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The John Plimpton Collection of Japanese Military and Civil Swords


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I am very happy to share that my ebay store Sohei Swords in conjunction with Eric’s Ericowazamono will be helping to handle the sale of the John Plimpton Collection of Japanese Military and Civil Swords. His collection, assembled over 50 years and through the heyday of the post-war Japanese sword hunt in the U.S., features some of the finest and rarest versions of Japanese military related swords. The collection spans the earliest days of the Meiji era, including some very rare early Meiji naval and cavalry swords, all the way to the last days of World War 2 and ‘last-ditch’ items. There are Onshi imperial gifts, coronation tachis, imperial household swords, general grade swords, railway swords, and everything in between.


John has painstakingly catalogued his collection as the backbone of his upcoming book Guide to Imperial Japanese Military and Civil Swords, 1873-1945. Information on the book can be found here. The book is on track to be published next year and we are excited to keep the forum informed of its progress. 


We will be offering swords that are featured and published in the book, but we hope this thread can be used for discussion of any of the items. I will start separate threads in the Sales section as we list items, providing details and prices. Some of the highlights include General-grade swords with tortoise-shell tsukas, nihontos mounted in court koshirae, and even an Onshi imperial gift Yasukunito. 


Attached are a few excerpts from the book highlighting some of the swords he collected. We expect to release items over time once pictures and descriptions are prepared. But we are very excited to begin sharing these swords with the forum and invite your discussion. 


Feel free to comment or ask questions. I can also be reached privately via PM or at soheiswords@gmail.com. Thanks for your consideration.


Matt

1 - Onshi Yasukunito.jpg

3 - Coronation Tachi.jpg

4 - Ornate Saber.jpg

6 - General Kyu Gunto.jpg

7 - Ambassador Saber.jpg

8 - Railway Official.jpg

10 - Imperial Court Sword.jpg

11 - Tortoise Shell Court Sword.jpg

12 - Satsuma Rebellion Kyu Gunto.jpg

14 - Meiji Naval 2.jpg

15 - General Grade Court.jpg

16 - Meiji Cavalry Sword.jpg

18 - Copper NCO.jpg

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This is an amazing opportunity for those of you who collect in this area. It is rare to see swords like these for sale. It is not my area of collecting or I would be gathering funds for a special purchase. Good move Eric and Matt. There will be hard work ahead. I wish you both the best. 

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Matt,

You appear to be doing a great job of managing an important (and odd!) collection.I sincerely hope that when it is all over, you will tell us where all these treasures have gone. Are they going back to Japan? Are Japanese museums paying attention? Certainly, this "collection" needs to be documented. Wow!

Peter

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  • 2 weeks later...

Matt,
Just a suggestion, wouldn't it be an option to take a dealer membership and have your own section for the collection, like our current dealers have? That way you are free to edit, delete, add, control comments etc and have full moderation over the sale, and people can find all the listings in one place.
Just something to consider.

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19 hours ago, Brian said:

Matt,
Just a suggestion, wouldn't it be an option to take a dealer membership and have your own section for the collection, like our current dealers have? That way you are free to edit, delete, add, control comments etc and have full moderation over the sale, and people can find all the listings in one place.
Just something to consider.

Hey Brian - yes, absolutely, I agree that's a great idea. I will PM you for directions on how to set it up. Thanks for your consideration.

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This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one, unless your post is really relevant and adds to the topic..

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