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Smiths_Soldiers_Diplomats_Block_Sesko-FINAL.pSmiths_Soldiers_Diplomats_Block_Sesko-FINAL.pdf Markus Sesko and I used to talk about how much we knew about Horikawa Kunihiro's life and travels compared to virtually every other smith before 1600. Then I came across Koyama Kanami's 1977 study of Akamatsu Masanori and his associates Katsumitsu and Munemitsu, I realized Kunihiro wasn't the only pre-Edo smith hiding in plain sight in the historical record. Markus and I began talking about a deep dive, and the result is the attached paper, which I hope stands out in a field where we know far more about the metallurgical features of great swordsmiths than about the men themselves. I am sharing it here with you guys first. It could not have been written without Markus's translations, discussions, and editorial judgment, which are evident on every page. I Hope you enjoy Smiths_Soldiers_Diplomats_Block_Sesko-FINAL.pdf

In 1937 an auction was held by The Tokyo Art Club containing most of Count Ito Miyoji's sword collection. Recently, I was able to purchase an Ichimonji katana that came from this auction and as part of my due diligence before purchasing, I obtained an original physical copy of the auction book from 1937. I went through and photographed all of the relevant pages and wanted to share them here, for anyone interested in the provenance and blades that were sold. I have already tracked a few of them down across the web, being on the open market at one point or another. I did not see this posted anywhere so hopefully it's not duplicated. I had my friend host the images on google drive. @Jussi Ekholm I was hoping this may help inform some of your Koto database as I only saw 1 or 2 Ito Miyoji denrai listings the last I checked. Anyway, enjoy and I hope it helps anyone interested. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Pkkx8QewayhjQnrPRAfXbVMO2TcUpgZP?usp=sharing

Hi. I recently secured this little treasure, a Toran Kei Tsuba from the Kofun period. I absolutely love it, the antiquity, rarity, beauty and charm. It measures about 7cm x 5.2. The wording placed over the tsuba is my instagram account. Mark

In the book Honma Talks by @Markus on page 193 there is a section where Junji speaks about visiting Count Ito's home. Apparently he had a very specific cataloging system, consisting of sayagaki paired with wooden tags where he would write super compact characters that Junji describes as "needing a magnifying glass to see". The sword I posted above still has those tags intact, and I was also able to find some other swords from the auction as I mentioned earlier. Linked below just a few https://www.nihonto-museum.com/collection/exhibit/hojoji-kunimitsu - lot 11 from the album I linked on google drive https://www.giuseppepiva.com/en/works/oei-bizen-tachi-yasunaga/ - must have come from a different auction of his collection, maybe its in your book @Ian B3HR2UH? http://www.japansword.co.jp/fine-soworde.html - (Norimitsu) not in the catalogue either https://www.connoisseurarms.com/swords-gallery.html - Sunnobi Tanto and you can see the wooden tags here as well (also not in my auction book) Wooden tags on the Ichimonji attached

What an amazing catalogue of swords - thank you so much for sharing. My mouth just sat ajar as I went through every page. Those koshirae were magnificent. What an amazing collection. Some information on the man: Count Itō Miyoji 伊東 巳代治 was born on May 7, 1857 in Nagasaki, Hizen Province to a Samurai administration family. He excelled in languages, specialising in English. The Emperor sent him to Europe in 1882 with the future Prime Minister Itō Hirofumi to study European Constitutions and was instrumental in the drafting of the Meiji Constitution. He serverd in the Japanese cabinet and was later elevated to the House of Peers where he served in various Cabinet roles from 1890-1898. From 1899 he was selected to serve as a member of the Privy Council which he did through to his death. Even though he remained a member of parliament when opportunity arose he purchased the newspaper the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun (the predecessor of the current Mainichi Shimbun). This gave him a platform to trumpet his causes. He was made a Baron in 1907 and a Count in 1922. He died February 19, 1934. A great lover of swords he amassed a sizeable collection of over 500 from inheritance as well as purchases from the various Samurai families who after the Meiji Restoration became desperate for cash. He was a very proud man and took pride in his Samurai past which is why he was so moved to help so many Samurai who came knocking at his door. In this regard he tried to ensure all his swords were well dressed. This collection was as much a labour of love as it was a patriotic act! Among the swords he owned were the "Tachi Mei Sadatsugu" (sword inscription: Sadatsugu), which was owned by the lord of the Tsushima Fuchu Domain (present-day Tsushima City, Nagasaki Prefecture) during the Edo period, as well as the famous "Daihannya Nagamitsu" (Great Hannya Nagamitsu) that belonged to the Ashikaga Shogunate, Oda Nobunaga & Tokugawa Ieyasu. Both are now designated as national treasures and are housed in the Tokyo National Museum. Whilst he became a large land owner over the course of his life, the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 saw him stripped of a lot of his lands by the Japanese government who expropriated them for the rebuild - this is obviously something he bitterly opposed. After this he became very conservative in his views and became a strong critic of the government. Due to financial constraints after his death his family was forced to sell his the majority of his collection of swords which they did through various auctions and private sales including the two major auctions in 1937.

