Mushin

Spent years in the former Yugoslavia and so I speak Serb Croat! My Slovenian, however, is nonexistent. Again, thanks!

Hvala, Brano!

Thanks, Grey. Got it. Now only looking for DTI 2014. Thanks!!!

Hi there! I am looking to buy the DTI catalogues from 2013 and 2014. Thanks!

Jussi has provided this information over the years and it should all be here somewhere on NMB

Yup, and it's priced that way. I haven't translated the sayagaki myself, but if as Tsuruta says that Tanobe thinks the blade is considered one of Shodai Yosozaemon's best works, that is saying something.

Sorry, don't see Bizen unless the nakago was tortured and disfigured, which I don't see. And I don't see Heianjo Nagayoshi either. Like Robert S said above, either a fake or some other obscure Nagayoshi

Good question. Many of us would like to know the answer to that because there were several excellent examples that were passed over. “Why” is the big question. Some have theories, but there is no definitive answer. The current Honbu and their decisions are a mystery to the most ardent NBTHK watchers. But in your case, I think you have to be realistic. Besides, since Washington’s introduction of global tariffs, shipping swords back from Japan has been extremely problematic. I think patience is the best approach now while watching how the next few Juyo sessions go. So far, we have seen few surprises from what has been recently awarded Juyo and more from those that have been rejected.

So, Michael, In recent years, Kanenobu has become a new go to for attributions for a nice but not top class Naoe Shizu blade. But this is different from Shigaseki Kanenobu, who is not as well-regarded by collectors or the Honbu. As Jussi pointed out there are only three Juyo awarded to the smith. And I am not sure that Jussi has the data of how many TH and Hozon papers are out there awarded to him by comparison because of the massive volume of swords produced during the Muromachi, especially in Mino. I think you should reach out to folks who watch the trends in the Shinsa team to see how much they might have opened to great works by Muromachi Sengoku-era Mino smiths. I would suggest perhaps, Ray Singer or Hoshi or even Markus. I would hate to see you go through the stress and expense of shipping a blade into Japan and then paying somebody to submit it on your behalf if it’s going to not make it past the first round only because of institutional bias. And then having to wring your hands while waiting for your sword to come back. Darcy used to have an algorithm and formula he would use to assess a sword’s chances of making it through Juyo and then Tokubetsu Juyo, which I don’t know if he handed off to anybody before his passing. All I can say, based on what I am seeing, is that the last Shigaseki Kanenobu that passed Juyo was a katana in session 58, at least 23 years ago. Don’t want to rain on your parade or dash your hopes, it just doesn’t bode well. But to be honest, a sword doesn’t have to pass Juyo to be a Smith’s masterwork and some of my favorites blades only have Hozon papers, and I am ok with that.

No, he is not as far as I know but if you are interested DM with your email and I can connect the two of you. Robert Hughes should be here and he possibly can help get Tanobe-sensei to take a look at your research question. Fingers crossed!

Might also want to try reaching out to Bill Miller in Atlanta. If I am not mistaken, he has one of the biggest Satsuma collections in the world. Then there is Tanobe-sensei, who is also from he area and a collector of Satsuma blades. Robert Hughes might be able to help you direct questions to Tanobe. Best of luck.

While you are technically right, Michael, I think, as Jussi has shown above, Fujishiro missed out on several smiths who were known and regarded by scholars of the past. A good example is in the Sa School. For instance, several of the top seven students of Samonji, including Hiroyoshi and Sadayuki, are not even mentioned in Fujishiro. And Yukihiro, among Sa's very first students, and the only Sa School student with a Kokuho blade, is rated as just Jo-Saku, despite scholars saying his work was, of all Samonji's students, the closest to his master's work. Now, it's not my intention to denigrate Fujishiro, just to note that there is more to many of these smiths than whether or not they are mentioned in his books. Thus, as Jussu showed above, a Fujishiro ranking is not the only factor in the NBTHK's decisions.

I have seen a Juyo Bizen Osafune Morisuke in Enbun-Joji style from the mid-Nambokucho. It is in a friend's collection. The smith is rated Chujo Saku.It's a really nice blade in koshirae. I am not sure if that rule applies to high-quality older swords from the Heian, Kamakura and Nanbokucho time periods when production and quality values were overall very high. Also remember that while Fujishiro rankings are widely accepted, they are far from perfect or universally agreed upon. There are several instances of good smiths having been given lower rankings because Fujishiro either never saw their work or saw only a few examples that might not have been the best samples.

Wow. That's a tough question. And while beauty is ultimately in the eye of the beholder, we all recognize certain aspects of mastery that we respond to. I would answer that by saying it’s an imperfect and complex, but harmonious balance of multiple aesthetic, technical and even spiritual elements. A truly great Nihonto should embody an artistic vision of form and function that raises it above a mere tool and sets it apart as an effort to harness the beauty of nature tamed or unleashed by the hand of man. It needs to embody depth, refinement, and presence that transcend craftsmanship alone. These qualities might vary from school to school, and sword to sword. For example. a great Soshu blade will exhibit different qualities than a great old Bizen sword. It some cases it’s the interplay of nie and nioi combined with a refined but vigorous hada. It also changes with shape and size. A tanto offers a different presence than a tachi where the aesthetics and balance of one does not translate to the other. For me, a great sword possess a serene nobility and a sense of a calm imbued with a coiled energy, a lethal elegance. It's a balance of contradictions. In fact, I think it will always be a contradiction because at its heart I think that is what the Japanese warrior aesthetic aimed for: beauty AND lethality. It’s funny as I am writing this, it’s clear that it’s hard to move away from fuzzy language and sometimes difficult to grasp, let alone articulate, concepts. We are moving into the realm of art philosophy. Ultimately, it’s like the SCOTUS definition of pornography: you’ll know it when you see it. And sometimes you can only recognize it by looking at a lot of it. LOL

I think people will pay if: 1) They sense brand value, belonging and "exclusiveness" 2) There are perks to membership These days there sufficient third party companies that can print or embroider t-shirts, hats, mugs, tote bags, etc. that are exclusive to your corporate clients. You can also use Fiver to have somebody design these for you for literally five bucks or thereabouts. Or maybe on of our more creative members can do this. Submit the designs and colorist the printing company and then sit back. These are offered to the general public on a special page maintained by the company, at set prices ($15 to $35) , and then you can offer discounts to your paying members ($12-$15). You don't have to do anything as once you submit the designs, they produce and ship, handle order processing, etc. and give you a cut. Think of it like Lulu but for stuff not books. It helps raise money as well as build a brand and attract newcomers. These are true and tried and they help groups such as ours. This is but one idea. There are many out there.