Appeal For Help Funding Purchase Of Sanchomo

[Bugyotsuji]

Ha ha Malcolm, so that's it!    See my post #22 where I translated the comments. 

[Guest]

Tee Hee!!

 

Just put a sheet of Kanji and Kana in front of me at the moment and I'll do my best to create Chinese Whispers....  

[Bugyotsuji]

On the left is my sword sensei, and on the right is the Mayor of Setouchi City who is leading the drive for donations. (They have the best part of 2.5 million US at present.)

 

The Mayor is dressed as Uesugi Kenshin, who once owned the sword, but he was heard mumbling that two hours max was all he could take in this armour.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Igsfb55Dt4A

[Bugyotsuji]

There is a petition by the locals to stop any use of public funds, even as a bridging loan, and the Setouchi City council are meeting this week to try and find a way forward.

 

Shades of Brexit even?

 

There seems to be a new movement afoot to show support for the project, but I need to check it out first, details to follow. Approaching 200 people as of midday Monday in Japan...

(watch this space!)

 

This page, a petition to the Mayor to stick to his guns has been sent around. In Japanese.

https://www.change.org/p/%E7%80%AC%E6%88%B8%E5%86%85%E5%B8%82%E8%AD%B0%E4%BC%9A-%E8%AD%B0%E9%95%B7%E6%A7%98-%E5%9B%BD%E5%AE%9D-%E5%90%8D%E5%88%80%E5%B1%B1%E9%B3%A5%E6%AF%9B%E3%81%AE%E5%82%99%E5%89%8D%E9%95%B7%E8%88%B9%E9%87%8C%E5%B8%B0%E3%82%8A%E3%81%AB%E8%B3%9B%E6%88%90%E3%81%97%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99?recruiter=940237126&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial.pacific_post_sap_share_gmail_abi.gmail_abi&utm_term=share_petition&recruited_by_id=a374f640-3ecd-11e9-a738-9bb6995b962c&fbclid=IwAR3JbFytYPObqNpDtr5exMT6mFjUvWNdK1Xd82i9WyZSnbNHTeCIv6YLQIU

 

Interestingly, in speech they are referring to it as the "Yamatorige".

[Ken-Hawaii]

I think I've lost track of how far along this project is, Piers. Any kind of summary available?

[Bugyotsuji]

Ken, only what I have just written above. March is do-or-die time. The fund is at around 2.7 million USD.

 

In the last hour I have joined that latest appeal to the Mayor and left a written comment.

 

岡山県の指輪、つまり長船町に上杉謙信の愛刀「山鳥毛」という宝石が収まっていますと、世界中の人々はその放つ永遠の魅力に引かれ、ぞくぞくと自分の目で鑑賞に来られましょう！

[Ken-Hawaii]

Brexit is hard enough for us to follow, let alone why locals wouldn't want to support even a bridge loan. What happens if the project dies, other than the blade not being transferred?

[Bugyotsuji]

The good lady has agreed to sell it. To my mind it is worth more than a fuel-cell hydrogen filling station or two. Anyway they have extended various deadlines!

[Bugyotsuji]

Spent some time at Osafuné today, meeting people and incidentally catching rumours.

 

One is that of the 2,000+ good citizens who are determined to stop this drive, and have signed a petition to the Mayor saying so, some are fundamentally against spending money on or indeed having anything to do with swords per se. They point-blank do not like swords.

 

Meetings are being set up here and there to gather ideas to find a way forwards. The Change.org support site is this very evening nearing 1,500 votes in favor of landing this Kokuho and bringing it home at last.

 

Shin Koyamada, film director, and actor who played Lord Katsumoto’s son in the Last Samurai is apparently in Setouchi City meeting with the Mayor.

[Bugyotsuji]

I was informed that this Change.org drive was hoping to get 3,000 supporting signatures by 14th March, before the crunch-time committee meeting.

 

It did seem to have slowed down but now seems to have picked up again, crossing 2,200 as of 10:00 pm Japan time, Sunday. At this rate we could well reach 3,000 by Thursday!

 

Does no-one in Japan give each other heart marks? Or have they not figured out how to do it? Is it because I am the only foreigner to have written in Japanese that they have given me 4 marks and kept me on top of the fountain? Or is it the software that keeps me updated on the number of likes specifically for my post?

[Bugyotsuji]

Coming up to 3,400 as of 12th March, Tuesday 11:00 pm Japan time.

Crossed the hoped-for 3,000 mark and still going...

 

Personally glad to have been knocked off the top ‘likes’ spot. One good lady has 8 heart marks now!

[Bugyotsuji]

Just had this sent by a little birdie:

 

https://mobile.twitter.com/shinkoyamada/status/1103231735695728640?s=21

[Ken-Hawaii]

Does this indicate that there were enough signatures to continue?

[Bugyotsuji]

Ken, more emergency meetings for a little while yet, I would guess. Will be getting more gen this evening.