Leen and I had a wonderful time representing the Dutch Token Society at the JAF. Thanks to anyone who came to have a nice chat. We look forward to seeing you again soon. Greetings, Lex

Hi nihonto community. Even though the USPS office of the inspector general is still looking for the Sanjo Chikamura blade, it still hasn’t been found. I have my fingers crossed that eventually it will be found and will find its way back to me! I do want to mention that Nicholas Benson has been a real gentleman throughout this whole process and we have come to a mutually acceptable agreement. As such, I am happy to continue to be one of his customers and have recently bought some juyo blades from him!

Recently a friend commented “This looks like work by Shōami Katsuyoshi.” At the time I thought it was an odd comment, but he does have a huge collection of valuable artefacts, so it was an interesting insight. 正阿弥勝義 Later I discovered during some background reading that Katsuyoshi was apprenticed to his father as a tōsōgu and Tsuba maker long before he became famous for his finely-detailed metalwork objects into the Meiji period. Here is the Wakizashi sized iron tsuba, kind of aorigata, with sakura, pine and ginkgo themes in silver and gold. Front Back

Katana by Yoshiwara Kuniie and Shimizu Tadatsugu Gassaku kore (1983 Nov 22) 刀　銘：吉原国家清水忠次合作之　昭和58年11月22日　新作日本刀証明証（NBSK） This exquisite blade forged by two masters is in very good full polish and great condition overall. Exhibiting many attractive features such as: a gunome midare hamon with ashi, a rich hada in ko-itame, and lots of ji-nie. I had the great pleasure of knowing him quite well as we practiced Tenshinsho Jigenryu Kenjitsu together for many years after I joined the dojo in 1986 where he practiced and taught as a senior student. Best Regards, Robert Hughes This magnificent katana of 73.8 cm. is a gassaku (joint signature) work signed and dated: (mae) Yoshihara Kuniie Shimizu Tadatsugu Gassaku kore (ura) Showa 58 November 24th (1983) The high definition photograph (taken by Paul Kremers) can be greatly enlarged to see the exquisite details in this blade! Price is ¥1,750.000 (no koshirae but comes in shirasaya with gold foil habaki) If interested, please correspond through e-mai: keichodo@yahoo.com Blade Description Hacho (Edge length) 73.8 cm. Sori (Curvature) 1.8 cm. Katana: Shinogi-zukuri, iorimune, mihaba futoku The temper pattern (hamon) is choji midare, rich in ji-nie and kinsuji while the hada is koitame. This robust blade is a visually exciting sword to study. Engraving: "Bo-hi" kaki-nagashi on both sides Gold foil double Habaki / Shirasaya Authentic Japanese Sword Certificate NBSK Sword smith YOSHIHARA Kuniie (YOSHIHARA Sôji) was born in February of Shôwa 20 (1945). His grandfather was YOSHIHARA Kuniie and his father was YOSHIHARA Masahiro. Alongside his brother (Yoshindo), Sôji learned sword forging under his grandfather Kuniie. Without any doubt, Shoji Yoshiwara was one of the top contemporary swordsmiths in Japan. He was a likely candidate to become a Living National Treasure (Ningen Kokuho) swordsmith, but sadly he passed away in 2023. Sword smith Yoshiwara Kuniie (Shoji) was recognized as Mukansa level at 37 years of age in Shôwa 57 (1982) and prior to that he received many awards. In 2008, he was designated an Important Living Cultural Property of Tokyo. Some of his other achievements were: -1966 youngest ever recipient of the Award for Effort -1971 youngest ever recipient of the Mainichi Newspaper Award -2003 appeared in the movie The Last Samurai in the role of a sword smith. Shimizu Tadatsugu清水忠次 (1921-1998) Shimizu Tadatsugu was born in 1921 and worked in Katsushika Ward, Tokyo under Yoshihara Kuniie I. He developed his sword forging skills and was a senior to Yoshiwara Kuniie III and Yoshiwara Yoshindo who were also trained by Kuniie I. Tadatsugu developed disciplined forging skills, and refined workmanship and as a result he was a recipient of multiple awards including Gold and Silver Awards at the Tōtō Meitō Exhibition. Shimizu Tadatsugu became an apprentice to Kuniie I in 1963 and obtained his swordsmith’s licence in 1968 often signing his blades with the three-character inscription ‘Tadatsugu saku’. Working in the Soshu style, he particularly favored the Samonji school of Chikuzen Province from the Nanbokucho period (1333-1392). In 1969 he entered the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai’s Shinsaku-meitoten (Modern Swordsmiths’ Exhibition), but did not win an award until a year later. From that point, he won the Award for Effort four times, the Award for Excellence three times, and the Nyusen Award once.

