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Dai - signed Harima Daijo Tadakuni - ubu 75 cm with koshirae Test cut - yamano Nagahisa cut 2 bodies in half dated Sho - signed Harima Daijo Tadakuni - ubu with Koshirae 43.2 cm Test cut - Yamano Nagahisa cut 2 bodies in half same date as the Katana Nagahisa was the most famous test cutter of the Edo period . Rare to find daisho with test cut on the same day

The Sacramento Japanese Sword Club has been given permission to re-present and upload Albert Yamanaka's Nihonto Newsletters online, which they are doing one newsletter at a time as Leon Kapp finds the time to work on the next Newsletter. It is an incredible effort and credit needs to be given where credit is due. I have managed to track down links to all the available Newsletters and will post every new one as they appear online. In the mean time I encourage everyone who downloads these newsletters to follow Sacramento Japanese Sword Club on Facebook and drop them a line thanking them for this excellent work on providing access to this invaluable resource. Albert Yamanaka's Nihonto Newsletters Volume 1 Yamanaka V1 NL01 Yamanaka V1 NL02 Yamanaka V1 NL03 Yamanaka V1 NL04 Yamanaka V1 NL05 Yamanaka V1 NL06 Yamanaka V1 NL07 Yamanaka V1 NL08 Yamanaka V1 NL09 Yamanaka V1 NL10 Yamanaka V1 NL11 Yamanaka V1 NL12 Yamanaka V1 NL12 Extras Volume 2 Yamanaka V2 NL01 Yamanaka V2 NL02 Yamanaka V2 NL03 Yamanaka V2 NL04 Yamanaka V2 NL05 Yamanaka V2 NL06 Yamanaka V2 NL07 Yamanaka V2 NL08 Yamanaka V2 NL09 Yamanaka V2 NL10 Yamanaka V2 NL11 Yamanaka V2 NL12 Volume 3 Yamanaka V3 NL01 Yamanaka V3 NL02 Yamanaka V3 NL03 Yamanaka V3 NL04 Yamanaka V3 NL05 Yamanaka V3 NL06 Yamanaka V3 NL07 Yamanaka V3 NL08 Yamanaka V3 NL09 Yamanaka V3 NL10 Yamanaka V3 NL11 & NL12

Over the last week I have been attempting to recatalog my small assortment of kozuka, menuki, and tsuba on this side of the planet. It's confusing because I have a different set of numbers at either end, and when I carry some backwards or forwards the numbers can clash, needing renumbering. There were a couple of tsuba I do not remember buying, and for some reason left no record of how much I paid. Aaarrrgghhh... While doing so though, I rediscovered several that I had forgotten, or was thinking that I had swapped out or sold. It was a joy to see them again, and to consider that years ago I had appreciated them enough to have chosen them back then. Some of them I would never sell, I realized, as they speak to me personally and it is not a question of market value. It was a delight to hold them in hand and to find new aspects or details to appreciate. Why collect these things, people ask? Well, one answer could be that as my Alzheimer symptoms progress, I will soon be able to experience the joys of rediscovery as often as there are weeks in the year or days in the week! "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." Endymion, John Keats.

I was struggling with the Japanese description of a mounting . Mr Moriyama , who is a huge asset to the Board , assisted by giving me the translation ,being Yosegane ,together with a link to the Mokumekin Museum . The museum describes Yosegane as"like marquetry Yosegane combines metals of different colors to create patterns ". Members might be interested to see an example of what I now know to be Yosegane. This sword , regretably not mine , is one of the finest that I have ever handled. I hope you enjoy looking at it . Ian Brooks

I have been advised of the passing of Brian Klingbile (Username Winchester) by his wife. She had this to say: "This is Brian's wife, Sarah.....Unfortunately, Brian has passed away. Thank you so much for providing such a wonderful forum. Brian was new to collecting, and was excited not only to connect with others with similar passions, but to have access to learning opportunities for his new passion. What you have here is amazing, and I wanted to let you know that you make a positive impact on people's lives even if you don't hear this on a regular basis. Thank you for being so welcoming to Brian. I have attached Brian's obituary in case you or anyone else was interested in it. I don't know who Brian all connected with (or to what level), so I will leave announcing or contacting others up to you. I am comfortable with this information being shared. https://www.zimmerfuneralhome.com/obituaries/brian-klingbile " Our condolences go out to those who knew him, may he RIP.

Hi all, Since I had some time for photos today, I thought I’d share this one as well. A mitokoromono by Sokujo, the 8th-generation mainline Goto. According to the origami, the nanako ground was made by Teijo, the 9th generation. Enjoy!

