Touken Matsumoto (English)

As this fiscal year ended in June, the staff and I went on a yearly company trip. The yearly trip is to appreciate everyone’s hard work for the year, to experience different cultures, cultivate diversity and new perspectives, and renew our spirits for the new fiscal year starting from July. This is the 8th year of our trips, but it is the 3rd year that we are unable to go abroad due to COVID-19. This year, we spent time at a resort hotel in Onna Village, central Okinawa Island, and all the staff were refreshed. I will do my best for the next year so that next year’s company trip will be an overseas trip again to enjoy and make good memories!

On June 3, as the auction organizer, we held the Tsukuba Convention Sword Auction at the Hotel Edoya on Mount Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. The first time was held for the 25th anniversary of Nodakai to show our appreciation to the participants and it has been held for six consecutive year. This year, 50 participants gathered for the event, almost all members. The yearly convention is different from an ordinary auction. There are many more attractive items up for auction. The event started from 10am and continued until 5pm without taking a break, with the exception of a short lunch. After completing the Auction, we had a good time at the banquet together.

We received visits from Fred Weissberg-san and James Lawson-san to our shop in Tokyo, who are also key figures in the American Branch of the NBTHK. The COVID restrictions coming into Japan are gradually being eased. During the last two and a half years, sword collectors and enthusiasts were not able to visit Japan and had to wait. With the eased restrictions, I am expecting an increase in international visitors coming to my shop from all over the world.  During their visit, we were able to tell various stories at the lunch we had together. Surprisingly, it was said that even in the United States, sword enthusiasts are finding it difficult to recruit younger people into the NBTHK with an eye on the future to pass on their knowledge. This problem is common to both Japan and the United States. There is no quick solution to solving this problem, but just a matter of making steady efforts.

The first Morioka Token Ichi sales event was held for 3 days from May 13th, Friday at the Aina (Iwate Prefectural Citizens’ Information Exchange Center) .  This was the first time to hold an event in Iwate Prefecture, Tohoku district. The venue, Aina is a modern 9-story building with all glass walls adjacent to the west exit of Morioka Train Station. It was a complex facility equipped with a prefectural library and a training conference venue, and was a suitable place for events of Japanese swords and sword fittings with a background of history and culture. With the help of advertisements in the local newspaper and the support of local sword enthusiasts, the three-day event was quite successful with many visitors. During the event, Yamaguchi Kiyofusa the Mukansa swordsmith, who lives and forges in Morioka visited us and we were able to talk about the stories of the precious topics of forging. There were many visitors who registered to receive information about the next event. I can see the high level of interest, and although only a few people made purchases this time, which is the first time, I feel that there is a bright future. I am happy to make a reservation for this venue again in May next year. I am looking forward to returning with excitement.

The first Mito Token Ichi sales event was held  for two days from April 22nd, Friday, to the 23rd, Saturday. It was held at the Hotel Terrace The Garden Mito, which is directly connected to the south exit of Mito train Station. We advertised in advance in the local newspaper and exhibited many swords and fittings, especially those from Mito Swordsmiths and craftsmen. It was the first time for us to hold an event at this location, but I was supported by existing customers helping to make the performance to nearly meet my expectations. Moving forward, we will try to hold more events in the area and collaborate our efforts. This time, the event was held simultaneously with the other sword exhibition, the “Mito Sword Spot Sale” by Shinbori Art Sword (Mr. Toru Shinbori) and Santo Ryu (Mr. Motohiro Yamada). In addition, we are working to increase the number of sword enthusiasts in Mito and to synergize our efforts with other sword dealers to be even more successful. Next year, I made a reservation to hold the same event at the Hotel Terrace The Garden Mito for two days on April 23rd, Saturday, and the 24th, Sunday, and I am looking forward to visiting again.

From April 9th, Saturday to May 29th, Sunday, at the Noda City local Museum, the Sword Exhibition of Noda City enthusiast’s collection is being held. The event has been supported by Noda City Art Sword Association. It is held in 3 years since the last time in 2019. In one place, there is about 60 swords, old and modern, and fittings such as Tsuba made by master craftsmen exhibited. One of our swords at Token Matsumoto is on display, a Tachi forged by Jitsua that passed the Tokubetsu Juyo Token Shinsa in 2018.  Please come to visit us.

I have started a new audio commentary on our website for certain items. However, I am sorry to say it is only in Japanese. So if you are able to understand Japanese, please give it a listen.

The commentator is Nobuo Nakahara Sensei, who has over 46 years of experience in sword and sword fittings and has written many books on the topic. Nakahara sensei was born in 1951 and in 1974, he was introduced to Kosuke Murakami, a former director of the NBTHK, who studied under Honami Koson Sensei. He became independent after the death of his teacher in 1983, and published the study group newspaper “Touen” (bimonthly) until December 1998. Currently with 46 years of sword history, he is active as a lecturer and writer at sword appraisals and study sessions nationwide. His major works are “From the Muromachi period-Swords of Oita prefecture (2001)”, “From the Muromachi period-Swords of Oita prefecture next volume (2008)”, “People of the Honami family (2009)”, “Appreciation of swords (2005)”, “Standards for appreciation of swords (2019)”.

