Wah

Oh cool, Thank you Jussi. Yes, definately try to get a set of the magazines. They have quite a few photos of the lost swords we have not seen and are under articles by Yuichi Hiroi. The journals that have the lost swords begin with issue number one dated 1978-4 through issue number 16 which is dated 1982-1. The Journals are called: 大素人 All the best!

Has this Tachi been found? Am I overlooking it in the list above? This is from the Daisojin publication by Yuichi Hiroi, July 1979. I used AI for the translation which is imperfect but it's understandable.

Hello Jussi, Do you have the journals written by Yuichi Hiroi called Daisojin? I have most of the journals and I'd be happy to share the articles and photos of the missing swords. The Norishige was in these journals also but I sent those issues to Mr. Brooks. Here is a taste.

Yaga and friends, I wish you the best in your search. My strongest advice is to study swords seriously and, above all, to learn how to recognize the steel of the blade you are seeking. In the case of the Honjō, many of the characteristics people commonly expect are incorrect. The steel will be of the highest quality and will reflect the earliest working pattern of the smith. This point is critical and often misunderstood. It is also important to understand that this is not a treasure hunt. While the sword is unquestionably a treasure, it is highly unlikely that anyone would ever be permitted a monetary reward for its return. For many years, the sword community has unknowingly repeated an incorrect narrative. The most significant error concerns to whom the sword would be returned in Japan if it were found. There is also a reason why the authorities have never publicly sought its recovery. How can Japan formally request the return of an object when it appears that the sword was presented to GHQ from the Imperial Household itself? Please allow me to explain. Many videos and published sources state that following the Meiji Restoration, the Honjō Masamune remained in the Tokugawa collection until the end of the war, and that it belonged to Tokugawa Iemasa, who ultimately surrendered it. With all due respect to the Tokugawa family, this account is not accurate. Token to Rekishi (1968), the Biography of Emperor Meiji, and several other sources explain that the Honjō Masamune was presented by the Tokugawa family to Emperor Meiji. From that point forward, the Honjō became part of a special group of twelve or thirteen military swords (guntō) personally selected by Emperor Meiji—swords with which he symbolically ruled Japan. Some accounts describe occasions on which Emperor Meiji wore the Honjō Masamune. One story relates that he had a chip removed from the blade and commissioned koshirae so that the sword could be worn. Another describes it as his favorite blade. Another tells how Meiji Emperor’s favorite blade was a Yukimitsu that appeared to be made later and was presented as a Masamune. At the end of the war, the Imperial Household was informed by GHQ that it was hoarding weapons and was instructed that it could retain only about fifty swords at first. As a result, the Household first separated those swords that had not been part of the Imperial collection for more than one hundred years. The military swords associated with Emperor Meiji were addressed first. This group of Gunto were placed in a special vault within the Tokyo Imperial Household Museum to be held for a later time. The Honjō Masamune, along with two other swords, were taken to a police station to be handed over to GHQ. Most accounts end at this point, with no further explanation of what occurred afterward. I believe that Col.D has unfairly borne the blame for something perceived as improper, when in fact, if one considers the evidence symbolically, the events appear honorable and consistent with long-established practices of succession. To be clear, I do not support the theft of an Imperial sword. However, in this instance, the act was a deliberate choice by the Imperial Household—an expression of surrender conducted through an established and culturally accepted practice in Japan. This becomes evident when we consider both ownership and symbolism, particularly regarding the three specific swords surrendered at the end of the war. The key is symbolism. Three swords were passed in succession beginning with Tokugawa Iemitsu and then to each succeeding Tokugawa shōgun. These same three swords were transferred to Emperor Meiji during the Meiji Restoration. At the end of World War II, those swords—the Honjō Masamune, Osafune Nagamitsu, and Rai Kunimitsu—were handed by the Imperial Household to Tokugawa Iemasa, who then delivered them to the police station for transfer to GHQ. The symbolism is clear: the three swords together represented legitimate succession by the reigning authority. Just as swords have historically transferred honorably from one ruling power to another, this act should be understood and respected, not condemned. It is my opinion that no active public search is being conducted to recover these three swords precisely because of their symbolic transfer at the end of the war. I believe the authorities feel unable to request their return and are instead waiting for another Compton—someone who will voluntarily return them.

