Extreme Aratameshi

In the Bakumatsu period, the practice of Aratameshi was developed. The obvious difference between Aratameshi and Tameshigiri is that cadavers were not used in this new form of sword testing. Dr. Fukunaga Suiken often mentioned the details of Aratameshi in many of the books he wrote. The following is a paraphrased version of one of…
Morikami Museum

Morikami Exhibition

In the summer of 2014 I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to organize and set up an exhibition of fine Japanese Swords at the Morikami Museum. This display occupied a large portion of the show “Masterpieces from South Florida Collections”. Appreciation goes out to Jon Healy and Joe Forcine for contributing swords to…
Nisei week

Nisei Week Display 2000

Tachi 1492 66.7 Cm Sôshû Hirotsugu SagamiKoshirae 1830 76.0 Cm Satsuma Mon Koshirae SatsumaTachi 1185 77.9 Cm Yamato Ko-Senjuin YamatoKatana 1469 68.4 Cm Fujiwara Ason Ietsugu KagaKoshirae 18th Century Mon, Dragons, and Kiku UnknownKatana 1469 75.1 Cm Nio Kiyohisa SuwoDaisho-Tô Kotô Daisho-Tô & KoshiraeKatana 1567 66.7 Cm Osafune Sukesada BizenKoshirae Middle Edo KoshiraeKatana 1500 73.1…

Yasuie

Tachi signed Hakushû Yasuie. This tachi was designated Jûyô Bijûtsû May 27th 1937. This tachi is 2 shaku 2 sun 7 bu long. It’s number in the Jûyô Bijûtsû (JB) set is 309, and Yamanaka lists it first. It was submitted to the police for registration in Noshiro, Akita Prefecture (Northern Japan) on October 10th…

Tomomura

A tachi signed Tomomura. It was designated Jūyō Bunkasai on September 24th, 1941, and is 2 shaku, 6 sun, 2 bu long – 79.4 cm. The owner the Sahara Hachimangu Shrine submitted this to the Oita Prefecture Police on January 19th, 1946. They turned it over to the Occupying Forces. These Forces were only remembered…

The Bizen Tradition

by Jim Kurraschfrom the August 1996 Nanka Token Kai NewsletterMost of the Gokaidô, where established in important political centers. When Yamato began Nara was the Imperial Capital. When the Capital moved to Kyôtô, sword manufacturing took off there also. The Sôshû Tradition was started in Kamakura when after that became the military seat of power.…