Keichodo

Wednesday, Nov. 16 Sword Study in Tokyo Sword study starts at 6:00 p.m. Dinner from 7:30 p.m. Venue: Cinq It is very easy to find the venue "Cinq" from inside the Metro system (subway). You go to Ginza Station (on the Ginza line), then go up one level from the platform to the underground concourse and find the B-6 exit. The club is called Cinq and it is half way up the exit stairwell. So, you don't even have to exit onto street level it is right inside the metro underground network. It is very convenient....no long walk or need for a taxi. Cost for participants yen 5,000 to be paid on arrival...thanks! Dinner sponsored by Mr. Hisashi Saito of Seikodo. The actual street address for Cinq is Ginza 5-4-3 which is the building with the B6 subway entrance, so go down the first flight of stairs (into the subway) and you will find it. Friday, Nov. 18 Yakatabune Tokyo Bay Cruise..... This event is scheduled for Friday, November 18th through Shibaura Ishikawa (address: Minato-ku Shibaura 4-12-44). Bus pick-up leaving from in front of DTI (Tokyo Bijitsu Club in Shimbashi)at 6:30 p.m. Participants should board bus for head count (unless special arrangements are made in advance). Cruise to start from 7:00 p.m. Participation by advance reservation only. Passenger manifest must be submitted in advance due to transportation laws. A reservation is also a commitment to pay (no last minute cancellations)... Cost yen 10,800 per participant. Please pay on Friday a.m. at the DTI... Cellphone for Robert Hughes 080-3455-6044

Greetings everyone! There are still opportunities to join both the Nov. 16th sword study session in Ginza and the Yakatabune party on the 18th... Please contact Robert Hughes at keichodo@yahoo.com

I just want to take a minute and thank supporters of these activities such as Brian who always gives a thumbs up of encouragement! It would certainly be great to have him back in Japan quaffing pints in Ginza and out on Tokyo Bay! Cheers to Tony who will be missed this year! Welcome back to David who regularly imbibes with international katana cronies....... Yes, there are still spots for anyone else who wishes to participate....With the Tokyo Bay dinner cruise on the Yakatabune...I am hoping to entice a larger number of Japanese sword dealers to join us....many sword price discounts have been negotiated during the flow of sake ...and the act of liquid bonding...having lived in Japan for 36 years...I cannot emphasize strongly enough how effective alcoholic beverages are in getting the best deal.... Cheers, Robert

Greetings everyone! There is still an opportunity to join either the Nov. 16th sword study session in Ginza and the Yakatabune party on the 18th... Please contact Robert Hughes at keichodo@yahoo.com

Invitation to the intrepid souls traveling to Japan for the Dai Token Ichi Here are two events you may wish to consider: Wed. Nov. 16th Kamakura Sword Study Group will offer a sword study and dinner party again in Ginza at the Italian Restaurant Cinq (same venue as previous two years). Location is quite convenient. Sword study is yen 5,000 (for the venue) and the dinner party will be sponsored by Hisashi Saito of Seikodo. Date will be Wednesday Nov. 16th. Arrival time will be from 5:30 p.m. for the sword study which starts at 6:00 p.m. Dinner party will follow the sword study at around 7:30 or 8:00 ... Attendance by advance reservation only. Please notify Robert Hughes (keichodo@yahoo.com) as soon as possible! Friday Nov. 18th Yakatabune Tokyo Bay Cruise.....Arrangements: This event is tentatively scheduled for Friday, November 18th, but final determination to proceed will depend on the number of interested participants. As in the past, participants leave from in front of DTI at 6:30 p.m. Cruise to start from 7:00 p.m. Participation by advance reservation only. Notification to attend is also a commitment to pay if event is held...Cost yen 10,500 per participant. Please notify Robert Hughes (keichodo@yahoo.com) as soon as possible! Minimum number of participants is 20....the magic number! If you have an interest in attending either one of these events, please contact Robert Hughes at keichodo@yahoo.com....Hope to see you in Japan!

