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Narita is more experienced (faster) than Haneda. At Haneda, sometimes mishaps or misunderstandings might happen, although infrequently. I never told anyone anything in advance and turned up at the airport but was always prepared as per the below. So far I had: - all my sword related paperwork (NBTHK certificates, why I own them - eg life NBTHK membership, ToKen UK membership, NKBKHK membership etc - clearly “certifying” me as an obvious nihonto nerd) plus - who in Japan will assist with the torokusho shinsa. - examples of the form that I need (from previous such visits) from the police/ customs - sometimes a letter to customs from the friend/ dealer who will deal with the torokusho process on my behalf - documented (or at least verbal) reason why the blade is being brought (eg polish, Juyo Shinsa etc) They like to know who will take care of the licensing and registration process there, so having the contact details (and correspondence or letter from) of some dealer or reputable intermediary / friend who is the Nihonto circles (we are lucky to have 3-4 Brits in there, but also people like Bob Hughes, possibly Gordon, Paul Kremers, etc) will be paramount. On the way into Japan: only three blades are permitted. Unlimited on the way out. Make sure to declare the blades import on BOTH slips of paper you have to fill out (or on the electronic registration forms). Both of these are at the back towards the bottom of the form.

First of all - no one should buy nihonto as an investment If you want to invest then buy SP500, BRK or something similar However I will give just one example that I heard from Darcy because at that time I was not in this hobby yet In 2012 the USD/Yen exchange rate was 1:80 approximately There was a great TokuJu Yukimitsu for 10mil Yen (125k USD) There were two TokuJu Yukimitsu at the last DTI. One average for 27mil and one supposedly great (I did not have a chance to see this blade) for 36mil Over the last 4-5 years the prices of top blades have increased significantly

Bishū Osafuné Katsumitsu Nōshū Seki Takeyama Yoshinao Saku

Tsuda Omi (no) kami (the remainder was likely Sukenao).

I know we all want to display the things we love but these cases strike me as ringing a dinner bell for burglars and other opportunistic bottom dwellers. My wife's parents store the family swords in a safe that looks like something out of a bank heist movie!

Why didn’t I think of that!? Here’s one I made!

One question from me: whether nihonto market adjusts prices in relation to currency fluctuations? Yen droped 40% in 15 years. Imo high end old blades are bad investment

Just back from Japan a few weeks back , my friend had two swords with him , we contacted the customs at Narita " we were maybe a bit lucky " within 15 minutes 4 police arrived and went through the customs checks and registering the two blades the whole process took about 45minuites , but as Piers says above it can take a lot longer ! But please note and to be confirmed you can only bring in 3 swords at a time into Japan , this is what we were told , i believe you can leave with as many as you like as long as you have all the proper paper works .

Many people in Japan will bring things out only if they ‘like’ the visitor!

Japanese bureaucracy loves repetition of the obvious. The facts, the facts, the facts, well in advance, then again in advance, and finally on the spot, and make sure to keep all records. That you did tell them in advance. In Japanese even better. Even then, they will surely ask for some detail you had not anticipated. Keep your explanations minimal. Be prepared to be taken off to a separate room where they may ask you to fill out forms in Japanese. If you have connections or invitations from Japanese dealers, Togishi, etc., make sure to have all that correspondence, contact details etc., ready to hand. A regular courier might be able to help you with detailed advice, but trade secrets etc., would they be willing to share? Expect it to be a hassle, and to take several hours of everyone’s time at the airport, but ultimately not absolutely impossible. (Just to get the ball rolling here.)

John, these HANAIRE were not meant to hold water. As far as I know from more recent pieces, a container was made/soldered from tin or copper to fit into it. You can stand them upright (then they don't even need a closed bottom) or hang them on a nail. Many years ago I got my hands on big bamboo and made one myself for IKEBANA. I always dreamt of having a TOKONOMA..... Piers, your HANAIRE is nice! Is that a Camellia flower in it?

Piers: I would love to have one but this is too rich for my blood. The bad pictures and use of the word "minty" to describe it gives me pause in any case. John C.

Good question Marcin. I have been following this thread throughout and was wondering when someone would mention foreign exchange rates. My contact and buyer in Japan has told me that he has sold the same sword a number of times back and forth from Japan to the USA. He said the the primary determination of timing of a sale and price was the exchange rate.

