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cabowen Grand Master

cabowen

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Wow, I really enjoyed this....I thought it very well done and it showed clearly the character and personality of Sasaki san, the very picture of a traditional craftsman. I only have met him a few times but he is exactly as depicted. A treasure of a man...

 

Good to see lots of familiar faces as well.

 

Note that the contest was not the NBTHK contest, but that of the newer group of craftsman that was formed awhile back.

 

This will be broadcast several more times today. Catch it if you can. It is a rare window (pun not intended) into the world of the togi-shi....

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Brian

Brian

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Really enjoyed that. Thanks for the heads up. Very interesting. Love the fact that there are still youngsters with the passion.

10 Years of training at least, and they are still nervous and learning. Watching this gives a huge insight into why we push the "no amateur polishing" thing here.

Would love to see more shows like this.

 

Brian

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cabowen Grand Master

cabowen

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Watching this gives a huge insight into why we push the "no amateur polishing" thing here.

 

Hopefully it succeeded in providing an insight into why some of us have been vocal in our belief that any amateur polishing should not be pushed nor promoted.

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Soshin Grand Master

Soshin

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Hopefully it succeeded in providing an insight into why some of us have been vocal in our belief that any amateur polishing should not be pushed nor promoted.

 

 

I watched it this morning at 8:00 AM eastern US time. What a wonderful show. :) I completely agree with Brian and Chris about the evils of amateur polishing of real Japanese swords. :evil: I also feel it is important to support the traditional trained polishers like the teacher, the newly independent polisher, and the two students profiled in the show.

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Brian

Brian

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missed it where is it when you go to web site?

On the quoted page is a link on the right to what is currently streaming. You just have to tune in at the right time, and watch whatever is on.

Hopefully it succeeded in providing an insight into why some of us have been vocal in our belief that any amateur polishing should not be pushed nor promoted.

Yep..just like the forum has always advocated

.

Amateur:

1. a person who engages in a pursuit, especially a sport, on an unpaid basis.

synonyms: non-professional, non-specialist, layman, layperson; More

dilettante, dabbler, potterer, trifler;

enthusiast, devotee, fan, … lover;

 

antonyms: professional

•a person who is contemptibly inept at a particular activity.

"that bunch of stumbling amateurs"

synonyms: bungler, blunderer, incompetent, bumbler; informal bodger

 

But this is about the tv program mentioned, so lets stick to that please.

 

Brian

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cabowen Grand Master

cabowen

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But this is about the tv program mentioned, so lets stick to that please.

 

Brian

 

Indeed, let's.....

 

For those who missed it, the program was about the master polisher Sasaki san and his two current live-in students; he states his belief clearly that the live-in apprenticeship is the only way to properly learn the craft. One live-in student has been with him 9 years, the other, about ready to go independent, 11. They spend most waking moments learning the art. One of his former students, who has won first prize a few times in the polishing contest, still comes by when he has questions to consult his teacher. During the course of the program we see the students interact with their teacher as he critiques their work and offers suggestions and encouragement; this back and forth is a crucial part of their training and is seen as essential in advancing their development. The program illustrates quite plainly the long and difficult schooling endured to become a properly trained togi-shi, making it clear that it isn't something one learns on one's own, be it from books, video, or even a few weeks or months here or there of guided instruction. In this regard alone, it is an invaluable must see.....By all means, do...

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Jussi Ekholm Veteran

Jussi Ekholm

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Thanks to your heads up Ian, I was able to see it on the weekend. I'm lucky as my cable provider offers NHK World for free, I guess that is quite rare in Finland. :) But it's very nice that someone went to the trouble of uploading it to Youtube so everyone can see it.

 

Like others have said before me it's an amazing documentary. One "hidden" gem for me was the brief portion of sword auction in Tokyo.

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Ford Hallam Grand Master

Ford Hallam

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Great program for sure, and speaking personally it felt very intimate also as I know these people very well. Even more relevant for this community, I feel, is the fact that this film was originally supposed to be about Andy Inckeringill, who won a gold last year in the NBSK competition. Andy has just recently completed a full 7 year apprenticeship under Sasaki Sensei and has now set up his new business back home in Australia with his masters approval and blessing. Knowing Sasaki sensei and his standards this is no small accomplishment.

 

And just to emphasise, as pointed out by Chis earlier, the competition is the one run by the newer NBSK NOT the older NBTHK. The general feeling among practitioners of the various crafts is that the NBSK is more concerned with the living craft as opposed to the more antique business side of the field.

