Miura

Absolutely. BECAUSE ITS COOL.

What I like about the NBSK is that it is a pay as you go association. So you dont necessarily have to be super rich to participate. Its not that they dont need/want gaijin, they just dont pander to them. They dont do publications per se but the ones that they do can be purchased separately as they are rather high quality. But its not included in the membership. The membership includes participation in the events. As I put myself on reserve as an advisor, I dont get contacted that much anymore as I made it known that I would pay no more money nor attend no more meetings unless they needed me. I went to one meeting with a vest and button up shirt in a very hard to reach place in Tokyo and they made me put on a jacket and tie before I went up the elevator. Then when I got there I see shokunin wearing their working pajamas. Somebody cut in front of me for a sword viewing line. So I told the head of the meeting Ill see ya later. He tried to bump me for cash to pay for the meeting and I said, I have been here ten minutes and that rude guy cut in front of me, it took me two hours to get here, my day is shot, you pay me! He said "im sorry. No need to pay.' This is what happens when there are no practical people at the top of an organization. I think that organizations publishing is a great idea. However, they need to run efficiently, and pay people for their work. Volunteer organizations are good, it just seems that frequently, the people who believe the most do the most work, and the people who end up at the top, do little work and enjoy the all expense paid vacations paid for by by the fees of the people who do all the work. The Kokusai Nihon Katchu Bugu Shinko Kyokai of Japan (located in Japan) was set up as a business. So we run effeciently. We also have an actual staff and employ experts for the shinsa purposes. We also have a library that is maintained with iconic examples of armor, complete sword fittings, and a few blades, along with a pretty extensive book collection including edo period resources, so we are technically a small size, museum grade research facility. I would invite anybody with a research project to set up an appointment. And if you are ever in Japan please visit the Yoroi cafe which is on the first floor of the Yoroi building.

In General, I think two of the biggest hurdles/problems between Japan and the outside world are the language and cultural differences. I think it great that there are so many lovers of Japanese culture and arts throughout the world. It makes me wonder if many of these people are re-incarnated samurai or Japanese artisans. Unfortunately as the language is such a hard one to learn, we must rely on what gets filtered to us through the people who can speak both languages. Much of what I have seen by immature or inexperienced translators is less than competent. And often, effort is given more esteem than skill. To sum it up; I wish that there were more competent people filtering information to the west who were not in it for selfish purposes. I know there are a lot of people who try and Im thankful for that. Just please be even handed and unbiased regarding the information that is disseminated. Restorers: In Japan. There are some terrible ones, and some competent. The terrible ones use cashew urushi, paint, super glue, wood glue, wood putty, body filler, non-traditional materials etc. and know little about what they are restoring. The best ones take the time to know what they have before they begin a restoration so that stylistically it is appropriate, and appropriate materials are used. Many of the bad restorationist's bang up jobs have come across my desk. I always hate to tell the owner that the item needs a full restoration because super glue was injected to seal cracks or wood putty and cashew were used to patch a hole. The same kinds of restorers exist in the west. What most people are not aware of is that MOST Japanese "restorers" are terrible. Having Japanese blood does not mean that they care about the art more than quick cash. I have seen many many items destroyed by such people. I would call such a person a "Knave Trasher". Ill leave some examples for you in a separate blog. NBSK (Nihonto Bunka Shinko Kyokai - Society for the promotion of Japanese swords) I am a member and was the first and only foreigner board member in the beginning. I also was vice president for tosogu division for some time. I greatly support the intentions of the organization, however, I believe that there needs to be more representation of Artisans at the administrative level. I attended a meeting where money raising was the issue. The young artisans had many nice ideas that were shot down over and over by particular people who seemed to not want success. An afternoon of everybody's time was wasted and in the end the decision was to force donations on the the people who gave their time. I had not been that mad in a long time. I never left the organization, but I did let them know that my time was worth far more than what they asked for donation, and if they wished to consult me as a professional artisan or archeologist I would be happy to help in any way possible. I believe Im still an advisor. And I have given lectures in the past. I do like the premise of that organization. I just think for it to be more successful there needs to be more people in the admin that know what the heck is going on. My organization: the Kokusai Nihon Katchu Bugu Shinko Kyokai has been in operation since 2020. I saw the flaws of the non-profits. I fixed those flaws. It was easy. Give positions to qualified people. Respect people for their chosen profession. Pay people for their time. I know this sounds novel but somehow it works quite well. And no need for donations. We operate as a business rather than a non-profit and our papers are produced by professionals in the related fields. We are currently expanding and it was always my dream for the organization to act as a liason between potential students and artisans and potential customers and artisans. Basically to bridge the culture and language gap between Japan and the rest of the world. We will also offer study trips that anybody can join. Not just rich elite. We work for a living, not vacation for a living. The positions are held by artisans, historians, metallurgists, and qualified people in their fields. We will have a facebook page up soon and articles will be listed there as well. NKBKHK. I was the first to coin that moniker close to 30 years ago. They never used it themselves until I came along haha. Now its funny to hear other people referring to that society in that way. I know Nishioka San his teacher was my teacher's teacher so we have a common background. I admire that he has acquired the ability to do traditionally made armor from scratch. Though if you use his studio, you must confirm and reconfirm that he uses completely traditional techniques for a commission as he does offer cheaper non-traditional restorations. At my workshop, non-traditional is NEVER allowed. And EVERYBODY will go through the rites of passage. (I also offer 5 year guarantee on most of my work) AND I do koshirae as well. ( Our library has one of the largest collections of Koshirae in Japan as well) Braiding lacing is not the job of an armor maker. That would be a craftsman job rather than an artisan's job. I do give my input when ordering lacing. If there is a special order I want protected for a specific product I will insist that the lacing weaver does what I require. A good armorer understands how the lacing is made so that he can communicate with the producer, but an armorer should not wast time on the production of raw materials. That would be the same as an armorer skinning the water buffalo and preparing the hide - armorers cut kozane from it. We don't kill the steer. We do have a good idea of what kind of product we need though. Metal Forging. In the olden days, plate iron came from various sources. Most armor is produced through cold hammering. Many different kinds of iron. However, I know what percentage of iron/carbon I like to work with for specific jobs. I don't make the raw materials though. Thats the job of a craftsman, not an artisan. ( I did make Japanese blades though - Armor is much more demanding) I do agree though that it would be beneficial to include all these different arts and craftspeople in our organization. Thank you for your questions. I hope my answers are useful.

