HoustonNihonto

Hi nihonto community. Even though the USPS office of the inspector general is still looking for the Sanjo Chikamura blade, it still hasn’t been found. I have my fingers crossed that eventually it will be found and will find its way back to me! I do want to mention that Nicholas Benson has been a real gentleman throughout this whole process and we have come to a mutually acceptable agreement. As such, I am happy to continue to be one of his customers and have recently bought some juyo blades from him!

Thanks for sharing the USPS contacts. If the Bensons have published T&C’s, shame on me for not asking about them. But I will sure check going forward.

Hi Kevin. Glad to hear you’re enjoying the Moritaka blade! I just heard one of my swords going thru NBTHK shinsa came back as TH Ko-Kongobyoe, so I’m really looking forward to learning more about it.

Hi folks. Really appreciate all the best wishes and suggestions. Hopefully the sword turns up somewhere soon! If you have any information that leads to the recovery of the sword, I will gladly pay a $500 reward… :-) After 4 months that the blade has been lost, I have decided to start communicating with USPS directly and no longer through the Bensons, especially since learning this will be entirely my loss. I will do more research before entrusting unique blades to others who won’t handle them with as basic care as including AirTags when shipping (without insurance…). If you have contacts in USPS leadership positions that may be helpful, please let me know. They tried all the normal channels and have come up empty. thanks again- Mauro

Hello Nihonto community. This is Mauro Gimenez, a Nihonto collector from Houston, TX. I tend to fly under the radar so many of you have likely never heard of me. After several months hoping USPS would find the package that was sent by Nick Benson in Hawaii to Japan for shinsa, we are likely coming to the unfortunate conclusion that the sword (along with 3 others) have been stolen by a USPS employee who targeted the type of package. The last reported scan was mid December in the LA area and the tracking goes silent after that. We were told the package was rejected by US Customs for export and was put back in the USPS system to send back to Hawaii but that never happened. Unfortunately, they did not include an AirTag on the box like most people do, so there is no way to follow the package en route or know its current whereabouts… This is a zaimei Sanjo Chikamura with a June 2024 NBTHK Hozon certificate. It was sent to the Bensons in Hawaii for polishing and subsequent submission to shinsa but the package never made its way to Japan. Would not be surprised if it ended up at some pawn shop in the LA area, where it was likely stolen by a USPS employee. There’s only 5 known signed blades by Sanjo Chikamura, folks, so although it’s Hozon level, this was still a high-value rarity that will be irreplaceable if permanently lost… if anyone offers you this blade for sale or you happen to see it a a shop for sale or you hear a fellow Nihonto collector speak about it, please BE AWARE THIS IS A STOLEN ITEM and report it immediately to me and to the police. Any help this community can provide in tracking it down and returning it to its rightful owner (me!), would be immensely appreciated. i am including some photos of the blade for reference. Please no snarky commentary or expert opinions on the authenticity of the signature, quality of the blade and stuff. This blog is being initiated to track down a stolen item and not to open the forum for discussion about the technical merits of this specific blade. Thanks everyone for your attention. I know you would all seek the help from this awesome community were you to find yourself in a similar unfortunate situation. if anyone has any information, please don’t hesitate to reach me at +1 (713) 504-7629 or via email at maurohgimenez@gmail.com Mauro