Greetings sword friends, If you are coming to the DTI I wish to bring your attention to a couple of events that have been regular fixtures over the past years. These are non-profit activities set up to get people together to satisfy their passions for swords and imbibing.....with a distinct separation. Yes, the swords are put away when the taps start to flow.... Please join us....send a mail and reserve your place! Wed. Nov. 18th Kamakura Sword Study and dinner party will be offered again in Ginza at the Italian Restaurant Cinq (same venue as last year). Location is quite convenient. Sword study is yen 5,000 and the dinner party will be sponsored by Hisashi Saito of Seikodo. Spouses are welcome to partake in the festivities....Date will be Wednesday Nov. 18th. Starting time will be 6:30 p.m. for sword study. Dinner party will follow at around 8:30-10:00... Attendance by reservation appreciated. It is very easy to find the venue "Cinq" from inside the Metro system (subway). You go to Ginza Station (on the Ginza line), then go up one level from the platform to the underground concourse and find the B-6 exit. The club is called Cinq and it is half way up the exit stairwell. So, you don't even have to exit onto street level it is right inside the metro underground network. It is very convenient....no long walk or need for a taxi. The actual street address is Ginza 5-4-3 which is the building with the B6 subway entrance, so go down the first flight of stairs and you will find it. Friday Nov. 20th Yakatabune Tokyo Bay cruise.....This event is scheduled for Friday, November 20th through Shibaura Ishikawa (address: Minato-ku Shibaura 4-12-44). Bus pick-up leaving from in front of DTI (Tokyo Bijitsu Club in Shimbashi)at 6:30 p.m. Participants should board bus for head count (unless special arrangements made). Cruise to start from 7:00 p.m. Participation by advance reservation only. Passenger manifest must be submitted in advance due to transportation laws. A reservation is also a commitment to pay (no last minute cancellations)...Cost yen 10,500 per participant. If you have an interest in attending either one of these events, please contact Robert Hughes at keichodo@yahoo.com. Cell phone 080-3455-6044 (in country)

Greetings everyone, Just thought I would take a minute to announce the upcoming plans for some extra fun around the upcoming DTI sword show. Wed. Nov. 18th Kamakura Sword Study and dinner party will be offered again in Ginza at the Italian Restaurant Cinq (same venue as last year). Location is quite convenient. Sword study is yen 5,000 and the dinner party will be sponsored by Hisashi Saito of Seikodo. Spouses are welcome to partake in the festivities....Date will be Wednesday Nov. 18th. Starting time will be 5:30 p.m. for sword study. Dinner party will follow... Attendance by reservation only. Friday Nov. 20th Yakatabune Tokyo Bay cruise.....This event is scheduled for Friday November 20th. Leave from in front of DTI at 6:30 p.m. Cruise to start from 7:00 p.m. Participation by advance reservation only. Commitment to attend is also a commitment to pay...Cost yen 10,500 per participant. If you have an interest in attending either one of these events, please contact me at keichodo@yahoo.com....Hope to see you in Japan! Best wishes, Robert Hughes

Greetings everyone, The exciting S.F. is coming on fast! Mr. Ikeda, a well-respected Japanese polisher will be set up to open windows and do small scale polishing tasks...please let me know if you have something to keep him occupied! I have shipped three juyo blades and several other Tokubetsu Hozon and hozon level pieces...lots of interesting pieces at good prices! Exploit the power of the almighty greenback! Looking forward to seeing you in San Francisco! Regards, Robert Hughes

Greetings readers, Pleased to announce that this great sword sold and will go to a NMB owner. It is also the first item I have successfully sold off the NMB. I'll get another item up soon... The negotiated terms of the sale include the new owner making the donation to the NMB in both his and my name, so Brian if this does not happen soon, please let me know... Regards, Robert

Greetings and salutations, Thank you to those who have taken the time to look over this blade! Due to requests, please see the additional scans for a more detailed perspective on this amazing sword. There is one small area with some pinhead size openings but not much of a distraction when viewing the blade in actual size... This is an amazing sword to behold! Regards, Robert Hughes