I am excited to announce the release of a document I have been working on: Type 95 Military Sword Variations. It is now available in the download section for anyone who would like to access it. I am pinning this thread in place of the Type 95 Worksheet, of which can be found here: https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/29722-type-95-gunto-worksheet/#comments My hope is that this monograph helps dispel some of the long standing rumors surrounding these swords and assists collectors in identifying the examples in their own collections. This work is purely educational and is intended to consolidate information from several sources into one comprehensive reference. I would like to acknowledge the late Nick Komiya for the huge amount of documents he shared on the warrelics forum over the years; without his contributions to the study of Japanese Militaria, this document simply could not exist. I'd also like to extend a special thanks to the following Nihonto Message Board members, who either directly, or indirectly through discussions over the years, greatly aided my understanding of this type of Japanese sword. I am forever grateful. @Kiipu @Bruce Pennington @Conway S @John C @drb 1643 Tom Foster, @robinalexander @BANGBANGSAN @Shamsy @Stegel @PNSSHOGUN @rebcannonshooter @Grimmdarkspire @matthewbrice @vajo @Brian . Please see the aknowledgements section in the download, and I hope not to have forgotten anyone... This is Edition #1, and I intend to update the download annually as new revelations arise and as serial number range changes are observed. It is formatted imperfectly, but to the best of my ability with programs at hand (I am an enthusiast and collector, not an experienced writer). Please feel free to let me know if you notice any typos or inconsistencies, and I will address them promptly. Feel free to use this topic to post information or questions about Type 95 Gunto. I hope you find the monograph helpful. Happy Valentine’s Day! -Sam

Guess I’m late to the party but I’m just discovering the fusion that is Sōden Bizen. Nanbokucho piece around 70cm with a 3cm / 2.65cm width. Morikage’s “Chikakage style”

Hello, May I have your opinion on this kozuka ? It has a cloisonné enamel butterfly which leads me to believe that it is from the Hirata school. Could it be another school ? if so, which one ? Thanks

Back in 2009 the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York held an extraordinary and important exhibition called the Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156-1868 [Held from October 21, 2009 to January 10, 2010]. The reason it was so extraordinary is because; One, this exhibition took over ten years to put together - in large part due to the incredible efforts of the organiser and curator Morihiro Ogawa. And secondly, the Japanese Agency of Cultural Affairs allowed over 200 works of Traditional Japanese Swords and Armor including 34 National Treasures, 64 Important Cultural Properties and 6 Important Art Objects from over sixty collections to leave Japan for the first time to form part of this one time exhibition. As an exhibition it was unparalleled to have so many important works from so many museums, shrines, temples and private collections in one place, even compared to anything ever done in Japan. As part of the exhibition, as is common practice, the MET released a catalogue of the exhibition by the currator of the exhibition, Morihiro Ogawa. The catalogue is over 368 pages and 16 years on from the exhibition is still available for sale, in its second print. You can still pick one up a first edition second hand, but a new copy retails for around $60 in paperback and over $200 in hard cover. Recently, I found a link to a free PDF copy of this catalogue on the MET's website: https://www.metmuseum.org/met-publications/art-of-the-samurai-Japanese-arms-and-armor-1156-1868 As a collective English book on the history of the Samurai and their omote dogu or "external equipment", explained through Japanese National Treasures and Important Cultural Objects I think it may be a first and is certainly second to none. With the bright photos and explanations for each piece I think it is a fabulous thing to have for reference (and enjoyment.) This in my opinion is one of the more important exhibitions and books in recent times on the subject. Grab a copy whilst the link still works.

I think this is the swordsmith Munechika forging the blade Kogitsune Maru ( little fox ) aided by the Fox Spirit in the form of a youth . See plate 5 of Robinson's The Arts of the Japanese Sword

Hello fellow woodworkers: I wanted to share this shirasaya I made for a naked Monju Kanesada yari. Mostly because of the saya's unusual shape. The shape was inspired by an existing shirasaya I have on a Inoue Shinkai yari. The wood is aged (i.e., very low to no VOC's left from the tannic acid) hard maple with an ebony inset for the mekugi. What makes it particularly difficult to manufacture are the number of compound angles. There is a central peaked rib that runs the length of saya but only on the top, which makes it easier to index which way the top aligns to the bottom half. From the rib, the width is a flattened oval, widening out just after the mekugi ana to accomodate the extra width on the blade section and rounded on the back side. The rear end is also dome-shaped and the tip is sort of boat or airplane shaped. All of which brings me to the challenging part - this must all be done by hand. No power tools involved (with the exception of drilling the mekugiana to keep it straight). Just a kanna (Japanese block plane), some different sized oire nomi (chisels), a bench scraper, and some files. The finish is a standard woodworkers finish of boiled linseed oil followed by carnuba paste wax. Thanks to the various bench scrapers, the wood is extremely smooth and tactile. The Japanese do not usually use sandpaper so I didn't either. It's tough not to hold it! If you have any questions on the process, I will be happy to answer. John C.

