Soshin

Hi @Markus! Thank you for posting the index of volume #4 of Tosogu Classroom. This is really helpful. I decided to get this volume and have send you an email confirming my address as such, even though it contains many schools that I not really interested in actively collecting. The Suishinshi Masahide School is one school I would love to learn more about before collecting a few nice examples of their work.

Hi @Markus! I am sending you an email now.

Hi Ray, Some very nice books. I know you are dealing with many, many Japanese swords right now, but when you get some free time later this year. Please send a title list and prices via PM or email via my website (Tsuba Otaku | Reflections of a Not So Empty Mind) of the Kokusai Tosogu Kai Convention & Exhibition books you have. I have a friend who has a piece from his collection that is going to be in the next exhibition book coming out in 2026 so I will be tied up with buying this book right now. Thank you.

This is a really great local show for me. I would meet with remaining members of the old Mid Atlantic Token Kai. I had a really fun time the last five or six years I have attended on Saturday. Two years ago, I found a tsuba with design of matchlock pistol, fuse, and target. This year unfortunately the dates of March 21-22, 2026, conflicts with my lay Buddhist training schedule on that weekend at a temple in New York. Here is the picture of the tsuba I picked up two years ago at this show. For more information about this tsuba it can be found here on my website: Tsuba Gallery #3 | Tsuba Otaku. It is the second tsuba from the top of the Tsuba Gallery #3 webpage.

I booked my hotel and flights back in January. I did run into an issue with the discount airline I originally used, but fortunately I was able to rebook and resolve everything at no additional cost. I’m very much looking forward to the Chicago show. I’ll be attending all three days and staying for two nights at the Hyatt, where I was able to secure the special show rate. I plan to bring three or four tsuba from my collection for display, sale, or trade. They will be shown at the New York Token Kai club table. Each piece has been with me for many years, and I’ll provide a short write‑up for each tsuba on display.

Hi Jean C., @ROKUJURO Thank you so much for sharing such a nice YouTube video.

I am basing my assessment of age on the techniques and materials used to make the statue Fudō Myō-ō and other Buddhist statues I have seen. Just a quick introduction to early modern history of Buddhism in Japan after the Edo Period. There was not many Buddhists craving begin done generally speaking and some temples were being destroyed, and few new temples were being build. Buddhist were being openly persecuted within the Shugendō sect specifically and there was also forced consolidation of other Japanese Buddhist sects in Japan during the Meiji and Taishō periods. This continued and became more extreme during the Shōwa Period with the erosion democratic norms that lead up to WW2 in the Pacific Ocean.

An interesting Fudo-Myō-Ō statue, thank you for sharing photos of it on NMB. I really like all types of Japanese Buddhist Art like this. This standing pose of this wisdom king (personification of the Wisdom of Dainichi Nyorai) is not as common as the more common seated pose. To me it looks Edo Period in terms of age. I really nice find. He would have been part of a Buddhist temple alter, or part of a Buddhist home alter. It would not be part or associated with shrine because that would be Shinto and he is not a Shinto god.

It should be noted that cost of the reference books, monthly Token Bijutsu magazine from Japan via Airmail, discounts when visiting the Japanese Sword Museum, and Zoom and in person presentations at the shows are included in the annual cost of membership which is $250.00 USD.

Hi Nathaniel, Why? As a member (since 2007) of the NBTHK via the American Branch. The American Branch of the NBTHK current have some Canadian members and one adviser. I enjoy my membership and have gotten many free reference books via the NBTHK American Branch over the years. Here is a link (see below) their website for more information and all communication is in English. Not sure if they use spam filters on their email but I know many members there for many years so I can help you contact them. NBTHK - American Branch

I didn't know Brian Klingbile (Username Winchester) personally, but I do remember him from his posts on NMB. He was significantly younger than me at the time of his death. Sorry for the loss and my condolences to his family and close friends. RIP

He was a professor of chemistry whom I always found fascinating, aside from his early website on Japanese swords. My passion for biology and chemistry has grown so much that I am now a tutor in these subjects.

@Ray Singer I will check it out on YouTube. Thanks for the notification.

This artist and his school made many tsuba in the Yagyu style. Yours looks to be a great example and comparable to the example provided by Curran.

Hi Sam, Happy New Year! I now have links to presentation on my homepage of my website. Here is the direct link: Tsuba Otaku | Reflections of a Not So Empty Mind. You should be able to click the link on the homepage and the presentation as a PDF should download and viewed using Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader. Please share it with members of the PNW Token Kai. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you.

@Scogg Nice looking first club meeting with a great collection of Japanese swords. The iron Higo tsuba on the table reminds me of one I once owned that I purchased from one of @Curran friends in the UK (sorry I have forgotten his name, but he is a big time Higo fitting collector).

Rest in peace, my old friend. Earlier this year, I wrote to Richard after my older brother Michael passed away from an aggressive form of liver cancer. They were close in age, and Richard’s kindness during that time meant a great deal to me. I first came to know him through his photography FAQ for the KTK, which I stumbled upon online. He generously helped me refine my photography skills, and thanks to his guidance I became a far better fine‑art photographer. I still use the techniques he taught me on my website today. Although I never had the chance to meet him in person, I did acquire several fine iron tsuba from him over the years. On the few occasions I attended the San Francisco show, he happened not to be there that year—something I regret even more now. Richard’s influence on my hobby work and his kindness in our conversations will stay with me. He will be missed.

Hi Sam, Will do. I will keep you and everyone else posted on NMB about the availability of the PowerPoint slides for my upcoming in person presentation.

Just a quick public notice. I will be giving a PowerPoint presentation at this coming club meeting of the New York Token Kai on Sunday, December 7, 2025, from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM, titled: "Reflections on 25 Years of Collecting Japanese Art". Check out more information about the club here on their website: https://www.ny-tokenkai.org/. After the presentation I will try to covert my presentation into a noneditable file format that will allow me to share it on my website here: Tsuba Otaku | Reflections of a Not So Empty Mind. Thank you.

I am not Robert Hughes, but I would say yes. This is from my own personal experience of having visited many museums in Japan.

Hi Robert, Thank you kindly for your thoughtful tribute to Guido. I never met him in person, but I remember him from the Nihontō Message Board website. My deepest condolences to his family.

Hi Richard, There is the New York Token Kai that meets in NYC. Here is the link to their website for more information:https://www.ny-tokenkai.org/.

I cannot make it this year due to unemployment. Once I get that next job, I hope to go to this show next year and say hello to some of my old friends.

Here is my one hundred yen on this topic. I completely agree with @Ray Singer on this. The tsbua is nice and it reminds me of an early Edo Period Owari tsuba I once had with hakogaki by Sasano with a similar sukashi design that later traded away to the tsuba expert of Baltimore. The tsuba is fine and should be left as is. The NBTHK papers are not irrelevant, but that comment is more than a bit off topic and therefore not worth discussing in my opinion and hints at other members' ulterior motives.

I stand corrected. Thank you for the clarification. Regress I am still incredibly happy with the tsuba you made me. I still use it on my training sword, and it does a wonderful job.