Japan trip

[Moin.]

Aiiiyaaaaaa.. What a treat for a lazy sunday morning. The million dollar question is did Katana buy a Katana I'm sure you must have done some jugaad to get one back to India.

Regards
Moin.

[Moin.]

And I've heard from people that Tokyo is super expensive to stay in, eat and move around. How expensive is it really.

Regard
Moin.

[prashantsingh]

Lovely snaps and report. I am sure you had a great time.

[Katana]

The second place I visited was the The Japanese Sword Museum in Yoyogi, Shibuya. This is a difficult place to locate because Shibuya itself is huge and and the Museum is located in a residential area. Fortunately, a kindly old gentleman guided me right up to the gates when he realized my interest in Japanese arms. Very few tourists are aware of it's existence and it is totally off the beaten track. The day I spent there, I counted 3 people only, including myself.

This museum is run by the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords, which in turn functions under one of the Govt. Ministries. Their sole purpose is restoration and conservation of old Japanese arms and development of the craft in general. Their mandate is to supply authentic tamahagane to swordsmiths in Japan. A competition is held every other year for manufacture of these blades, tsubas (which are more like jewelry now) and various gold articles like the menuki etc. and these swords are put on display.

The museum houses about 150 swords in it's collection, about 45 are on display that I managed to view. It also has a library of 1500 documents concerning the craft of Japanese arms. All in Japanese, so all I could do was stare at the racks!

The 3rd. katana that is a National Treasure, the Nobuyoshi, is also housed here. A point to note is that of the 7 National Treasures of Japan, 3 are Katanas! These people do respect the blade. Another point to note is that most of the swords that were confiscated by the Americans (Occupation Forces, as the Japanese call them!) in the Post-War era, and that were returned to Japan some decades ago are also housed here but not on view.

Unfortunately, photography and videography is completely prohibited in the museum so I don't have much to show. However, I would highly recommend this place to anyone with an interest in katanas, taichis, wakizashis and their ilk.

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[Katana]

Moin,

Jugaad karke kangal ho gaye main. More on that later.

[Moin.]

Moin,

Jugaad karke kangal ho gaye main. More on that later.

Dang, if there was a smiley to show jumping up and down in anticipation. DON'T tell me you managed to get one. I'm booking the next available flight to Ahmedabad to have a looksie.....

Regards
Moin.

[Vikram]

Glad to see you are back safely and had an enjoyable trip. Thank you for the educative narration and the photos,Katana. To know that those glittering swords are a few hundred years old!

Look forward to the rest of the report and photographs.


Best-
Vikram

[TC]

Moin,

Jugaad karke kangal ho gaye main. More on that later.

Wakarimashta ....here is one kangal every rich man in India will always be envious of ....

Great so see you back Katana and what lovely pictures from the museum ... can't sleep tonight though



TC

[pistolero]

Katana ji,

Glad to know you had a wonderful trip! and I do hope you were able to bring back a Shinken.

Regards,
Pistolero

[Moin.]

Katana ji,

Glad to know you had a wonderful trip! and I do hope you were able to bring back a Shinken.

Regards,
Pistolero

I was expecting more of an Iaito. Shinken would be too much to ask for He's not the CM of Gujrat :)but hell you never know......

Regards
Moin.

[Katana]

The 3rd place of visit in my itinerary was a private establishment, Japan Sword. They are located on Toranomon, Minato, quite close to Nihonbashi, a central business district. No where close to any of the touristy places. A family run establishment, they first did not take kindly to me. Dressed as I was in jeans and a t-shirt with a knapsack on my back, they probably thought I was fast talking guy lost in the area! When my son started pointing out various swords to me did they realise that I knew a wee bit of their history. The owner's son, God bless him for he spoke good English, then opened up to me and started explaining each and every piece in the showroom including all the tantos, tsubas, menuki, fuchi-kashira, kogai, kozuka etc. I suspect they have rather well heeled customers so I was not to be taken seriously. Only after I had expressed my desire to acquire a piece did they really accept me. On asking if any people from India visited them, he replied in the negative, except one case about 5-6 years ago wherein a gentleman purchased an article from him and had it shipped by sea! Anyway, most of their market is in the West, namely Continental Europe and North America. If one thought that the bureaucracy was omnipotent in India, Japan is no less. To export a sword, they require an Export Permit. This takes anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months. Of course, their originals are prohibited from being exported. A new one is no problem. So are shinken, but collectors don't value them much.