Well, feel i have to add something positive here as folks seem keen on pulling Aoi apart. All i will say (in my experience), there are no special saint type dealers in this game. Every dealer will have sold something to someone that has ******them off. Its how they respond that makes the difference. My experience with Tsuruta San has been 95% positive, he accepted a sword back that i was not happy with, without making a big song and dance about it. Antiques in general is a minefield. Personally, i think there are far worse dealers to moan about. Lets face it, buying swords online is less than ideal.

Just wanted to share some images for study that Keisuke over at https://www.katana-case-shi.com shared with me today during a chat. In the order from the title.

.....That is my kind of tsuba, old and rusted!.... Maybe you really don't understand? Rust is the enemy of iron. It is not a decorative feature on TSUBA, it even does not necessarily have to do with age. It is not a layer on top of the surface, it is the material itself, turned into oxide. Rust is eating up a TSUBA and should be removed or at least reduced/inactivated. If one can understand this process and has a minimal feeling of respect and responsibility towards an antique, handmade object of art/craft, they would want to preserve it in an appropriate way. This is not done fast with chemicals, it is a labour of love and care - and time. It also requires a basic knowledge of how an iron TSUBA is made, and how they are traditionally preserved and stored. Being a caretaker of an antique object has nothing to do with personal taste, it is first and foremost an obligation to learn, the more if the object is belonging to another culture with possibly different value perception and appreciation. In case you care to read about the WABI-SABI concept, you will find that Japanese appreciate objects (often of simple character like traditional household items) that show respectful, long-term use. Not neglected, not just "old". There is a form of love behind that, of deep understanding and respect. And also - perhaps - a feeling of thankfulness towards the ancestors who preserved the item so carefully. Did you know that in SHINTOISM, it is believed that handmade objects ( as well as old solitary trees, rocks, waterfalls a.s.o.) used by many hands (e.g. a good DEBA knife for the kitchen) over many years, can carry a KAMI, a good spririt who is nourished by the good intentions, respect and care of the people. When, after generations, the knife-blade is used up so that it cannot be sharpened any more, they carry the knife to a priest in the SHINTO shrine and have him release the KAMI from the knife in a ceremony. Only then the remains of the knife can be recycled. I am sorry for going off the path, but I wanted to underline that we have to accept that in another culture things may be seen differently in comparison with what we are used to. We are requested to learn and respect that. We do not need to become Japanese citizens to be good TSUBA collectors, just showing a minimal respect and awareness for what we hold in our hands.

Hey everyone, I feel like its finally time to share a project that I've been working on for a while now. Not because it is finished but because my first child was just born a few days ago and development on this project will likely slow down for a bit as I navigate the new phase of life that is fatherhood! Anyways, I've been building a website https://nihonto-db.com for some time now and wanted to present it here. At the core, it is an interactive and searchable version of @Jussi Ekholm's Koto sword index he's so graciously shared with the NMB. I can't begin to state how incredibly powerful Jussi's research has been and without his tireless efforts and collaboration, this wouldn't have been possible. So at the core, the "Sword Database" portion is a simple searchable database that allows you to search from over 16,000 swords. There are filters and advanced filters available to allow you to search, filter, and compare works by many smiths with as narrow or broad of a search breath as you wish. Additionally, I've created a few other tools that I find useful. Namely an interactive Province Map of Japan showing the old swordmaking provinces which allows you to click on each province and see associated schools, swordsmiths, and other details of the schools and smiths of that province. Thirdly, there is Gokaden Timeline which is built upon a Google Sheet collaboration that some of the members here helped with a few weeks ago. It is as the name suggests, a simple plotting tool that allows you to plot and view the various swordmaking schools broken down by their tradition, and the timeframe in which those schools spanned. Currently this is limited to mostly mainline and some obscure Koto schools. Shinto and Shinshinto aren't appropriately represented at this point and will be a future addition. Finally, there is an articles section where I have been posting various articles, photos, and zufu translations for the main Gokaden schools. Currently Soshu mainline and Yamashiro mainline are finished and Yamato and Bizen are in the works. I have many more plans for this site to hopefully become another helpful resource in the world of nihonto study and also be a place where swords can be researched in detail with photos, descriptions, and other additional information. I also would like to expand this into including many more shinto and shinshinto blades but as I'm a 1 man operation and now have a 1 week old baby, slow and steady is the key! There is a registration and sign-up option available, currently there is no additional features to this at this time but I do have plans in the future to have some pages and information locked behind having a valid account to do as much as I can to prevent AI-bots and crawlers from skimming too much information too easily. I hope this site serves as a resource for all and if anybody has any comments or things the community would like to see, feel free to let me know and I will do my best to work on them as time allows. Thanks again to the NMB community and everyone here who has given their knowledge, time, and previous resources to make this all possible.