Disclaimer: I support any level of craftsman and people who work with their hands. The following is meant to enlighten people as to the struggles that people living the life of traditional artisans go through. If you are a craftsman, this is not meant to insult or degrade, but rather help you to understand your current position in the hierarchy of craftsmanship so that you may respect what other people have gone through. Also I hope that this essay helps potential customers to make educated decisions in their decisions to preserve and protect the traditional arts of Japan (and other countries in general). Killing Me Softly With Your Love: Strangling Out the Traditional Japanese arts by loving them too much. I entered the world of antiquities when I was five years old. Excavating my first site as a field hand in upstate New York, not far from where I was born. Growing up, I spent years of summers volunteering as a field hand, and eventually got jobs as an archeologist and museum specialist by the age of 16. I guess it was from a very young age that I found the value in preserving tangible cultural properties for the future. It's a long story, but several degrees in archeology, Asian studies and a Japanese National fellowship later, I was working with Japan’s most renown armor maker. I had studied and collected armor for around 15 years before meeting him. I actually thought the art had died out and there were no more traditional armor makers. During my time as a research fellow at Jochi University (Sophia University to you English speaking Jesuits), I sought out only traditional artisans. Traditional artisans are people who use traditional Japanese techniques, tools, and materials. Most importantly they are people who work and live as traditional artisans. In my research I found that there are several things that threaten greatly the existence of the Japanese traditional arts. Before proceeding I would like to explain why I use the word “artisan” rather than the word “craftsman”. In Japanese the word “shokunin” covers a variety of producers of goods. Today the word Shokunin even is used for sushi chefs. To differentiate producers of high grade art as opposed to the production of materials that are used to produce the art or finished product I think it necessary to make the differentiation here. In the Edo period it was generally forbidden for people to marry outside of their caste. With high grade artisans such as those who produced art for the samurai caste, however, there seems to be more mobility between the casts. In some cases Artisans were given samurai title, and in other cases samurai worked as artisans. There are other differentiations within the categories of Artisans as well that describes different ranks and orders depending on the level of the craft. Artisans who work in the higher arts have told me that the use of the English word craftsman is somewhat insulting to be used as a blanket definition for the Japanese “shokunin”. Apparently over time it has become to broadly used, and has veered toward the meaning of simple handicraft. For the genera of craftsmen I discuss here, the proper word would be more akin to “artisan” in my opinion. Perhaps the greatest danger to the survival of traditional artisans is what I call the lay-craftsman. The lay-craftsman is a non-professional who imitates a traditional artisan. In some cases, the lay-craftsman poses as an actual artisan and may even use actual traditional techniques and materials. They may even have developed a level of skill. I actually really respect people who try very hard to do this art on their own, and most people who engage in this as an avocation generally assert themselves as nothing more than a hobbiest who enjoys this art in their spare time. Generally I am very happy to see such hobbiests trying to experience the real thing. Some, however, wish not only to obtain the joy of accomplishment that comes from completing a project but strive to acquire the status and accolades of a professional artisan of this field. These such people are actually one of the greatest threats to traditional artisans for several reasons. First of all, they have a separate source of income. Traditional Japanese artisans are a living culture. They must eat, sleep, and bleed their art. When one starts down the path of a traditional artisan apprenticeship, they take a risk. Some deshi (apprentice) work for many years and never amount to anything…. So the investment of time is lost in the endeavor. The materials are very expensive, so in addition to the years not spent in another profession, if the apprenticeship is failed, the money spent on materials, travel, etc. is lost. In my case, not only did I have to endure the effects of urushi (traditional Japanese armor makers use real urushi) for two years until I developed natural immunity. As an apprentice, I had to endure the sometimes abusive and humiliating character of my teacher. These experiences are rites of passage that traditionally trained artisans must endure. Because of the nature of the traditional apprenticeship, the traditional artisan is able to achieve a much higher level of skill than a lay-craftsman. Additionally, the traditionally trained artisan achieves a degree of humility, and a respect and understanding of the proper materials. Because lay-craftsmen only endure an internship on a part time basis, or learn through trial and error, they often do not develop any degree of respect for the artisans they are trying to emulate. Therefore they might strive to misrepresent themselves and seek to occupy positions/jobs such as part time positions at a museum or educational institution that should be reserved for actual artisans. Because the lay-craftsman works for less, or in many cases works for free (their pay is the status and accolades of being viewed as a real artisan) the whole level of a display, or event suffers. At the same time, the traditional artisan has income effectively stolen, and the institutions provide the public with a dumbed down low quality version of what the professional would provide. So in this instance, the museum, as well as the lay-craftsman are complicit in inflicting erasure of traditional artisanship. I have witnessed such events happen in Japan over and over. In one case a lay-craftsman presented himself as a museum specialist as well as an armor maker. Because he was not a professional, he brought in other people who were at or below his level for the exhibition. So you had armors made by press, modern alloys, cashew urushi, non-silk lacing, modern made kozane. Museum specialists should do museum jobs. Katchu Shi should be katchu shi. When hobbiests try to imitate these jobs, you get bad events that only the geekiest of the geeks is interested in. I have done a few exhibitions, all of which were successful, because as a trained museum specialist, and a Japanese artisan, I know how to do a proper display that garners the attention of the layman as well as the samurai fanatic. Another way in which lay-craftsmen harm the survival of traditional culture is through the promotion and usage of non-traditional methods and materials. Because traditional artisanship is living culture, each individual art requires a pyramid of craftsmen who produce materials necessary to do good, professional, traditional work. For example, an armor maker relies on several different sources for raw materials such as leathers, silk cords, urushi, and so on. Each of these products requires trained craftsmen and tradesmen to produce them. **I use the term craftsman or tradesmen here rather than artisan because producers of materials requires a craft or is part of a trade, such as collection and refinement of urushi. However, urushi is a single component of a final product made by an artisan. I can bare witness to both the decline in availability of materials as well as a decline in the general quality of the products used in traditional Japanese armor, metal fittings, etc. over the span of my life. I have worked in several fields of Japanese traditional art, not only Armor making. Due to the popularity and prevalence of lay-craftsmen and the promotion and acceptance of inferior work, customers frequently go with the cheaper, faster, lower quality version of the traditional art. Lay-craftsmen who use non-traditional and inferior techniques tend to promote their craft as “same” or “as good as”, when this is not the case. In Japan, there is an old saying that goes something like this: “The Kuge (royals) live in their own world isolated from the rest of society, and they spend most of their lives adhering to polity and protocol, aside from that they have nothing to do. Samurai are absorbed in books, and administration. Aside from that they have nothing to do. Farmers are busy in spring and fall. In between they have matsuri (festivals) and watch the crops grow. Merchants live off the hard work of others and do little work at all. Shokunin (Craftsmen/Artisans) have no free time.” I find this to be generally true. Even today. In recent years the internet has become a very large part of information sharing. Many real artisans tend to sty off of the net in general. Why? WE HAVE NO TIME! Most of us strive for perfection rather than accolades from people we don't know. Some feel that it is not their duty or agenda to share knowledge that they gained through many years of rigorous training. This would be something similar to that of Lawyers giving free legal advice all day long to people they don't know. The best artisans are sought out by people who really want the real deal. Unfortunately, the web has not only become a great purveyor of information, but a great supplier of mis-information as well. Finding an actual traditional Japanese artisan can be very difficult with the web of misinformation that is out there. Those of us who remain silent as we push forward in obtaining excellence, become buried by people who have an enormous amount of time to post their hobbies and projects on the internet and in some cases promote themselves as artisans when in actuality are employed in an entirely different profession. Unfortunately it’s becoming quite difficult to even discern what is actually true on the internet. Real artisans have no time to operate social media, and lay craftsmen and hobbiest have all the time in the world to post their opinions and findings. I think that I speak for many artisans when I say that its really difficult to get the attention of the public or even get the public to listen. In some cases we are attacked for trying to educate people from our knowledge base. Rather than seek conflict many artisans just shut up and let people think what they want. Frequently art preservation organizations run derelict of their intended goals. I find it quite disheartening that many of the organizations claiming to “preserve and protect” the arts have all but abandoned the living traditions that are so important in maintaining the whole structure of the Japanese traditional artisan. Some of the traditional “promotion and protection” organizations that I was member of in the past were somewhat bewildering to me. Members would ask me to do work behind the scenes, and would keep it secret. On occasion they would order work, agree on a price, then not pay on completion and say something like; “I helped you before so Ill just take this for free.” Or in some cases prices were re-negotiated after completion. I later found from other craftsmen that this was a common tactic of the shonin (or merchant class) and its why most artisans only do jobs for half down up front and don't return the item unless payment is made in full. These were people in the organizations that were supposed to be promoting and protecting the art. Instead, I saw them manipulate and treat other craftsmen and artisans as slaves, and turn around and sell the completed work for a profit. Additionally the organizations had no positions of authority occupied by craftsmen/artisans. Sadly, such organizations were set up for the promotion and protection of the Japanese arts, but maintain no representation at the administrative levels of the artisans themselves. I’m not sure what I would call such an organization, however, the words “preservation” and “protection” should probably be removed from the name and be replaced by the word “appreciation”. I am not trying to create a bad image of arts promotion organizations, and most of the people who are members of such organizations have the best of intentions and hopes for the preservation of traditional culture and in fact are the best supporters of the arts. However, from an artisan’s perspective, I think it should be taken into account that artisans who represent the arts that are supposedly being “preserved” and “protected” should be represented in the administration at the very least with the support coming from the members and fellow administration. In conclusion, traditional Japanese artisans and craftsmen have many hurdles to overcome for survival of the living traditional arts in the modern era. Through unintended consequences, the people who love the arts the most are slowly strangling them out of existence. Lay-craftsmen and hobbiests who earn their living in actuality in a totally different field lower the standard of quality, appreciation, and knowledge by accepting jobs that should be held by legitimate artisans and qualified and trained researchers and museum professionals. Organizations that were established to preserve and protect the traditional arts of Japan do not take into account the advice or opinions of the artisans and craftsmen who endure to protect the living culture. Artisans practicing the arts as a way of life represent the living culture. The living culture of traditional arts is the best way for them to survive. There are enough hurdles to overcome in the modern era, however, one of the greatest threats to the survival of the traditional arts are the people who appreciate them the most. As the number of traditional artisans diminish, the support pyramid of traditionally made products and materials, the routs of acquisition thereof, and the tradesmen procuring them is slowly diminished as a result. Hopefully this impromptu essay will create awareness and generate support for the traditional arts of Japan. The best way to preserve and protect traditional culture and art is to participate by supporting a traditional artist. For they are the living culture that will hopefully be preserved and passed on to generations to come.

