uwe Posted June 11 Report Posted June 11 I’ll be a bit late…currently in Dokkum for a stopover! 1 Quote
oli Posted June 15 Report Posted June 15 Once again a nice weekend in Utrecht and it was very nice to meet some people in live. 3 Quote
Leen Posted June 15 Author Report Posted June 15 It was a very nice weekend indeed and as Oli said, it was very nice to meet some people live. Our neighbors from Germany, people from Austria, Australia, Great Britain, Japan, the states. You guys know who you are We had some good conversations and fun. 3 1 Quote
Luc T Posted June 16 Report Posted June 16 It was a very nice edition, maybe the best till now! I met a lot of new JAS-members, and it was an honour to give a lecture for you all. 6 Quote
Bugyotsuji Posted June 16 Report Posted June 16 How did the talk go? (Hmmm… Is there some reason they have displayed the blade with the nakago to the right? ) Quote
ThomasP Posted June 16 Report Posted June 16 I was also on the Expo, for first time. I was only present on Friday. One day is far too short to see everything in detail. It was very nice and i learned a lot! The dealers and personal was very friendly and we had a very good time. I am also planning to attend next year. Then for the whole weekend! Also the city Utrecht is wonderful. But the parking spaces are a disaster 2 1 Quote
Luc T Posted June 16 Report Posted June 16 14 hours ago, Bugyotsuji said: How did the talk go? (Hmmm… Is there some reason they have displayed the blade with the nakago to the right? ) Hi Piers, about the lecture, I leave the comments to the audience. I hope they enjoyed it! 2 Quote
Jussi Ekholm Posted June 16 Report Posted June 16 Nice to hear that the event went well. I think it is important to have an event like this in Europe. As for the sword I would assume maybe because of the katakiriba it was displayed this way, and the horimono looks nice too. 1 Quote
Nihonto student Posted June 17 Report Posted June 17 Visited for the first time, beautiful event in an equally beautiful and exclusive location, very helpful and friendly dealers, I sincerely hope that this event will be maintained because we desperately need it in Europe, hope that the dealers have also done good business because in the end a lot also depends on this. I see the format itself as centered but in a growth perspective it would be interesting to integrate more laboratories / lectures also in general on Japanese culture that can attract a more varied audience. The blade posted by Luc is a Gassan Sadanobu was exhibited together with 3 other Gassan including an Sadakazu Odachi for the very interesting lecture held by Simone di Franco on the Gassan school, obviously magnificent horimono as per Gassan tradition. Regarding possible purchases the offer was varied with both entry level and high level pieces, especially for entry level I saw several interesting pieces compared to the asking price so I strongly suggest to those who are thinking about their first purchase to come to the next edition. @Jussi Ekholm I thought of you when I saw this , never seen so many ana.. PS: sorry for the low quality photos but I didn't want to be too annoying towards the dealers... Giordy 6 1 Quote
Lewis B Posted June 17 Report Posted June 17 Another great event and certainly exceeded last years, both in terms of number of dealers (several new faces in the booths from Japan and Australia) and range of blades, with a little more emphasis on Koto. Many Juyo papered blades were available for sale too. There was a booth demonstrating urushi polishing and a separate room featuring the work of a calligrapher. Yes, I would agree a few more lectures covering a wider variety of Japanese culture would encourage greater attendance by the lay person. Maybe a tea ceremony demo would be a nice idea. Its a shame the event is poorly attended by the NBTHK-EB members. The more support it gets the more likely it is to continue. Europe sorely needs the Japan Art Fair. Congrats to Henk and Daisuke san for organizing this annual 3 day expo which seems to grow in strength with increasing years. I plan to be there next year too. Did anyone get their blade(s) shinsa'ed on the Sunday? How did that go? 5 1 2 Quote
Benjamin Posted June 17 Report Posted June 17 I add also had a great experience at Japan Art Fair, the three days wasn't too much to enjoy blades and people. I regret not having met our german fellows but I was caught up by time. I want to especially thanks the sellers for their kindness and availability, always ready to present theirs items. And of course a great thanks to the organizers. Giordy, I dreamed of this giant Ayanakoji friday night, very impressive and beautiful blade. By the way I didn't Shinsa'ed anything so can't express. I will come back next year. On 6/17/2025 at 11:58 AM, Lewis B said: Europe sorely needs the Japan Art Fair Can't say it better 5 Quote