I stumbled across a great little read in the Token Bijutsu Volume 35 about the sale of the Iyo Saijō Clan's Matsudaira Masterpieces. The Iyo Saijō Clan was established with the fief of 30,000 koku as a branch family of Kishū Tokugawa by Matsudaira Sakyō-dayū Yorizumi, who was second son of Tokugawa Yorinobu ruling Kishū. When the new branch came into existence, some of the treasures in the Kishū family collection were transferred as heirlooms. Among the ten transferred swords, three of them were meibutsu, namely, Maeda Masamune, Tokuzen-in Sadamune, and Satō Yukimitsu. Others included two Juyo Bunkazai, a kodachi by Sanenaga and a ken by Mitsutadai. It is said that the magnificence of swords in the Matsudaira collection came next only to the Maeda, Shimazu, and Kishū Tokugawa collections. In the article it, it talks to the sale of a few of these great swords that we have discussed even recently here on this forum. It seems insane that some of these things have actually been sold but there you go. In 1918 or 50 years after the Meiji restoration, two of the Iyo Saijō Clan's Matsudaira meibutso were sold: 1. Torikai Rai Kunitsugu tanto - said by Dr Homma when he saw it in 1950 that he was surprised this was not elevated to a higher status (Juyo Bunkazai or higher) this sold in 1918 to a Mr Sugihara who paid 8,000 yen for it. To put in perspective. 1 yen was equivalent to roughly 51.5c USD back in 1918. So this means the sword roughly cost $4,120. To assess how much this was in the day, an unskilled labour earned you $1/day, whilst skill labour was $1.50/day. As such the salary of an unskilled labourer was $241/year or $361.50/year for a skilled labourer. At the time a larger, well-built, multi-bedroom home in New England cost between $2,500 and $3,500, today this home would cost over $3-4 million. Basically, if you look at the USD prices from back in the day, all you need to do is throw three zeros at the end for an roughly equivalent price today. 2. Kotegiri Gō wakizashi - Initially owned by Inaba Tanba-no-kami Masakatsu it was given official recognition as work of Gō by the origami issued by Hon'ami Koon in Kanbun 2 (1662). The origami also certified that it was worth 100 pieces of gold coins. Later when its ownership went to Hosokawa Etchū-no-kami the price was raised to 130 gold coins. It went back to the Inaba again with the origami certifying its new value was 200 gold coins. Finally it was put into the same auction in 1918 as the Torikai Rai Kunitsugu tanto and was sold for €3,338 or $1,719. In 1924, some 56 years after the Meiji Restoration, the remaining bulk of the Iyo Saijō Clan masterpieces were auctioned off, including their third Matsudaira meitbutso: 3. Tokuzen-in Sadamune tanto - named ofter the owner Maeda Gen-i who had the pseudonym Tokuzen-in. It came to the Kishū Tokugawa by way of the Shōgun Tokugawa, and it eventually went to the Matsudaira in lyo Saijō. It was at the time given the price of 300 gold pieces. It was placed in an auction in 1924 along with an aikuchi-koshirae with a set of mitokoro-mono made by Gotô Kojo. The three metal pieces are of the shishi (lion) design in gold. The tanto and the koshirae sold for 5,200 yen or $2,132 at 41c USD. Which seems a lot but this sword was made a Kokuhō or National Treasure on the 22nd November 1952 and is now held at the Mitsui Memorial Museum. The following is a list of some of the swords of major importance that sold at the 1924 auction: Bizen Kanenaga (unsigned) with shirasaya: 27,800 yen or $11,398 (even though it was not meibutso it became the highest priced sword at the time - we know it is not Kokuhō or Juyo Bunkazai as none of Kanenaga's blades are Kokuhō or Juyo Bunkazai. Would love to know what happened to it, is it one of the Juyo Bijutsu or Tokebetsu Juyo blades?) That would be almost $11.4 million in today's money! Norishige (unsigned) with shirasaya: 12,100 yen or $4,961 (People loving Norishige apparently is not a modern trend... Is this one of the Kokuhō or Juyo Bunkazai blades?) That would be almost $5 million in today's money! Tsuriganekiri Kuniyuki with shirasaya: 3,050 yen or $1250.50 or $1.25 million in today's money! Unreal! Enju Kunitoki tachi in shirasaya: 2,200 yen or $902 Yoshihiro tachi in koshirae: 1,650 yen or $676.50 Awataguchi Yoshimitsu tanto in koshirae: 1, 320 yen or $541 Rai Kunimitsu with shirasaya: 1,250 yen or $512.50 Awataguchi Kuniyoshi tachi in koshirae: 1,250 yen or $512.50 It is also known that more than half of the blades sold at this auction achieved prices above 1,000 yen or $410, that is over $410,000 in equivalent purchasing power today. If we consider the Dr Compton Auction at Christie's held March 30, 1992 as the highlight Japanese sword auction of our generation, then this 1924 auction would simply have been the greatest Japanese sword auction of all time!

