How Many Blades Remain

[raynor]

Hello,

 

I wonder if there is any data, or good guesses on how many traditional blades there is currently? With tens of thousands of smiths over about a thousand years the total produced has to be in the low millions at least.

Add the lost blades to time, war and special events like the US military mass destruction of blades shortly following the second world war there must be a big dent in the total number.

 

I read that there are supposedly more Japanese blades in the US today then in Japan from GI bring backs, but from a first glance that sounds unreasonable to me.

Some 2-300.000 blades were apparently brought back to the US and that exceeds the total remaining in Japan, does anyone know more about the real numbers here?

A big percentage of the GI blades must have been factory made gendaito rather then traditional blades from before the Meiji ban.

[ROKUJURO]

Omar,

If I remember correctly, this subject has been discussed here previously.

[BIG]

Hi Omar, http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/26463-nbthk-eb-members-in-gräfrath/

 

Best

[seattle1]

Hello:

The question was directed to "...good data or good guesses...", whereas the ensuing discussion has not risen above the undergraduate favorite of guess how many angels can stand on the head of a pin, or such like. I suspect that question cannot be answered without a huge plus or minus variation and a great dealod careful specification before that.

Arnold F.

[Peter Bleed]

I think that this question is worth asking - as we so often do -if only becasue it helps us understand why there are SO MANY Japanese swords.

Why can we know so much about Japanese armaments of the past 1000 years - as compared to what can be said about comparable aspects of weaponry from China, Europe, or - well - anywhere else. Why did Japan KEEP its swords and maintain such great records about them? Where are all those tens of thousands of Japanese blades that went to China? yahhh dahhh yah dahhh

And with the official registration records that have been developed and maintained in the recent past, why can't we say within a gnat's ass how many swords there are?

Count'em up!

Peter

[seattle1]

Hello:

Just as your post says Peter, they are not all in Japan and even in Japan old swords are being newly registered every day.

Arnold F.