Yes, Jean I will have one for you soon.... Regards, Robert

A great opportunity to invest in the sword futures market should this important smith become Living National Treasure! Very robust and beautiful shinsakuto by Yoshihara Shoji (Kuniie III). This sword was made in 1970 when Kuniie was perfecting his skills and at the peak of strength for large sword production! Price $10,500 or best reasonable offer Length 74.2 cm. Sori 2.2 cm. Gold foil tachi style habaki Sayagaki by Kanzan Sensei Custom order inscription “Made on request for Matsuura Tsuyoshi” Dated: tsuchi noto tori doshi (Showa 44) niigatsu kichi jitsu (lucky day in February) Shoji Yoshihara (Kuniie III) carries on the family tradition of forging swords in the Nihon So Tanto Jo at his residence in Nishi Mizoguchi. His well-known brother Yoshindo is a frequent visitor to sword shows in the U.S. Shoji, as a young swordsmith, earned a long list of awards including: -1966 youngest ever recipient of the Award for Effort -1971 youngest ever recipient of the Mainichi Newspaper Award -1982 awarded Mukansa at 37 years of age More recently -2008 designated an Important Living Cultural Property of Tokyo Shoji’s fame increased with a cameo appearance as a village sword smith in the entertaining but historically inaccurate movie “The Last Samurai” which starred Ken Watanabe and Tom Cruise. A custom order sword by Kuniie costs approximately $25,000 at current exchange rates. Contact me Robert Hughes by mail at keichodo@yahoo.com If sold to a NMB member, a contribution will be made. Thank you for checking this out! Still working on my sword scanning skills with my new Epson large tray scanner....need to master masks and layers....using free software GIMP... Robert Hughes

Greetings everyone, There has been a good response for the pre-DTI study session with over 30 participants registered. Swords and fittings will also be offered for purchase.....Study and buy...not study and cry! Regarding the sword study session in Ginza, it starts at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 30th. The dinner is in the same venue and starts from 7:30 p.m. It is very easy to find the venue "Cinq" from inside the Metro system (subway). You go to Ginza Station (on the Ginza line), then go up one level from the platform to the underground concourse and find the B-6 exit. The club is called Cinq and it is half way up the exit stairwell. So, you won't even have to exit onto street level, it is right inside the metro underground network. It is very convenient....no long walk or need for a taxi. The actual street address is Ginza 5-4-3 which is the building with the B6 subway entrance, so go down the first flight of stairs and you will find it. Regarding the Yakatabune trip on Saturday Nov. 1st, the bus will pick up participants in front of the Tokyo Bijitsu Club which is the venue for the Dai Token Ichi. Regards, Robert

Hey guys, Thanks for the positive reviews of some of the previous years......misadventures. Sword study and imbibition go hand in hand but should not be conducted simultaneously...first the sword study and then later the consumption of brain cell killing liquids...liquid eraser. After all, if we can't have fun in our pursuits....why bother! The mighty dollar is getting stronger so that periodic window of opportunity to acquire is within your grasp.... Hope to see old friends and make new ones at the DTI.....Time and tide wait for no man....not too late to get an air ticket! Sorry for any late responses to mail and messages. Just got out of the Philippines last night. Was trying to return earlier in the week with 26 students from my university but one of them had a fever and developed a rash the night before departure. The airline company would not issue her a boarding pass so I stayed behind. Seems like she got German measles... Got home totally exhausted.....Haven't had time to do any sword activities but will get on it. Regards, Robert Hughes