To lighten the mood a bit, I'll tell you a story. In 1990, Dr. Sempé passed away, and his widow, fearing theft, hid his Andean archaeology collection, along with 70 tsuba and kozuka, behind a platform in their country house. Thirty-five years later, their daughter-in-law undertook renovations and rediscovered these completely forgotten collections. Naturally, all the tsuba and kozuka were corroded with numerous spots of red rust. Last Friday, I bought three of these tsuba at an auction. Here are photos of one of them before and after the cleaning I performed (washing with soapy water, scraping off the rust with bone, then lightly oiling). No corrosive products were used, of course

Yesterday, my Christmas gift to myself finally came. It took almost five weeks from AOI Arts to me, though the shipping time was less than two weeks. It was accompanied by a better quality KIRIBAKO which did not fit the rather smallish MEKUGI-ANA (!). I am quite happy with it. It is a typical TEIMEI/SADANAGA TSUBA (unfortunately MUMEI) in acceptable condition, featuring two carpenter's squares as motif. These TEIMEI TSUBA are often very simple in design, showing sometimes unusual motifs, but are very well made and were reliable accessories for SAMURAI.

We must distinguish between the oldest physical manuscript copy and the oldest content. The oldest manuscript copy of the Ki'ami Bon Mei Zukushi is from the early Muromachi period.

Couple more images I have on the same theme. The Kutani bowls is mine, picked up at auction. BaZZa.

Hello, After some research in the Wakayama I found that most of the Hirata production was in shakudo. However 8th and 9th generation works also in shibuichi and made butterfly among other. So maybe ?! Sharing additionnal photos, just for the pleasure

Let them eat cake! [chocolate for desert!]

庚午秋 畫於 静修齋 Painted in the autumn 1930 at Studio of Quiet Cultivation 林肇基 Lin Zhao Ji(Painter) Lin Zhaoji Former Deputy Director, Cultural and Educational Affairs Office of the Military Control Commission of PRC. Lin Zhaoji was a native of Gutian County. He was born in 1899 (the 25th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing dynasty) in Shanyang Village, Gutian. After the establishment of the Military Control Commission in June 1949, he served as Deputy Director of its Cultural and Educational Affairs Office. He passed away from illness in Beijing in 1962 at the age of 63.

Tsuba are art objects and old artifact that deserve to be treated accordingly. Restoration shall be done properly with proper techniques and tools. Dealing with hundreds of years old artifacts put us in the position not of owner but of keeper. We have the responsibility of taking care of objects that will outlive us to pass them down to future generation. This sentence of yours, Dan, shows that you have completely misunderstood the heart of this hobby! I suggest you to read this thread: What it is said in this post for swords also applies to tosogu. You can call me a snob now, frankly speaking I do not care! Luca

Seems to be Benkei on the kashira reading the fake subscription list at the Ataka barrier. The hat on the fuchi could hint to Yoshitsune in disguise. The other detail seems to be a barrow used for traveling. (print copied from Fujiarts.com)

Hello: I've been doing a series of crossword puzzles for entertainment with a slant toward learining and research. And I didn't want to leave out the tosogu folks. Please find attached a puzzle of easy to medium difficulty (mostly easy) just to exercise the brain pan for a few minutes. Other puzzles can be found in General Nihonto and Izakaya if you are interested. I found this topic to be the most difficult because of the number of alternate meanings and descriptions, so there may be more than one answer - just use the one that fits the puzzle. The puzzle can be downloaded or just viewed in the screenshots. Enjoy! John C. Crossword Puzzle_4_a Tosogu.docx

