New York Token Kai Kunio-sensei's passing

[Curran]

A few people have contacted me privately to let me know Kunio-sensei has passed from Covid-19.

He and Kodama-sensei were the cornerstones of the club, with Kodama-sensei having been a good friend to John Prough and me before he retired to Japan.

 

http://www.ny-tokenkai.org/

Kunio-sensei was quite the lecturer and I never knew any bad words about him.

That means he was probably a better person than I have been.

 

Chuck G. has taken over the NYTK and done a great job making it a lively group, interacting with the NY Met collection and other resources.

Having Kunio-sensei no longer part of the crowd will be strange. Some people you just think of as nigh immortal. With he, Kodama-sensei, John Prough, and Yoshikawa-sensei having gone, New York Token Kai will have changed a lot.

 

Those are some big shoes to fill. Best of luck to Chuck and the other members. I wish with all my heart that I could be there.

[ChrisW]

My condolences to his family and friends.

[Katsujinken]

He was a wonderful man who will be missed by so many.

 

NYTK wouldn’t be what it is without him, and I know his influence will continue to support and guide the group, which remains vibrant, in the years ahead.

[Brian]

Condolences to all. Very sad news for the community.

[b.hennick]

Sad news indeed. ????

[Japan2112]

RIP. Kunio san.

[Robert Mormile]

As a young person, I had the pleasure of studying swords with Kunio starting in 1988.  Meeting with Kunio at his studio on Allen Street or at one of the NY Token Kai meetings was a passage into a new and exotic world.  A gifted artist, he looked at swords as an artist as well as an art historian.  Kunio, influenced by Bumpei Usui, felt compelled to tell the story of the war and the Japanese swords that followed its conclusion to the United States.  Kunio had endless patience for students.  Kunio deeply touched hundreds of individuals involved in the world painting and Japanese swords.  He is one of the people who had a very positive impact on my life and for that I am forever grateful.  RIP 

 

Robert

[Jean]

Awfull death, my condolences

[Ganko]

A large loss for the Nihonto community. May he  rest in peace.

[16k]

Sad news, sincere condolences to his friends and family.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Too many good ones are going. RIP.