To me, they look like somewhat distorted interpretations of SEN no RIKYU's famous bamboo HANAIRE (one of them being called "ONJÔJI")

Beautiful work by Shozo Sato, encapsulating the imagery of a Masamune hamon in full energetic flow. Very powerful.

I find this explanation of a Tokubetsu Juyo (Den Masamune) appropriate and fitting with the explanation by Hoshi and images above:

Hey everyone! A friend has a Wakizashi and a showato katana in civilian mounts that I was hoping someone could translate. Thanks in advance for the help

That is at least who it's purporting to be.

https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/53181-echizen-fujiwara-kunitsugu-dated-1632-with-nbthk/#comment-567197 Echizen Fujiwara Kunitsugu, dated 1632, with NBTHK Hozon and prefect polish for 3300$ USD. In that forum thread you will also find links to SOLD swords from this smith (prices around 4k USD). PS. Proper Koshirae restoration with purchase of decent fittings/Tsuba is a cost around 2k USD. Of course price can go higher, depending on fittings/Tsuba etc...

one of the nicest boshi i've seen so far.

As the saying goes, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing

It's interesting you say that because the old gentleman I was talking to was laughing about a rich foreigner who started spending a lot with Aoi and similar dealers a few years back without any real knowledge of what they were buying. They were treated fairly and honestly but apparently turned nasty when they realised they weren't getting any national treasures they could boast about. Caveat emptor.

Yep, I also use a safe (a repurposed gun safe in this case). Keeps my swords safe and inquisitive visitors, and their kids, safe.

Hey folks, sorry for replying nine months later, but as an update, finally sending the sword for shinsa. Also took new photos after more time to practice. Can't wait for the suspense to be over. All the best, Zoglet

Welcome. Why don’t you give us your ideas first, Khalid? We do have several threads here showing off people’s personal displays, their stands, their cases, their accessories, their lighting, etc. Maybe take some time to look through those first and get some inspiration?

Just heard back from the seller on the bone hanaire. He says it is indeed the shape of a hanaire but believes it is a netsuke representation due to its size (about 8cm long). John C.

Robert, apologies - I never meant to discredit the art work or cause you to rant. My comment was such that being a woodblock print (which I did mention it was) there are multiple prints around (experts suggest 8,000 were printed of The Great Wave, although only 100 are now said to survive) from the same woodblock - so it is not a one off like a Nihonto. Yet even as a multiple it outsold our back room deals on Top drawer original nihontos and even the latest original one off Mikazuki Kanimitsu closed bid auction (although maybe it didn't - we just don't know) and the price of this print was not hidden but very public. With Sothebies even putting out a YouTube video of the event to drum up more business. Because records are exciting and bring interest and people into a space. This was more to the point of what I was suggesting rather than the print was some knock off gilcee print. Please accept my apologies.

Very beautiful! I'm also thinking of TSUBAKI SANJURO....

Correct, they usually have a small vase or container inside. Jean, I know camellia were considered unlucky by some, but we can do azaleas too! Oh, and create that tokonoma!!!

Just to clear up a misunderstanding - that is an original - an original woodblock print. It's not a copy of any other piece of art. A bunch of people who I won't characterize because the language would be seriously foul have confused the whole market by claiming that things like giclee reproductions are "original prints", which they aren't. As a once-upon-a-time full time printmaker, I'll stop there, because otherwise this will turn into a novel length rant :-)

Hozon Hayashi Shigemitsu for $4750 https://irontsuba.com/shop Not Higo, not Hayashi. Direct Hozon to Hayashi Shigemitsu. Theme is Yoshinogawa [Sakura in the River Nets]. Ex-Ito-san. More pictures to follow. Please contact via email at my site. Nidai Yamakicihibei, Kanayama, Tokugawa Ono, and my favorite Kyo-Sukashi to follow later.

Well, I hope to show it in April 2026. Consolidating up to Juyo level iron takes sacrifice.

Piers, one of the small items shown in your last photos could also be such a "HANAIRE", made from the foot of a big bamboo, now interpreted in bone.

Yes, the smith name is an art name, often given by the master to his apprentice.

Thanks Pip, Like Mal said, it is the larger Seki stamp, used by the civilian Seki Cutlery Manufacturers Association, predominantly between 1942-1944, however a few are seen as early as 1941 and late as 1945. Blades with this stamp tend to be nice, quality blades with attractive hamon (temper line pattern). Values would be as I stated above.