Happy New Year everyone, I just wanted to share an update that I have started to post new video content after taking a long break from filming. Please do check my channels below in the coming days for updates and new videos. https://youtube.com/@swordsofjapan https://www.instagram.com/swordsofjapan Please email me with any questions, or for videos you might like to see in the future. Best regards, Ray

Was going through the listings of a local internet auction when I stumbled upon this lacquer panel. And since it featured two swordsmiths working on a sword, I bought it. It came cheap, less than 50 USD including delivery. It arrived today and I decided to share it here. Is this one of those panels that came in pairs and mainly were for selling them to Gaijin? Also I am very curious about the headgear of the swordsmith to the left. The dimensions of the picture are approximately 307x232mm. I also found a round version of this picture here: https://www.roseberys.co.uk/a0470-lot-494323?el=494323&lo=&pp=96

I didn't know Brian personally, but I had warm regard and I felt a connection, with Winchester. He often popped into my posts with an emoji and he was always understanding and encouraging.....never changed. Maybe (selfishly), he fitted my narrative, I don't know, but for someone I have never met or messaged, I just felt a connection.....he was a real gentleman. Thankyou Sarah for sharing this....thinking of you and Brian's extended family. We will miss him. Rob

Wanted to share an Aikuchi koshirae, entrusted to me by a very good friend. I've held it in my collection a number of months now, so thought it was about time I put together a short post on the piece. The koshirae once housed a Sunobi-Tanto. It must have been a blade of spectacular quality, to be paired with such a koshirae. Visually, the fittings themselves these are quite interesting. Each piece of the set is colourfuly adorned with crabs and water plants, set against a soft background of Nanakoji. Upon closer inspection, I suspect these "waterplants" to be wild ginger, or hollyhock; as stylistically they are similar to the 'cloves' seen on certain Kamon. I thought that this may have been an intentional choice; perhaps to celebrate family ties/allegences of the original owner who commissioned the piece. I feel that these being in *gold* of all things is no coincidence. Now onto the saya... I'm especially fond of this style of urushi; I particularly enjoy the inclusions of aogai and flaxseed/rice husks within the lacquer- it gives the piece a very "three-dimensional" feel. It must take a great degree of skill to achieve such a finish. I do not believe the kozuka itself is original to the set, yet it's subject loosely follows the "aquatic theme" The kozuka shows good workmanship. We see "Omori-esque" beads of silver set into the base, which is a nice touch. The tsuka itself is neatly bound in Jabari maki, black silk over white samegawa. Several sizable 'emperor-nodes' are visible. The selection of samegawa is a telling sign of the overall quality. Again, we see the nautical/riverside theme continuing into the Menuki, with a singular crab peeking through the wrap.

