Toryu2020

Didn't seem to like Gendai-to much did he? Elliott et al - Fukunaga Sensei was very active in many of the pre-War, wartime and post-war sword groups. Including the NTHK under Yoshikawa sensei as well as the NBTHK. He was shinsa-in at both organizations. He travelled to the US in the 1970s, alone and with the NTHK, where he did do some sayagaki and I believe issued some papers of his own though not as part of any group. Among his works are; Biruma Jigoku-sen Mei-to to Busho Hizen no Katana to Tsuba Satsuma no Katana to Tsuba Koshitsu, Shogun-ke, Daimyo To-ke Mokuroku Nihonto Monogatari Nihonto Meiko-den Hyuga Toko-den Nihonto Omoshiro no Hanashi Nihonto Yomoyama Hanashi Nihonto Daihaykka Jiten Nihonto Kantei Hikke Nihonto no kantei to kenma Hyuga no Katana to Tsuba Kyoto no Token Showa To-ken meibutsu-cho Katana Kaji no Seikatsu Toko ishi no kenkyu Toko Iseki Meguri 330 sen Kubikiri Asaemon To-ken oshigata Uchida Sokuten Kashu Bukyo Igaku jiten Bukyo Igaku shosetsu Shinran Kyodan danatsushi Shinran no gense riekikan Shoken ji-inshi Ii no todoshi Hon'Ami ke no hitobito The above are given as his "major" works - many of these are indispensable to my library. Fukunaga Sensei has in recent years re-joined the NTHK as a kind of Emeritus advisor and given some talks for the membership though he does not regularly attend meetings. In case you can't tell he is my favourite author... -t

from Yokohama...

Elliott - I fondly remember going to the monthly meetings of the NBTHK Tokyo and seeing Takahashi-san there. Oddly enough he would be there later in the day at the regular meetings of the NTHK. Add to that he would some times show up at the NBTHK meetings in Kamakura where there was of course our own local Takahashi-san. None of which could be confused with my father-in-law, Mr Takahashi who was Yokohama anyways. Seriously, a very common name... -t

聖光 Try putting Sei-Kou into your computer... -t

For those who are interested a slightly different take on the Boys Day thing; http://tinyurl.com/28t2xnl -t

Niclas - Another thing to look at when considering "Iai" swords listed as such is the koshirae. The handle, scabbard and fittings are often of recent manufacture or a mixed bag of old and new. The quality being just good enough for everyday use but not the very best. Museum level restorations of antique koshirae are meant to be preserved not banged up in the dojo, "The finest blades stay in their scabbards" as it were... -t

No worries Ron, Just the American in me... -t

Gentlemen - Do a Google search for Benkei under images and you will see what I am talking about. Perhaps the armour looks a bit nicer than a monks, and perhaps the doll has a full head of hair but I ask you to consider the following; Maybe the doll does not need to be of giant proportions to suggest Benkei to a Japanese audience, perhaps all that is needed is a hood (now lost) and a naginata (now lost) and a "back-pack" full of weapons clearly still present. Perhaps the doll maker makes only one warrior doll and all that needs to be done is to add little details like a hood or a fish-tail kabuto or a gunsen to suggest different characters... I still think it is Benkei. -t

Ron et al - While Yoshitsune is certainly a popular figure, what I see is a nokogiri, a tetsubo and a wooden mallet. All items associated with Benkei (see link for reference). It is possible the hood he is usually seen wearing is now missing or this is some other character spoiling for a big fight. I would say the jury is still out on just who this is... -t http://www.kusanohonke.jp/koukai/tango.html

Chris et al - Could be my dictionary but the listing says Kokkô-in Kai-in Meiyo Sôshô Nyûsen (入選) or "awarded in a competition" - of course I could not find any info on the group Kokkô-in Kai or who might be giving this award... -t

Joe et al- The Toko Zenshu says; Kiyomitsu Yamaguchi (Ken) Kiyomitsu Okazaki Masaru Saku [Mei] Okafuji Masaru [given name] (recipient of the) Kokkô-in Kai-in Meiyo Sôshô award.

Jock et al - This may go without saying but I'll say it anyway. Polish does not equal preservation! Keep a blade clean and well oiled and it is preserved, nothing more needs to be done. Many fine blades have polishes that are 100 or more years old. There is a tendency to polish everything one finds. Great if you have the money but not always a necessity. It doesn't hurt to leave off the polish for some future generation if the blade can be appreciated as is. MHO... -t

I would agree Meiji export, They did a lot of this parquet (sp?) stuff in the Hakone area - not sure I have any useful information beyond that. Not my taste but certainly an eyeful! -t

Ray - Looks to be a boys day display doll. Hard to say what era this is from without seeing it up close and getting a good look at the materials used. The character will surely be some famous person from history but given the photos cannot really say. What is that at his back, a standard or some kind of weapon? Also the "bubble" seems a very Victorian kind of presentation as opposed to glass and plactic boxes that are more the norm. Not sure what that tells us though... -t