More Pictures. Tom

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Australia-Japan Basic Treaty of Friendship & Cooperation (the Nara Treaty). It is a unique and symbolic treaty that elevated the status of both countries to a level of equality in a post WWII/colonial world. The relationship between Japan and Australia has been very cordial ever since as both rely on each other for economic and security needs. Our friendship has never been stronger. Australia ❤️ Japan For more info click here.

Hi Hamish, you seem always very grumpy if someone has a differing opinion about what is discussed, or if you misunderstood a post. My English may be clumsy but I understand the topic very well - it is my profession! To explain: In pre-industrial times, ALL iron had to be refined by folding and fire-welding. This ALWAYS lead to a laminated iron/steel structure. Many folding/welding cycles lead to a more homogeneous material where the lamination was less evident or even invisible (as in HIGO TSUBA, e.g.). Of course YAGYU TSUBA and others were made from laminated iron, and your photo above is showing that well, thank you. In myy post, I was dealing with the wrong assumption that "material was chipped off the SEPPA-DAI to make room", and I explained that the ductile iron was only pushed by punching it towarsds the NAKAGO-ANA, not removed. No contradiction to the iron being laminated! I hope I got your attention.

Portrait of Tojo Hideki with his special Gunto, this is the same sword now in the MacArthur Museum.

G'day Jonathan, I have this koshirae which I think can be dated very close to this. The Gassan Sadakazu blade is dated 1866. The tsuba is also signed by Sadakazu. Cheers, Bryce

I had a quick look through my catalogue and found the Norimitsu. As Lewis said he liked his daisho . Attached is a daisho from the catalogue which has both blades by Hankei .

On June 6th, the award ceremony and exhibition opening took place at the Tetsu Museum in Sakaki-machi. I am thrilled to have challenged myself again this year and to have my work recognized with a new oshigata of a blade attributed to Hasebe Kunishige. An expert who saw it on display sent me this comment: "The actual drawing has lighter colors, but the variations in intensity and depth were truly beautiful." I am also in great company—alongside the finest Japanese artists, my friend Manuel's tsuba is also on display this year! The exhibition runs until August 30th in the Japanese Alps. So, if you are in Japan and looking for a cool escape from the heat, this could be the perfect opportunity to visit! This is the post by Iida Koendo, who attends the exhibition's opening ceremony every year: https://iidakoendo.com/17271/

