Japanese swordmaking

[ShaolinWood]

Hi, anyone interested in Nihonto?
I am actually looking for a place or person in South Africa to get hold of Japanese swords, Gendai or antiques or just maybe some info.

Are there any swordmakers in SA?

[GeneChing]

Miya Ando, the descendant of a Japanese Sword builder clan.

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

Want.

Katana coasters! Samurai sword tableware brings bushido to your home
Casey Baseel 4 days ago



Just like their inspirations protected swordsmen’s hands, these coasters will guard your kitchen table’s varnish.

Japanese hobby and novelty item company Kotobukiya primarily specializes in figures from popular anime, movie, and video game franchises. But sift through its product catalogue of gender-bent horror movie icons and suggestive sniper game bosses, and you’ll also find some offerings with a historical slant, such as its line of samurai sword chopsticks.

Their battlefield prowess and tactical minds notwithstanding, samurai were also rather attuned to aesthetics, and the most famous of Japan’s warriors had distinctive, customized arms and armor. While you probably don’t have much need for a full set of lamellar in your modern, non-Sengoku period lifestyle, you can at least bring a little bushido to your tabletop with Kotobukiya’s new series of katana handguard coasters.



Officially called the Samurai Dining Ware Tsuba Coasters (tsuba being the Japanese word for “handguard”), the lineup represents four of the most famous figures of the feudal era. First is Oda Nobunaga, the ambitious general who nearly untied all of Japan before being betrayed and killed by one of his subordinates.



▼ Oda’s coaster bears an inscription of the victory prayer of his home fief’s Atsuta Shrine.



The crest of Oda’s de-facto successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, is recreated on his coaster.

▼ The Toyotomi crest can be seen at the bottom right.




But whereas Oda and Toyotomi were only able to hold on to their power for a brief period, their contemporary and ally Tokugawa Ieyasu would go on to start a shogunate that would last for more than 250 years.

▼ The design of the Tokugawa coaster is based on that of the handguard of his personal katana.




Finally, although Sanada Yukimura’s historical exploits don’t compare to those of Japan’s three great unifiers, he’s easily a match for them in marketability, thanks to his frequent depiction as a handsome young man in anime and video games.




All four designs are identically priced at 500 yen (US$4.50) and officially go on sale in August, although preorders can be made through Kotobukiya’s website now (follow these links for Oda, Toyotomi, Tokugawa, or Sanada). Aesthetically, it’d probably be best to order the same design for each member of your household, but if you and your family members happen to have conflicting samurai loyalties and insist on different coasters, at least you’ll be able to keep the negotiating table free of water stains during peace talks.

If you’re looking for allies in your latest campaign against your rival daimyo, why not follow Casey on Twitter?

Source: Japaaan
Top image: Kotobukiya (1, 2, 3, 4) (edited by RocketNews24)
Insert images: Kotobukiya (1, 2, 3, 4)

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[sanjuro_ronin]

Martialartsmart should get these...

[GeneChing]

Death toll is currently at 176.

Samurai sword hunt begins as storm washes away blacksmith’s warehouse in Gifu Prefecture
Casey Baseel 4 hours ago



Police assemble task force after 40 blades are lost in flooding.

Once upon a time, there was a man who lived in the town of Seki, in Japan’s Gifu Prefecture. For centuries, Gifu had been known for producing samurai blades of the highest quality, and the man, in carrying on that tradition, had become a swordsmith.

However, in early summer torrential rains came to Seki. The Tsubogawa River, which runs through the town, swelled in the downpour, eventually overcoming its banks and washing away the swordsmith’s warehouse. When the storm stopped, the swordsmith searched the area, but could find only a portion of the weapons that had been stored in the building. So he contacted the rulers of Japan, who assembled a team of 10 men to seek out the remaining unaccounted-for swords, in a quest that continues to this day.

The sword-scattering storm took place early in the seventh month of the 30th year of the Heisei era…or, in more modern terms, last weekend.

▼ Last week’s flooding in Seki

ちゃろ
@masayumi5
おはようございます(*^^*)

さっき運ちゃん仲間からLINEが

岐阜津保川も決壊したそうです

岐阜の皆さん本当に気をつけて！

今日もよろしくお願いします(`･ ω･´)ゞﾋﾞｼｯ!!

3:25 PM - Jul 7, 2018
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Yes, despite sounding like the framework of an epic folktale or exciting anime series, this sword hunt is a completely contemporary undertaking. While swordsmithing is a rapidly shrinking industry in Japan, katana makers still exist, and Seki’s reputation for quality pieces persists, even as many of the town’s craftsmen have switched to making scissors, shaving razors, and other less combat-oriented bladed instruments.

On July 8, a police officer on patrol noticed that the warehouse of a 33-year-old Seki swordsmith, who’d been away from home the previous night, had washed away in the flood. After returning to the area, the swordsmith was able to recover roughly half of the 40 or so swords that had been in the warehouse, but on July 10 officially reported the rest as missing.

The Gifu Prefectural Police have since organized a 10-officer task force to look for the missing swords. The swordsmith says he used the warehouse for storing rusty or defective pieces, which he would later melt down for metal to use in new projects. As such, their monetary value is limited, but he and the authorities are worried about the potential for injuries they pose.

▼ Tsubogawa

View image on Twitter

おなす
@onasu
濁流… (@ 津保川橋 in 関市, 岐阜県) https://www.swarmapp.com/c/avlpp4VAFT4

1:07 PM - Jul 7, 2018
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Needless to say, anyone who comes across one of the blades is asked to contact the authorities, no matter how tempting it is to think of it as a sword of destiny bestowed upon you by samurai warrior spirits. Meanwhile, no flooding has occurred in Aomori Prefecture, meaning that its recently discovered book of ninja secrets is still safe and sound.

Source: Livedoor News/Asahi Shimbun Digital via Hachima Kiko
Top image ©SoraNews24

[GeneChing]

You knew it was coming. And there's more to come.

Tune in tonight for our Season Premiere! READ MAN AT ARMS: ART OF WAR – Season 2: The Master Craftsmen by Gene Ching



Plus you really should check out this BTS vid on facebook: Behind The Scenes of Man At Arms: Art Of War

EPISODE 1
WEAPONS OF ANCIENT JAPAN
In the season premiere, the bladesmiths of Baltimore Knife and Sword forge a pair of exotic weapons of ancient Japan. Danny Trejo and his team then conjure up amazing experiments to test the deadly and diabolical blades.

THREADS:
Man at Arms: Art of War - Original Series from EL REY Network
Japanese swordmaking