ckaiserca

Traditionally made yari are considered Nihonto.

Thanks Brian!

For what you will pay to have this sword restored, you could buy a sword in better condition. I would pass on this one.

Paul Martin posted on Facebook today seeking input about a possible National Treasure Sword Book. He wants to know how much support such a book would have, as he expects the cost to be between $100 and $120 (USD). If you want your vote counted, you can post a "Yes" in the comments on his Facebook post. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14ity6ay2FE/ He thinks the production and sale of the book would be based on pre-orders, and stated that he would need about 1000 yes responses to produce the book.

The Toronto Tōken Kai will be hosting a display of Japanese Swords and other items of interest as part of Toronto Doors Open at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre this Saturday and Sunday (May 23 and 24) from 10 am until 5 pm. This event is open to all and is free of charge. Come by and see us! The JCCC is located at 6 Sakura Way in Toronto, Ontario. Take the Wynford Drive exit from the DVP and go west to Sakura Way. Some map software may still list Sakura Way as Garamond Court.

I am fortunate to have a copy of this beautiful book. It has pride of place in my library. It has to! It doesn't fit on any of my shelves, so it sits on a book stand in a corner where I can stand and read it.

I can see this being an awesome resource. I will certainly share this with my fellow Toronto Token Kai members at our next meeting!

I have a koshirae for a sword that Lord Mizuno Tadanori, the last hereditary leader of the Numazu-Mizuno Clan, supposedly carried. The menuki and fuchi-kashira both feature Hidari-mitsudomoe (three commas) mon. When I searched online for an association with the Numazu-Mizuno Clan for this Mon, I couldn't find any evidence. Still, when I asked ChatGPT, it says that they were fudai daimyō (hereditary vassals of the Tokugawa) and that the Mizuno clan, including its Numazu branch, historically used the Hidari-mitsudomoe mon as their family crest. Can anyone provide a source for confirmation of this information? Also, the mimi of this sword's tsuba bears a repeating pattern of what I believe to be another mon, a gold leaf pattern. Is there an association there? I have attached photos of the rim of the tusba, fuchi, and menuki. Thanks for any help that you can provide!

The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre Token Kai will be hosting a display and information table at the “Doors Open Toronto” event this weekend. The event runs from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25 at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre located at 6 Sakura Way, Toronto, CA M3C 1Z5. Note that Sakura Way was formally Garamond Court and still displays this way on some online maps. There should be some beautiful items on display, and several members of the club's executive will be on hand to meet and answer questions. There will also be a host of other events and demonstrations going on at the Centre during the weekend. This photo is from the Haru Matsuri celebrarion that occurred at the beginning of March, but the display will be similar. Please stop by to say hello!

Member of NBTHK AB and a member of the Toronto Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre Token Kai.

I would strongly suggest that he display the koshirae with the tsunagi and keep the blade in its shirasaya. It should be fine to keep it displayed like that indefinitely.

Very hard to tell anything from these photos. I can't make out any trace of a hamon and it looks like there is either rust or some other damage to to blade’s edge. Without better pictures, I would pass on this one.

Stunning book. The photography is first rate and even has a couple very impressive 4 page foldouts of important swords in 92.5% scale.

I ordered a copy from Amazon Canada today. It should arrive tomorrow. It was supposedly the only copy they had in stock. Price in Canada was $59.95 CDN.

Torokusho are supposed to be kept with the sword at all times. I doubt any dealer is just sending in a random Torokusho for an export permit. They take record keeping very seriously in Japan