Greetings Sword Friends, If you are attending the DTI in Tokyo this year, I would like to draw your attention to two other activities that are being offered as outlined below. Should either or both of these events interest you, please contact me as soon as possible. 1. Kamakura Nihonto Benkyokai will hold its annual English study session in Ginza this year to make it easily accessible to any overseas visitors wanting to attend. The scheduled date is Thursday, October 30th from 5:30 p.m. In addition to the specific study pieces, a nice selection of swords and fittings will also be available for purchase. After the study session, a dinner party will be held in the same venue. Pre-registration is required and the fee is yen 5,000 for the study session. Mr. Hisashi Saito of Seikodo will be sponsoring the Italian-Japanese dinner. 2. A Yakatabune Dinner Cruise of Tokyo Bay is scheduled for Saturday, November 1st. This is a fine Japanese meal of sashimi, tempura and other treats. Cost for this event is yen 10,800. Guests should gather in front of the Tokyo Bijitsu Club after the DTI closes at 6:00 p.m. and collectively make way to the pier. Boat departure time will be 7:00 p.m. Did I fail to mention this is all-you-can-drink?....nomihodai! The boat charter requires a minimum of twenty people so i would appreciate hearing from interested persons as soon as possible. Regards, Robert Hughes

Greetings Brian, I would take 3 sets..... Regards, Robert Hughes

Greetings everyone, Regarding the Bonham's sale, I believe the reference to the Arkansas connection refers to the deceased sword collector A.C. Freeman and not the other well-known gentleman collector who is still with us...Some of the blades are those that belonged to Mr. Freeman. Several others come from different U.S. based collectors... The armor is somewhat of a mystery, but judging from the volume it may well be coming out of Japan.... Regards, R. Hughes

Same procedure as every year Mr. Guido. I'll do my very best.

Brian, I appreciate the plug and hope visitors to Japan will get involved. A lot can be learned from a serious sword study session; however, you will meet the most interesting people and hear some crazy-ass stories when large amounts of truth serum is served....so I organize two events with very distinct goals in mind. Thanks again, Robert

:D Greetings sword friends, I hope to see many of you at the Dai Token Ichi this year. If you have time, please consider participation in either of these extra non-profit activities..... Regards, Robert Hughes Dai Token Ichi 2013 Special Events Yakatabune Tokyo Bay Cruise with dinner party (including the all-you-can -drink option) Date: October 25th Friday Time: approximately 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Cost per participant: Japanese yen 10,500 Departure point: 6:15 from the Tokyo Bijitsu Club Attendance by advanced reservation only by contacting Robert Hughes (keichodo@yahoo.com) because the minimum number of guests to charter the cruise ship is 20! The number of participants must be confirmed 3 days in advance of event as this includes a fabulous seated meal of sashimi, tempura and other treats. A reservation is a full-commitment to attend i.e. payment required. Please make your reservation by October 20th. This is a great social opportunity to meet the who's who of sword fanatics. Kamakura Sword Study Session and Dinner Party! Dates: October 23rd (Wednesday) Location: Meet at 1:45 at the west exit of Kamakura Station. Venue is a rental hall. Cost per participant: Yen 10,000 (includes sword study session and Japanese pub (Izakaya) party. ) For those attending the sword study only, the price is yen 5,000. Extra guests for the dinner party will be yen 5,000. Participation by advanced reservation only, made in advance by contacting Robert Hughes (keichodo@yahoo.com) Deadline for reservation October 20th, 2013 Minimum number of participants: ten Sword Study with Nagamasa Ikeda, an expert sword polisher and sword researcher. His father was a famous sword authority with numerous book publications. Ikeda Sensei is a fun-loving guy with a high tolerance for alcoholic beverages. This study session will begin with an informal introductory level kantei session (with various levels of assistance if needed) to distinguish the five main schools and the related swordsmiths. Detailed lecture/discussion of the kantei pieces will follow. The evening meal will be quality Japanese pub delicacies.