Well, anyway, here I am. Ill do my best to help/guide anybody who is genuinely interested. Thank you for the compliment of my teacher. I feel the same. Regarding his gusoku, he didn't do many complete gusoku. He specialized in Heian-Muromachi period kozane armor. However he did do a lot of tosei kabuto. When I started working with him, he started working on his last group of kawari kabuto which we displayed at Isetan Department store in Shinjuku. Just before he died, the Itabashi museum put on a small display of his work. They left me out completely. You can imagine why. One of my students is going more in the direction of modern art through armor. I can guarantee that he is trained traditionally with real materials, however, he really likes to experiment with new styles and designs using those traditional techniques and materials, whereas my own designs are more traditional. His work is on display at the Yoroi Cafe Gallery in the Yoroi building. My other student is more of a restorer an and a historian. Most people go about becoming a deshi through an introduction. In my case Im happy to hear somebody's appeal, however, I think to be a really good artisan and in particular an armor maker, you should have a very good grasp on Japanese history, and have a sense for technicality and art. And I would never accept another person who is not loyal, and willing to prove it. Its unfortunate- the politics of art. If you would like ot keep in touch, I would be glad.

Thank you very much. It was hard for many reasons, and it came at a very difficult time for me. I just wish I could have seen him before he died. Covid policy was in effed at the nursing home that he was in. Even the family could not view the body before cremation.

Hi There. Well, lets just say that as of recent, I have been inspired to enter back into the world of social media, though I will try to keep my posts informative in essay form rather than interactive. Miura sensei only had one real deshi. That was me. Only one who carries on his craft and succeeds him. Others tried. And there was a faction who hated that I was his deshi, and it saddened me. They tried to send person after person to be Miura's deshi. In short, he scared them all off. haha. You really had to have tough skin to endure that guy. He was a perfectionist and expected nothing less. Yes, many of them are dying and the art in general is being replaced with non-traditional, non-Japanese shortcuts and fakery. This saddens me. The art is best preserved as a living tradition. I am not sure about Nishioka fumio's current situation. I currently have two young men studying under me. They dont live with me though but come frequently. Im single and I like my privacy so I dont think I would want anybody living with me. My organization, the Kokusai Nihon Katchu Bugu Shinko Kyokai will put potential students in touch with a craftsmen following a screening. Yes, you are correct. Yoroi is not preserved the same as Nihonto. The reason behind this is that very unfortunately back when funds and designations were being determined for the traditional arts, the non profit armor organizations(which were supposed to preserve and protect the art of armor), and the Bunkacho took the very wrong stance that armors were not made by one individual in the past. Rather that the parts were produced by several different artisans and assembled by a different artisan. This is ABSOLUTELY wrong and should be reconsidered. I could go into a very long explanation as to my point, however, the main point is that whereas, just about every other art surrounding the samurai is provided subsidy for the well being of the art by the government through various channels. Armor on the other hand has few channels set up for preservation, funding, learning etc. Maybe its for the best. The part I have problems with is the stance that both groups took towards armor makers. That is insulting. Yes. Im the last generation of traditional armor maker. Still here. Im very thankful that somebody has taken notice of these things. Thank you.

Hi Arthur, Id like to meet Mr. Kadoya. I have to admit, I did not know of his existence until you taught me of him. Striving to achieve perfection can be difficult in the traditional arts when you are separated by such a distance from your teacher and his workshop. Im glad to see you persisting and experimenting with the techniques. You dont have to share all you do with the general public. Keep that for your own students one day.

Hi John, Thank you for the compliment. Very kind of you to say. I just watched the armor parts of the video you just uploaded. Thank you for sharing that. I am not trying to take down the techniques of Ms Myochin. but there were several problems with the video. It appears that they are working with something other than rawhide which is what would be traditional for that period/style of armor. they are also using modern glue to glue the kozane together for speed in assembly. It appears that they are not using real urushi as well, though it is hard to confirm. They are using proper urushi brushes, however the color from when they were sanding the lacquer appears to be that of cashew lacquer. The way that the kozane were connected.... at least from what I saw in the video is not traditional, rather done with a simple technique for speed, and some of the methods used were done to make the kozane lay flat. The reason its done that way is to allow for more rapid lacing when you are not using real urushi. Real urushi is more flexible and so that preparation is not necessary and you can bend the kozane without the urushi flaking off. Cashew is not forgiving, and if dry will flake off, even the substitute leather. The kanamono in the video was not the one on the finished armor which are all mass produced and cast. I believe that was prepared for television to make it look like they make them by hand. Im not trying to put the video down, but having been on a bunch of tv shows including NHK, I understand why and how they prepared the video the way they did. When we did television shows though we prepared long in advance sections of actual hand made parts in different stages to give the appearance of a completed project from start to finish. I think it would have been possible to do such a video with full traditional materials and techniques if they could locate an artisan capable of doing it (who had the stages prepared). And it was probably the encouragement of the television company to just do whatever to make it look believable. Another funny point about the shows that you see on TV is that nobody ever dresses in the outfits you see on tv when we work. Miura sensei always wore a plaid shirt in the winter and a "wife beater" in the summer. The dye part of the video was rather nice actually. I wonder if they use it on a regular basis. Its so expensive, that using roots such as akane to produce enough color for one armor can be ridiculously expensive. Especially if you dye it many times such as the Mitake zan jinja armor. (aka-ito odoshi o-yoroi)

I believe there was previously a question about traditional craftsmen who can do a complete armor traditionally. The only other that I know of who is CAPABLE of doing it completely with the traditional products such as Urushi etc. is Nishioka Fumio. He studied under the same teacher as my teacher. There is a person who works with somewhat traditional methods but uses replicated kanamono and purchased or stole much of his stuff from my teacher and has hence claimed that he made it himself. Myouchin Muneyuki was pretty traditional, however, Im not sure about all of his techniques. Any time you request an armor to be made completely traditionally, you should ask the maker to confirm how it is going to be produced. If you do not do this, they will mostly cut corners. Even my teacher did when pressed to meet the demands of the client. There MAY be others who are fully capable. I am only mentioning who I can absolutely confirm are CAPABLE of doing it completely traditional. So in reading this, please don't think I am putting people down for their attempts, or achievements in the field. If there is anybody else who can confirm other artisans, please introduce them here.

