cabowen

What would you like to know? He was a student of Taneyoshi, who trained in the Gassan group and Suishinshi group. He made swords in Tokyo before moving to Muroran in Hokkaido where he was employed by Japan Steel Works which built a forge on their corporate grounds to encourage the continuation of swordmaking in 1918. He was the teacher of Horii Toshihide and the three Kato brothers of Tokyo, as well as a few others. He was appointed smith to the Imperial Househeld around 1896. He was a good smith and his blades are rare as he worked during the period when swords were not in demand. His katana are rare, tanto are more common. I wrote a good deal on him for the publication "Tanto, Blades of Ritual" which accompanied the gendai tanto exhibit I put together for the last Minneapolis sword show as one of his blades was part of the exhibit. Please contact Ron Hartmann for details as it was his blade and he recently used sections of my publication for an article on the blade for an article he put together. His work is quite different from that of Hayama Enshin....

many reasons, some already mentioned here such as a change in fighting style (tachi to katana) and laws governing sword lengths. Sometimes a new owner preferred a shorter blade and had the blade shortened. Sometimes the signature of a lessor smith was removed and the blade made to look shortened to deceive. Blades were never shortened from the tip end as mentioned above. If the tip was damaged such that the hardened edge was lost the blade would no longer be usable and rendered useless.

農州住藤原兼忠謹鍛之 respectfully forged by Fujiwara Kanetada of Noshu

No, the way the mei is cut, it is clearly meant to be the famous smith....

Yes, definitely gimei.....Flashy blade.....

When Japan became the country "that could say no" in the 1980's, they were absolutely rolling in cash. Many smiths were charging huge sums of money and were selling all the swords they could make. It was a major boom. Suddenly, being a swordsmith making "art" became a very profitable business for many. Some smiths became minor celebrities and rubbed shoulders with other well known figures in the "art" world. I can not help but think that the money and name recognition turned some of these craftsman into the "artistes" they are today. Fame and fortune can change people....I met many smiths, including mukansa and Ningen Kokuho smiths. Most were very humble, approachable people, but there were a few prima donnas.....

Minneapolis NTHK-NPO shinsa is tentatively planned for the beginning of October, 2011. Once things are firmed up, I will post location, dates, etc....

Inoue Shinkai I believe the date is Kanbun 13 (the last year)....

I agree the placement is a bit odd but that is sometimes seen... Sometimes you will see 吉日 (kichi jitsu -auspicious day) and sometimes simply 日...Not all days are lucky I suppose....

I have never heard of one nor have I seen one. Theoretically, due to the requirements imposed on RJT, they should not exist. Seeing that exceptions are the rule, I would not be surprised to see one at some point. A shinsa team with experience will know the difference.

I have spoken with many smiths, both those who made swords during the war and those who have made them both during and after the war. The feeling that sums up their attitude to swordmaking might best be described in the Japanese by the word "majime" (真面目). This word means "serious, diligent, honest" and is a highly respected attitude in Japan. You can fail horribly at something, and as long as you were "majime" in your attempt, you will still command respect. Of course smiths were patriotic during the war and did the best they could. The ones I have spoken with told me that they made the best swords they could to protect their soldiers and country. I never got the feeling that they thought of themselves as artists making obsolete, anachronistic symbols for some elite officer class. They felt an urgency and importance in their craft. Most of the older smiths were humble, self-deprecating, and had a love for their craft. In contrast, I met more than one post war smith who was filled with self-importance and considered himself an "artiste". Perhaps people become what they are told they are.... Perhaps something to consider is the often mentioned concept of beauty in relation to nihon-to. Most of the smiths I spoke with talked about the beauty of the sword arising from the near perfection attained in the meeting of form and function. Refinement, purity, and functionality are all highly valued attributes in Japan. Additionally, when one actually sees in hand work by a Japanese master craftsman, be it swords, kodogu, carpentry, or many of the other traditional arts, and ponders the lines, joints, and evenness of surfaces, the craftsmanship is often at a level that will actually astonish and make one wonder how human hands could create something so incredibly perfect. So, in addition to the perfection of form meeting function, there is also in top work a perfection in execution.

Hi/jitsu= day.....actually fairly common....

Were swords purely art at the time of their creation? Guess that would depend on who you asked, when you asked, and what the sword was under consideration... Pre-haito-rei, swords were not considered artifacts or art when originally made, but older swords became artifacts, and perhaps were considered to be more, perhaps art, at some point. Today, all swords made before the end of WWII are considered artifacts. Some are also considered art. Swords made after the war are not yet old enough to be artifacts and according to Japanese requirements, are considered art.

