Miscellaneous stuff I want to ask :)

[undermilkwood]

Hi everyone

 

It's been a while, I've been busy studying for my JLPT 3 and saving to get my new wak polished. I'm not in Japan, I've postponed the trip due to some more pressing practical issues. I wanted to ask some advice on a number of things, I'm a member of the Japan Scotland Society and would like to contribute by raising awareness of the topic of Nihonto at their general meeting in December sometime. Does anyone have any ideas as to a good topic for a half an hour lecture/video? I was thinking, brief introduction and then short vid about the forging process. I would much appreciate any advice as to how go about it and what topics have gone down well in the past.

 

Also and this is just me pushing the boat out here......I feel we need something in Scotland by way of a Token Society. All the kantei meetings are too far away for us up here in the north and it leads to a feeling of isolation (cue violin) if anyone has any idea if this is a good or viable plan then please get in touch.

 

Sorry for the extra long post, hope everyones well/happy

 

Joe

[paulb]

Hi Joe,

I live 1 mile south of Hadrians wall so would be interested in a Scottish Token (Assuming you dont mind the odd Englishman!)

If you contact me off board i have some notes from talks I have given in the past that might give you some ideas (or not)

Regards

Paulb

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

I live 1 mile south of Hadrians wall

 

Good old italian work... :D

 

Guess that getting in touch with Paul Martin might be a good idea too :

 

http://www.thejapanesesword.com/

[Ford Hallam]

Hello Joe,

 

do you know Les Stuart?....he is just outside Glasgow, on the coast. A damn fine polisher and generally decent chap. Don't mention to him I said so... . He would possibly be a good start with your idea to start something "north of the border". PM me if you need contact details.

Good luck....I know what miserable so and so's the Scots can be...and they aren't very good at working together at all

[Guido]

I live 1 mile south of Hadrians wall

Good old italian work... :D

[raaay]

Hi joe

 

There has been for years a group of collectors in scotland scattered all over the compass points

as much 20/30 plus at one point,now i only see on a semi regular basis maybe half a dozen .

usually these days at the odd Auction or sometimes at the larger Antique fairs .

 

Anyway back to your question ,i once politley got droped right in the mire by a mate of mine and ended up doing a presentation for a local Museum ,and by the way i do not concider my self to be any kind off expert on Nihonto, to be honest i wish i could rember half off what

i have forgoten over the years,

 

any way i'm wondering of subject, if it helps i ended up with a basic talk trying to explain the Koto / Shinto and Shin-Shinto periods ,this i tried to do wrightly or wrongly through producing a sword from each period with three diffferent sori's which would clearly be obvious to all the non Nihonto people in the room . and by the way Les Stuart was there that day and done a live polshing demo, it seemed to go down well !!! at the time.

 

and also if you get the chance to get some help from paul even though he is on the otherside of the wall "joking of course" grab with both hands he is a bloody nice guy and studies Nihonto more than i do these days.

 

What part of Scotland are you from ? i'm down in the Edinburgh area.

 

PS.

As Ford says Les Stuart is a very good polisher " don't tell him that or his prices will go up again"

 

Regards

ray

[undermilkwood]

Thanks everyone with the info, unfortunately I don't own three swords from each period :D or that'd be a great idea, I will private message people for addresses Les seems like an excellent contact so I'd be much obliged if I could have his details PM. I'm in Edinburgh so if anyones close by I'd like to get in touch. Just one other thing, any kind of Token project would I think have to have close links to the other Token societies not just to stick together for the sake of it (although there's nothing wrong with that) but also to present a unified front when talking about daft laws or other such headline grabbing nonsense the government puts us through, membership to all I say!

 

All the best guys and get in touch

 

Joe