Previously, there was a post with a question regarding traditionally made Gendai armors, then there was the mention of my teacher. I am perhaps the most knowledgeable in this area as I have mastered just about every art there is and been around long enough to observe how my work has weathered time. I also have a lot of background knowledge about what is going on behind the scenes that a lot of people dont want you to know about. I hope people don't take my post the wrong way, just please understand I LIVE the life of an artisan. It is NOT easy. Especially when you are a foreigner. That point having been made, I have had such support and acceptance from other artisans in Japan and never felt like they disliked me because of my race or nationality. Where I felt that was from the collector/dealer/museum community surround the artisan community. But of course that went both ways as well. Please have a heart and understand that I am the last of a line and one of the last remaining traditional armor makers in Japan. So I will write the definition of a traditionally made Gendai armor here: 1. First and foremost. Japanese armor makers must use REAL urushi. Not fake canned stuff such as cashew or "rolled" lacquer. This qualification rules out most socalled Japanese armor makers. Urushi is very difficult to work with and in my case it took two years for my body to adapt and develop immunity. It makes you itch, swell and bleed from scratching. If you haven't mastered urushi. cross yourself out! 2. Traditional tools and techniques. I have yet to count my tools, however, I own hundreds of different tools for very specific jobs. Most of them were hand made by me or handed down from one of my teachers. Most people dont know, I had more than one teacher in my life. Miura Sensei was my main teacher and I carry on his tradition. however, I also studied under an important metallurgist, and at one point made blades. Many so-called craftsmen use tools that speed up the process sutch as automated drills, punches, and dies, and in some cases have other people manufacture the parts for them such as the kanamono, kozane, egawa etc. These are things that the armor maker should do themselves otherwise its not traditional.... 3. Traditional materials and uses of the materials. Urushi, Iron, leather, copper, gold, silver, their alloys so on . These days there are lots of substitutes being used for various reasons. 1. expense 2. difficulty in means of acquisition 3. ignorance or lack of training in the creation of and or how to use them. 4. proper knowledge about style, form for the period. Armor was made differently in different periods and used different techniques during different times and places. Without this knowledge the best one can achieve is a look alike in the ballpark of resembling something. When it isnt there, it isnt there. Ill add number five to distinguish the difference between an actual artisan and a lay-craftsman. 5. YOU FILE YOUR DAMNED TAXES AS AN ARMOR SMITH! If you dont file taxes and earn a living from what you do, then you are simply a hobbiest! This rules out a huge portion of the people claiming to be a traditional artisan. There are a lot of people who claim to be deshi. Thats fine. People have been known to be a deshi as a hobby or a part timer. However, Japanese artisans have rites of passage: 1. DESHI IRI (apprenticeship) uchideshi is the truest form meaning full time or live-in). This was basically the type of apprenticeship that I had, with the acceptance that I lived in my own apartment close by as Miura sensei had mice running around in his house and he refused to get a cat...2. DOKURITSU (freedom) This is when your teacher gives you permission to go out on your own. Generally students may not do business on their own as a deshi without the permission of their teacher. It is frowned upon, in general, especially they may not work for the customers of their teacher. I was allowed to do my own business to pay some expenses, however most of my income was generated from a part time job and I worked off any debts to my teacher by teaching his grand daughter English and walking her to her dance lessons. 3. MEISHI KUERU (being to survive off of ones work) This is the most important stage to achieve. It basically means that you are an actual artisan. There are further rites of passage throughout life, but I think it too much to mention here. However, if you have not completed these three rites of passage, please. count yourself out as a traditional Japanese artisan. That is not to say that some hobbiests do not make traditional armor, but please dont call yourself an artisan until you have earned the title. Over the years I have had loads of people attack me out of Jealousy or whatever the reason. What they don't understand is it was not my intention to be an armor artisan! It kind of fell upon me by chance. I just happened to be very good at it and was able to withstand the verbal abuse and criticism of my teacher. Nobody else could. I also had the historical knowledge and background as a craftsman and several degrees in archeology before I took on the apprenticeship. All the background allowed me to reach the level that I am at today. It was rigorous, lots of trial and error, though I would say that I was pretty good at getting most things right the first time once I had the foundation due to my background. Anybody reading this and feeling jealous about what I am sharing. PLEASE do what I did. Endure what I did, and hopefully you can earn a living when you have given years of your life to preserving the living tradition. Then and only then are you qualified to judge. Ill further address the cost of traditionally made armor. It is expensive no matter what. the price is relative to the project though. In my case, when I work, I do so with the goal of creating something that will withstand the tests of time and hopefully be around for 20 generations. I want it to age gracefully. I negotiated the sale of the "kiku-ichi" armor that my teacher completed in 1980 to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu as a permanent collection for their new museum two years before he passed away. Miura sensei sold the armor once in 1980. It took five years to complete. His price at that time was 50,000,000 yen. I wont comment on the price that I negotiated for the second time around but one important point was that the armor stood the test of time. 40 years later and it still looked beautiful. Such an armor would be extremely difficult to do today by hand. for several reasons, however if somebody wanted to pay me the equivalent, I would be happy to produce one but the complete armor would have to be made by myself. Currently I believe that I am the only person capable of making such an armor (kiku-ichi) completely by myself. I would take the challenge if anybody wanted to challenge me on such a project. I dont share much of my own work with people publicly because I dont feel that I need to. I dont have many peers. However, the peers that I do have are always welcome to see. My clients tend to like to keep their items for themselves. Shortly, the yoroi cafe will publish a short film showing a process of the production of armors for our characters. I will ad a link once its up. These things will be made public so that customers can understand the quality and care that we put into our products. I hope this article has been interesting to everybody who takes the time to read it. I hope any of my dry jest was understood and not taken offensively. Miura Anjin Andrew Mancabelli

Arthur, you hit the nail on the head. Its funny you wrote what you did as I am currently in the middle of an essay that covers the importance of the LIVING tradition and why/how it is being threatened. I will publish it here later this week.

Thank you Luc. I certainly will. My door is open, and I do have several deshi and people who have come to learn. I also set up a library that houses thousands of artifacts related to armor. It is available through introduction. In the past I allowed anybody who wanted to conduct research to make an appointment, however, I had a very bad experience in recent years as many of you know and I need to sort out the riff raff from my life. Luc, I would love to have you for a visit if time ever permits.

That's very nice that they mentioned him. In the years before he left the armor society, he was denied being on the shinsa board because "he was an armor smith". This REALLY hurt his feelings. He threatened to quit and then they made him vice president. Then they charged him 150,000 yen to be the vice president (forced donation) and the following year when the society budget was somehow a deficit, he asked where the hell his money was and to give it back. He was pissed off. Then he quit. So as they wanted to use the association with his name, the made him an honored advisor. Then he stopped attending meetings. I don't suppose the society mentioned my name did they? A artisan having an "atotsugi" (successor) is VERY important. Though it was common knowledge and broadcast on national television that I was his atotsugi, there have been a lot of interlopers trying to re-write the story.... But I didnt read the article. So I dont know. Anyway, nobody contacted me about it which is a little saddening.

Absoultely. I was probably the closest person to him in the last fifteen years of his life or so. There were a few people who slithered in at the end to take advantage of him as commonly happens in Japan when people get old. Hate to have to mention that... I did the best that I could do for him when he needed me. Unfortunately I think that most of the stuff I did never got reported to his family or other friends. And so people never knew. That hurts.

