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In July, I visited the NBTHK to apply for the sword fitting Shinsa. While I was there I was able to see the 26th exhibition of the items that passed Tokubetsu Juyo Shinsa of this year at the sword museum. One of the items that passed the  Tokubetsu Juyo Shinsa was my item. It was Mutokoro-mono, which means six pieces of sword fittings, they were Mumei but were attributed to Joshin, the Third Master of the Goto Tradition.  This Mutokoro-mono is said to be Higashiyama Gyomotsu that means it was owned by Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the 8th Shogun of the Morumachi Bakufu and was also listed in the property catalog of the Maeda Family from the Edo to the early Showa Era.   Finding such a historical item and ranking the evaluation up is very rewarding for me as a sword trader.

Every June, which is the end of our fiscal year, our company takes an overseas trip with our staff and business partners as a way to celebrate our hard work and success during the previous year. This was the 10th fiscal year and we planned to travel overseas, however due to the Corona-virus we had to cancel our trip. I did not want to lose this opportunity due to the virus, so I decided to reschedule the trip to Okinawa. We were fortunate that the travel restrictions were lifted after June 19th allowing us to travel at the last minute.

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Seragaki island in Okinawa. Using a rented car from the Naha Airport, we drove to the hotel. We enjoyed the hotel during the day and in the evening we dined in the local restaurants.

It is likely this severe economic environment will continue into the unforeseeable future, but I will do my best to dream of our next trip overseas for this fiscal year.

The Auction of the Japan Sword Trader’s Association has reopened at Tokyo Art Club for the first time in 3 months. The Auctions in April and May had been cancelled due to the Corona-virus. This month, it has been reopened under the strict regulations of the Art Club. The measures taken to avoid spreading the virus were the use of hand disinfectants, checking everyone’s temperature, wearing of masks, submission of an attendance list, social distancing, and the use of a TV monitor to see the items. Before the start of the Sword Auction, there was a greeting from Chairman Fukami, from Ginza Choshuya. It was an explanation of how sword traders should handle this difficult situation with the Corona-virus. I think everyone could understand and sympathize. I felt that I increased my wisdom on how to continue and develop the sword trading business successfully.

The 5th Kyobashi Touken Ichi was held at the “Gallery Kubota” in Kyobashi on June 12th, 13th, and 14th. Due to the effects of the Corona-virus and the bad weather from the beginning of the rainy season, the number of visitors decreased compared to normal attendance. However, I was happy seeing the many visitors and friends who were doing well. Many customers came during two days, and everyone stayed longer to talk and enjoy the exhibited swords and items. There always seemed to be visitors around enjoying the event. Thank you to the customers for purchasing Naotama, Sokan, Masao, Naka-kawachi, and Choshu Nobutaro at this event. I continue my efforts with the idea of offering attractive products at reasonable prices and to continue building strong relationships of trust so that customers are able to purchase with confidence and enjoyment.

I was able to host the periodical Noda Kai Auction yesterday on June 3rd. It has been for two and half months since the last time. There were many sword traders present who were able to make many trades. Because of the improving condition of the Pandemic, we plan to continue to these auctions. In order to stay safe we still wear masks and use hand sanitizer. I hope the COVID-19 issue will soon ease more so the condition of the world will return to normal.

 

We have begun refreshing the home page for mobile responsiveness.  This has involved changes to the layout which make the page easier to read on smaller mobile devices in addition to desktop PCs. There are still some changes to come, so thank you for your understanding while we continue working to make your visit a more satisfying experience.

We have received the results of the January Shinsa for the sword fittings. This time all 25 applied for items were successful.  Of these, 14 have already been posted on the website so they have been re-posted with their new information. These items have been identified as genuine, have been attributed to a specific Tradition, and have been upgraded from Hozon to Tokubetsu Hozon. It is my hope that these new results will make these items more appealing.

https://www.touken-matsumoto.jp/eng/new_updates_e.php?sj_id=478

We would like to inform you that there is a change in the Scheduling on the exhibition Sale Events.

• The scheduled 2nd Koriyama Touken Ichi from April 24th, 25th and 26th
  ⇒Has been Postponed to May 29th, 30th, and 31st.

• The scheduled 3rd Saitama Touken Ichi from May 29th, 30th, and 31st
  ⇒Cancelled

Regarding the exhibition and sales event “Touken Ichi” held monthly:

The “3rd Koriyama Touken ichi” that was scheduled to be held in April this month is being rented at the venue (Big Palette Fukushima) and doubled in size, and efforts are being made to improve ventilation, to avoid crowding, and closeness. It has been postponed for 3 days.