The monkey takes the bait... This article was published on the internet in 2020 for the public, so I will share it. Overview: ....In June 2003, experts began investigation on a sword owned by an American that appeared to be the lost Masamune. While his sword was not determined to be the Honjō Masamune, it caught the attention of leading experts, who identified it as a Zaimei Masamune—its length and characteristics identically paralleling those of the missing blade. At the time, their excitement was so great that they nearly requested the sword’s return to Japan. However, because the official record lists the Honjō Masamune as mumei (unsigned), they ultimately concluded that the American’s sword could not be that particular Masamune. During their investigation, they uncovered several remarkable details that would challenge accepted views within the sword community. Most notably, the previously accepted oshigata—long considered the most accurate—was revealed to be incorrect. If, in the future, experts publicly confirm that the sword known as the Honjō Masamune is in fact Zaimei, you will undoubtedly hear of a very special sword returning to Japan as a symbol of peace. I believe that anyone who claims ownership of something should be able to accurately describe the missing item. I also understand that certain artifacts held under Imperial ownership were deliberately not displayed to avoid public criticism. This is likely why current descriptions of the Masamune differ from the actual sword, and why those who speak truthfully are sometimes dismissed as “looney" as Dee ponted out. A respected expert in Japan told me in February 2020, (before the attached article was published) that the Honjō Masamune can only be officially recognized within Japan—and once it is, it will never be permitted to leave again.

Florian, I wish you well. I look forward to reading your paper. Someone said, "If Japan is to turn in swords, Emperor Hirohito should first make an example." At wars end, the Imperial house was only allowed to keep a small number of swords out of the large number in their collection. Originally, they were told by GHQ that they could keep only 50. These 50 or so they chose were known to have been in their family for centuries. An article said that relatively new swords in the collection were placed in the sorting out section and were to be liquidated. In 1947 the swords that didnt go missing were placed in the newly named Tokyo National Museum in Ueno. Previously Tokyo Imperial Museum. There was a sword collection in the Imperial family at wars end under the category of Emperor Meiji's (Gunto) military sword collection and consisted of about 13 blades. These blades were in the Imperial Household collection for a short time , under 100 years, so they were not as important as swords that had been owned by them for centuries. These blades were the ones surrendered to Emperor Meiji in about 1868 by the Tokugawa's and other high ranking officials. Emperor Meiji chose to rule with those swords by his side. One of these from the Emperor Meiji collection, a famous Masamune, was handed in at wars end by none other than Iemasa Tokugawa. How painful that must have been considering the circumstances. People continue to search for it till this day. Some of the story can be seen in Token to Rekishi 445, 1968 . Also in the Biography of Emperor Meiji, these swords including the missing Masamune are listed as the 12 or 13 military swords of Emperor Meiji. Stephen T.

Hello Christian, I know the tanto you speak of. The guy from twitter said the HM was in the USA, so I do not think it was the Honjo Ke Masamune tanto. A rough translation of what he said: "My teacher heard from Honma Sensei, Very few people, including his teacher, actually saw it before it was taken to America. He said it was a short sword and probably only he would understand it. They were informed that it exists it the USA." Again this is a poor translation. Sorry. All the best, Stephen T.

Hello Simon, Please calm down. It's great to know you are looking out for me. I don't know this Stephen Tokugawa you speak of. If this is your way of asking my last name, ..that's not the way to do it. I already told you, they said it wasn't the sword. Tell you what. Since you want to put me on the spot, Message me privately and I'll send you an article written by his Tokyo dealer telling of the event in 2003. Be sure to give top man a copy so he can read it. I think he'll like seeing it. Mr. Tokugawa is a very warm kind gentleman. He was nothing but kind. I wanted to give him something to show my appreciation. Ask him about the glass negative of Iemasa Tokugawa and family. Tsunenari's mom at age 16 was in that picture along with Iemasa, his son, and others. I gifted it to him and the museum. I also want the Masamune to return. How can something return to an owner without a full public description/ pictures released stating and showing what was lost? That's what needs to happen. Simon, do be careful how you word things. Be respectful. He is cousins with the Emperor, not Stephen. These people are very intelligent. They know your intent before you speak. Stephen T. (not Tokugawa)

Hello Simon, I'm glad you missed me. Hehe! J. , Hello! If you value other up close detailed drawings of Honjo, please hit me up. Very few people ever saw the missing Masamune. If someone wishes to know its identity, they will need to search out the clues. Find the people in Japan still living that were friends of Honma Junji. Those people may have heard details. I spoke to a few, one was Dean Hartley. For examle, It was said by Mr. Hartley/ according to Honma Junji's records, that its a Tanto of Wakizahi length, made in shinogi Tsukuri construction. He whispered "that was a secret". In other words, you won't see this in a book. Last year, a fellow in Japan, who I don't know, said on Twitter something about wanting to see the HM. A person writes this guy back, He said something like his teacher knew Honma Junji and he said Honjo M was a short sword and probably only he, would be able to identify it. Said something like they thought it was in U.S. For the sake of this forum, the conversation is attached. The conversation is still on Twitter surprisingly. There may be another missing one, but the list only indicates one Masamune. Of course, no one person really knows what came out. Stephen T.