So a couple of weeks ago I purchased the book "Japanese Swords Sōshū Masterpieces" by Dmitry Pechalov from the Soshu-Den Museum. It has been around for a little while (since 2019) so I guess this is a post-post-post release review of the book. Let me just start off by saying... WOW!!! This is how a Sword book should be presented! The book is NOT small - in fact at 40.5cm x 30cm (16"x11.8") it is actually rather big, but let me be the first to say it - when it comes to Nihonto photography... BIG IS BEAUTIFUL! And whilst the pictures are exactly what you want in a sword photo; Massive Hasselblad super high definition images in all their glory, this is not a coffee table book. This book is serious, showing years of research and dedication to the cause, I promise you will learn a lot more than you already know and it will probably answer a lot of your questions or concerns that you had. Everyone in the Nihonto space knows, the Soshu-Den is the cream of the crop, their swords are beautiful, they are rare and generally very, very expensive - especially for the unfathomable heights of Tokubetsu Juyo and above. As such these blades are super hard to get a proper look at in person and in fact in most cases you never will. This book however gives you an insider's view of some of the best of Soshu-Den blades ever made. Every Master and sword has a significant write up that gives me massive Darcy Brockbank'esq vibes in it's detail; from the story of the Master, to the story of the blade and it's associated provenance (Not surprising really as Darcy helped and worked with Dmitry on the book for over 5 years - he even wrote the forward. Mark Sesko was also engaged for his expertise - so this book was put together by a stellar cast of Nihonto specialists.) Before I continue, let's be very clear, whilst this book is a book about the Soshu-Den, the stars of the show are the 20 swords that come from one very special private collection - and for this all I can say is... thank you. This is like being invited to a very detailed, all access private tour of an exclusive private sword club - the kind you did not know existed but when you do, you become desperate to somehow get in. To be able to see Soshu Master Blades including several at Tokubetsu Juyo in all their Massive High Definition Glory (yes these words are all capitalised) is just special. No, I will say this book is extra-ordinary. I am a massive advocate for the creation of Catalogue Raisonné for each Great Nihonto Master. But let's be clear - if/when this happens then this book is the benchmark that these catalogues will need to meet. This is how the photos will need to be presented, this is how the stories will need to be told. For the art form that is Nihonto and it's associated crafts there is just no other way around it, if we are to truly appreciate what has been created by these Great Smiths. Because let's be honest for us mere mortals this will be the closest we will ever get to one of these Japanese Treasures. So we might as well be allowed to indulge vicariously through the photographs of these beautiful slithers of steel. So I am going to say it - this is a book that you absolutely have to own as a sword collector. It is not cheap but it is so, so worth every penny you spend on it. It should also be noted that after six year this book is not available second hand and this in itself speaks volumes about this book. Once you own it you don't want to give it away or sell it. It will almost immediately become a treasure that takes pride of place in your collection. Mark my words here - a standard has been set here and this is the standard we will judge all future Nihonto books by. As such it is a very important book for Nihonto and therefore in my opinion it is an instant classic. I will read it often and cherish it but I may have to get some white gloves as I genuinely want to look after and preserve this copy of the book as best as I can. Due to it being a watershed book, and that it was so beautifully put together, I suspect it will soon enough become a collectors item as soon as it sells out. I believe @Brian said the same thing about it in his review 6/7 years ago (that one was for the Gen Zs.) In all honesty I am not sure how many Dmitry has left and I do not know if he will ever reprint this book, so... If you don't already own one - grab a copy today before you miss out - I promise you will not be sorry. I purchased mine through @Grey Doffin at Japanese Swords, Books and Tsuba but please note that the books are all shipped by Dmitry who is based in Europe and as such there will be an extra shipping fee. You can find out more about the book here: https://www.nihonto-museum.com/book Please Note: I am not paid by Dmitry or Grey and I have no affiliation with Dmitry or Grey other than I just bought the book through/ from them. Neither of them were aware of this review before I published it (I do not even know Dmitry's profile name on this site.) As such this is my own opinion and I do not benefit from this opinion other than the hope I can help get some good stuff get into hands of the real enthusiasts. As such I hope this review helps. Cheers.

Alas, This video is very difficult to watch. Beyond the factual errors, it is representative of the lack of museum budgets for qualified curators and European decline in museum scholarship on Arms & Armor. This is not to blame the presenter. His effort is earnest, and I am sympathetic to his predicament in the society he is embedded in, it is a survival strategy. He is but a symptom of a deeper societal issue. This is a general trend, museums follow the elite taste and ideology of their donors and subsidizing government bodies. Sadly, the BM has been marred in a battle against the Woke Mind Virus and its denunciation of colonial history that renders everything it owns, hires, and does, suspect. The presenter is a product of this tension. It is an unfortunate situation, but this too will come to pass in the broader arc of history when necessity calls back for common sense. Best, Hoshi

Back in 2017 there was a discovery by Yoshihara Hiromichi of the oldest sword book, the The Mei Zukushi from 1351, discovered in the Saga Prefecture Library. This book was discovered on some of the the back of the 277 pages from the Ryuzoji family Documents. In 2021 the documents were restored and put on display - the above video was released then. Here is the original article written by @Markus back in 2017: https://markussesko.com/2017/12/26/the-new-oldest-extant-sword-document/#:~:text=The Mei Zukushi is dated,to reward allies and vassals. The links to the documents and transcripts in the article no longer exist as such I have also included the link to the documents in the Saga Prefecture Library: https://www.sagalibdb.jp/komonjo/detail?id=60657 for future reference.

Yes, 4-artist collaboration. Flying magpie = Tsutsui Resting magpie = Ezoe Bamboo = Baba Plum = Matsumoto (Sugimoto?) Can't quite figure out if its "auspicious day" or "spring".

