b.hennick

GuysI'm impressed with your ability to read and translate this hakogaki.

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More complex hamon than I am used to seeing. Perhaps that is why the Den in the attribution.

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From the emails that i have received to date, please change my original number from 3 to 8. Seems to me that we are now at 48. If there is a price break at 50 I would take the extra 2 to make this work well for everyone.

GREAT DEAL! I paid $400 for mine.

I sent an email to my club members asking who would want one or more. I'm sure that I could order three and have someone to buy them. So for now I will enter three in the survey but I hope to update that as emails come in.

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It looks like we all need to travel to Paris to see great swords! The jihada photos are wonderful. I too think that it is probably Hosho. There is too much masame for it not to be. Great achievement! Merci bien mon ami!

Is it possible for someone in Japan to take orders and ship books out to members here who would pre-pay for the books. I expect that a larger group purchase would lead to a lower price and quick delivery. If some one wants to take this on I would be happy to email my club members and to ask them if they want one. That would probably lead to 10 orders that would be sent to me and I would get them to my club members. Volunteers?? I just saw that you made a similar posts. Great minds think alike.

When I sold a collection of good tsuba at auction I was told that I didn't need papers. Those who would buy would know what they were buying. Bob Haynes did the write ups- Kunsthandle Kleifisch

Sanmaiawasa ?

Hi Oyabun Since the membership runs from January to January you will get all 2015 issues. Regards, Barry

I have never taken it to a show but if you come to Toronto Ontario I would be happy to show you it among others. I live in a suburb of Toronto.

Four of us Francisco Couthino, Brent Tanner, Ian Bottomley and I have written a four section article on restoration/conservation. Part A is on Armour B on Swords C on shirasaya D on kodogu (fittings and koshirae). We examine differing approaches that compares and contrast museums' approaches, collector approaches etc. Part A was published in the recently mailed Newsletter, B is at the editor and will be published in the next issue C and D have been written but are undergoing final revisions. Joining the JSSUS gets you 6 issues of a Newsletter in English that has articles on swords, fittings armour etc. The JSSUS continues to pay for the translation of significant works from Japanese to English and publish those works. One issue of last year's Newsletter was a translation on the Journal Me no Me on Higo tsuba. I apologise for the commercial but once I started I got carried away. Regards, Barry Hennick Director/Ombudsman JSSUS visit the JSSUS at www.jssus.org

Check the latest issue of the JSSUS Newsletter....

Tokubetsu hozon to Ko Naminohira but it could be a Senjuin.

Jim Kurasch introduced me to the owner of a one hole ubu late Heian or early Kamakura tachi. We communicated for a couple of years as he wanted to be sure that I would take good care of his baby. I have enjoyed it for many years. Whenever I study it I think both of Krash and of the previous owner. He placed his favourite in the right hand as I will do when the time comes. We are after all only temporary guardians of these things.

Take a look look at the work here: http://www.nihonto.us/GOTO%20ICHIJO%20FUTOKOROMONO.htm

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Our Meeting dates are posted on the MNB calendar. We welcome visitors and new members. I would add that members brought at least 10 additional swords to the meeting for people to look at. There were books, fittings, a maedate, etc to buy or just admire.

HI Arnold: Some of this was discussed at the meeting: ".. As sheer co-incidence would have it I've been wondering recently about the relation between the status of a smith and the level of the paper actually received by the blade, other things equal. It goes without saying that smiths that are highly ranked, Saijo saku and Jo Jo saku for example, on average made blades worthy of those designations, " It was pointed out that the NTHK looks at a blade in relation to the work of that particular smith. An average or below average blade by a good/great will receive an average or below average score. A great blade by a lower ranked smith will receive a higher score. So a 72 point blade by a great smith will be better than a 78 point blade by a poorer smith. The higher score reflects the better work of the lesser smith. If was also felt that a mumei blade by a great smith might receive a generic paper e.g Bungo Takada rather than pointing to that great smith. Someone suggested that a blade might get a pink paper (fail shinsa) so that a big name smith is not papered. I personally know of people who have submitted NBTHK papered blades to the NTHK and had the blade fail shinsa. As to the blades: #1 mumei wakizashi brasso obscured the blade's hamon except for an area near the machi, The blade was a Bizen wakizashi. Most didn't see that bit of hada and hamon and would have failed the blade. #2 mumei small tachi very small point, very old shape and old tang, the hamon started several inches above the machi. There was what on first glance looked to be a huge blister about 6-8 inches above the machi. Close inspection (pointed out after people missed it) was that one could see the claws of a dragon and some scales. The blade was pinked (failed shinsa) the pink paper said saiha Muromachi jidai. The blade's sayagaki is to Bungo Yukihira who started his hamon above the machi, had horimono on one side of the blade above the machi 6-8 inches, early smith early blade shape. #3 signed wakizashi by Shodai Kanesada - hirazukuri shape little to see in the hamon. Soshin blade Arnold I wish that you were there as I'm sure that you would have made great contributions to our discussion.

Yes - one was signed the other two were mumei.

This report is to suggest a topic that worked well to other sword study groups. Our meeting had three parts. The first part was a brief presentation by Kevin Adams , our prize winning tsubako. He spoke a little about the NBSK and the competition where he won the silver medal for his tsuba. The second part started with a presentation by Chris Leung on the history of issuing papers starting with the Honami and ending with the current situation. I went over the NBTHK standards for papering swords as presented on Danny Massey's web-site: http://nihontocraft.com/2015_NBTHK_Nionto_Tosogu_Shinsa_Standards.html We divided our members in to three groups and had three blades for them to look at. The questions that they had to answer were: 1. Would this blade earn a paper? (reasons) 2. What level of paper would it earn (Hozon, Tokubetsu Hozon, Juyo)? After everyone has a chance to examine all three blades and to discuss the blades in their group Chris and I discussed each of the three blades and answered questions. In the third part of the meeting, Mike Groisman provided 4 tanto for people to look at and to determine which level if any each blade would paper at. After everyone had an opportunity to examine the blade he discussed each in turn and gave the level of each and who made each blade. This formal part was followed by more discussion and the sharing of various blades brought to the meeting. Our aim was to help members to learn about papers and the processes involved and to become comfortable with quality levels and criteria. Most of our meetings have a hands-on component. We encourage discussion and positive reinforcement.

Thanks to all who offered help. No wonder I found this difficult!