Japanese swords exported foreign country

[Kinoko Suzuki]

I am a Japanese person and I am researching the preservation, utilisation and exhibition of Japanese swords and sword implements exported abroad.
I am a Japanese person and I am researching the preservation, utilisation and exhibition of Japanese swords and sword accessories that were exported abroad. At the moment I am researching mainly in Europe. I have about 20 Japanese swords, but I am not a specialist compared to others. I am only interested in two subjects: what is the current situation of exported Japanese swords and sword fittings and how they got out of the country.
Firstly, there are six or so periods when Japanese swords were exported: 10th-13th century (Japan-Song trade), 17th-19th (Nagasaki Dutch trade), Meiji era, post-World War II, 1960s-1980s to the present. The history of these exported Japanese swords should be summarised to identify trends.
Secondly, if we could learn about them and make use of them in a database, we would be able to create a large global network of Japanese swords. This would clarify the whereabouts of Japanese swords that have been lost, and would enable the utilisation of swords that have been lying dormant in storage and warehouses, as well as further research. We are currently considering methods to build such a network.

My background is that when I was a student, I researched the situation of Japanese swords in the UK with the help of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures (SISJAC) in the UK.
I assessed Japanese swords at the British Museum, the V&A, the Royal Armouries and the National Museum of Scotland as much as I could.
However, I am not good at English, and although I can listen in everyday conversation, it is difficult to speak English, so I was not able to study at UEA, partly due to Corona, but I will definitely study there in the future.
I am now doing my research on my own.
I am looking for someone who can help me with my research and be my friend by using translation tools.
The information I would like to have is, for example, information on which museums have Japanese swords on display or in their collections, information on British private collections traded at Christie's, Sotheby's, etc., and information on private collectors' collections in Europe. If you would like, we would also like to hear about how you acquired them.

I would like to make friends with people of all nationalities. I would be very grateful if you could help me.

[Brian]

@IanB

[1kinko]

Help with research and translation tools- how about Markus Sesko? Possible external examiner too.

[Bruce Pennington]

Hello Kaito!  Welcome to NMB!

 

Your goals overwhelm my mind.  A global database swords? I have been working a database of Mantetsu blades, and have over 300 recorded, but have not kept track of the owners or blade location.  One difficulty I face is my accesses to blades is limited to the internet.  I only see blades posted by owners and sellers.  Blades quietly sitting in a collector's home, who has no interest in posting his collection online will never be known or recorded.  Another problem I see is that many blades move about as they are sold and traded. 

 

To your interest in learning how a collector obtained a sword, you probably already know that approximately 250,000 swords were exported by the Allies after WWII.  This doesn't count the number of war trophies taken during the war.  Many of that number are still sitting in the old soldier's closets, but many have made it into collector's hands via auction houses, eBay, gun shows, online dealers, and online club sales.  The Mantetsu I have from my dad was was gotten from his days in the Marines, after the Korea conflict.  Today, there are dealers in Japan selling swords on a daily basis. 

 

I apologize if you already know these things, I don't mean to be discouraging.  It is an ambitious mission!  Good luck.

 

On another note, with the slowly growing list of countries that want to ban and confiscate weapons, you might find resistance from collectors in sharing their collections and locations with a global data collector. 

 

Again, sorry for being a bit negative.   As a fellow data collector, I'm just venting my frustrations at the difficulty of our research.  But it has been fun and rewarding, and worth the effort!