As one of the directors of the All Japan Sword Dealers Association, I contributed an article to the annual report.
<Translation below>
There are few stores in the regions that specialize in Japanese swords. In addition to the reduce of sword dealers, in the past department stores in regions held exhibitions and sales of Japanese swords to meet the desires of local sword enthusiasts. However, with the closure of local department stores one after another, it can be said that opportunities for sword dealers to sell Japanese swords in the regions have drastically decreased. People who live in the regions and are interested in Japanese swords look at the various items on display, decide on their favorite, listen to explanations from us sword dealers, and actually pick up and purchase the sword. We earn trust by helping people understand the appeal of Japanese swords and selling them carefully. We believe that holding exhibitions and sales events in local areas will be well-received, and that increasing opportunities to come into contact with Japanese swords will lead to an increase in the number of local sword enthusiasts. With this in mind, we hold exhibitions and sales events in local areas. The events are held in Morioka, Sendai, Yamagata, Koriyama, Mito, Noda, and Nishikasai, all across eastern Japan. With each event, we get to know more and more people. We are encouraged when people tell us they are looking forward to coming back. We make an effort to sell local swords which were made by local swordsmith, and advertise in local newspapers and on social media. When the event venue is quiet, time seems to pass by slowly, but when the event is bustling with visitors and local swords are being sold, the time flies by. It’s a hectic business, with repeated preparations, moving, the actual event, moving, and review, but we are working with the spirit of revitalizing the local market.