Lukrez wrote amazing post above. As I am not a business person I haven't thought about specifics of market that much. However once you see how many swords there are currently for sale every day of the year, it is easy to understand that the dealers will probably have their own guidelines to price the average items. While it pains me to say it the vast majority of Japanese swords are average items. I am not talking about the quirky items that I personally like, just that even on various levels of quality most items are average. For these average items Japanese dealers most likely have their pattern to price the items and then they can add or reduce price depending on the actual item. Now these are just examples that I chose randomly to give an example. There are 99 Mumei katana with Rai Kunimitsu or den Rai Kunimitsu attribution at Jūyō. Now 13 of them have advanced to Tokubetsu Jūyō (well I am not yet sure of the origin of 2 of these new TJ) + 1 Mumei Kunitoshi and 1 Mumei Kuniyuki were switched to Kunimitsu at TJ. That would leave 86 Mumei Rai Kunimitsu Jūyō katana and I am sure the big dealers will have a common price for Jūyō Rai Kunimitsu katana that they will then adjust depending on the actual item. I have so far recorded 176 Mumei Ko-Mihara katana. I would assume that dealers will have a common base price for Hozon, Tokubetsu Hozon or Jūyō rated item. While the "ladder theory" that Michael mentioned above is not 100% accurate there is usually a minimum price that Jūyō items tend to fetch, and it would need to be a very good Mumei Tokubetsu Hozon Ko-Mihara to achieve the minimum price for Jūyō mumei Ko-Mihara. Even if in my personal opinion the cheaper item might be better, the Jūyō papers carry a prestige. As far as mid-higher level items go NBTHK papers are just something you pretty much expect the item to have. And the attribution that NBTHK gives to a mumei item can have a massive effect on the actual price of the item. There are actually lots and lots of Japanese swords available for purchase at any given moment. As I started to browse many Japanese dealers years and years ago, I was surprised how many high quality items are even listed online by big dealers. Some big inventory dealers like Aoi Art or Meirin Sangyo add few new Japanese swords to their inventory pretty much every day. I was just looking at Yahoo Japan and there seems to be 5,210 listings at Japanese Sword section, there are items that are not swords in there too so I think something like 3,000 swords would be closer to truth. Every now and then an item that was on Yahoo JP makes it to inventory of more established dealer. I admit I am completely clueless about inner workings of sword dealers, their relationships, and most importantly the dealer auctions. I can just imagine the price dealers actually get the basic items is quite low as they are able to make profit even on their cheaper offerings that would be quite affordable. In my personal opinion the high end items are just very small part of the market and the majority of items are lower and middle tier items.

