Toryu2020

Registration info here https://nthkamerica.com/registration

from the NCJSC To All Show Attendees: As I am sure you are aware, Japan has recently relaxed its immigration restrictions and is allowing easier entrance into and out of the country. As a result of this we were contacted by the NTHK organization about doing a shinsa at this year’s August show after all. We realize that this is somewhat late notice, but we wanted to let you all know that the NCJSC has agreed to host a shinsa at this year’s show. If you would like to submit any swords, koshirae, or kodogu, we encourage you to make your reservations as soon as possible. Details will be posted later this week on https://nthkamerica.com - please feel free to share this with your collector friends. Please direct any questions to; nthkamerica@toryu-mon.com -tch Thomas C Helm Pres. Northern California Japanese Sword Club www.ncjsc.org

The "more decorated" side is usually the one facing out when the sword is in the saya. Therefore I do not think this was meant to be mounted as such. Coral is a common element so not all that weird to see especially this late. Japanese and not Chinese. Very interested to see how the stand/spikes were attached... -tch

Marco - A lot depends on where the event is being held. San Francisco is probably THE most expensive market - in the past somewhere around 200 items meant a good result - but now we have to balance hotel and travel costs that surely have increased... -t

All- Travel restrictions having recently been lifted in Japan. With this in mind the NTHK is having preliminary discussions about bringing a shinsa to the 2022 NCJSC San Francisco To-ken Taikai, August 5, 6, and 7. Mind you this is just the initial discussion. One important factor would be the level of interest by the U.S. collector community. You are being contacted because you have supported the NTHK in the past. We are asking if you are interested in seeing a shinsa this year and if so about how many items you might submit. Your answers will be kept confidential, we are looking for raw numbers only and any response would not be treated as any kind of commitment. Please respond to this email, (nthkamerica@toryu-mon.com) as soon as possible as the responses may well color the boards' decision. We will of course be happy to entertain any questions you may have. Thanking all in advance for your consideration and of course for your continued support of the NTHK, -tch Thomas C Helm Hyogi-in NTHK https://nthkamerica.com nthkamerica@toryu-mon.com

This is a reprint, I'm thinking it was a chatski given out at a sword shop but I cannot remember where...

Many times they do not put fake signatures on crap swords - looks great! -t

There was one in Australia a few years back but beyond my budget. He is very highly sought after in Japan as well, so not a lot in circulation. In five years in Japan going to four or more kantei-kai a month I never saw one. Don't recall seeing any pop up in the Dai To-ken Ichi catalogues either. Only ever saw the one blade in the TNM exhibit in 1997 and it was spectacular... -t

I think to find one in any mounts would be a dream for most... -t

Imozuru is used in descriptions for Satsuma swords never heard it used to describe any other school. Someone reading your note may be lead to see this as a Satsuma work when it is not. Inazuma are short lines that cross from the hamon into the ji so they are squiggly and often angled not vertical in parallel with with the cutting edge. I would stick with Tokuno since he was talking about this specific sword... -t

George - Is the description from Markus a translation of some document associated with your sword or his own attribution? Or are you attaching his description to what you are seeing on your sword? Again I would point to the tanto above (dated Taisho 10). There is one long line with breaks accompanied by shorter parrallel lines that come in and out, which to me sounds like what you are describing in your piece... -t (trying to help really!)

George - It is not one single unbroken line (in your first oshigata above) - it is several lines (perhaps running along the same fold) with shorter lines coming in and out in parrallel - surely he saw the blade in hand and saw the lines as sunagashi - while the illustration may make it look like a kinsuji - this is why it is always nice to have the photo and an oshigata. Is there a particular sword driving these questions? Would be nice to see the item in question... -t

What you are seeing is a kinsuji (in my opinion) - "Imozuru" is a derogatory term meant to point to Satsuma work specifically - "Satsuma potato" is a derogatory term and kantei guys played on this to describe the work on Satsuma blades (they may be inferior to kinsuji in other works but I don't think so) - The kinsuji in Satsuma swords is really long, but you won't find really long kinsuji referred to as imozuru in other artists EG; Shinkai... -t

123 plays by Aristophenes alone!!

Thats just it - the rules are simple the exceptions are legion... -t

David - It goes pretty much as Ken has said - early blades are assumed to be tachi - UNLESS they have been cut down into katana or wakizashi - then the paper will say katana/wakizashi even though everyone knows it started life as a tachi. Post 1600 - every blade is assumed to be a katana - even with tachi mei (think Hizen) - UNLESS the general practice of the smith was to sign katana mei but you get a one off tachi mei (as happens in Shinshinto) These were the rules explained to me by a Shibu-Cho of the Kamakura Branch of the NBTHK - but he went on to say there was a period when the NBTHK started calling obviously early blades tachi even though they were osuriage mumei - this went on for a time and now we're back to the rule as stated above. Like everything else in Nihonto, "The rules are easy the exceptions are what will kill you..." -tch

Unbelievable. Thank you Ted, Curran, please keep us informed when its appropriate.

Nice Dotanuki.

Thanks Mal - you can message me here or email toryu@toryu-mon.com - your book is archived here is it not? -t

Looking for oshigata of all generations of Daido (大道) especially interested in the Shinshinto Yamashiro smith - 山城住権正藤原大道 - any help from this board appreciated. -tch

Do we know it's him writing the blog? This doesn't sound right...

Very difficult to assign a single mon to a single family - there being many generations, daughters and sons given to other families and the right to wear the mon given to many retainers. The important families had primary and secondary mon and seeing these in combination can point us to the right family - sometimes. Three mon together is even better. Unfortunately in this case these are very common mon on their own. Checking the Taisei Bukan, there is only one family using the combination of the kirimon and tsurumaru, the 9th lord of Harima Mikazuki Han, Mori Toshishige - however they do not seem to have used the mitsudomoe - rather you see the character "Ju" (as in the number ten) - if there is any connection it may be some retainer of this Han... -t

A perfect illustration of the folly of trying to associate a mon with any single family... -tch

Paz - I think the best you can say is there may be some relation - given the quality of what we can see, it may (and its a big IF) it may have been someone who served the family that used this mon. Over two hundred and fifty years there would have been dozens of branch families and retainer families given permission to use the mon - sometimes it is on "parade" items used for sankin kotai - seriously without other corroborating information it is just a nice mon... -t

Daimyo families had primary and secondary mon - sometimes as many as four - truth is that unless the particular mon is singularly unique to a single family you cannot ascribe any mon to any person, family or line. Should you find an item of quality that includes two or more mon then the probabilities are much higher but it is still just supposition without other evidence. Swords had an incredible currency over the years - some families patronized their local swordsmiths and boasted many blades by their hometown artist in their collections - many families had swords from all over and almost none from local smiths, even when they were directly employed by that family... -t