IJN Officer Sword (signed & matching #'s)

[SammyT]

I ordered my copy on Friday and should have it today or tomorrow. Looking forward to it.

Sammy T.

[GHP]

Holy cow!!!

I received Dawson's book last week and am BLOWN AWAY by the author's research and how well it is put together.

I thought the two Gregory & Fuller books were good. Well -- they still have a place on my bookshelf, but this Swords of Imperial Japan, 1868 - 1945: Cyclopedia Edition is simply OUTSTANDING. I need to go through it and devour every page.



Thanks for the "peer pressure", fellas!

--Guy

[Stu W]

Glad you like it Guy.

Regards,
Stu

[Staldion]

Good to hear you like it.
Imagine the pressure for us if you had hated it! è_é

[GHP]

Good to hear you like it.
Imagine the pressure for us if you had hated it! è_é

My only critique is that Mr. Dawson did not mention the other smith who made Gensui-tou: Horii Toshihide

Image from Ohmura's site.

Horii Toshihide was a cousin of my mother-in-law (Iwasaki) and her father collected swords made by him (all long gone now -- an aunt has a wakizashi that I could view). When I was in Sapporo her brother, my wife's uncle, offered to take me to the forge in Muroran and introduce me to the current Horii smith who also has an interest in Iaido.

Horii settled in Muroran, Hokkaido, where Japan Steel is located. The forge is still maintained by Japan Steel and the current smith is the grandson of Toshihide. Horii Toshihide was contracted to make the Gensui-tou, but died half-way through the contract, so his son (I think Tanetsugu; my mother in law refers to him as "Tanetsugu-chan" when talking about him) finished the others. Japan Steel has a Gensui-tou blade in its museum.

Toshihide is not as well known as "Gassan", but it seems he was ranked higher:

神品の列 Inspired Work Column (Shinpin = Godly Article)
最上大業物　取締役格 Superior Owazamono (Highest Quality Sword) - Company Director Price

堀井　俊秀 Horii Toshihide
高橋　義宗
柴田　果
高橋　貞次
月山　貞勝 Gassan Sadakatsu
宮口　壽廣
渡邊　兼永
勝村　正勝
越水　盛俊
紀の政行
長運斎　國光
天田　貞吉
source


--Guy

[Staldion]

Very interesting, you have such a great luck to have been introduced to the smith.
M. Ohmura have an amaizing knowledge, I would be a customer if he ever made a book by himself or even better, with M. Dawson, Fuller and Gregory.

I doubt that there will be a definitive book yet as there are still plenty of information sleeping with relatives of the smiths, arsenal workers, etc etc.