Nihonto student Posted June 17 Report Posted June 17 1 hour ago, Benjamin said: Giordy, I dreamed of this giant Ayanakoji friday night, very impressive and beautiful blade. I understand you very well Benjamin , I was amazed thinking about how much effort is needed to create a blade of such magnitude. Also it would be nice to be able to organize a meeting/lunch/dinner with NMB members next year by organizing it in advance. 4 Quote
Jussi Ekholm Posted June 17 Report Posted June 17 Thank you for the reports everyone. For us who couldn't attend it is great fun to read them. I am also happy that several people have nudged me towards the Ayanokōji ōdachi. Now for the shock of many I might actually prefer the Gassan Sadakazu ōdachi just based on the few pics... 🫣 that is just the feeling by looking at few pics. And feeling is for me the most important thing. The Ayanokōji blade is of course very interesting too. Seeing it got appraised by Tanobe and what he wrote about it, would be amazing to sit down and pick his brain about the sword, as his knowledge is superior. Would have loved to see it in person and make my own idea of the item 😊 2 Quote
Akaryu Posted June 17 Report Posted June 17 On 6/16/2025 at 8:49 AM, Bugyotsuji said: How did the talk go? (Hmmm… Is there some reason they have displayed the blade with the nakago to the right? ) My thoughts on these questions: Luc's talk on the evolution of the kabuto was an excellent concise and reasoned overview in the time allowed. The same goes for Simone's talk on the history of the Gassan school, both excellent and very interesting talks. As for the positioning of the blade, a picture says it all: All in all, a fantastic and very enjoyable happening, with a Tokubetsu Iga no Kami Fujiwara Sadatsugu keeping me company on the way home! Pierre 4 3 Quote
Lewis B Posted June 17 Report Posted June 17 I think everyone was smitten by at least one blade in the show (probably several). For me the highlight was the Sa Kunihiro tanto, unfortunately sold prior to the show. Its koshirae was equally as impressive. Quality of the polish was next level. The Tametsugu was also a nice example of his work. However it was a little short at 66cm and the gawdy gold urushi tachi koshirae was not to my preference. 3 Quote
ThomasP Posted June 18 Report Posted June 18 Very beautiful pictures. Thank you for sharing. We have to wait a year for the next show. A long time....... Quote
Bryce Posted June 18 Report Posted June 18 Quote On 6/17/2025 at 7:37 PM, Nihonto student said: The blade posted by Luc is a Gassan Sadanobu was exhibited together with 3 other Gassan including an Sadakazu Odachi for the very interesting lecture held by Simone di Franco on the Gassan school, obviously magnificent horimono as per Gassan tradition. G'day Guys, As many of you may be aware, I am a bit of a Gassan tragic. Is there any way I can get a copy of the Gassan presentation or any notes from it? Cheers, Bryce Quote
Gakusee Posted June 18 Report Posted June 18 Tom, Thank you so much for the numerous and detailed photos. It looks like you had a lot of fun! Quote
Lewis B Posted June 18 Report Posted June 18 6 hours ago, tom said: Japan ART FAIR 2025 Ahh, so I was standing behind you when you were taking those photos. You were equally smitten by the Sa Kunihiro. The whole package was perfect. Tanobe sayagaki, recent Juyo papers, superior/elegant antique koshirae, solid gold habaki. Your photos truly show the beauty of the blade. 1 Quote
Jussi Ekholm Posted June 20 Report Posted June 20 Thanks for the pictures Tom, looks like there were lots of interesting items. Also been talking about the Ayanokōji ōdachi on few different platforms. Seems like it is a lot lot more interesting than I initially thought about seeing the few pictures. Great sayagaki and the size is actually bigger than I initially thought. Nick keeps finding these great items. 🤗🤗 Quote
atm Posted June 22 Report Posted June 22 On 6/20/2025 at 4:45 PM, Jussi Ekholm said: Also been talking about the Ayanokōji ōdachi on few different platforms. I would love to read more about it, if you don’t mind directing me to the other discussions @Jussi Ekholm. Quote
Jussi Ekholm Posted June 23 Report Posted June 23 Unfortunately they have been private messages 😔. Perhaps Nick can share some more measurements & info on the sword when he is back on regular schedule. I believe the Tanobe sensei sayagaki was featured on Facebook. Unfortunately I dont use Facebook so I cant tell for sure. Just seen pics of it. Quote
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