This audio commentary aims to convey the appeal of products that are difficult to express with text and images. We hope that the audio commentary will convey the appeal of products that are often overlooked and broaden the horizons of our customers. If you have the ability to understand the audio commentaries, I invite you to give it a listen.

This February I visited the Japanese Sword Museum to see newly designated Juyo Token and Jyuyo Tosogu items at the 67th Exhibition as well as applying some of myTosogu and Koshirae  items for submission. This year, among the 37 swords exhibited at this event, there are 3 swords from us, Bijutsu Touken Matsumoto. It is an honor as a sword trader to be able to find such beautiful swords and submit them for this Shinsa so that they can be evaluated and people can see how wonderful they are. So, this year I will continue to dedicate my time to search and find even more such special swords. This Exhibition started January 8th and ends on February 20th. Please visit and see the many beautiful items.

I was able to enjoy the first sunrise of the new year in sight of Mt. Fuji under the blue sky. We are celebrating the New Year of 2022 with a fresh and bright feeling, and we would like to express our gratitude to our families, staff, many business partners, and customers. We hope this year will bring everyone happiness, health and success. I will continue to do my best.

On December 3rd, I hosted the Nodakai Special Event Semi-Annual Japanese Sword Auction at the local Hotel Noda. Once a year I normally hold an Auction in Tsukuba, but I planned this special event auction locally to show my gratitude to all participants. The quality and volume of the auction items increased at this event. The day was crowded with 50 Sword Traders from younger traders to over the age of 80’s. My sales expectations were reached by one and a half times. I think all the participants enjoyed the event all day long.

The First Nishikashi Token Ichi was held for a week from October 25th Monday to 31st Sunday. It was a lively week with many visitors that included new customers. The store opened on July 15th, but it was a difficult two and a half months with the state of emergency because of the new coronavirus variant.  However, the state of emergency ended on October 1st and the number of newly infected people dropped sharply allowing for an improved resumption of economic activities.  This sales event was a success and all the staff were exuberant.  We will continue to make efforts to increase our business while keeping in mind the concept of “creating a prosperous store that makes customers wanting to return.”

During the Sales Event at Nishikasi Token Ichi, Mr. Yasuomi Okoshi, who wrote the story for a full-scale Sengoku Sword Manga “Honami Meito Roku”, visited the store and gifted 15 copies of the book to the shop. This Manga depicts a man named Honami Kotoku, who was a sword appraiser and polisher in the Momoyama Era and was heavily relied on by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. We want to thank Mr. Yasuomi Okoshi for his kindness and for his willingness to share his Manga story with us. Through his story, I will make efforts to convey to our valued customers the attraction of Japanese swords that are works of art that we can be proud of to the world.

Dear Sword Enthusiasts,

We would like to extend our sincere wishes for everyone’s continued good health.
It’s been three months since our Tokyo Nishikasai store opened on July 15th. There has been a significant decrease in the number of  people affected by the coronavirus, and there are signs of a bright economic recovery.
Therefore, we have decided to hold the First Nishikasai Token Ichi at our store from 10 am to 5 pm every day for a week from October 25th Monday to 31st Sunday.

The location of our Tokyo Nishikasai Store is 6-13-14 Nishikasai, Edogawa-ku, Marusei Building 3rd floor. It is a 1-minute walk from the south exit of Nishikasai Station on the Tozai Subway Line.

We are looking forward to your visit with a wide variety of attractive swords and sword fittings. To commemorate the first event, we have prepared a little gift for all the visitors. In addition, we will continue to wear masks, conduct a check on everyone’s temperature, and use disinfectants for hands.

We are looking forward to your visit with a wide variety of attractive swords and sword fittings. To commemorate the first event, we have prepared a little gift for all the visitors. In addition, we will continue to wear masks, conduct a check on everyone’s temperature, and use disinfectants for hands.

We are excited to see you and your friends at the First Nishikasai Token Ichi. Don’t miss it!

Very truly yours,
Matsumoto Yoshiyuki

On September 29th, 2021, the Dai Token Ichi Committee Members held a vote and decided to postpone the 33rd Dai Token Ichi 2021, which was scheduled to be held at the Tokyo Art Club for three days from Friday, November 19th.
As one of the committee members, I agreed with the decision that was unanimous. The reason why it was postponed is that it is difficult to ensure the carrying out of the preventive measures such as wearing masks, measuring the visitor’s temperatures, and disinfecting hands. If there are possibilities of not effectively administered, can we take the risk of canceling the event? It would be a disaster to cancel the event in the middle. This is why the Committee decided that the cost of failure and loss would be far greater than the benefits of success. The postponement will depend on the status of the Coronavirus in the future. It seems to be slowly improving, so we plan to consider holding it around May next year.

We opened a new shop on Thursday, July 15th. It’s just a 1-minute walk from the south exit of Nishikasai Station on the Tokyo Tozai Line. It takes about 25 minutes including the transfer from JR Tokyo Station to the subway Tozai Line, so it is very conveniently located. There are twelve glass showcases made of cypress installed in the 70 ㎡ shop. Moving forward with the motto “Everyday is an exhibition and sale”, all employees will do their best to create a prosperous sword shop that is trusted and loved by all visitors and customers. Please come and visit us!