No doubt students of the sword need to know what makes a meito in particular and quality in general, but that shouldn't stop people from collecting the best swords they can, swords they like, within their financial means. In addition, there are many factors at work in what makes a meito, not all of which are directly related to the quality of the item. The same can be said for the reputation of smiths and their work. Some are over rated, some under valued. Does anyone actually believe that those craftsman named Ningen Kokuho are the absolute best at their craft?

They were still worn and still used, not in war as history unfolded but they could have been...To those carrying them up until the Haito-rei, they certainly didn't think they were merely ornamental.... "Artifact", to my understanding, is an object created by human craft, most of the time, a tool, weapon, or the like, with archaeological or historical interest. Time and human craft can thus be said to be the requirements for something to be considered an artifact. Art has no such time requirement-something can be art from the moment of creation. I suppose one would have to have insight into the mind of the smiths at the time to determine how exactly they viewed their creations...It would seem though that the view that swords are art is more of a modern viewpoint, some might argue construct (that enabled the Japanese to save them from destruction at the end of the war)... What is your definition of artifact?

Couldn't it be said that everything is an artifact? The questions addressed the mindset of those collecting swords- do you see them and collect them for their artistic merit or for the history that they contain as an artifact? For some the art is the focus, for others it is the history or a combination....Swords were collected during the time they were still in "use"...

Would this be an admission that a sword must mature past its primary use, and hence be historical artifiact, in order to qualify as 'Art' much later? I think the sword has not changed, it is what it always has been...opinions and viewpoints change....

As far as exactly when polishing evolved to the point where inner details in the blade began to be appreciated, from what I understand, this is an area still under debate... I believe it was the martial aspects, rather than the artistic, that drove these early smiths, samurai, and even emperors....They were interested in making blades that were functional first, any "art" was a byproduct and not a first concern, for obvious reasons... See above....When a blade was made for actual use and a life depended on its utility as a weapon, artistic considerations were far down the list. The bright hamon, even, dense jigane, etc., that are considered today hallmarks of beauty, originally where signs indicative of a well made, and therefore functional, blade. Once the utility function became secondary, the artistic merits began to come to the fore....A good sword at one time meant one that was good in a fight, later, a good sword became one that met more aesthetic criteria. Look at the rather low position blades from Bungo, Seki, etc., hold today. They are poo-pooed as "practical swords of little artistic merit"....

made by Yoshimune in March, 1945...It would appear from the photos to be a real WWII era sword, though whether or not it is a mass produced, non-traditional blade or a traditionally made blade, I can not say from the photos...

A few points to ponder: Swordsmiths originally made blades to meet a functional, utilitarian demand, not an artistic aesthetic driven by the market. Polishing wasn't developed to the point where the details appreciated today were likely observable, thus the artistic appreciation of swords did not come until later. In the mainstream, perhaps due to post WWII education, most Japanese people are not attracted to, but rather nearly repulsed, by swords. I recall one professor in my department once telling me that Japanese swords were only collected by "yakuza and baseball players"! I found it interesting that many people in Japan that I spoke with that didn't find swords offensive turned out to be from samurai families and many that did came from non-samurai families. Seems those from samurai families often had swords in the family and were not particularly afraid of them. Non-samurai often looked at swords as symbols of oppression and have no love for them. Of course my sample size could hardly be viewed as statistically significant but it was always interesting to ask people that had a yeah or nay reaction their family background. No doubt some art transcends culture. Other types require the cultural context to be appreciated. I would contend that all art requires the cultural context to be fully understood and appreciated, but clearly many people can enjoy at some level without it...Obviously, even within cultures, not all art is seen as such. This is perhaps where personal preference plays its part....

As far as star stamped blades being "broken up as a weapon", this is plain wrong on two accounts. First, I have imported star stamped blades into Japan in the past on numerous occasions without incident. Secondly, if a blade is rejected at the import licensing/shinsa, you are allowed to have it returned to the sender rather than have it destroyed. This was the NTHK-Yoshikawa shinsa, not the NBTHK or NTHK-NPO. When it comes to WWII era blades, they are hardly the last word.....

Good news, and as before ill be taking swords to shinsa as i did last time. PM next year when time comes near. Any additional information on this would be great! I am in the Minneapolis area and will most definitely be there (already moving pieces to make room in my collection). We are finalizing details currently. When things are set I will make a formal announcement with all the details included....Hope to see you there!

I would take that a step further and say that it is mostly emotional. Attraction and appreciation is something that can not be rationally explained.

The shinsa will be in Minneapolis in early October of 2011. If you can not make it there, we will provide submissions for swords shipped to us. There will be more information available as the details are finalized. This information will surely be posted to this site.

I believe I owned that sword at one time.