Yvan

Given the limited time frame, and the fact that will land on Feb.25th, missing the Token Kai meeting, I have noted: - Met 1000 Fifth Ave - Newark Museum, Newark NJ - Cooper-Hewitt Museum, Manhattan NY - Manhattan Arts and Antiques Center (Akasaka Collection) unless it was a temporary exhibition and the couple of shops or galleries that were mentioned Thank you and Best regards Yvan

Dear all, I most probably will also be in NYC during the last week of February. Could you please recall the information regarding museums? Is there a Token Kai meeting during that period? Thanks Yvan

It seems that I will be traveling to Kyushu, with my base in Fukuoka during the first half of January 2020 (dates not yet definitive). As we are talking about being close to the old Hizen province and Chikuzen & Chikugo (thanks guys for the remark), would anyone have any tips of where to go, what to see and who to meet ? I will surely try to make a trip down to Kagoshima with a stopover in Kumamoto. I was also told to pay a visit to the Kyushu National Museum. Is Nagasaki worth a visit? Thanks very much in advance for any support.

Hello everyone, I am happy to join the NMB where Nihonto passionates meet to exchange. As Aikido practitioner that I was for a long time, I came across the world of Nihonto in the early 1990s and this was reinforced when I acquired the beautiful book "One Hundred Masterpieces from Dr Walter Compton Collection" in 1993. In 1996, after one year of Japanese evening class, I decided to travel 3 weeks to Japan to visit as many museums I could where swords (among others) were shown - great trip it was indeed! I came back with a few nice books from Kodansha. It was only in 2002 that I purchased my 1st katana (koto), a bit used up but I cherished it many years until 2017 where I finally started studying more seriously, as I started working for the subsidiary of a Japanese company, and finally went to the next step when I acquired a nice Shinto katana with signature. I also joined the NBTHK-EB in Germany where I live and work after having moved from France. I got the advice to read Markus Sesko's books which really create a serious base or reference library to complete what I had. I also advise all members that have not been there yet to visit the Janssen foundation in Berlin - amazing place dedicated to samurai art : www.samurai-artmuseum.com I have learned a lot in the past 2 years, and at every occasion, and I am discovering new things all the time (and I love it), getting slowly acquainted with different schools and smiths, etc, but I still see myself as a beginner. I will read your posts with interests, and ask questions not only about the swords themselves but about visiting places where I can see them, as I very much enjoy traveling. Best regards to all Yvan C. Nürnberg