I thought this might be of interest: The Kasuga Taisha Museum in Nara currently has a special exhibition titled "Appreciating Beauty of Swords", where they've got all six of their National Treasure sword fittings (along with a number of other impressive items, including several Heian-era blades and a massive ōdachi) on display. The exhibition will run until the 19th of April, and is well worth a visit if you happen to be in the area. Unfortunately photography was not allowed, but they do have pictures and descriptions of at least some of the items on their website, so here's a little preview: https://kokuhouden.kasugataisha.or.jp/en/e9/ https://kokuhouden.kasugataisha.or.jp/en/e19/ https://kokuhouden.kasugataisha.or.jp/en/e16/ https://kokuhouden.kasugataisha.or.jp/en/e14/

Two generations Moto Oki with cutting tests Wakizashi Top one - 2nd generation dated 1839 with body tested at the Senju execution grounds. One body cut in half by a listed test cutter. Sword made in soshu style. Bottom one - 1st generation dated with one body cut in half by a listed tester. Sword Test done at the Senju execution grounds.

Hamano works typically feature taka iroe zogan like the example provided by Mikolaj above (beautiful piece btw). This means designs are typically carved notably in three dimensions as well as in multiple colours. Combinations of shibuichi or shakudo as a base contrasted with gold to create striking contrasts are typical of quality Hamano school works. Part of the design is usually raised whilst outlines and fine details are carved to create the three dimensional feeling. Whilst the material used does not in and of itself rule out authenticity, the lack of a three dimensional design means your piece lacks the style that is typical of quality Hamano school work. Moreover the quality of the work does not match up to high or even middle level Hamano school work in my opinion. Shozui's mei was of course reused in many gimei works as he was the founder of the Hamano school. Here are a few decent pieces of Hamano school stuff from my collection, images of which are already floating around on the forum in other threads to give you an idea... First, the item in my profile picture also signed "Shozui", but not papered. I would say it features a typical design for Shozui - Historical or folklore based, taka iroe zogan, etc. The unusual part of the design is the use of mother of pearl in the eye of the tengu which is atypical of Shozui's works: Next, here is a fuchigashira signed "Hamano Noriyuki" depciting the crossing of the Uji River: Lastly, my only papered piece, a fuchigashira featuring a three dimensional wave design that resembles the Omori school. The piece is signed "Seisendo Kashino Naonobu" who was a later student of the Hamano-Oguri school in Echigo province. I would like to submit this one for Tokubetsu Hozon assessment in the future to see if it passes: These pieces should give you an idea of what to look for in authentic Hamano school work. In fact, it is open ended as to whether even my first 2 examples would pass authentication as Shozui and Noriyuki were both elite artists. The mother of pearl eye in particular is something that I don't think exists in any authenticated Shozui piece. I do however still think it is a good example of Hamano school work based on the quality and style, even if it is gimei.

To confuse the matter, even when the tagane-ato have been punched and spread the metal into the nakago-ana in order to fit a particular blade, it is also possible that the metal could be filed back in order to fit a THICKER blade. This will result in heavy tagane-ato marks but little to no metal spread into the hole. Fitting a tsuba to a new blade therefore works both ways.

I have a single signed Echizen piece with a similarly constructed seppa-dai: Certainly uncommon for pieces from this area, though, so not suggesting yours could be Echizen. Damon

Hizen is a good call, in my opinion.

Both 来助 and 求助 are old-fashioned names, but I think that both could be possible.

This is awesome news Ray! I might have said it before but you have so good voice and presentation it is a pleasure to watch the videos.

Hi All, Attended a local military show this weekend and spotted this little beauty. I thought it was a clever way to display a fuchi & Kashira. It would seem a lot of time and effort has gone into this, made out of a hardwood. What do you think? All the best

One of NHK's more recent videos explores the use of Nihonto in Kabuki theatre. It explores the Japanese mindset around swords, how legends influence culture and this space through dramatisation. Nihonto have found a lot of interest through the recent Touken Rabu manga series which has now been brought to life in Kabuki. Animating the sword, makes the people associated with it come alive and makes the art form even more interesting. It was a fascinating watch to get an insight into the spirit of the Nihonto. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/3025180/

The Italian auction company Czerny's has the Tsuba collection of R. E. Haynes up for an online auction that ends 18th March 2026. Auction catalogue with apparently a total of 267 lots up here: https://www.czernys.com/asta-158/?c=321

Hi all, Just like to share my recent acquisition, a unique Mitokoro-mono by the 5th generation mainline head of the Goto school, Tokujo. He was the eldest son of Kujo, born in 1549 and passed away in 1631. After serving Oda Nobunaga, he became the court chisel master for Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Exhibited at the Tokyo National Museum. Enjoy!

Kirimon iron sukashi decorated with kin zogan. Amazingly it fits like a glove on a sword I have.

昭和拾乙亥歲三月吉日 = on an auspicious day in March of Shōwa 10, year of the wood pig 渡邊來助所持 = owned by Watanabe Raisuke