Piece of paper and the sword in question are unrelated. The sword you have is in mounts that are usually associated with better quality wartime blades. Sometimes star stamped traditionally made Gendaito. In this case, I actually hope it has the original Gendaito blade, as they can be nicer than an average out of polish antique blade. But you'll only know when you take it out of the mounts. CHAT GPT is not a great source of info, and in fact can be irritating with its hyperbole. "...to preserve its massive historic value" is just plain silly. Take off the handle and let's see what you have there. Not a treasure, but appears to be a nice sword. One of over a million wartime swords that ChatGPT deems to have massive historic value Hopefully you have a nice Gendaito worth $2000+ Btw...someone needs to inform the clueless AI that hundreds of thousands of nondescript antique blades were repurposed and purchased for low value during the war to outfit military swords. Not every antique blade was some family blade lovingly taken to war.

And the last pictures. Tom

And more pictures. Tom

More Pictures. Tom

Speaking of katchu this was easily the standout piece with a price to match. Just superb And in a similar vein the talk on Menpo was very educational. I learned a lot from John's presentation

行年七十才 – 70 years old 堀江興成 – Horie Okinari

It's always been my understanding that piercing wasn't necessarily the goal. A spear thrust carries a lot of momentum, and even if it doesn't penetrate armor, that force can still knock a man from a horse, dent metal, damage joints, crack bones, and/or incapacitate a person. It's probably worth noting that this is not the predominant shape of yari that we encounter, which leads me to suspect it could have a more specialized use. It's easy to speculate, but let's not forget that these items are from a long time ago from a culture we may not entirely understand. Speculating is fun, but short of some good data or expert input, it's just that. All the best, -Sam

I was looking through an old Sotheby's New York catalogue of the sale of the late Charles A. Greenfield. The sale was on 25th March 1998. It comprised of 133 lots of exquisite inro. The final lot was a beautiful Inro by Shibata Zeshin 1807-1891. Unfortunately, the reverse is not shown, rather surprisingly as this was the star lot. However, it featured a kozuka and fuchi in shibuichi, which judging from the tsuba on the front, I would love to have seen. The front featured this yasuchika tsuba. The estimate was $40.000-$50.000

https://tokka.biz/fittings/TS291.html https://www.seiyudo.com/tu-080813.htm https://www.lotsearch.de/lot/a-french-watch-case-repurposed-as-a-nanban-style-tsuba-38922103

This may be Ido Kanehiro saku, but it is much better if you can show a photo of the mei (inscription), rather than a handwritten version.

Sword No.166 in Han Bing Siong's "Japanese Swords in Dutch collections" is noted as being found in military mounts before being polished and achieving Juyo Token:

Scene: On the train from Southern Cross Station, Melbourne The dust blew across the wide dirt road on the outskirts of Ballarat, bending the wheat fields in one direction. Frank stood anxiously waiting for his love, holding his wide-brimmed hat with one hand against the gale and squinting to keep the blast out of his eyes. The sound of the whistle from the steam train could be heard from a mile away, only making his heart beat faster. With a screech of steel on steel, the train rocked to a stop just in front of the delapidated wood station. The word Ballarat barely readable. The weather suddenly cleared just as Fumiko stepped off the stairs from her car. She looked around nervously until she saw Frank, their eyes locked for a moment. Dropping her one bag and rushing into an embrace, he couldn't believe the day had finally come—the day he would propose. Without hesitation he dropped to one knee and removed the ring box from the large pocket on his coat. Tears streamed down Fumiko's face as she nodded and said a shy "Yes" before Frank could even ask. The walk back to the farm was long. But Frank and Fumiko both felt they could fly there if they wanted. End Scene. John C.

Yesterday my sword sensei was looking at a blade and commented that it needed uchiko, so I handed him my old, discolored but trusty uchiko ball. He looked disgusted. “Use some decent stuff!” he said, unwilling to even touch mine. Later on I bought a refined uchiko ball prepared by Yokoyama San, a Bizen Osafune Togishi, sold in the Osafuné Sword Museum shop. The package, so light in the hand, set me back ¥8,800…but somehow I felt it was worth every grain. NB To be used sparingly and only when absolutely necessary.

That is a very good addition, congratulations. Rather fortunate that the original Koshirae and inventory tags remain, and heartening to see other pieces have been kept together after all these years.