The “2nd Saitama Touken Ichi” scheduled to be held in May next month was decided to be canceled in consideration of the location (Omiya, Saitama City) and the venue (meeting room for rent).

In Touken Matsumoto, the “Noda-kai sword auction” for sword dealers, which has been held twice a month since January 1992 continuously were closed on April 3rd and 19th. Probably on May 3rd as well, it will be closed until the declaration of emergency is resolved.

In addition, we planned to hold the “Tsukuba Taikai” every year at the Hotel Edoya in Mt. Tsukuba, but this year we decided to cancel it.

I am distressed when considering the economic activities of the swords dealer, 40 participants who purchase and sell at the Noda-kai sword auction. However, the situation has changed to stop the spread of the new Corona virus infection, and people’s feelings are becoming more serious day by day, so I think that it is now time to consider our health and safety.

I hope that the spread of the Corona virus infection will end as soon as possible and that it will start to decline and that the world will return to normal.

We were able to conclude the 9th Chiba Touken Ichi safely. The spread of the new Corona virus has been reported every day by the media, so I considered canceling the event before it was held, just in case. Under such circumstances, there were many requests from the enthusiasts who wanted to come to the venue so we decided to do our best and tried avoiding the spread of the virus by thoroughly ventilated the venue, disinfecting our hands with alcohol, and wearing masks. It was a relief to hear from visitors that the atmosphere was good, and that in terms of income and expenditure we did well. However, it was an event that made me consider about managing such events at this time more than ever. The next event will be in October, half a year from now. We hope the Corona virus pandemic will be over and we can do our best to be positive.

Touken Matsumoto visited Kishu, Wakayama, the hometown of our sword polisher, Yoichiro Kawakami. Kawakami’s parents guided us to the Kumano Kodo and Nachi Katsuura, which are world heritage sites. We stayed and relaxed on the island in the Kumano villa Hotel, which is famous for an outdoor bath with a view of the sea. Also, we were able to say hello to Mr. Sadakazu Adachi, a swordsmith living in Ryujin Village, Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture. Luckily, during the time of our visit, there was a sword exhibition for “Contemporary Japanese Swords Exhibition” where the swordsmiths of the Kinki region participated. Mr. Adachi was also able to explain more about forging as we viewed the swords at the exhibition, including his one. All of our staff had a great time and were refreshed.

The Chiba TV’s morning news program of “Shakkito” introduced Touken Matsumoto shop on TV.  It was set to broadcast on the morning of February 28 (Friday) “Shakkito! Outing Information” section that introduces local shops. A director, a reporter, a cameraman, and  an assistant visited the store and filmed for about two hours. I tried to convey the charm of Japanese swords in an easy-to-understand manner, but I was nervous and I couldn’t put together a good story. I laugh at myself when the conversation with the reporter became awkward. I believe that the director will edit well from a viewer’s perspective.

The 2019 Dai Token Ichi has ended successfully. This is the biggest event where sword dealers from all over the world gather for the three-day event. There were over 73 sword dealers nationwide in attendance. All the shopkeepers were crowded with about 3,000 visitors in total, and worked hard to sell their items.
Thanks to the Dai Token Ichi, I was able to meet familiar customers, both domestic and overseas, who I could only meet online before. All the staff worked hard with the encouragement of many customers. I am thankful that I managed to reach my sales goal on the last day.
Next year, the Dai Token Ichi 2020 will be held at the Tokyo Art Club for three days from November 1st (Sunday). Both as a member of the Dai Token Ichi committee and as a sword trader, I will continue to do my best to promote the Dai Token Ichi and to increase its popularity both domestic and overseas in order to increase the number of visitors for the future.

As has been requested by some customers, we have been able to create a new function to show a more detailed photo of the swords. You can click the magnify button of each item page of the swords to see 3 to 4 times closer detail compared to previous image. It may take a bit more time to load due to the larger photo size but the wait will be worth it. Touken Matsumoto does its best to accommodate the request of all customers.

The 8th Chiba Token Ichi was held for three days at the Chiba Seminar Room near the Chiba Station on September 6th. Despite the hot weather, I appreciate all the participants who attended this event.  At this 8th Event, I was able to show my official certificate of a sword appraiser issued by the All Japan Sword Traders Association. Customers were able to rely on me for also my sword appraiser comments. However, this time, I purchased more than I was able to sell. I must make a better effort to encourage people to become a sword enthusiast to further educate the world on Japanese history and culture.
Next day of this Event, Chiba Prefecture was severally damaged from the Typhoon that hit the area. I would like to express my sympathy to those affected and wish everyone a speedy recover from the damage.