My eulogy was supposed to have been posted to the website for the Kokusai Nihon Katchu Bugu Shinko Kyokai. Unfortunately, the person in charge of the administration was not doing his job, and our previous site has come under hostile control. The dangers of trusting people with such responsibilities. What most people don't know is that it is frowned upon to make such announcements without permission from the family for at least 45 days of the passing. I will be visiting his grave in the next week as it is the proper time to do so. No replies are necessary. If you choose to read thank you. The eulogy: My name is Andrew Mancabelli I work under the name Miura Anjin . This name was given to me by my teacher, Miura Hiromichi (sometimes referred to as Miura Kouhou), a Japanese armor maker, with ancestry of the Miura peninsula. I am his successor. His teacher was Morita Asajiro, a craftsman who was born of and studied under samurai artisans who could trace their art back to the Edo period. He is survived by two sons with their spouses and two grand sons and a grand daughter. Miura sensei was born in June 1938 and passed away shortly after his 84th birthday July 2022. He was a designated intangible cultural property of the greater Tokyo area, Itabashi Ward. The only armor maker to hold such a Title. I spent half of my adult life in close proximity to Miura Hiromichi as his understudy and during that time I probably knew him better than anybody. There was not a more loyal person to him than myself. Japanese relationships are a very complex thing and difficult to understand especially for a foreigner. Most foreigners who spend time in Japan never really understand how they are viewed by Japanese people, or even by those who they assume to have developed an intimate relationship with. I had enough fights, sit downs and cry-throughs with my teacher to be able to say that I did have a deep/intimate connection akin to family. The way he treated me on many occasions reminded me of how my own father treated me growing up. I say this because I knew Miura Hiromichi intimately, his ins and outs and his difficult points. Rather than write a bunch of generic facts that are commonly known about him, or the circumstances surrounding his death for an obituary, I think it would be better to share some stories that most people DONT know about him as a “eulogy” to paint a fuller picture of who he was in the greater context of the world and leave a more personalized version of his character while he was alive. This is what I would want done for me upon my death, and I think that he would appreciate it. Some are stories he told me and some are stories that I witnessed first hand. Miura sensei was a very handsome man in his youth. He loved movies and Hollywood and actually tried out for a movie in Japan. In those days they chose actors based on appearance. He showed up with 300 other young guys. They divided them into groups based on how handsome they were and slowly made the cuts narrowing it down to the cream. he made it to the last three. They took his phone number but in those days his family only had one phone and if you missed the call, you lost the role. He always said that he must have missed the call or somebody was on the phone when they called. Incidentally the guy who got the role became very famous. I remember when we did a TV show with Kayama Yuzo (famous for Sanjuro, Akahige, etc.) Miura sensei told him the story. (At that point i heard it a million times) Yuzo said jokingly that Kurosawa told him to be a singer because his acting was no good. Anyway it turned out to be very good advice. He was born the year of the tiger 1938 and died the year of the tiger 2022 shortly after his birthday making a perfect full circle. People say that a tiger leads a generally solitary life and has a ferocious temper. Though he occasionally liked to party, Id say it is relatively accurate. I’m pretty much the same and it’s probably why we understood each other. He had two police medals. Miura sensei once stopped a robbery and on another occasion stopped an assault. In each case, he helped the police to apprehend the criminals and was awarded a special medal for his service both times. Mainoumi the famous sumo wrestler broke his stool. When Mainoumi visited for a TV interview, he spied the Edo period campaign stool in his house and asked if he could sit on it. Miura sensei said yes its strong go ahead. The leather broke and he fell flat on his butt. It was the one time he didn’t get angry for somebody breaking his things. He was friends with emperor Akihito. There was a little seen photograph in his living room of he and his wife with the emperor. It is very rare because the royal family as a rule does not sign signatures or allow photography. However, miura sensei’s son Nagato attended Gakushuin University and became best friends with Akihito’s second son. They played on the same softball team together and during the matches they would converse. Miura sensei always said the emperor came over to make conversation because his wife was so beautiful and he wanted to talk to her. He knew Yukio Mishima. In the 1960s Mishima would attend the annual re-enactment festival. He was often making the rounds between Traditional cultural activities and craftsmen. At the re-enactments, Miura sensei carried his helmet and dressed him in his armor. He once told me; “I always knew there was something wrong with that guy. Japanese people’s eyes curve down like this, but Mishima’s eyes went up like this!” He had a fiery temper. There are few who know that better than myself but the funniest episode was when Takada Nobuhiko (the pro wrestler) did a show with us. Miura sensei blew up over something and Takada san immediately stood at attention. Then afterward Takada san turned to me and said “That old guy is scary isn’t he?” I answered “You get used to it.” He also yelled at several Television stations crews and kicked one out of his house. They still came back. Usually with beer and sake. Though there were a few people who visited from time to time, he only had one deshi (understudy). He said the longest anybody lasted (aside from myself) was a couple weeks. (He was very critical and harsh in his standards) Before becoming an elementary school teacher, his second son helped with some projects, but he only had one deshi that he gave dokuritsu (“freedom”- an artisans right of passage) his named successor, Andrew Mancabelli, or as he called me “Anjin”(he couldnt pronounce my name properly) he said that I should use the name Miura Anjin and gave me permission to use his family name. Miura Anjin koubo is the living legacy and the name of my company. Though he worked and became famous for Japanese armor, he was very interested in western armor as well. He thought about being a western armor maker but his older brother Shigetoshi beat him to the punch and so he became a Japanese armor maker. He never stopped his adoration for western armor and kept a small collection. He hated crowded trains and attributed his inspiration to work from home to the crowded commutes into inner Tokyo which he despised. He was in the Japan self defense forces. Once when we participated in shooting matchlocks, he boasted about his training with the M-Garand in the self defense forces when he was younger. However, when he shot his first matchlock, he was so surprised by the smoke/explosion , that he dropped the gun and ran away with the match still attached to his wrist. He never shot a matchlock again. Incidentally, the same day one of the other participants nearly shot himself in the head. Luckily the bullet only went into the roof of the range. He could be in the guiness book of records for completed armor life works. In his lifetime he completed between 30-40 solid works. Most people dont understand that a yoroi can take years to finish and smaller projects can take many months. The parts and materials are difficult to find and extremely costly without a sponsor. He he likely produced the most o-yoroi of any armorer since the Muromachi period. He was uncompromising. He was known for walking out of a restaurant after one bite of food if he thought it was not up to snuff. His sons told me that once when they were very hungry, right before they got the food in their mouths, he said “Its no good! Dont eat it! Lets go!” And they left(he actually paid the bill but left the food). This same level of scrutiny was held to his own work and like me, he was a perfectionist. He paid extra for the best materials. His words to me were that there were “No Shortcuts”. I live by those words. He loved western culture. Especially American movies. In his latter years when he couldn’t leave his home, we would watch some classics