Meiji himself was turned on to swords by his (former) samurai advisors, many people made gifts of swords to the imperial household because of this. Meiji work is distinctive for its over the top gorgeousness. Some of what you seek may be found here…

This is amazing info @Sukaira 🤩 And what a wonderful sword you have. I am unfortunately very backlogged with denrai for my data and info is currently very incomplete. There is so much more info in books that I am still missing on this field. Like these Count Ito swords are wonderful addition. I think Ian is correct and the collection was huge.

Oriented for legibility

That is awesome, I haven't seen that one. Lot 1 from the book I have is a Ko-Bizen Tomonari from Oda Nobunaga, National Treasure (I think?): "Item 1 – National Treasure: A Ko-Bizen Tomonari tachi, measuring 2 shaku 3 sun 5 bu (approximately 71.2 cm). It is fitted with an Owari openwork tsuba and mounted as a silver kenuki-gata tachi with gold-powder lacquer and paulownia-crested raden decoration. According to its provenance, it was received from Lord Oda Nobunaga and was preserved in the Sō Count family's collection. The sword is accompanied by a period uchigatana mounting." And yes, koshirae is still fully intact and well kept! Attached, and seems to have a full Umetada set of fittings.

I have two canvas field belts which are in the attached photo . Last weekend I saw another one with what I suspect is a pretty unusual feature . It had a small leather pocket on it which had a small bamboo mekugi nuki still in it . Has anyone else seen this feature? Does anyone have any idea what the strapped leather piece ,in the middle of the lower belt in the top photo, might have been used for?

You are really fortunate to have a sword with that provenance . Does the koshirae that was sold with it in 1937 still exist ? Count Ito's collection must have been huge . I have a catalogue from another of his sales in 1937 . This sale amongst other pieces contained one of the Hocho Masamune that is now a National Treasure as well as a Mitsutada and a Bitchu Tsugunao which are Juyo Bunkazai . There is a write up on a couple of Count Ito's swords in the NBTHK English edition Vol 37

Dawson’s book features this kind of belt. That pocket is alternatively designed to hold the scabbard during Kendo practice or sometimes in combat.

ON HOLD

The 2026 Japan Art Fair was excellent. For those who couldn't make it, here are a few impressions. Prices were very reasonable and fair. You should plan to visit the Japan Art Fair next year. Tom

I almost fell for this Taima Naginata Naoshi. While the blade had some nice chikei activity in the Ji it was the koshirae that really made me weak at the knees and I tell myself I'm not a fittings guy.

The show exceeded expectations this year. Without a doubt the best of the 3 I've attended so far. Here are some pics taken showing some of the highlights for me First a TJ Den Chogi on Paul Kremers stand. Sorry for the quality, I was peering over the shoulder of the viewer. I got to see it in hand later but couldn't take pics. An awesome blade. Its easy to see why Chogi is so highly praised. The Tanobe Sayagaki was more definitive with a direct Nagayoshi attribution without the Den qualifier. A Juyo Sanekage sunobi tanto A spectacular Juyo Unji at the Piva booth. Ubu, single mekugi-ana. Mumei. And obviously some great Menpo and kabuto

Wangata are mounted opposite to a basket hilt the cupped/indented side faces the blade not the grip. There is a theory that the design keeps water and dust from getting into the saya [just a theory IMHO] Most Wangata tsuba would not fit very well into the hand if mounted like European cup hilted weapons- the size would tend to cut into the hand, the exception being the huge example seen below A HUGE novel mounted example [recycling a childs Kasa or Jingasa] and a more conventional mounted piece. I have at least four Wangata examples. Similar theme and design [A bit more "up market?"] https://tsuba.jyuluck-do.com/TU10197.html Video link: https://www.google.com/search?q=Wangata+tsuba&oq=wangata+tsuba&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBggAEEUYOzIGCAAQRRg7MggIARAAGBYYHjIKCAIQABiABBiiBDIHCAMQABjvBTIHCAQQABjvBTIKCAUQABiABBiiBNIBCDczNThqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:4d96ccfc,vid:ZZQ6A-pRfqA,st:0

