of submissions is just so great in number. It is easy to understand how you can get "safe" attributions below the Jūyō level. As only at higher level adequate time for research in great detail can be achieved.

 

Might sound like a wild speculation and would be nice to get info from NBTHK officials about it. And of course would be nice to hear some discussion about this topic. Do you think this makes sense? Do you think this is crazy talk? :laughing:

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Jussi,

 

Nothing at all crazy in your reasoning, this is a piece of the puzzle that can be more or less quantified. If we add in approximate figures from major online sales platforms, auctions, show sales, private sales, museum collections, private collections, and items languishing in hidden places we can begin to get a feeling for "the number". Whatever that number may be.... it is a BIG one!

 

 

-S-

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I think NTHK papers have different numbering methodology and this was about NBTHK numbering. I think for example Chris Bowen as US representative might be able to get NTHK numbers.

 

Here are some more numbers. Jūyō & Tokubetsu Jūyō numbers are straight forward as they've been continuosly numbered from the beginning.

 

For Tokubetsu Hozon I was able to quickly find 100,829 from 1985 (Showa 60) http://samuraishokai.jp/sword/17109.html, And before they modified numbers ranging into millions I found 155,315 from 2011 (Heisei 23) http://www.e-sword.jp/yari/1210-4001.htm . From 2018 Shinsa widest number range I found fast was 1,008,052 to 1,008,529 http://www.e-sword.jp/katana/1810-1080.htm , http://www.e-sword.jp/yari/1810-4010.htm Which would indicate about 500 swords passing Tokubetsu Hozon session.

 

For Jūyō it is really straight forward as the numbers haven't been changed. Here is a sword from 1st Jūyō shinsa (1958), paper number 26, http://iidakoendo.com/6336/And here is one from 58th Shinsa (2012), paper number 13,272, http://iidakoendo.com/4386/

 

Tokubetsu Jūyō sword from 23rd Shinsa (2014) http://iidakoendo.com/5770/, paper number 1059.

 

So all in all you could roughly say by these estimations that somewhat following number of the classes of current NBTHK papers for swords have been issued. (lost papers, repapered from other reason, duplicate papered items, etc. are all still in the count as once issued you cannot reuse the number)

 

Hozon - c. 115,000 papers for swords

Tokubetsu Hozon - c. 65,000 papers for swords

Jūyo - c. 14,000 papers for swords

Tokubetsu Jūyō - c. 1,200 papers for swords

 

These are by no means totally accurate numbers but I think they give some idea of the numbers I believe are roughly in the range.

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I think you are on to something but the Juyo and Tokuju approach is not correct.

 

Before the last Juyo and Tokuju are counted, there are a total of 1174 Tokuju items of all sorts. 

 

357 Tachi

469 Katana

6 Kodachi

77 Wakizashi

130 Tanto

2 Daisho (swords)

2 Ko-ken

5 Ken

1 Yari

3 Naginata

50 Koshirae (including daisho)

40 Tsuba

1 Menuki

2 Fuchigashirae

5 Kogai

5 Kozuka

19 sets of tosogu of various sorts

 

For Juyo 14,135 items, 11,577 of those are swords. The remainder are not all fittings are there are Juyo turtles, origami and guns. But they are mostly fittings.

 

This does not include the last 12 months.

 

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