Ok Darkcon , I'll answer your question. "What happens if the blade is found?" One who is not part of the research team chosen by Tokugawa's are not allowed to discover it. It can only be officially discovered in Japan by the chosen team. There are people in that team that include a well known Tokyo dealer, and one who used to lead exhibitions at N.Y. Met. Yeah, you know... There is a claim against Honjo it if recognized in Japan so the American owner can only surrender it if taken and recognized. It would be up to the Japanese owner if you get a reward, though I am 99.999% sure there is none since an actual description has never been released by their family. Their main intention is that no one can know its identity. It's like the Imperial Regalia according to books. Still want to find it? Do you know the details? Do you know the secret clues? If you do find it, you'll show a sword to the Japanese owner like I did in 2003. And they'll say, Awe, theres a problem. "According to record, H.M. has no mei. I'm sorry your sword was not found to be H.M." " take it to our team expert in NYC Met museum if you wish to find out what you have." I didn't take it. Why should I? Then later on T.V. documentary, owner says the person who has it won't let anyone see it. Lol! My sword had a Mei..a mei that is special but still a Masamune Mei. Much later in 2020, One of the Tokugawa research team wrote about the event. He said the Americans sword was Zaimei no M.M. Mmmmm......So I have a perfect twin to Honjo sword but Honjo is not signed, so its not the missing Masamune. Great! Well maybe there are other Masamune swords to discover! Lol! Not! Trust me, run! Enjoy your life. Get out, walk your dog. If you want a good sword, buy something beautiful like a Norishige. Let a terrific fellow like Ray Singer or Ted Tenold to teach you. Then buy something nice. All the best fellas Stephen T.

Hello Ray, I agree, Marcus Sesko's book is a wonderful refrence. It's very important to know what a sword actually is and if the smith used alias names. The swordsmith we are speaking of made a secret play sword. I could not use O-suriage, mumei, or katana to describe the missing Masamune. I have never seen a description directly written by an authorative figure from the Tokugawa family stating "we want this back" "description given". In the US, if something is lost we tell what we lost. I am the type of person to give it back if you prove it's yours publicly. Forget the millions its worth. I would like a public "Thank You for returning such n such sword". Sadly, I don't think that's in the plans. To link Masamune with another name would be embarrassing. Secrets run deep in Japan. Especially secrets that would uncover that Masamune probably was never a mei on a Masamune sword..... Stephen T.

Jussi, Hello, the lack of signatures by these smiths was answered well by Rivkin. He said, "the quality is sky high but the real names might have been a bit different." Also Dmitry's book enlightens on the subject. So basically the answer is Masamune was not born Masamune. He signed differently. As to why that's such a guarded secret even in Japan, ..... beats me. Lol! Stephen T.

Hey thanks for the explanation. I don't see any ogi-ba. Do you have a clear still picture of the area you think is ogi-ba? Also, may we see the boshi? Stephen T.

If you wish to see current photographs of Ogaki Masamune, copy and paste the kanji into twitter. There are a few photos. 大垣正宗 If you are searching to see if you found a lost Masamune, some say this one is lost. (Sakakibara Masamune) Stephen T.