Hi, I am bothered by this blade and I am not too keen comment, but I will do it to honor Darcy's memory. A newcomer to this hobby will inevitably have his perception shaped by Aoi's offerings, which as one comes to learn, are arbitrage opportunities for blades that do not make it in Japan, with few exceptions. One must learn from great blades first and foremost, and such a sword is an experience that teaches the wrong things. Some context: I find it irresponsible of Shinsa to make a call to "Den Masamune" on such a sword. One could argue that they've hedged it with "Den" - and unfortunately this is a misrepresentation. All Masamune without Kinzogan or Kiwame by the best Hon'ami judges or featured as Meibutsu are "Den" with only very few calls diverging from this pattern historically. Some of the Masamune blades without "Den" are shakier than the ones with Den, and so forth. It is not a simple attribution, and calls for deep contextualization. Then inevitably comes the unorthodox positions that Masamune doesn't exist, that he's unneeded, that this is evidence that his work is not that great, and so on, and so forth. I don't want to go there, I find it silly. Then there is the absurd claim by Aoi that "Choshiki was one of the most respected judges..." - Darcy used to say that an attribution by Choshiki means anything but. Since Tanobe sensei's departure from the Shinsa panel, the NBHTK is more swayed by Choshiki judgements than in the past. If you are really deep into this field, you know that since 2022, it is a good time to target blades with Choshiki attributions for Shinsa. There is only one "Den Masamune" in the Juyo record with a Choshiki attribution, and the setsumei states that this is the work of Shizu. Now, when faced with such a TH blade, there is no context on the attribution, and this absence of context is damaging. This absence of context is why Den Yukimitsu, Den Norishige, or Den Shizu are much safer harbors at TH and have been traditionally preferred before going so far as to calling it Masamune. Back to the blade in question. It is tired and has been extensively repaired. This sword has suffered a tragic accident in the past: it was twisted. Someone repaired it, and by untwisting it created a plethora of shinae, or bend marks. These shinae appear as ware/fukure along the ji. Some of these ugly openings have been filled with umegane. Choshiki calls attention to this fact in his Sayagaki, which has conveniently been left untranslated. While it is true that the extensive jinie of the blade, and the angular chickei and inazuma are characteristics of Masamune, this is all there is to it. And before people bring up "Ogiba" and other arcane Hon'ami things, just don't bother, no, this is not relevant anymore since the mid-20th century and the great cleanup of inflated Edo attribution. The sword is missing Masamune's defining trait: the highest class of nie executed in a nie kuzure that leaves no visible nioiguchi demarcation line. Masamune's nie unfolds in layer to the light, with different nie sizes reflecting light at different angles, leading to a kaleidoscopic effect which can only truly be experienced in hand. Unaffected Yubashiri emerge from the interplay at the hamon, fading in and out of existence when swiveling the blade. The deposits of nie form clouds of diamond dust. The contrast between ji and the ha is the brightest amongst all the Soshu Joko. The hamon is formed out of overlapping clouds of nie. It's unlike anything else. What "Masamune" means We don't have a time machine. At the end of the day, "who made it" remains an open question. While we know that Masamune existed historically (it is proven by pre-edo sources), we can never be sure that a particular hand made a particular swords, especially when the corpus of blades contains such a paucity of signed examples. Are the best works of Yukimitsu, Norishige, and others, likely to be absorbed in the Masamune attribution? Certainly, but this is true elsewhere as well. Within the Masamune attribution group, there is indeed great variety. Some have a distinct Ko-Bizen flair, others are veritable storms of inazuma crossing in and out of the ji with violent angular formations, and the last group are masterworks of such virtuosity that they truly defy understanding and fit absolutely nowhere else in the Soshu corpus due to the quality of their nie. All these blades have in common nie kuzure, unaffected yubashiri, and the feeling that the nie diffuses out into the ji as china ink spreading on paper. Masamune is a snowstorm over the ocean painted in sumi-e ink. Blades that leave you wondering if a human could have made it. Swords that stand in pure defiance to the laws of metallurgy. Masamune means perfection of nie-deki. Best, Hoshi

Here is one from my collection that resembles Dale’s last photo.

Hi George, Sorry for the late response - I only sign in around every three days or so to see what's going on. 😁 The seller didn't indicate the number of pages and I'm still waiting to receive it. If it's too delicate to scan without breaking the spine, then I'm planning to very carefully hold it open and photograph each page in turn - if that is an acceptable alternative to everyone? Incidentally, on the same day I was lucky enough to get hold of a nice copy of your own 1989 title 'Japanese Swords and Fittings in the Western Australian Museum'! An excellent read but heartbreaking to see so many amazing blades out of polish. Best, Hector

Hi OP and fellow enthusiast, Hope you are well. There are a couple things to point out in reference to your main thesis or major premise: -The examples are larger sums for a specific class (Juyo) and therefore cannot be used in a ‘most’ argument to provide overall direction of a market. Separately, how many people can spend $5K or $10K on art let alone six figures for one example? -As Hoshi (I believe mentioned) about knowledge…Brother, people are not going to give up their competitive advantage (knowledge) that cost them time and money so ‘we’ can quickly Google search or AI gobbles it up. This is one of the reasons why it is such a service to our shared hobby when someone is kind enough to write articles, et cetera or even provide books for sale. ……Let us borrow a thought experiment from Charlie Munger and inverse: +How would we NOT be a successful dealer? No established clientele, nearing six-figure pieces, limited opportunity to sell via auction house. +How could we BE successful as a dealer? Tsuba under $2,500.00 USD, nihonto under $25,000.00 with most in the $5K -$15K range. Fittings at $2,000.00 or below.

