w.y.chan

Thanks Brian, I did thought it may have been Kiyota san who won Doryoku sho soon after I posted, would have been some news if his student have got a top award instead of his teacher. The result ofthe annual sword contest hasnt been released yet but I believe its been decided. Does anyone know if the Masamune sho been awarded this year or any new Mukansa designation?

Thankyou Pierre. It is interesting that a western swordsmith is giving the Japanese a run of the money in their traditional craft. Doryoku sho is 3rd prize but most smiths dont even get that.

Peter, thankyou for your report. I believe the event was a major success. As in the Yoshihara exhibition in the US Paul is one of the few organisers that can pull something off as major as this, as an Englishmen he impressed me by personally involved in promoting swords in 3 continents in a big scale with originality. Due to a photography assignment (I was shooting a burlesque evening) I couldnt make it but I wish I went just to do the photos. The BM has one of the best nihonto collection in the country including I believe the Royal family's. I had the privelage to see them in the backroom soon after they were returned from polishing a few years ago and again Paul did the preperation, the Shintogo Kunimitsu tanto I recall a very unique blade, notice some of them werent put on display during the Cutting Edge exhibition the following year, maybe too special?

I also heard the Russians, in particular very rich underworld figures are on the look out for nihonto, also wartime gendaitos especially ones with associations to right wing, patriotic and by top smiths.

Just to link directly to the government or Home Office page http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/ ... apons-0307 and assistant to how to answer from GB Token website http://www.to-ken.com/membersarea/Clivesreport.htm I believe the consultation is open to everyone not just UK residents.

For those who are residents of the UK there is currently a Downing Street petition against proposed sword ban. This potentially covers all swords but especially so called "Samurai swords" which is high up on the tabloid newspaper hit list. http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/swords/ There is currently almost 9,400 signatures lets hope we can make 10,000 in the next 2 days before the closing date on the 15th May.

Mumei and tateware, the price is about right, surprisingly. If it had a mei that would have been a different story.

Err, let me guest the author.

I wonder how many smiths uses a power hammer? I suppose the top smiths with sakites might not need them.

I hope Paul dont mind me posting his video clip of him making a kogatana to anyone who had not seen it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l2PbvBeGkE

I uses Fujishiro cleaning kit for 10 years and the polish still maintained like it was new, as in most thing the key is use clean soft tissue free of additives, no recycle paper. The Fujishiro uchiko as far as I know are not made from uchigamori stone, it is soft and dont scratch. Alchohol is very good especially when removing old oil that had build up over the years, it can also get rid of dried oil you cant see that has become more resilient to uchiko even microfibre lens cloth cant shift. What I find after using alcohol the blade can repel some light oil particularly choji and beading may occur. However I am not sure what is the long term effect of frequent usage of alcohol on modern polish can cause, would it bleach away the nugui one day? Choji oil is very sticky especially when dried and can become resilient to lens cloth wipe though you may not see it. If you do decide to switch from one type of oil to another wipe the old oil off with alcohol, mixing traces of different oil may cause discolour and cloudiness. Obviously others may experience different things?

I am guessing the related families of the Hizen school supported the 2nd Tadahiro for much of if not throughout his career which probably attributed to the high number of swords with his name. I dont own Robertshawe's book but I look forward to getting hold of a copy one day.

Hi Peter, On hindsight it is good thing that it is showing some core steel considering how much steel was loss and genuine Hizen swords have thin kawagane. Looking at the style of hamon it looks quite like 1st Hizen Tadakuni more than Masahiro, maybe it was made on assistant to the 2nd Tadahiro?

Peter, that is a good restoration job, is there any evidence of core still and blisters? Gunome midare such as this is less frequent amongst Tadayoshi, it looks like the style of Shodai Masahiro.

As the decription says, the nakago is protected with iron plate and reshaped.

Not in Japan, Like 50s America it is a mans world

There are a number of Chinese discussion forums devoted to nihonto. I am pretty sure the growing middle class are increasingly tired of their Paul Chen swords and looking for better stuff. Nothing to do with the above but it wouldnt surprise me if the Mainland setup a body to catalogue surrendered wartime swords because there is serious money to be made.

Its always difficult to tell by photos alone. I am bit of a camera nerd and certain p&s digicams can make an object look false due to internal auto correction. That aside I dont wish to make claims as to the validity of this particular sword but from what I can see if just looking at the blade it remind me of Bungo Takada of the Shinto period in particular its lack of nie. It does appear to have a Hizen nakago, could be a reworked blade or a bonafide fake from the start. If it is genuine pretty sure Mike would have gotten it papered, he is or was based in Japan also and no problem for him to submit the blade for Shinsa. W

This one is a good entry level famous make, if genuine I can see a profit http://www.aoi-art.com/sword/wakizashi/07107.html

There was a Kiyomaro signed "Yamaura Tamaki Masayuki" his early mei, that was sold for $417,400 at Sotherby plus commision usually 10% on top of final bid. That sword was once owned by Field Marshall Festing.

Paul, do the guests allow flash photography while at work? Had a chance of using the other type of Fujishiro oil yesterday, the yellow or choji version just to see how it it was like. Its almost odourless and the light yellow colour looks like camellia oil, maybe it is? Still too early to tell how good it is but I imagine not as good as their mineral version which is highly recommended.

Its been said the 3rd gen Tadayoshi is superior then the 2nd and may have been responsible for the better quality swords by the 2nd gen as daisaku. Possibly for that reason some claim that the 8th gen might have an edge over the 2nd gen. Some debate that the 3rd might be above the 1st gen in skill.

Modern Japanese Swordsmiths although gave the prizes won it doesnt show the year it was won. It is up to 2001/02. You are probably the best person here to shed some lights on this. I believe Ono won the top prize in 1987, the last time he entered as a competing smith and the same year was nominated Mukansa, but new mukansa are named when the result is announced and need not be listed as competing, unless the rules were changed since? Last year Ogawa Kanekuni and So Masachika was named mukansa but as has been before they werent listed as competing smiths. Thanks again W

Hi Paul, Thanks for giving the info. I wasnt sure if any smiths had won 4 Prince Takamatsu prize consequetively other than Ono. Yoshihara Yoshikazu did dominate the top spot for some years, I dont have the record if they were consequetive? Another thing I want to ask about the sword making competition. I am not sure if I am correct but it appears some smiths became mukansa on the same year they won a 1st prize while others became without having to compete on the year they are nominated, I probably read it wrong somwhere. If I can bother you for time, do you the stats for the two Yoshihara brothers of their competition success over the years? Cheers W

Hi Paul, I believe the record for most Prince Takamatsu award is 6 by one Miyairi Kei, might be wrong but need confirmation?