Thank you Pat and Rivkin, Wow, this certainly opens up and answers some questions in my past. In 2003, I thought I found a lost important sword. I had contacted a well respected person in Japan who's grandfather had owned my sword. This person, respectfully asked me to contact Morihiro Ogawa to get answers since at the time we were both in the USA. At the time, I was monetarily embarrassed so I did not make the contact or the trip. Sadly, later I found that it was impossible to contact him unless you're somebody. That excluded me. Lol! I feel if this ex NYK ceo asked me to show the sword to Morihiro Ogawa, he probably knows Morihiro Ogawa knows the correct identity of his missing prewar Kokuho sword. To add to the topic here, there are some important missing swords that have slightly or largely false descriptions. That is why, I feel they have not been discovered. I was told the reason for this is not because of dishonesty. It is probably because these particular swords were held in high regard. They were like the Imperial sword called Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. No one is allowed to see it or know its dimension because of tradition. Regardless of what one thinks, if you have what appears to be a treasure, you need to find the expert that truly knows. (Talking to myself here) Since Morihiro Ogawa is patronized by all US museums, that's clear indicator that the man "knows" and is seeking. If someone has Morihiro Ogawa's contact information, I would deeply like to follow through with what is to be and what was asked of me. Thank you kindly Stephen T.

I have been speechless to hear of this trajedy of Darcy's passing. This past year many times, while reading his articles on Soshu, I caught myself thinking, this Darcy is a treasure to the sword society. His writeups didn't just say, it is this maker and you need to believe me, but his articles explained in detail "why" it was who he said. In honor of Darcy, can NMB start a "Wall of Honor" area of the forum to celebrate Darcy and others who have touched our lives but have passed on? Perhaps this area could show lists of names, when the name is clicked, the reader could see a picture, description of who they were and articles by that person? RIP Darcy Stephen T.

I'm very sad to hear the news. I'm praying for you Guido. Do get well soon! Stephen T.

There was an exhibition a while ago. The actual Koshirae of HM was displayed. https://tsumugu.yomiuri.co.jp/special/桃山展「本庄正宗」の刀装初公開/ Stephen T.

Your welcome JP I put up these 3 videos. The first one is not a comparison but just is of a section in need of full polish. This side is opposite of the pictures above. Look closely at the twisting Chikei and thick lines of Hataraki running down through the Hamon to the Ha-saki. https://youtu.be/FQPmOUJzdgw https://youtu.be/mtSSLaSdEtE https://youtu.be/lKaVuI4ubLQ All the best friends, Stephen T.

I'll get them back up tomorrow for ya. Thanks, Stephen T.

A few more pictures for the record. Thank you, Stephen T.

Hello, I hope this is Ok with you Brian. .A window was done on the Omote Monouchi and Tip. The Ura seems to be more nie laden but it was decided to put a window in the Omote because the Hi lines would need some work and the Togishi chose not to tackle it. In the pictures I have prepared, in the first one, look for the Chikei. I love the wild curved parallel Chikei, if that's how its describe it.? The second picture will show parallel curved segmented Hataraki from the Hamon to Ha. Also on the left, a ball from the hamon to Ha-saki. I wish I could show the true color of the Hamon/Ha. It literally glows with a silky bright titanium color. Never have I seen anything like it. My pictures may not turn out well. If not, PM me. All the best my friends, Stephen T.

Friends, It is difficult to let something die, especially when there are features in the sword that aren’t Kaga Kiyomitsu. Mei and oshigata comparisons aside, let’s look at the one characteristic that really matters. The Steel. -If there are “Sparkling” hardened spots of nie gathered above the hamon, aren’t they Yubashiri? Look at this video in ½ speed, at 0:49 seconds, watch as the sunlight hits the left of the sword. A few inches to the right on top the hamon will be a rounded sparkling mound with fingers of nie that shoot out the top. Like a sunrise over the horizon. Now go to 3:21 of the video. On the left will be the sunlight, look to the right for a sparkling hardened rounded area above hamon. At 3:25 of the video on the far right will be two flashes. One over the hamon and one just underneath the Hi. The upper being made of a solid concentrated line of nie. At that point there is another at the center of the screen and when the sun moves, just briefly can the area be seen. And again at 3:46 is a good shot of the first one again. Like the descriptions, they appear transparent at first. https://youtu.be/GBAK6l3HIrI -Also, please consider the thick bountiful Chikei all over the blade along with the fact that the “Hataraki in the Hamon goes to the Ha”. Isn’t “Hataraki in hamon going to the Ha” a kantei point to elite Soshu? I think Darcy pointed this out. -There are many nie that come out in a kaleidoscope of Yellow, red, green, purple. I hope one day to have it polished and perhaps I will share when I do. All the best everyone, Your friend, Stephen T.

I too would like to see it closer. There used to be a video on youtube showing its beautiful Hada, but havent seen it lately. I'll look for it and get back. Happy New Year, Stephen T.

Ray, Thanks for speaking with him. That's probably it or maybe someone made up the name and story. Thanks again! Stephen T.