Ken-Hawaii

Adam & Tony, thanks for the leads. Tony, I'd like nothing better than to have an extra day or two to visit Kyoto, as I was trained there about 50 years ago. But we have only two full days on the ground in Japan - that's the downside of the ultra-cheap fares, & adding just one more day would have more than doubled the price. So we'll hit the ground running & not stop until we're back on the plane for Hawaii, happily exhausted. My wife & I each bought our latest, highly-upgraded iaito from Tozando, & it would be great to meet the great people we've worked with, but that's not going to happen on this trip.... Ryujindo seems to have modern tosho & a few Gendaito, but nothing older that I could find. I'm bringing photos of my two Bizen Nihonto that were made in Osafune a few hundred years ago in hopes of finding out more about the smiths at the Bizen-Osafune Sword Museum. Ken

Bazza, thanks for those leads. The museum looks interesting. Chris, you're worth your weight in osmiridium! I truly regret that I didn't study Japanese in school instead of Spanish. Thank goodness for technology, though! I'm bringing along my Kindle 3G with keyboard, & can use the free Kindlefish translation app http://kindlefish.t15.org/Kindlefishv3beta/index.html to at least get some idea across of what Linda & I are doing. Not perfect, but better than just winging it. I'm passing that tremendously useful link to my Japanese daughter-in-law, & asking her to make contact with several of those Osaka & Okayama sword shops prior to our arrival. With only 2-1/2 days in Japan, we won't have a lot of time in any one museum or shop, so we want to maximize what we can see & do. Thank you both for your help! Ken

I had heard of that shopping area, but didn't know what it was called. This is a great help! That cutlery shop looks like a good start to look at blades. Ken

I had found that shop, Jacques, but cannot find any other information about it on the Web. Rather than running blindly around Osaka, I want to first communicate with the shop to make sure that it is still running. Iwamoto's phone has been disconnected, so that doesn't bode well.... Ken

That's a great start, George - thanks! My Japanese is almost nil, so I'll definitely print out the page & bring it along. Ken

Aloha, all: My wife & I are taking a short trip to Osaka the end of this month. Round-trip airfare is only $198, & we couldn't pass it up. My frustration is that I have been trying to locate two or three sword shops in Osaka & also in the Bizen-Osafune area, but haven't found a single one. I've tried dozens of search terms in Google with zero success. They've been making swords in Bizen for almost a thousand years, so why is it so bloody hard to find a sword shop there?? So far, we're only visiting the Bizen-Osafune Sword Museum. If you have shop names, Web-sites, contact info, etc., please pass them on to me!! Mahalo nui loa! (Thanks a million!) Ken

Please sign your name to your posts, per Brian's rules. We look forward to seeing some nice, clear images. And welcome to the forum. Ken

I'll agree to that, Sanjuro! Ken

Very useful, John, thanks! I've seen the eutectic info, but have never seen the actual metal structures. Ken

Wow! I've heard of large sori (blade curvature), Brian, but I sure hope that photo was taken with a lens that distorted the view!! Ken

Please sign your name to your posts per Brian's rules. What are you trying to find out about this blade? With so little information & a photo that doesn't show much at all, there's not a lot we can help with. Try giving us a few shots including an overall image of the sword. Ken

Welcome to the forum, Jean. Feel free to dive in with comments & questions. Ken

Okay, how about information & contacts on sword shops in Osaka? The only one I've been able to track down is Iwamoto Sword Shop, & have an address but can't find a Web-site. There's also the Nakamiya Art Sword Shop that's supposed to be the oldest & largest, but I can't find anything on them. I'm a bit surprised that major shops like these don't have a Web presence. I understand tradition, but if people can't find them, how do they sell Nihonto/modern tosho? Ken

I haven't been back to Kyoto since I trained at the Kodokan as a teenager! Great idea, Brian, as I know my wife would like to see where the true meaning of martial arts was beaten, err, imbued into me. Ken

I guess I should have been a tad more specific. We're looking for Nihonto-related activities, Henk-Jan, not surprisingly. This trip is particularly important as our Japanese Sword Society of Hawaii is holding our first annual sword exhibition on 29-30 September, & we're looking for ideas. Guido Schiller has been very helpful, but being able to see a major show or three will be a lot more help. We plan to visit the Bizen-Osafune Sword Museum in Kagato, but that's all I've found so far. Incidently, when I check out the Osaka Museum of History (http://www.mus-his.city.osaka.jp/englis ... index.html), I can't find anything about the armor show; is it still going on? Ken

Henk-Jan, thanks for that information. My wife & I are headed for Osaka for a very short trip, 4/30-5/3, as Hawaiian Airlines just announced a round-trip airfare of only US$198. We plan to visit the exhibition, & will take as many photos as they allow. Any other suggestions on what we can see while we're there? Ken

Henk-Jan, that's truer than you may think. I just met a guy who lives in his upholstery shop who owns a papered Kiyomaro blade & two other high-end Nihonto. The shop is run down, stray cats running through it, but he says he's happier having the Nihonto rather than owning a house. Of course $150,000 here in Hawaii wouldn't buy you any place I'd want to live, anyway.... Ken

Kim, please check my posts at viewtopic.php?f=16&t=12325 for suggestions on an initial book collection. Ken

Actually, Ed, I think the rest of us would like to know your intent of posting a multitude of blades, one at a time. Care to share? Ken

Edward, it looks like the style of the saya urushi is called Kuro Hirumaki or something very similar. Ken

Steve makes very nice blades; he sent me three of them to resell back in December. But I have to admit that getting any of our sword society members interested enough to buy them has been more than I've been able to do so far. I hadn't considered the non-Japanese aspect of the lack of sales, mostly because as an engineer, metallurgist, & sword swinger, I'm far more interested in the construction & functionality, rather than who made the blades. However, I'm beginning to see that the source may be more important than the appearance & usability.... Ken

Ford, Chris hit on the topic of tsuba providing balance for the blade, but tsuba also prevent the swordsman's hand(s) from sliding forward onto the blade. Things get pretty slippery when there's blood everywhere. Ken

I agree that you've summarized the thread well, Chris. But considering your statement would it matter if the modern smith was, in fact, Japanese? Ken

DP, please follow Brian's rules & sign your posts with your real name; you can do that manually or set up a signature. Welcome to the forum. Interestingly, I just bought a Bizen katana made by a Kunimune that is quite likely a different smith; there were lots of Kunimunes. I would be curious to get more photos on your wakizashi, assuming you buy it. The mei looks a lot like this one, http://nihontoclub.com/swords/0000-0054, but it will take a much more-educated eye than mine to tell that for sure. And the small area I can see of your blade doesn't look anywhere nearly as old. But I'll bet you'll find someone here who can give you lots more info, especially if you post some more photos of the entire blade, nakago, & boshi. Ken

Seems like a reasonably good summary, Adam. Ken