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Andrew Ickeringill Contributor

Andrew Ickeringill

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I'm very pleased to see the responses so far from people who have enjoyed this documentary!! Both NHK and my sensei certainly put a lot of effort into it, looks like the effort payed off.

 

As Ford has stated, this doco was originally going to be based around my apprenticeship with sensei, but unfortunately I couldn't be there at the time of filming. So the exec producer of the doco re-hashed the whole thing to be about the other students entering the competition, and what a great result!!

 

I think they did a great job capturing the characters of sensei and the lads in the house and the relationships they have with each other, this is something I've never really seen portrayed in a documentary before, a rare glimpse.

 

After all, this is one of the keys of being an uchideshi, if you don't respect and get along with your sensei or sempai, you're not going to last long. It's like a family, and although there are strong rivalries involved it's important to have that comradery, a brotherhood.

 

So well done to everyone involved!!

 

Now, as for me finishing my training and setting up my workshop, I may have to open another thread... stay tuned.

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Kevin Adams Community Regular

Kevin Adams

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Thank you so much for sharing this - not only is it a wonderful documentary, but it is a nice little glimpse into the apprentice system in Japan. Lots for a student to reflect on.

 

And just to emphasise, as pointed out by Chis earlier, the competition is the one run by the newer NBSK NOT the older NBTHK. The general feeling among practitioners of the various crafts is that the NBSK is more concerned with the living craft as opposed to the more antique business side of the field.

Ford, the ranking system in the award ceremony at the end is a bit unclear. I understand the concept of the "runner up", "honorable mention", and of course the gold and silver awards, but the NBSK also uses "nyusen" and the "Tokusho" award you won this year. How do these all relate to each other?

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Brian

Brian

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Met Andrew in Japan, and he is really a great guy, and has done amazingly well. We should all support him and the dedication he has shown. I know he is going to be a huge asset to Aussie collectors.

Andrew, I can only hope your queue will have a few slots for NMB members, and we can support you through the forum.

Looking forward to any news.

 

Brian

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Andrew Ickeringill Contributor

Andrew Ickeringill

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Brian, many thanks for the kind words, I'll keep everyone posted.

 

Kevin, this is how it goes with the competitions...

 

NBSK -

 

The categories are polishing, sword-making, tsuba, habaki, shirasaya, tsukamaki and sometimes lacquerwork. More prizes are given out in the categories of polishing and sword-making as there are many more entries. The below examples are for polishing and sword-making, so for the other categories it's the same ranking, just fewer prizes given out.

 

Toku-sho - 1 to 2 prizes are given out to the top entries, in some categories they may not award a tokusho.

Kin-sho - The next highest prize, 3 to 4 prizes are given out.

Gin-sho - 4 to 5 prizes are given out.

Dou-sho - 5 to 6 prizes are given out.

Nyusen - Runner up, accepted into the competition but didn't receive a top prize.

Rakusen - Not accepted.

 

NBTHK -

 

It's slightly different, they have the same categories, but the prizes have different names and sometimes they give out more prizes overall. However like the NBSK, there are some categories in which fewer prizes are awarded due to lower number of entries.

 

Toku-sho - 3 to 5 prizes are given out to the top entries, in some categories they may not award a tokusho.

Yushu-sho - 3 to 5 prizes are given out.

Doryoku-sho - 7 to 10 prizes are given out.

Nyusen - Runner up accepted into the competition but didn't receive a top prize.

Rakusen - Not accepted.

 

----------------------------------------------

 

So as far as ranking is concerned, to give an example, in my case I took the 3rd place Kin-sho in last years NBSK comp, last year they only gave out one Toku-sho for polishing, so overall I ranked 4th in the polishing category. This might've been called Toku-sho in the NBTHK comp depending on how many they gave out that year... but that wouldn't change the rank, it's just the name of the prize they'd give to overall 4th place.

 

Hope that clears it up. I think I've confused myself though :?

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Brian

Brian

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Andrew,

Just as a rough guide, what are the entry numbers for polishing? I mean....I have no idea if there are 10 entries or 50.

Just interested in how many participants there are in the more popular categories. I assume only 1 entry per person?

Do they submit a sword of their choice/style/age?

 

Brian

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Andrew Ickeringill Contributor

Andrew Ickeringill

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Brian, from memory there are usually around 35-40 entries into the polishing comp, but these include a few entries submitted by the judges of the comp which you could say is the equivalent of mukansa, meaning these craftsmen are no longer eligible to win a prize, they're considered above judgement. The polishing comp has the most number of entries each year.

 

Only 1 entry per person of course, any sword that is real Nihonto can be entered, it's a personal choice.

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