Greetings everyone, Like last year at the San Francisco sword show, Mr. Ikeda, a well-known sword authority and polisher in Japan, will again be demonstrating polishing over the three day event. If you are interested in having a window opened up on a potential restoration project, please let me know and I'll put you on the list. Hope to see you at the show! Regards, Robert Hughes

Dear sword friends, If you have plans to visit Japan for the DTI (Oct. 26th/27th/28th), the premiere samurai artifact show in the world, I would like to invite you to attend two special activities: 1) a special sword study session and reception in Kamakura on Wednesday October 24th and 2) the Yakatabune dinner party on Saturday, October 27th. If you would like to reserve a spot for either of these activities please correspond with me by e-mail at keichodo@yahoo.com. 1) The sword study session on October 24th will be held from 1:30 p.m. at the impressive Kamakura estate of Mr. Takahashi, President of Shingendo. Mr. Takahashi has offered the use of one of his buildings. Additionally, there will be rooms displaying a wide selection of high grade armor, sword fittings, and swords for sale. Mr. Takahashi is sponsoring a sushi party in the late afternoon and evening. The cost of the sword study session is yen 8,000 per participant. This event promises to be both educational and fun! Overnight accommodation can be arranged in Kamakura at a centrally-located economical business hotel for around yen 8,400 per night or at the more elegant Park Hotel for yen 14,700. These are per person room charges. Let me know as I have rooms on hold. 2) As with previous years, the Yakatabune boat cruise/tempura dinner/ with drinks is being offered again. Participants should meet at around 6:30 p.m. at the departure point near Shinagawa Station (with the boat leaving the pier at 7:00 p.m.) Maps will be available and taxi sharing from the DTI is also possible. The cost is yen 10,500 per participant. This event is becoming legendary! Reservations for either of these activities are required as both are limited capacity events. A reservation means a commitment to pay for your spot. Reservations for the sword study session in Kamakura will be taken until we have reached our capacity of twenty participants. Reservations for the Yakatabune party need to be made by October 25th and payment made at my shop at the DTI on Friday, October 26th. Hope to see you in Japan! Best Regards, Robert

Greetings Sword Friends, After a lapse of a few years I will be back at the S.F. sword show. Yes, I have missed all the colorful characters who attend this event and the quaffing of lager outside the lounge. Lots of interesting stories to share with you regarding the state of sword biz in Japan, etc. Anyway, I will be bringing Mr. Nagamasa Ikeda (sword polisher) and Mr. Hironobu Otsuka (tsukamaki-shi and koshirae maker) who will demonstrate their skills. Mr. Ikeda will polish windows for any interested parties to see what "lurks beneath" the rust and grim. Mr. Otsuka will wrap tsuka for any interested persons. Both gentleman are artisans in good standing with NBSK, the foundation supporting artisans. Hope to see you there! Robert Hughes

Hi Brian Thanks for the strong recommendations! Would certainly like to have you over here this year. Looks like we reached the magical number of twelve participants to hold our Kamakura study session. However, lots of room left for the pirate ship yakatabune party. Regards, Robert

Greetings everyone, Time for an update on the DTI extra activities: There is still plenty of space open for the Yakatabune dinner cruise on Saturday, Oct. 29th. So far, there are about 15 brave souls signed up. Regarding the Kamakura sword study, the response was rather tepid and as a result of waiting I lost my room option at Kamigo Mori No Ie when a large group took all the accommodation. This has resulted in a complete change of plans. Hotel accommodation (Izumi) is now arranged for overnight guests in downtown Kamakura right across the street from a fine little bar called Univibe. Overnight accommodation including breakfast is yen 8,400. On Wednesday Oct. 26th, participants should meet at the front of this hotel at 9:30 a.m. and then proceed over towards the Daibutsu. There is time for a little sightseeing. The study session will be held in a restaurant right across the street from the Daibutsu. The study session starts at 11:00 and lasts for two hours. The cost of the study session is yen 5,000 per participant. At 1:00 a power lunch is scheduled for two hours. It is a famous branch of well-known Yokohama Chinese Restaurant. Top class! Lunch is yen 5,300 per participant. Alcoholic beverages will be extra. The Wednesday night action will be loca,l near the Kamakura station (probably in a local izakaya). For interested participants, a Thursday tour of selected Kamakura locations will be offered. Sorry for any difficulties that arise from these changes! Due to room size limitations, the sword study is limited to twelve participants. Regards, Robert Hughes