Anyway, after about 1-1 1/2 hour of a lecture(from him) about the niceties of Japanese swords, I'm invited to a viewing gallery cum store, and oh boy, it's 3 floors of Alladdin's Cave! The 1st. floor was a collection of wakizashi, katana, daisho and tantos, including pieces from the Tokugawa clan bearing their crest on the scabbard (which are highly coveted), plus articles from the Kamakura, Muromachi and Edo periods. Prices, needless to say, can only be viewed in the stratosphere. The 2nd. floor is a workshop, where basic facilities for cleaning, minor repairs etc are carried out. I suspect this is where most of their deals are stuck, being a less formal environment. It also contains various tsuba, kogai and gold menuki. The 3rd. floor is a store house of Yoroi, kabuto, and even an entire ensemble for a horse! It took me a greater part of 2 hours to go through everything and with a restless son in tow I had no time to view each and every piece. Unfortunately, they don't like their stuff to be photographed so I'm helpless to provide visuals, but rest assured that their collection for sale equals that in the Tokyo National Museum.

Meanwhile, while I was discussing the possibility of acquisition of a blade, I asked if any craftsmen could be visited. The young gent said a man lived and worked nearby, so off we went. This elderly gentleman makes tsuba and menuki with gold scroll and laminate work. Again, they are not too keen to be photographed but I did purchase a tsuba from him.

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The bottom article is the tsuba in 'Tsurumaru' form, that is in the form of a crane with spread wings. This signifies long life and good fortune in Japanese culture. Although this is a semi completed form, I did purchase it from him. Ideally the craftsman would have used gold embellishment to complete it. Back at Japan Sword, the young owner presented me with a kozuka, a one sided utility knife. It's new, I don't know whats inscribed on it, but it's outright beautiful.

I am inclined to believe that people in the trade know much of the condition of arms in Japan better than their authorities. While at the Tokyo National Museum, I met a Professor of Fine Arts at the Tokyo University who gave me a long drawn out speil on the culture of the sword in Japanese history. On the other hand I met a Belgian gentleman who was a collector of swords, at the Royal Museum in Ueno (small place, not very many people know about it. No arms but superb art and artifacts) who had his pulse on the Japanese way and present culture. His insights were to the point and exact. More on that later.

[pistolero]

Katanaji,

Im glad you made it to Japan Sword and yes they took to you kindly,as they are know not to take prospective customers even upto the first floor, if they are not sure about them.

As I had suggested an appointment would have helped but you managed to see it all anyway!! Its the most amazing experience, to see these beautiful weapons, painstakingly made by the masters!!

Japan Sword know their business and as have your surmised the depth of their knowledge is amazing!!

Its and absolute treat to visit them!!

Regards,
Pistolero

[Katana]

Im glad you made it to Japan Sword and yes they took to you kindly,as they are know not to take prospective customers even upto the first floor, if they are not sure about them.

As I had suggested an appointment would have helped but you managed to see it all anyway!! Its the most amazing experience, to see these beautiful weapons, painstakingly made by the masters!!

Japan Sword know their business and as have your surmised the depth of their knowledge is amazing!!

Coming from you, I know this to be so true!

[Katana]

Just a little something I bought for myself.......a Buck 110. After reading about it in numerous Field & Streams and Popular Mechanics I just had to have one for myself. Picked it up from a outdoor gear store in Odaiba. Quite a few knives were available, but this one is a classic.

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[Katana]

Anyway, after finishing from Japan Sword, which took the greater half of the day, I was guided to the Okura Museum of Art by the owners. The Shukokan, as it is known, is adjacent to the Hotel Okura and is built in the classical Japanese architectural manner. A 10 minute walk from Japan Sword and you are there, since it's in the Minato-ku, Nihonbashi area itself.

Set up by Okura Kihachiro, this is Japan's first privately built and funded museum. Again, it's not much of a stop over for tourists. The folks at Japan Sword suggested this to me because the Museum had a ongoing show of Japanese arms made by non-Japanese. People who practice the art of swordsmithing outside of Japan. Unfortunately, photography is not permitted, but most of the examples were rather flamboyant and lacked the classical finesse of the earlier eras. There were entries from far away Brazil to Isreal! Most of the modern work revolves around the adornments, not the actual blade itself.

None the less, this museum contains some exquisite piece of Buddhist art, from India to China and Japan itself.