Yes I did, the catalogs were there and in some corner within the display room. Sothebys and Christies go out of their way to label all other forms of art, they did it with every other item displayed, just didn't bother with Nihonto as much. A few weeks back I was at Christies for their 21st evening sale, and they had no problem displaying little bits of paper with estimates ranging from 40,000,000 USD - 60,000,000 for a Monet. Of course paintings and swords are one and the other. Just left a bad taste in my mouth when everything else setup at Sothebys at that time had far more attention tended too it than the swords being tucked away in some corner unceremoniously, but what can we do.

I consider myself as a sword researcher with 0 financial interest. Now will you still believe that line if I will tell that I have 575 pages of sword prices, and have tracked down interesting swords for over 10 years... Here is a link to an old version that I shared to NMB I think almost 7 years ago: After posting that I had some interesting discussions with few people, back then I didn't understand the bigger picture too well but I try to think I have learned something in 7 years. I had some good ones with Darcy and while we sometimes butted heads a bit as we had maybe a bit different view of the some things, now with more experience under my belt I've come to realize that the actual historical prices are pretty unrelevant. As I go through all of my regular sites every week, I just type down the price down as a habit as I had done it for so many years. Main point for myself is just tracking down the items themselves for my database. Jūyō items are actually quite easy to track down when they pop up as I have the basic data. One thing is that different dealers will sell the same item for different prices and it is just normal in life. Some can squeeze in larger profit (and will have to do it for business) while some are satisfied with smaller profit. I was just commenting last month to a smaller Japanese dealer that they have excellent prices, their answer was of course logical that they are online only, so they don't have any additional costs. Compare that to some of the top dealers, showroom in Ginza with staff etc. I feel that the only relevant thing is the current price of the item and how comfortable you are with it. Items are one of a kind items and if you are happy with the price I think that is the only thing that matters. Of course every week as I browse through all of the interesting new items that dealers and sites in my list have put out, I do keep immidiately thinking how something feels overpriced or something is actually feeling like a very good deal. I am actually super happy that Tōken World at Nagoya won the Mikazuki Kanemitsu, now I can see it some year when I visit Nagoya. For me that is the most important thing that people can actually see the items in museums. Had some top tier private collector won the item, most people would never had the chance to see the sword. I won't say anything about the big auction houses, just that I am extremely against them. I will much rather support Japanese and International dealers and would even pay premium for them for the same item rather than deal with extremely greedy auction houses. Sword dealers have a passion for this which auction houses lack.

Personally I buy to collect and study not as an investment vehicle to diversify my portfolio. There has been way too much speculation in other collecting arenas eg whisky, fine art, watches etc that all it achieves is to price out the little guy (read enthusiast). I’m all for downward adjustments as it warns off the investor types who have no interest in the commodity only that it makes a profit on resale.

Lots of impressive talk about high end rare and expensive swords but they represent only a numerically very small part of the far wider market. Are we talking about the whole market or a very small exclusive enclave? ….and do the same factors exist across the wider market? ….. and which sectors should most of us be concerned with? The UK has been awash with swords in auctions recently with very poor mixed results……with more still to come. Why is this?