J - Don't pay too much attention to Steve he is always a little tongue-in-cheek. It is true the page is laid out in such a way that makes it unclear what exactly we were supposed to do with that link. Your sword may be very nice indeed but without the proper photos people will assume the worst and walk away. No one is saying you are evil, simply that evil people selling questionable swords have listed items with similar shortcomings in the listing. You asked for input, don't take it too much to heart, but you might consider correcting some of the things mentioned before re-listing your sword if that is your intention... -t

looks to be a prewar Juyo Bijitsuhin certificate, I'm a bit dubious of the condition of that sword... -t

George - Han-dachi originally appeared during the Muromachi period when there was a transition taking place from Tachi to katana. The sword was being worn more and more edge up when on foot, but edge down on horseback as it had always been. The handachi is a response to the need to be worn in either style. The placement of the kurikata, menuki and sometimes the other fittings were altered for a better presentation depending on which side was worn outward most of the time. I believe this is the first time we see swivels and kurikata on the mune side of a koshirae. In the Bakumatsu period the idea of a "return to the past" took hold of the popular imagination and along with talk of returning to the righteous government of old we see folks wanting to wear tachi in the style of their ancestors. Of course the majority were not riding around on horseback so the handachi again becomes popular and we see alot of Late-Edo mounts that were clearly set up as katana but with tachi mounts. Your example looks to be modern to my eye - the loop/swivel on the saya looks like it comes straight off of a naval mount - the other fittings are definitely tachi style fittings. Though it lacks a semeganamono I suppose you could call this a handachi koshirae but I am dubious about its age... -t

Autumn in Sekigahara? Definitely Showato, dirt and leaves can't hurt your sword unless you leave it there. Would hate to see you treat your other swords like this... -t

Stu - If I had to say I would venture that it is no more than 100 years old maybe 200. Tsuka and saya were used up with everyday wear and most of what we see is late Edo or Meiji work. The fittings do look like they could be older, but to my eye the wood is pretty fresh... -t

Keith et al - I'm inclined to say this is 20th century - the fittings are older but the weave, color and style of wrap suggests to me later work. Pre-war certainly but not much older. The key actually though is in the wood itself. Can you show us a photo of the wood under the fuchi and the inside of the handle? The true age will be readily apparent I believe... -t

First I would seek out the Samurai-Archives for a quick source of good information online - Next you might contrast the Bushido of the Kamakura Period with that of the Edo period and that of the Pacific War. The swords were different in shape and size, worn in different ways, and thought of very differently in the society of the times. A big idea perhaps but with a very few simple examples you could easily illustrate this idea - the hard part will be finding good examples of sword and armour from the earliest period... -t

Read below for a chance to get translation of another sort... "I just wanted to give a heads up to those coming over for the Dai- Tôken-Ichi at the end of the month. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the NTHK. We will be holding the following event not far from the site of the DTI: The event is on Sunday, the 31st of October at the ANA Intercontinental Tokyo Hotel near Roppongi Itchôme station on the Namboku line; however, it should be a short taxi ride from the DTI. There will be a display of important swords from 2 until 4 and a dinner party from 4 until 6. The display is ¥5,000 and the dinner is also ¥5,000. We will also be giving everyone a copy of the first volume of the Yûshûtô Zuroku. If I know how many of you will be coming, I will try to toss in the translation. I hope some of you can make this. It should be fun. I will be at the DTI in the morning and anyone who wants to go can grab me and I will arrange transportation." on behalf of Gordon Robson robsongo@swu.ac.jp

As if there was not already enough to do... "I just wanted to give a heads up to those coming over for the Dai- Tôken-Ichi at the end of the month. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the NTHK. We will be holding the following event not far from the site of the DTI: The event is on Sunday, the 31st of October at the ANA Intercontinental Tokyo Hotel near Roppongi Itchôme station on the Namboku line; however, it should be a short taxi ride from the DTI. There will be a display of important swords from 2 until 4 and a dinner party from 4 until 6. The display is ¥5,000 and the dinner is also ¥5,000. We will also be giving everyone a copy of the first volume of the Yûshûtô Zuroku. If I know how many of you will be coming, I will try to toss in the translation. I hope some of you can make this. It should be fun. I will be at the DTI in the morning and anyone who wants to go can grab me and I will arrange transportation." on behalf of Gordon Robson robsongo@swu.ac.jp

Skull and Bones and Flowers not a match? Natsu gusa wa tsuwamono dono ga yume no ato or The summer grasses, for brave young warriors the aftermath of dreams... -t

Ken - This has three drawers - the top drawer is for swords in koshirae - you may not be able to see it in the photo but the rack on the right where the kurikata and saeo would be is much larger than the one to the left which hold just the saya. The bottom drawers have racks that are equal in size both left and right slightly smaller than the top drawer, able to accommodate koshirae as you can see but clearly for shirasaya... Best of luck with your project, -t