Nathan Scott

I've just returned from Japan, and have determined that it would be best all around to cancel this seminar. While Sasamori Soke is currently in good health, I've become aware of health concerns with him coming to America (jet lag) that he does not suffer when he travels to Europe. Furthermore, the scheduling and flights have been difficult due to Japanese holidays and other factors. I apologize to anyone who had begun to make travel plans, but please understand that this is in the best interest of Sasamori Soke. If anyone is interested in training opportunities for OHIR here in America, feel free to contact me. Otherwise I would encourage prospective students to take a trip to Japan and arrange for kengaku. Regards,

Our dojo has scheduled an American open-seminar this September 19th & 20th, 2015 (Saturday and Sunday) with Sasamori Takemi Soke, the 17th Headmaster of Ono-ha itto-ryu. The seminar is open to anyone interested, and there is no obligation to join the art. We will be hosting Sasamori Soke in the Los Angeles, California area, along with two other senior instructors from his dojo. Be advised that this will be *the last opportunity* to meet and train directly under the headmaster here in America. Those interested in or already training koryu kenjutsu, iaido, kendo, or aikido are strongly encouraged to attend. Sasamori Soke is a highly respected and skilled exponent of one of the most famous schools of kenjutsu in Japan, who also has a very deep knowledge of classical martial arts in general (Soke also succeeded the Chokugen-ryu O-naginata-jutsu, Shinmuso hayashizaki-ryu iaijutsu, and Muraku-ryu iaijutsu traditions). The Ono-ha branch of Itto-ryu under Sasamori Soke is a very complete and comprehensive school of swordsmanship. Training includes long sword, medium-length, and short sword methodologies. The forms are mostly two-person paired standing kata, but also include kneeling kata and iai (sword drawing) methods. Equipment includes the use of wooden bokuto and habiki (blunted swords), as well as unique “oni-gote” (demon’s gauntlets), which allows for actual contact with cuts. This branch is the mainline of Itto-ryu, one of the earliest and best preserved forms of kenjutsu in Japan. Itto-ryu served as the primary technical foundation for KENDO, and as such, many Kendo-ka also cross train in Itto-ryu. Ono-ha itto-ryu specifically was also influential on the development of AIKIDO. More information on Itto-ryu can be found at the Wikipedia page here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ittō-ryū Please reply via PM or email if you are interested in attending so we can add your name to the prospective attendees and better plan the event. It is not too late for us to change venues if necessary, but we will need to make that decision ASAP in order to accommodate all those who are interested. Location: Los Angeles, California Dates: Sept 19th & 20th, 2015 (Saturday and Sunday) Contact: seminar@nichigetsukai.org I’ll provide updates with specific location and hotel options as soon as we have them ironed out. Pre-registration is required and will be available soon to lock in reservations. We are also trying to arrange for an equipment vendor to set up a table at the event should anyone need anything. Sorry if this ends up being somewhat off-topic here. Regards,

Hi all, I'll post the list of stolen swords here soon. Thanks for the encouragement. Obviously, I'd be very interested to get confirmation for or against whether the mei is real or not. Knowing that is critical, so any help would be much appreciated. It seems like a lot of work to waste to obviously reshape a sword and attach a fake mei to it though - not that it couldn't happen. As far as a Boy's sword, not that I would know, but I could see where a full sized katana would be re-shaped due to damage or flaws to the mune or shinogi-ji. Better than discarding it. Regards,

Hi Jean, I know what you're getting at, but in actual fact the thieves had to truck the swords down a steep hillside 100 steps. Out of the 150 swords that were in the collection, I don't know the exact number of how many were stolen (they were burglarized twice, actually), but I do know the 20 that are left represent the ones that weren't stolen combined with several that were later recovered. According to popular theory, the people who actually conducted the burglaries were probably not sword enthusiasts themselves, so I doubt they would understand what to look for. I'm actually intending on posting a list of the stolen swords on my site in case any more of them pop up. Maybe I'll post it here too(?). Regards,

Hey Ted! Nice to hear from you. Man, it's been a while, huh? Hope all is well. Thanks for your views. Unfortunately, I think the option of getting some of these swords papered in Japan and sent back isn't going to be realistic. I'm not sure what factors Mr. Hawley was taking into consideration, other than his belief that it was a samurai boy's katana, and that it was a rare example. But I'm sure there is a lot more information and examples accessible now than there was then. BTW, when I get time I'll post some photos of that naginata you polished for me. Good stuff! Regards,

Wow, these are some GREAT insights! The logic behind the possibility that the blade was ground down from the mune side makes a lot of sense, and is something I never would have thought of. The shinogi is very high, high mekugi-ana, scalloped mune, and the hi running through the signature, etc, does seem unusual. If this is true, then it may have been a full size katana that was ground down to be a child's katana? The mei takes up the entire nakago - do ya'll think it was added later, or just cut down around the mei in order to preserve it? In any event, it looks to my untrained eyes like a pretty good job of modifying a larger sword, if this is true. If it has been cut down, would it greatly de-value the sword, or might it be unusual enough to warrant a reasonable value based on curiosity / rareness factor? It will be a little while before I can get out there and take better photos, but I'll upload them when I do. Thanks very much for all the attention to this sword.

Hi all, I was wondering if I could bother some of you for opinions on the sword linked below. The page linked kind of explains the context of this post, but in short, I'm assisting the Hawley Family here in California with evaluating their sword collection. Depending on several factors, some or all of the swords may be sold. But initially they need to better understand what it is they have and make a determination as a family as to what the best course of action will be. In the spirit of being forthcoming, while the insights gained here may be used to evaluate and value the sword(s), it is not our intention to quote anyone's names in a sales listing. On the other hand, since my expertise is not in collecting or evaluating, I'm not going to be of much help to them in this regard, and am relying heavily on the advise and experience of those more knowledgeable. Obviously, my/our fear is incorrectly documenting the collection, as well as possibly under/over valuing them. In any event, there are only (20) swords left, most of which do not appear to me to be "high-value". One that is clearly of higher value is the Koto period Yasumitsu linked below. On about half of these Hawley swords, I have the benefit of referencing W.M. Hawley's own specs and comments that were published in his Sword Oshigata book. Also, in most cases I have a sheet containing the estimated values of these swords from when most the collection was stolen ca. 1981. In regards to the Yasumitsu, I know it was one of the two most favorite of Hawley's swords. He referred to is as a "Child's Katana", I assume, based on the very thin width and corresponding short length. The photos I've taken so far don't really show how "petite" this sword really is when held in the hand (I'll try to add some more/better photos soon), however, one expert I've been talking to believes that this is not *necessarily* a child's katana because apparently the Yasumitsu's of this period were often of similar specs. As far as value goes, Hawley considered it rare (based partly on the belief that it was a child's katana), and valued it in 1981 at $30,000 USD. Though it is not papered, in Hawley's notes he wrote that it was of "Bunkazai" (I guess juyo bunkazai?) quality. So, Bunkazai quality? Really a child's katana? If so, would is still hold or exceed such a value +30 years later? If it's not a child's katana, much would that affect the rareness and value? Any comments about the sword and its estimated value would be greatly appreciated! (either way its a nice sword to look at) http://www.nichigetsukai.org/hawley/nihonto-eval.htm Thanks much for your time and attention, Nathan Scott