Hi Brett, I appreciate the effort you've put into this. Let me offer some insights. First, it's important to understand the structural difference of the markets you are comparing. Western collectible markets strive to minimize knowledge asymmetries and maximize price transparency, which in turns increases market activity, liquidity, and trust. You see this with numismatic, comics, Tolkien and Harry Potter, fine watches, Baseball cards, etc. These objects are commodities: aside from an objectively-gradable condition, they do not differ for a specific item type. A black lotus is a black lotus, minus the crooked corner. Furthermore, they are extensively catalogued, and their their rarity is a matter of common-knowledge for market participants. This legibility combined with immediate liquidity provides reassurance to buyers. When COVID hit, and enthusiasts in their 40's with disposable income are suddenly carried by nostalgia, the collectible market's inherent transparency gives an easy way to park money in confidence. In other words, collectibles are commodities, and commodities due to their transparency are friendly to new market participants. Nihonto, on the other hand, are not commodities, and they follow the opposite market structure. Knowledge asymmetry is sky high and price transparency is almost non-existent. The items themselves are not legible. You simply do not know what you get, and it is exceedingly difficult to situate it within the broader spectrum of rarity or desirability. This lack of transparency increases transaction costs and risks for new market participants. You can't go wrong buying a graded Black Lotus, but at a similar price point, you can be very, very wrong buying a Juyo mumei Rai Kunimitsu if you use Aoi's past prices alone as your guiding function. If you go into Nihonto with a comic book collecting mindset, you will commit costly mistakes. What does the Compton Collection have in common with the magnificent Kanemitsu tachi that sold for over 200 million yen? What would the top items sold during the legendary "Museum of Sword Fittings" auction sell for today? Now, we are talking about comparable. I will leave it to you as an intellectual exercise to disentangle the structural difference from the items you've been following that have cycled through other auction houses which form the foundation of your analysis on price decline. Add to this a cultural layer that differs from our own in terms of values (Japan vs the West) - as well as different tax policies that create their own class of structural incentives, and you will begin to understand that the foundational data you use to support your analysis only translates to a specific class of items. As others have wisely pointed out, the vast majority of Nihonto transactions that would matter for such an analysis simply go unrecorded, and are carried out between trusted parties in total secrecy. There, million $+ exchanges are not uncommon. The more precious and rare the item, the greater the shroud of secrecy. So, you are left with the tip of the iceberg, and doesn't translate to the vast mass hidden under the sea. Would greater transparency increase the Nihonto market's liquidity, prices, and reduce transaction costs? Absolutely. Are current market participants motivated to do so? Not at all, knowledge is jealously guarded in this field, because it is hard earned. If you know that an item is the best Tokubetsu Juyo piece from a given master, would you be keen on others knowing it? Only if you are on the sell-side. And how hard is it to obtain this knowledge? Well, it is remarkably difficult and requires building a library worth ten's of thousands of dollars of rare and out of print books, hours of study, translation work, and in-hand experience sampling across a wide range of comparable. You're looking at a decade of serious study. What does this information asymmetry mean in the end? It leads to a much slower rate of maturation in the market, the "bid/ask spread" is noisy, and adjusts slowly. From the lowest grade to the highest grade of Nihonto, the price differential is about 100x-500x, which is a complete anomaly when compared to other Art or collectible markets. There are ~2.5 million registered Nihonto with Torokusho, ~1'100 Tokubetsu Juyo, and ~110 Uber Tokuju. If you apply the price-to-rarity mapping of the collectibles or Art market, you will quickly realize that something is completely off. There are economic forces keeping it this way, enabled by the lack of transparency, which benefit, in fine, high-end buyers who spent decades in gathering knowledge, and reputable dealers who have nurtured their reputation and relationships over generations. Markets are markets, in the end, and even the most obfuscating of market practices cannot stop all top items from finding their price. The Kanemitsu really ruffled some feathers. Finally, let us pause for a moment and remember that we have 700 years of collecting praxis in this field. Unlike nostalgia items, which fade in and out of consciousness through a single generation, the Nihonto is a foundational cultural artifact that resonates deeply with the soul an entire civilization. For these reasons, I invite you to be optimistic. But also realistic. It is not an easy field. Best, Hoshi

One needs to look no further than shinsa costs to understand why things are postured the way they are with NBTHK papers. Similarly, with swords IDK that any points grading system would change things because already you'll hear things like "That blade's a JINO blade" or "this shinsa session is really strong" where you'll have sub-values assigned to the values of each shinsa depending on who the judges were, what blades passed, and what the competition for that year was like. For example how do you grade a newly found, newly discovered for the first time ever Rai Kuniyoshi that is deemed shoshin? Is it an auto 9.8 gem mint because its the only existent blade of this smith and a huge historical discovery for the Rai school roots? What if its a little tired but signed? Still a 9.8? I don't know that the NBTHK could provide some level of objective criteria on which all blades could be judged unanimously. There is nuance within traditions, within schools, and within smiths individually and as more blades are submitted and discovered, the scale on which we must grade all future discoveries also changes. Hence the bucket approach naturally also fits (if not for the income for the NBTHK with the bucket system)

Better images of my one example. Not sure why it rotates like that. I've always enjoyed the Korean influence and nanako on this one. I'd date it to 1600-1615? Naturally, I prefer the pre-1600s ones. The earlier the better. Those like Les' don't seem to appear very often. The last Muromachi one I saw, a few guys ended up in a bidding war at the end of the auction. Though under the radar of a lot of people, they are still very hard to catch.

pt 2

Thread card plate might be a more accurate translation. (?) (A spindle or spool gives the image of something that spins, whereas these itomaki versions are simple flat storage boards for sorting out and storing thread or string.)