such as quo vadis, ben hur, shane, etc. and he could even sing a broken version of several western movie themes that he tried to teach me. He had a Cowboy hat that hung on his wall, and when we were on a trip in Dallas, Ann Barbier-Mueller took him to a western store. He wanted the southern grey infantry hat which he wore from then all the way home. You should have seen the looks he got. People couldn’t figure it out the Japanese guy in the rebel hat. Ann also bought him an extra large size holster which he adjusted to his size once back in Japan. I always wondered if he put it on when nobody was looking and practiced drawing. He loved the knights of the round table, and the era of chivalry. I can’t help but think that if he could choose a time and place to be reborn it would be medieval Europe as a knight. He never had a mobile phone. He didn’t really need one as he spent most of his time at home working, and his customers contacted or visited him. I can’t really imagine him having used a cell phone actually. He loved his wife very much. He often told me about her. When I first met him, he was in a very bad place. He had all but stopped making armor and I can’t help but feel his depression was due to the tragic loss of his wife. He credited his success to her as she was the bread winner for the family as a piano teacher until he got himself established. She was very patient. After he started teaching me he came out of his slump and produced the last series of work in his life which was a group of helmets based on various insects that he liked. One thing that most people can’t imagine is that my teacher took a lot of criticism for teaching a foreigner. Certain people constantly attacked me and my character without even knowing me simply because I wasn’t born Japanese. Some so called friends stole his materials or manipulated him to sell them to prevent me from getting them, and some even claimed that they made it themselves. It hurt me that he was not able to stand up for me due to the racist politics in the community, but the fact that he taught me and named me his successor speaks more than words. And regards to the taken items: he told me that I didn’t really need them because I was capable of making and doing them myself and the people who took them were NOT capable. And that I was entrusted with what was important: his knowledge and legacy. I have enshrined what I could of his material culture in my library and have made it available to researchers or aspiring craftsmen. These stories are just a few stories of my life with my teacher. If anyone would like to hear more, I’ll be would happy to tell more in person. I just hope that I have helped the people who were interested in his life to know more sides of him. I know that when somebody passes, people may try to use their death for political purpose. I know that he would have liked to greet his friends who he knew and respected once more. And the rest…. he would have said that he didn’t care to hear their opinions at all; be they good or bad. Japanese Version: 三浦先生へのユーロジー 現在、三浦按針の襲名で活躍しております、アンドリュー・マンカベリーです。この襲名は、恩師であり、甲冑師であり、三浦半島に祖先を持つと言われる、三浦公法氏から受け継ぎました。私は彼の後継者であります。 彼の師匠、森田朝次郎氏は、江戸時代まで遡る侍職人から学んだ甲冑師であります。 三浦先生の遺族は二人の息子さんとその妻、二人の孫息子と孫娘一人です。 1938年六月生まれ、2022年七月、84歳の誕生日後まもなく亡くなりました。 甲冑師としては大変稀である、東京都板橋区無形文化財に指定されています。 私は、人生の半分を三浦先生の弟子として過ごし、彼の一番の理解者であり、とても忠実な弟子でありました。日本においての人間関係は、外国人にとって大変理解しがたいものであります。日本での滞在経験が豊富であり、日本人と親しい関係にある外国人であっても大変難しいものです。私は、三浦先生と度々口論し、時には涙を流すときもありましたが、私にとっては家族のような存在でした。三浦先生の私に対する態度は、私自身の父親を思い出させるようなものでした。私は、三浦先生の良い日も悪い日も知っています。彼の弔辞に書かれている様な一般的に知られている三浦先生ではなく、ここでは、私自身の経験と、他にはあまり知られていない三浦先生について語りたいと思います。私があの世に逝った後は、こうありたい様に、三浦先生もきっと喜ぶはずです。一部のストーリーは三浦先生が語ったものであり、また一部は私自身が経験したものです。 1. 若き頃、三浦先生は非常にハンサムな方でした。映画、特にハリウッド映画が大好きで、かつて、日本の映画のオーディションを受けたそうです。彼の若き時代は、俳優は才能や経験よりも容姿の良さで選ばれていたそうです。そのオーディションには３００人ほどの若い男性が集まったそうです。彼らは容姿の良さで分類され、最終段階まで絞れらていきました。三浦先生はなんとファイナル３まで残ったそうです。最終選考にて選ばれた男性は電話があるということでしたが、昔は携帯電話など無く、家庭に電話一つという時代であり、取り損ねると役を失うといった時代でした。三浦先生は、映画会社からの電話を取り損ねたか、家族の誰かが電話を取ったために役を逃したと、常に信じていました。偶然にも、そのオーディションで最終選考にて選ばれた男性は、後に有名な俳優になったそうです。俳優の加山雄三さんとTV 出演した際に、三浦先生が、自身のオーディション経験を彼に語っていたこと今でも覚えています（この時点では私は何百回も聞いていました）。雄三さんは、黒澤明監督から、役者としてあまり良くないから歌手になれと言われたエピソードをジョーク交じりに話していました。結果的に彼に取ってとても良いアドバイスとなったそうです。 2. 三浦先生は1938年虎年に生まれ、2022年寅年、誕生日のすぐ後に亡くなりました。寅年生まれは孤独を好み、かんしゃく持ちであると聞きました。割合に的確だと思いますが、時折、宴会好きでした。私も良く似た性格の持ち主なので、彼と気があったのだと思います。 3. 三浦先生は二つのメダルを警察から授与されています。一度目は、強盗を阻止し、二度目は暴行を阻止したそうです。事件の後も警察に協力し、犯人の逮捕につながったので、特別なメダルを警察から授与されました。 4. かの有名な相撲力士、舞の海関が三浦先生の腰掛を壊しました。舞の海関が三浦先生へのインタビューの際に自宅を訪れた際に、彼は、江戸時代の陣床几を目にし、座っていいかと尋ねたところ、三浦先生がいいですよと言って、舞の海関が座った途端に革が切れて、お尻からばったりと倒れたそうです。この時だけが、美術品を壊されても激怒しなかった唯一の出来事でした。 5. 三浦先生は天皇陛下明仁と親しい仲でした。三浦先生の居間には、彼と、彼の奥さんと、明仁天皇が一緒に写っている写真が飾られてありました。一般の人と写真を撮ったり、サインしたりということは皇室のルールでは認められていないので、その写真は非常に貴重なものであります。三浦先生の息子さんが、明仁天皇の次男である秋篠宮と学習院大学での友人であったそうで、彼らのソフトボールの試合では三浦先生は天皇陛下明仁とお話しすることがあったそうです。三浦先生の奥さんは大変美人な方だったので、天皇陛下自らがお話にきたと、三浦先生はいつも誇らしげに当時の出来事を振り返っていました。 6. 三浦先生は三島由紀夫と面識がありました。1960年代、三島由紀夫は、例年行われていた、日本の伝統芸能や職人に関わる時代祭に度々参加していたとは、よく知られていました。三浦先生はそれらの時代祭にて、三島由紀夫の兜を運び、彼の甲冑着用の手助けを行っていました。三浦先生は、当時の三島由紀夫に対し、 “やっぱりアイツは何か違う、おかしかった。普通の日本人の目はこっちによるでしょう（指で目尻を下げて）、でも、アイツの目は（目尻を上げて）こうなってた!” と、振り返っていました。 7. 三浦先生は、時に激しい気性の持ち主でもありました。それを知っているのは私を含めてわずかしかいませんでしたが、そんな中での面白いエピソードとして、プロレスラーの高田延彦さんとテレビ撮影を行った時でした。三浦先生が何らかの理由で激怒した際に、高田さんは困惑した様子で私に、“あの爺さん、怖いね”とこぼしていました。私は何気無しに“慣れてきますよ”と答えました。 さらに三浦先生はテレビ局のスタッフを怒鳴りつけ、その上スタッフの一人を家から追い出しました。 そんな仕打ちにもかかわらず、彼らはその後も多数のテレビ番組のために戻って来ています。ご機嫌とりとして、ビールとお酒を持って来るのが通例となりました。 8．三浦先生に学ぶため数々の生徒が訪れたものの、最終的に彼の弟子となった者は一人しかいませんでした。（私を除く）一番長くもった生徒は二週間だったそうです。三浦先生は職に関しては、弟子であろうが自身であろうが、大変批判的で厳しい方でした。三浦先生の次男が小学校の先生になる前に、三浦先生の仕事を手伝っていた時期もあったそうですが。しかしながら、三浦先生から最後に独立（職人の通過儀礼）を与えられ、後継者として認められた弟子は私、アンドリュー・マンカベリーだけであります。現在私の職人名である三浦按針の名は、三浦先生自らが、自身の三浦姓と私の名を組み合わせ、私の弟子として最後の日に与えられたものです。三浦先生は私の名前、アンディーを正しく発音できなかったため、私は彼からいつも“アンジ”と呼ばれていました。三浦按針工房は現在私の職場であり、彼のレガシーでもあります。 9. 三浦先生は日本甲冑師として名を馳せることになりましたが、実は西洋甲冑にも大変関心がありました。西洋甲冑師を志してみたものの、兄である三浦權利(しげとし)氏に先を取られ、日本甲冑の道に進むことになりました。その後も西洋甲冑への愛着は生涯続き、小さいながらも西洋甲冑コレクションを楽しんでいました。 10. 三浦先生は、満員電車が大の苦手で、東京首都圏への通勤をひどく嫌っていたことが、将来自宅で働きたいという決断に至ったそうです。 11. 三浦先生は自衛隊に所属していました。数年前、火縄銃射撃に参加した際に、若き頃自衛隊で行ったM１ガーランドの訓練を皆に自慢していました。しかし、彼が、最初 に火縄銃を撃った際に、あまりの力強さと煙に驚愕し、火縄銃を落とし、火縄が彼の手首に巻かれた状態にあったにも関わらず走り去ってしまいした。その以後、三浦先生が火縄銃に触ることはありませんでした。同じ日に、他の参加者が自身の頭に向かって発射してしまったそうで、幸いにも弾丸は 屋根の高さ程までしか飛ばなかったそうです。 12. 三浦先生が生涯に制作した甲冑の数は、ギネスブックにのるべきほどの数でありました。私の知っている限り、彼が生涯の制作した甲冑の数は、30〜40領でした。 鎧製作には数年、小さな部品には数ヶ月かかるということを大抵の人達は、知りません。様々な部品および材料を調達することは、スポンサー無しでは非常に困難で費用がかかるという事実を皆さんに知って頂きたいです。そのようななかで、複数の甲冑を完成させた甲冑師は、室町時代以来、三浦先生だけであると思います。 13. 三浦先生は、全く妥協しない、頑固な人でした。レストランで、彼の注文した料理が彼の口に一口でも合わなかった場合は、出ていくという頑なさ知られていました。三浦先生の息子さんの思い出では、レストランにて大変空腹だったにも関わらず、彼らが注文した料理を口にする前に、三浦先生が “まずい、ダメダメダメ、食べるな! 行こう!” と言って店を後にすることが度々あったそうです。(料理に手をつけないにも関わらず、勘定はいつも払っていたそうです) 。これらの出来事からも理解できるように、三浦先生の完璧主義は自身の職人業にも、弟子へも要求されました。私自身も妥協知らずの完璧主義者なので、彼は素晴らしい師匠でした。三浦先生は、最上級の原料や素材には惜しみなく代金を払っていました。彼のいつもの口癖は“近道はないよ！”でした。この口癖は、私の人生の指針でもあります。 14. 三浦先生は、西洋文化、ウエスタン、特にアメリカ映画が大好きでした。晩年、三浦先生が外に出ることが億劫になっていた頃、クォ・ヴァディス(Quo Vadis)、シェーン(Shane)、ベン・ハーなどのクラッシック映画をよく一緒に見ていました。数々のウエスタン映画のテーマソングを途切れ途切れにも歌うことができ、私も教わりました。 15. 三浦先生の壁には、アメリカ、ダラス滞在中、アン・バービエ・ミューラーさんに案内して頂いたウエスタンストアにて購入したカウボーイハットが飾られてありました。三浦先生は、南北戦争中、南軍兵士が被っていた灰色の帽子がとても気に入り、ダラスの空港から日本に到着するまでの間、ずっと被っていました。その姿はとても滑稽で、米南部兵の帽子をかぶった日本の老人を周りの人々が不思議に眺めていました。さらに アンさんからプレゼントされたXL サイズのホルスターを、日本に帰国後、自身のサイズに仕立て直していました。誰も見ていないところでピストルを抜く練習をしていたのかもしれません。 16. 三浦先生は、アーサー王物語、円卓の騎士、騎士道をこよなく尊敬していました。もし生まれ変わったら、彼はきっと中世ヨーロッパの騎士として生まれ変わることを望むでしょう。 17. 三浦先生は生涯、携帯電話を持っていませんでした。自宅で働き、外に出ることがほとんどなく、顧客は彼に直接連絡し、訪問していたので、ほぼ全く必要なかったようです。とは言っても、彼が携帯電話を使っている姿は私には想像できません。 18. 三浦先生は、今は亡き奥さんをこの上なく愛していました。いつも彼女のことを話してくれました。私が三浦先生と最初に出会った頃、彼は心身ともに良い状態ではありませんでした。彼はその頃、既に甲冑作りから離れていました。最愛の奥さんが亡くなって生きる気力を無くしてしまったのでしょう。三浦先生は、自身の甲冑師としての成功は彼女の手柄であるといつも私に語っていました。彼女はピアノの先生として、三浦先生が独立するまで家計を支えていたそうです。大変辛抱強い方のようでした。私が彼の弟子となり、修行が始まると、彼の甲冑作りへの情熱が舞い戻ったようです。その後は、 彼の最後の集大成となる、彼の好みの昆虫をモチーフとした数々の兜を精力的に製作していました。 あまり知られていない事実として、三浦先生は、外人を弟子にとったことにかなり周りから酷評を受けていたことです。私が日本で生まれ育った日本人ではない外人という理由で、他人だけではなく、知人からも、私と三浦先生への非難は絶えることがなかったです。三浦先生の友人を名乗る人々が、彼の作品が私の手に渡らないよう、彼をごまかして低価格で彼の作品を購入したり 、彼の作品を盗用盗作し自らの作品だと言い張ったりと、やりたい放題している様を見てきました。排他的で人種差別的である甲冑職人の環境に立ち向かうことが出来ず、私へ対する批判に表向きに立ち向かうことが出来なかった時が度々あり、思い出す度に心が痛みます。しかし、三浦先生が私を弟子として受け入れ、一人前の甲冑師になる為に時間と知識を費やし、最後には彼の後継者と認めてくれたという事実は、どんな言葉や約束よりも意味深いものであります。 先にふれました、三浦先生の盗用、盗作された作品につきましては、三浦先生曰く、彼らのような職人には自ら立派な作品を製作する能力がないのでこういう悪事を働くのだということです。私には自分で立派な作品を生み出す技術があるのだから、あまり気にするなと言ってくれました。三浦先生の知識とレガシーを受け継ぎ、甲冑師をして良い仕事をしてゆくことが、私が後継者として委ねられた任務です。甲冑研究者、および将来の職人希望の方々の研究目的ために、私のライブラリーには、三浦先生が残した数々の遺品を祀ってあります。 これらのストーリーは、私が恩師と過ごした人生での、ほんの一部の逸話であります。もしよければ、その他のエピソードを別の機会に喜んでお話しさせて頂きます。このユーロジーが、多く人々に、あまり知られていない三浦先生の一面を紹介し、彼の功績を知っていただく機会になればと願っています。三浦先生は、きっともう一度、敬愛する同志に最後の挨拶をしたかったはずです。その他の三浦先生があまりよく思ってなかった人々に対して、良し悪しに関わらず、彼らの意見などどうでもいいというでしょう。

