Sword numbers/stats

[bigjohnshea]

I'm scheduled to give a lecture about the "appreciation of Nihonto" at a sci-fi and fantasy convention this coming summer. I'd like to try and integrate the following stats into it, if I can find them...

 

Estimated number of Nihonto made until the end of WW2?

Estimated number of Nihonto brought west just at the end of WW2? ie. As war prizes...

Estimated number of Nihonto destroyed just after WW2?

Total number of Nihonto that have passed Tokubetsu Hozon?

Total number of Nihonto that have passed Juyo?

Total number of Nihonto that have passed Tokubetsu Juyo?

 

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[BIG]

Hi John, a bit background..https://minpaku.repo.nii.ac.jp/index.php?action=pages_view_main&active_action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=2846&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1&page_id=13&block_id=21

 

Darcy is the man to answer all questions..

 

Best

[bigjohnshea]

Thank you!

[Brian]

I think Jussi is our forum stats guy here, he should be able to provide you with a ton of info.

[Peter Bleed]

John,

I hope you will share your findings with us here on NMB. You may want to mention the export market for Japanese swords that marked the 14th to 15th centuries and that brought lots of blades to continental Asia.As i recall, there were also lots of swords exported to the New World as cane knives in the late 19th century.

Good luck!

Peter

[Jussi Ekholm]

I tried to calculate the estimated number of Hozon & Tokubetsu Hozon swords by their numbering logic some time ago. Darcy dropped some actual facts in there as number for Jūyō and Tokujū. http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/26496-nbthk-paper-numbering/

 

To continue on that above thread, I have Hozon 390646 saved so that would indicate at least 90,646 swords passed Hozon before they upgraded, then I have 3000026 so it was in first shinsa after changing numbering. Most recent paper I have saved is 3021948 from last year. Based on that logic at least 110,000+ swords have passed Hozon.

 

Similarily for Tokubetsu Hozon I have 155697 saved, so at least 55,697 swords passed Tokubetsu Hozon before upgrade. Then I have 1000059 so it was in first shinsa after change. Most recent Tokubetsu Hozon I have saved is 1011475 from last year. Based on that logic I used in the thread at least 66,000+ swords have passed Tokubetsu Hozon.

 

Then you can take the real factual numbers Darcy provided and maybe round them up a bit. So the list would be something like this (of course changing with sessions coming up).

 

Hozon - 110,000 swords

TH - 65,000 swords

Jūyō - 11,500 swords

TJ - 1,100 swords

 

Well actually as the sword passes on to higher tier it is removed from earlier pool but the basic logic should give some idea about how many have passed in which level for NBTHK. Then there are of course interesting things to consider as what is passing high tier shinsa and when it is passing. I did a post on submissions in here http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/28933-j%C5%ABy%C5%8D-tj-pass-rates/

[Bruce Pennington]

According to Richard Fuller(Japanese Military and Civil Swords and Dirks, '96 ed):

"The official American estimate of swords and sabres takien in the south-west Pacific and Japan gives 661,621 captured and surrendered. These would also include samurai swords confiscated from civilians. Some 372,609 were dispersed as trophies, to museums and technical use. The remaining 290,012 were destroyed. The true figure for swords, of all types, taken by the Allied nations must be well in excess of 2,000,000. [earlier note was that no numbers are known for vast amount collected by Russian and Chinese forces] ... Destruction was normally by furnace after cutting in half. Another way was to dump them at sea from barges or garbage scows." (pgs 248,249).

 

From Leon & Hiroko Kapp, Yoshindo Yoshihara, "Modern Japanse Swords and Sword Smiths, From 1868 to Present":

 

Military sword production during WWII, 1940-1945:

Seki produced 70% of swords, and they made 18,000/month = 216,000/yr. Therefore total military sword production approx 308,571/yr. Therefore, 1,851,426 total (missing data from 1930's).

 

Approx. 6% were nihonto. Therefore - 111,085 total nihonto.

 

Note: these are just newly produced numbers during the war. The number donated/bought from the private sector are in addition to this. If we add the 90,000 collected from homes at war's end (from Peter's reference) the nihonto number comes up to 200,000.

[DoTanuki yokai]

"John Yumoto, in his book The Samurai Sword, tried to calculate the number of Japanese swords made during the course of history. Using a number of what appear to be reasonable assumptions, he estimated that perhaps 2000000 traditional blades had been produced during the historical preiods when koto,shinto, and shinshinto swords were made."

from "Modern Japanese swords and swordsmiths"