The John Plimpton Collection of Japanese Military and Civil Swords

[mdiddy]

I am very happy to share that my ebay store Sohei Swords in conjunction with Eric’s Ericowazamono will be helping to handle the sale of the John Plimpton Collection of Japanese Military and Civil Swords. His collection, assembled over 50 years and through the heyday of the post-war Japanese sword hunt in the U.S., features some of the finest and rarest versions of Japanese military related swords. The collection spans the earliest days of the Meiji era, including some very rare early Meiji naval and cavalry swords, all the way to the last days of World War 2 and ‘last-ditch’ items. There are Onshi imperial gifts, coronation tachis, imperial household swords, general grade swords, railway swords, and everything in between.

John has painstakingly catalogued his collection as the backbone of his upcoming book Guide to Imperial Japanese Military and Civil Swords, 1873-1945. Information on the book can be found here. The book is on track to be published next year and we are excited to keep the forum informed of its progress. 

We will be offering swords that are featured and published in the book, but we hope this thread can be used for discussion of any of the items. I will start separate threads in the Sales section as we list items, providing details and prices. Some of the highlights include General-grade swords with tortoise-shell tsukas, nihontos mounted in court koshirae, and even an Onshi imperial gift Yasukunito. 

Attached are a few excerpts from the book highlighting some of the swords he collected. We expect to release items over time once pictures and descriptions are prepared. But we are very excited to begin sharing these swords with the forum and invite your discussion. 

Feel free to comment or ask questions. I can also be reached privately via PM or at soheiswords@gmail.com. Thanks for your consideration.

Matt

[Brian]

Oh man, this is going to be huge. Wow..well done.
Put me down for a copy. And maybe do a small post in the Military Swords section with a link here. Those guys are going to go nuts

[Stephen]

Eric shared some photos, hugh doesn't describe the amount of swords.

Watch one of John's YouTube videos the swords are endless.

[francois2605]

So excited by the upcoming sales and book. I feel like a kid at Xmas

[Ontario_Archaeology]

Eric also mentioned on Facebook that some of his collection will be going to large auction houses, any idea what ones? I'm excited to see this collection! Hopefully some members have their wallets ready! 

[Ontario_Archaeology]

I emailed Mr. Weese and he said the books will be ready for pre order early 2022 and to keep an eye out on his website.  

https://japaneseswordbook.com/

[b.hennick]

This is an amazing opportunity for those of you who collect in this area. It is rare to see swords like these for sale. It is not my area of collecting or I would be gathering funds for a special purchase. Good move Eric and Matt. There will be hard work ahead. I wish you both the best. 

[lonely panet]

some very nice pieces but i would suggest there is a few identity issues with some models

 

to be the stick in the  mud

the police kyu gunto is a "Cavarly  army model"

 

the Gen grade kyu , exibits all the trsits of  a earlier model type 8 kyu gunto

 

[lonely panet]

Just watched the clip on the page, looks like neat book to come, ill deff be getting a copy but he could be abit more caring with the way he handles his own swords. 

 

A few moments i cringe. 

[PNSSHOGUN]

Yes, a must have book. One of the longstanding issues with our current reference options are lack of good quality photos of examples. The information here so far is pretty cursory but pictures are worth a thousand words.

[Stephen]

Ol boy reminds me of the gun show sellers, they buy sell and trade not Nihonto affectionatos so give him a bit of slack.

 

[mdiddy]

Thanks everyone for the interest and the comments, really appreciate the support. Just want to give a quick update that I listed the first batch of 9 swords for sale here. Please check them out and let me know if you have any questions, happy to help.

[mdiddy]

Just want to share a quick update that I posted another batch of swords from the Plimpton collection here.

 

I will be putting more too in the coming days. Thanks for looking!

[Peter Bleed]

Matt,

You appear to be doing a great job of managing an important (and odd!) collection.I sincerely hope that when it is all over, you will tell us where all these treasures have gone. Are they going back to Japan? Are Japanese museums paying attention? Certainly, this "collection" needs to be documented. Wow!

Peter

[mdiddy]

Just a quick update, I put out another batch of 8 swords in the For Sale section.

I have another couple batches to go and soon will be sharing some of the fine tachis from the collection including coronation tachis, et al.

[Brian]

Matt,
Just a suggestion, wouldn't it be an option to take a dealer membership and have your own section for the collection, like our current dealers have? That way you are free to edit, delete, add, control comments etc and have full moderation over the sale, and people can find all the listings in one place.
Just something to consider.

[mdiddy]

19 hours ago, Brian said:

Matt,
Just a suggestion, wouldn't it be an option to take a dealer membership and have your own section for the collection, like our current dealers have? That way you are free to edit, delete, add, control comments etc and have full moderation over the sale, and people can find all the listings in one place.
Just something to consider.

Hey Brian - yes, absolutely, I agree that's a great idea. I will PM you for directions on how to set it up. Thanks for your consideration.