Dear Yojimbo, Thank you. Generally the queries are being addressed by Andrew Mancabelli, or a proxy for Mancabelli as he is the spokesperson for the "Kokusai Nihon Katchu Bugu Shinko Kyokai" therefore sometimes the answers may appear to be in third party etc. Apologies if this is confusing. The name Miura Anjin is the name given to Andrew by his teacher - Miura Hiromichi as he always called him "Anjin" because he had a problem pronouncing "Andy" - Mancabelli's nickname. Miura Hiromich told Andrew to use the name Miura Anjin. Hence the name "Miura" here. It also appears on many of his legal documents and is his accepted artist name in Japan. How did you get your name? And can you please identify yourself?

Grey, I think that most people don't want the collecting environment to be a toxic place. I think everybody agrees with you. I think you missed the point of this topic within the Katchu thread though. Poison was put into the water making it toxic. If nothing gets said, everybody drinks the koolaid. My organization is only trying to create awareness about what has transpired so that the members and customers are protected. There are people who are members of the NMB that are affiliated in some ways with our organization. I think I speak for Japanese in general when I say, Japanese people detest conflict. So do I. And I detest being put in this position. So I would greatly appreciate it if it wasn't swept under the rug so easily. What has been done here effects all of us in the armor collecting community. Not only the customers, members, friends, and associates of the Kokusai Nihon Katchu Bugu Shinko Kyokai (of Japan). What we should do is stand together. This topic is just a notification to our friends here, for awareness. People don't have to read this topic if it is boring or unhelpful. I'd be happy to see a new topic in the Katchu section as well.

We don't consider it a fight. Mancabelli has cut of contact with Mr. Thatcher. Our organization needs to be distinguished separately. That is what this is the purpose here. Imitation is the best form of flattery.... because if means you do something so well others become jealous or want to aspire to your level. The problem is when you get pulled down by the imitators. Unfortunate.

Absolutely agree. I have consulted legal and business specialists and they agreed that we have the right to continue to use our name and trademark considering the circumstances. In this case the individual who registered our name and logo did so "knowingly". We assume for bad intentions. Otherwise they would have used a different name and logo if they wanted an organization rather than usurp the name and reputation of an existing one.

Thank you. The papers in the current Christie's auction are not by our organization and I have no idea who made them or what kind of shinsa (if any) they have been put through. I assume that they were made by the imitation organization.

Our certificates have not changed since their inception. Therefore they are not counterfeit. Same seal, same stamps (except the individual Juyo Kao seals) same expensive paper, same ink. same location since 2020. Im not here to advertise our certificates. Rather to protect the interests of people who have trusted us for our service. We dont turn away customers though. Dealers, individuals, if you want to have an opinion and a grading from a group of professionals we might be a good choice. If you dont like our services, we would recommend the Japanese Armor society.

Jon. You are absolutely wrong about everything you wrote. Mr. Thatcher does not own our organization. You can ask all of the members. - they are very unhappy with what has transpired. However if you are saying that Mr. Thatcher is the person responsible for creating an imitation organization by registering our in use logo and name then I would agree that he may have done such a thing for the reasons I stated in the opening. All I can say is that for his own reasons, Mr. Thatcher decided to leave our organization and relinquished all rights and ownership when he did so. Before that, he used the company funds to pay back his financial investment. I myself am still very heavily invested financially. He knows this. There is a very clear record of his actions. It was the agreement of the shinsa and members to keep the names of the people on the shinsa anonymous so that they did not come under any pressure and could give their best opinions based on influence. Everybody agreed on this including Dave. Why you have chosen do post some of their names (and you are wrong on some of them) and by the misspelling of them I would have to assume that you got them from Mr. Thatcher) I can only assume that you wish to defame members and interfere with the operations of our organization. It seems that somebody didnt keep their promise. (although the information about the shinsa members is not entirely true) I would be careful with the information you have been given. There was absolutely no investigation you spoke of and the information that you have provided, and the characterization of the people you mention is defamation as it is simply not true. Im not sure who you are roping into this petty attack, but you may wish to check your sources before you trust them. Mr. Thatcher himself was on the shinsa at one point (that makes 5 - if we include him to your other 4 and I won't acknowledge that you have provided the correct names) and his personal seal appears on some of the papers. When he quit, I agreed to retire his seal and assured him that it would no longer be used. (NOTE: I was never reimbursed for cost of Mr. Thatcher's hand made Kao seal) He was replaced rather quickly and without effort as I have quite a few very capable people in my orbit who can act as shinsa experts.... positions which are not permanent and rotate on an as needed basis. Finally, Jon. you really need to be careful about the information you have been given. There is a VERY clear record of what transpired between Mr. Thatcher and our organization. There has been no deception or lies on our end. I hope this addresses your concerns.

