The 5th Morioka Token Ichi was held for three days starting on Friday, May 22, at Kioxia Aiina (Iwate Prefectural Information Exchange Center). As this was our fifth event, we once again did our best to make it a success by advertising in local newspapers and on social media. However, the dates unfortunately coincided with the “Tohoku Kizuna Festival,” one of the largest festivals in the Tohoku region, bringing together major festivals from all six Tohoku prefectures and attracting around 300,000 visitors. Because of traffic restrictions and parking lot closures near the venue, many sword enthusiasts found it difficult to visit, and sales were disappointing. While I was feeling discouraged, I was encouraged by a visitor who had come all the way from Aomori and told me, “I check your website every day.” Later, when visitor traffic slowed and we began packing up earlier than expected, 94-year-old Mukansa swordsmith Yamaguchi Kiyofusa kindly stopped by to see us. His visit gave me great encouragement. This year’s Morioka Token Ichi reminded me once again how difficult it can be to organize and run a sword exhibition and sales event.