Perhaps a variant of Katabami? https://irohakamon.com/kamon/katabami/mitsuwarikatabami.html

Something similar? https://www.jauce.com/auction/c1101293589# This one looks like a rough wire wheel has been run over it! This is mostly ruined and not worth the asking price. Seeing a cloud dragon is generally viewed as a powerful, auspicious omen but there is also the Divine Emperor Myth: Historically, early Japanese emperors were believed to be descendants of dragons. Because the dragon was viewed as an incredibly divine, celestial being, it was a common belief that actually seeing a full, whole dragon would cause a mortal to perish from its sheer power. So parts of the dragon were obscured or could only be seen on the opposite face. It might be a liberty but most large collections will likely have a similar example ["dragon" collectors may have several]

Am I posting too many tsubas to talk about? Should I have put this in the auction section? I'm not planning to bid, I just want to talk about the Tsuba. I haven't seen a Tsuba colored like this one before, I imagine it's uncommon but not unheard of? Very striking design. Almost feels like a halloween theme with the bat and the halloween orange/black jelly bean coloration. It's being auctioned (in about ten minutes) in Vienna at Galarie Zacke. I'll reply later with what it sells for. Auction text below. https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/232258999_tenkodo-hidekuni-a-fine-and-rare-suaka-and-shibuichi-bats-at-dusk-and-dawn-tsuba-vienna-vienna

In fact I also had a kogatana in my collection of a similar fashion. Quite nice, very finely made. Best,.Alex

Nunome Zogan: From this reference Nunome-zogan is NOT originally a Japanese technique - however they certainly mastered it Nunome Zogan means cloth weave overlay and uses very thin foils - 0.02mm thick and the gold is attached to the base metal by creating a cross-hatched ground made with chisels. Around 7 - 9 chisel marks per mm created in three different directions at 45 degrees to each other. The technique is a type of Damascening that was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese in the 16th Century. The technique was originally used on Iron and Steel to decorate weapons although more recent practitioners have expanded this to include copper, brass and sterling silver. https://www.sandrawilson.co.uk/blog/nunome-zogan https://www.scribd.com/document/439904095/Numone-Zogan

Curran's approach is the same as what I was taught about sword kantei - look at the sugata, jigane and yakite - What does that tell you about time period, smith tradition and maybe swordsmith?. THEN look at the mei and see if it fits. Many of the Japanese books about swords and kodogu are limited publication or privately published, so very little of that knowledge has been scanned into online digital records. So yes, reference books are still required. For signatures, here are a few standards. Probably the most recent and exhaustive in English, but no images of actual mei. I believe it came with searchable files in .pdf format. https://japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/book/fittings-books/b760-the-index-of-Japanese-sword-fittings-and-associated-artists-by-robert-haynes/ Anything by Wakayama is highly regarded. https://japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/?s=wakayama My go-to books with images of validated mei. https://japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/book/fittings-books/b672-toso-kodogu-meiji-taikei-by-wakayama-with-english-index/ Another by different authors. https://japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/book/fittings-books/b755-kinko-meikan-by-senichiro-masumoto-kenichi-kokubo-with-translation/

Kanemori seems to be the mei, and the date is 'showa juhachi nen', 1943. Pictures like this should be shown with the point uppermost so that the mei can be read vertically. Also, best shown against a black background.

So several individuals that are much wiser/more experienced sword collectors have now looked at this sword in hand and I can say they state that two of their comments are in common: 1. This certainly appears to be from the Rai school (late 1400's). 2. This is most certainly NOT a Kunimitsu mei, but is most probably from the Rai school. I intend to have it submitted to a shinsa, after which I feel that I will need the mei crushed, and then resubmit to shinsa to try and get it attributed to one of the smiths/students of the school. Fascinating that I bought this as a "after thought" to keep it with the Type 2 Arasaka that I originally wanted to keep the items together that the GI brought home after the war 80 years ago. This has certainly taken me down Alice's rabbit hole once I started to appreciate the blade as something potentially pretty nice. Thanks for the comments and help to all here, as since I have demonstrated by my ignorance that I am NOT a sword collector. Brian