Notification of Name/Logo infringement of the Kokusai Nihon Kachu Bugu Shinko Kyokai (of Japan) The purpose of this post is to differentiate our organization from other entities that have chosen to imitate our name and logo. This is not a post for self promotion or advertisement, but to create awareness for the protection of potential customers and or enthusiasts who may be hoping to receive services from our organization here in Japan. *** Please be known that as of March 20, 2023 we do NOT have a website for our organization, nor do we have a facebook page. It has recently come to our attention that somebody/some entity has registered our in-use logo and organization name. The organization: “Kokusai Nihon Katchu Bugu Shinko Kyokai" of Japan has been active and located in Japan, for several years now, and has been issuing certificates for two years. The organization was set up to fulfill the demand from collectors and dealers who wanted professional rapid service from a group of knowledgeable, experienced individuals. Miura Hiromichi was one of the senior advisors from the inception of the Kokusai Nihon Katchu Bugu Shinko Kyokai of Japan years ago, and was an honored member until his passing last July. The organization is set up as a professional service provider, rather than a non-profit ad vocational entity. We did not establish for the purpose of coming into conflict with other organizations. As a matter of fact we support the endeavors of such organizations as the Japanese Armor Society (JAS)based in Europe as well as the Nihon Kachu Bugu Kenkyu Hozon Kai (NKBKHK). Our organization was and always has been based in the greater Tokyo Area Japan at suite 2L of the Yoroi building in Warabi Japan. We have a semi-employed, on site staff, a library with a vast collection of established artifacts and connections with other cooperative entities in various areas of expertise such as scientific analysis when needed. The entity infringing on our established name/logo is based in England and has registered a very similar logo and name to our organization. This entity has absolutely no relation to our organization as it was created after the establishment of our organization and was established without permission or consent. The other entity is not currently, and has never been associated with our organization. From the formation of our organization the Kokusai Nihon Kachu Bugu Shinko Kyokai (KNKBSK) has had very few changes in the administration with the exception of one member who voluntarily resigned and relinquished any claims as of summer 2022. Unfortunately, because the public actions taken by the other organization appear to be an attempt to imitate, discredit, and create a false narrative against our organization, we have fallen under pressure by various members, customers, and groups of interest to notify the public in order to protect their investment and trust in our organization. And regrettably we have voted to address this in a forum to create awareness that the other entity is of no relationship, and never has been, to us. Our administration believe that the name and logo of our organization were “copied” for the purpose of (and or resulted in): 1. Attempting to assume the name and reputation that our organization and the individual members have created for themselves and attained through years of hard work and good, honest reputation. Otherwise there was no purpose to create an organization with the same name and logo except with Ill intent. 2. Devalue the name of our organization and the investments of the members therein. 3. Take jobs away from hard working Japanese people – jobs that were created in this organization. 4. Reduce the reputations and names of our members. Our organization was incorporated into Miura Anjin Kobo ltd., and was known and accepted on a worldwide basis. We saw no reason to register our in-use logo and name as it was protected under common copyright laws through the publishing of our papers, name, and logo on the internet. We hold that under international law, it is not necessary to register our name and logo to hold first rights ownership as it was in use, and world renown. We further feel that the copying of our logo/organization name and registering thereof, as well as creating a non-existent connection to the actual organization is fraudulent. Further when a logo or name is trademarked, to prevent the registration agency from being abused through trademark pirating, the registrant is required to do due diligence (usually through a professional researcher) to prevent copying of names and trademarks already in use whether registered or not. In the case of the imitation entity, it is apparent that the registration process was abused for the purpose of mal intent – to steal away income, harm reputations, create confusion, and at the same time use for self promotion. This action was not a simple mistake or oversight which commonly happens in trademark registration . It was recently published on a facebook page created for the “imitation” organization that the Kokusai Nihon Kachu Bugu Shinko Kyokai had problems with fake papers. This is patently untrue. Our organization had sets of unique stamps, papers, and inks that were so costly and expensive, that the replication of such papers would be so difficult and costly that it would cost much more to produce anything even close to the quality that we provide. Our papers are and continue to be a literal gold standard for the community as they are all gold embossed, and at the Juyo level and above, have gold laid into the traditionally made washi paper. In addition to a five person shinsa, our Juyo level papers involve Japanese craftsmen on each level of production and therefore support the crafts community. Due to the accusation of “fake” papers being made, we will show some examples of the papers that have thus far been produced as well as a list of actual registered numbered items that have passed through our organization. We would encourage anybody possessing a certificate with a number not currently on our registered list, to please contact us and tell us where the paper was issued so that we may offer advice. All of the papers that have been issued by our organization were issued and shipped directly from Japan to the owners of the items. Our entry level papers look like this. Gold and black logo with actual gold leaf used on a high quality, thick, off-white paper. Each photo has a number on it that reflects the photo in the upper left corner of the certificate. The upper right corner has a hole punched number with a numbering system that reflects the class of item, level, and serial number. We invested in a hole punch that is over 100 years old, as there are very few that actually work, and few people who can restore them. Though expensive, modern hole punches can be easily purchased online. The photo is embossed to the paper with a hand made embosser that was both carved and died here in Japan. Unlike modern machine made embossers, the embossing plate is unique and impossible to copy without possession of the original which is kept under lock and key at our office. (back) Additionally our papers have a water mark of both our logo and company hanko logo. Our company hanko, and three inspectors hankos are in red ink. The ink is actual “shu-niku” ink, and is of a very expensive quality. It leaves a thick stamp that is slightly, yet visibly raised above the paper. Our papers are printed completely in Japanese, though we are currently offering supplemental English descriptions at no additional cost. You can see our papers published at various world renown auction houses such as Bonhams and Christies. The format and seals have not been changed so any difference in style, size or format is not authorized by our organization here in Japan. Our certificates are not folded and come with an envelope that allows the certificate to be put in without folding it. Juyo papers include a traditionally made origami that in addition to the normal certificate. The printed juyo certificate has five inspector stamps instead of the normal three for the lower level papers with the Chinese characters in positive red instead of negative white, and a juyo level (or above) serial number. The traditionally made origami is composed of traditionally hand made paper. The outer wrapping has our seal woven into the paper with 24k gold leaf. The kanteisho itself is hand written with the individual name seals “kao” of the inspectors present at the time of the shinsa in thick traditionally made “sumi niku” black ink. A seal is also laid into the paper so that when closed, it is on the outside. Juyo descriptions are long and are written in traditional Japanese characters by a separate artist. All parts of the Juyo papers are done by hand by separate artists, and all stamps are made of metal and emboss the paper when stamped so that authenticity is unmistakable. (normal juyo certificate) (Origami cover, Folded with gold) (front) (back, unfolded) So far we have had only one juyo shinsa. One is planned for later this year, and we will be having more on an ongoing basis. These are the current serial numbers of valid Juyo and tokubetsu juyo certificates: (as of March 20, 2023) 12042117 12042118 12042119 12042121 12042122 In conclusion, we took the necessary steps to make sure that our papers cannot be copied. In doing so, we assured that the papers would hold their value, and that people investing in them would have had their items graded and authenticated by competent inspectors. Now that there is a public record of our certificates, I hope that people will be able to use our service with confidence that they are getting authentic papers and receive the services that they have expected for their money. We apologize for any confusion and will be happy to answer questions directly here for the time being. We include here a current list here of the valid normal certificates below the Juyo level: (as of March 20th 2023) 12042101 12042102 12042104 12042105 12042103 12042108 12042109 12042103 12042106 12042126 12042113 12042125 12042129 12042115 12042127 12042112 12042125 12042126 12042127 12042129 12042130 12042146 12042147 12042148 12042149 12042150 12042151 12042152 12042153 12042141 12042140 12042143 12042135 12042134 12042133 12042137

Thanks Ford. Not sure if that was an apology or... Anyway Ill post more at some point in a private forum. I don't have all the time in the world these days to engage in the discussion further as I am a working man. My apologies. I will invite anybody to visit the museum exhibitions throughout Japan that have answered many of the questions you posed though. Thanks all and have a closer look at those iron tsuba of yours. Andrew Mancabelli