{"id":2478,"date":"2026-09-12T12:21:54","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T12:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.touken-matsumoto.jp\/eng\/blog\/?p=2478"},"modified":"2026-09-12T12:23:38","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T12:23:38","slug":"sword-auctions-and-the-sword-market%e3%80%80september-12-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.touken-matsumoto.jp\/eng\/blog\/2026\/09\/12\/sword-auctions-and-the-sword-market%e3%80%80september-12-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Sword Auctions and the Sword Market\u3000September 12, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

My essay, written in my capacity as a Director, was published in Issue No. 35 of \u201cZent\u014dsh\u014d,\u201d the annual publication of the All Japan Sword Dealers Association. I hope you will enjoy reading it.<\/h3>\n

\u201cICHIBA\u201d and \u201cSHIJ\u014c\u201d<\/h3>\n

\u2014 Sword Auctions and the Sword Market \u2014<\/p>\n

Director
Yoshiyuki Matsumoto<\/p>\n

Since becoming a Japanese sword dealer, I have learned a great many things at the ichiba (sword auction). As I became acquainted and developed friendships with senior dealers in the profession, they taught me many things. In addition to knowledge of Japanese swords and sword fittings, I learned proper manners at the ichiba and the standards of conduct expected of a sword dealer, sometimes through stern reprimands.\u3000\u3000For a sword dealer, the ichiba is a workplace where merchandise is bought and sold. At the same time, however, it is also a place where one learns the fundamentals of the profession\u2014a kind of school, so to speak.\u3000\u3000There are no written rules or manuals at the ichiba. What one is expected to learn exists as an unspoken understanding and as unwritten rules, which each dealer must learn and make part of himself. Moreover, those who teach us this knowledge are our fellow dealers\u2014in other words, our business competitors. Normally, it would be difficult to imagine receiving valuable information and professional knowledge free of charge from one\u2019s competitors.\u3000\u3000What one learns at the ichiba and how one makes use of that knowledge in one\u2019s own business ultimately depends on the individual.\u3000\u3000Today, I operate the Nodakai Sword Auction, which my father established in 1984. Many young people aspiring to become sword dealers now participate, and I try to make it a place where they can learn the fundamentals of becoming professional sword dealers.\u3000\u3000The shij\u014d (sword market), however, has changed considerably in recent years. Fewer items are being consigned to sword auctions, and the auctions themselves now finish earlier than they once did. At the same time, buying and selling through the Internet has become commonplace.\u3000\u3000Collectors who previously did not participate in traditional sword auctions, as well as people who do not hold an antiques dealer\u2019s license, have also become involved in buying and selling. With the convenience of information technology and the changing times, the shij\u014d has expanded greatly. On the other hand, the traditional ichiba has been declining.\u3000\u3000There is no longer any way to stop this trend. We sword dealers must not allow ourselves to be left behind by the changing times; we must move forward with them.\u3000\u3000What is important, therefore, is to uphold the standards of conduct expected of professional sword dealers and to foster a sound and trustworthy shij\u014d for the buying and selling of Japanese swords and sword fittings.\u3000\u3000I believe that each and every member of the All Japan Sword Dealers Association, an association authorized by the Prime Minister of Japan, must demonstrate, even in the increasingly diverse world of Internet commerce, the professional standards and ethical values that sword dealers have cultivated over many years at the ichiba.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My essay, written in my capacity as a Director, was published in Issue No. 35 of \u201cZent\u014dsh\u014d,\u201d the annual publication of the All Japan Sword Dealers Association. I hope you will enjoy reading it. \u201cICHIBA\u201d and \u201cSHIJ\u014c\u201d \u2014 Sword Auctions and the Sword Market \u2014 DirectorYoshiyuki Matsumoto Since becoming a Japanese sword dealer, I have … Continue reading Sword Auctions and the Sword Market\u3000September 12, 2026<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.touken-matsumoto.jp\/eng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2478"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.touken-matsumoto.jp\/eng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.touken-matsumoto.jp\/eng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.touken-matsumoto.jp\/eng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.touken-matsumoto.jp\/eng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2478"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.touken-matsumoto.jp\/eng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2481,"href":"https:\/\/www.touken-matsumoto.jp\/eng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2478\/revisions\/2481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.touken-matsumoto.jp\/eng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.touken-matsumoto.jp\/eng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.touken-matsumoto.jp\/eng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}