[Bugyotsuji]

Fantastic news!!!

 

Hot off the press. This finally got through the committee stage and the Ayes have it.

They have been granted the Go-ahead for another year to get the rest of the cash together, so the purchase has not been killed off.

 

Huge relief all round I can imagine, but the workhorses still have their work cut out.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Very cool, Piers! Anything we can do from the peanut gallery? (I can't believe I'm old enough to remember that!)

[Bugyotsuji]

Just keep it under your hat till the end of this month when it will be quietly announced, so as not to upset anyone. There was some bitterness in the debate so the victors wish to respect those who voted against, for the sake of community harmony.

[Bugyotsuji]

News from the front. Attended a *meeting with the Mayor of the greater Osafune area (Setouchi City), and he cleared up a few things for me. This sum of 11 million that everyone is bandying about was actually a worst-case scenario budget, a stacking of future possibilities set initially because here it is nigh on impossible to expand a budget once it is fixed.

 

Essentially they are still aiming at the basic and attainable five million mark for the sword purchase, but a large part of this process is explaining to fundamentally negative local folks that this is not pouring money down the sink but investing an already set-aside special budget into something that will a) grow in value and b) attract investment to the area in many ways.

 

Further, following the arrival of the sword, they will need another one million to renovate the Osafune Sword Museum here in order to legally to store and display National Treasure swords, even though they have displayed such on loan several times recently. Such a budget can come from the Prefecture, inter alia. In the meantime it can stay at the Okayama Prefectural Museum where it has been for many years.

 

The Mayor gave a talk and then spent the Q & A period scribbling notes as he listened to our opinions and thoughts.

 

Interesting comments included for example an appeal to focus attention not just on the blade, but also on the koshirae. Further there was a call for more involvement by Togi-Shi, Saya-Shi, etc. Up till now only To-Ko have been invited to cooperate and participate, mainly in order to create a usable replica, a replacement for when the Yamatorige goes out on loan. 

 

*NBTHK members from Hyogo and Okayama, Osafune Sword Museum staff, and sword-related artisans.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Thanks for the update, Piers. I guess that qualifies as progress.

[Bugyotsuji]

We had the annual NBTHK exhibition of owners’ quality swords last weekend, and I asked for the latest on the Sanchomo. It will be exhibited in Osafuné from today until Sunday, apparently. The cash pile is gradually but steadily growing as you should be able to see from the links in this thread above.

 

Among the items of interest were six wonderful oshigata of those Hōnōtō shrine swords which have been polished and saved so far for posterity in this area. Recently we had a single donation of ¥1.4 million towards this work.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Does the Mayor not have an actual cash figure, Piers? I would think that with many of us donating, his office would have a periodic summation.

[Bugyotsuji]

Ken, these are the present figures showing on the web page linked on p1of this thread.

 

The number starting with 4 is the total received. The number starting with 3 is what will remain after thank-you goods have been sent out.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Wow! That's quite a successful fund-raising effort, Piers! So, they have until next March to raise just ¥45 million, right? And isn't ¥135 million quite a lot of omiyage?

[Bugyotsuji]

Well, Ken, I guess you are right on both counts. That seems to be the way they want to do it.

 

They even have a special offer now by which one can become a part-owner of this blade. Those who use the Furusato Nozei system and pay for example JPY ￥1 million get a certificate to say they are eternal part-owners of the Sanchomo. If you don't think you have so long to live you can be a part-owner for thirty years for 500,000 yen, 10 years for 100,000 yen, etc.

 

This morning I popped round early and found myself in a queue outside the gates at 8:50 am. The little car park was soon overflowing.

"Very popular it is turning out to be!" a member of staff whispered in my ear. The exhibition is 'Ichimonji + Osafune' (till the 27th October) and upstairs you can find the Sanchomo (until this Sunday) alongside another Uesugi blade by Norikane.

 

Pics

[Ken-Hawaii]

That blade is gorgeous, Piers! Hataraki up the wazoo! Great photos, too, although I'm surprised that they let you take them.

 

Do you have any idea what the "divot" on the ha near the machi is from? It's certainly an odd place for a for a kirikomi.

 

I figure I have a good 30 years left, but think I'll spend that ¥500,000 on trips to Japan to admire collections like this. In fact, I'm sorely tempted to jump on a plane & come out to see that Bizen exhibit.

[Bugyotsuji]

The ding seems to be part of the package but people are generally too polite to notice it. Off the top of my head, no, no idea how it got there.

 

Photos OK but no flash is the order of the day. Be aware there is a typhoon approaching!

 

This is the Norikané owned by Uesugi Kagékatsu

[Ken-Hawaii]

Keep those photos coming, Piers! They are much appreciated.

[Bugyotsuji]

For you Ken, one more Sanchomo shot.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Looks like the hamon is on fire! Mahalo, Piers!

[16k]

This is such a gorgeous sword! Probably one of the most beautiful swords ever!