Samurai Art at the MET Oct. 2008
 

At our last Boston Token Kai meeting our Sensei, Morihiro Ogawa has asked me to make the following announcement to our members and also to share the news with other sword clubs.

Best Regards,
Maskell
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Ogawa Morihiro Sensei has announced the coming exhibition of Samurai Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC that will open in Oct. 2008 and will run for about 3 months. Ogawa Sensei had a folder with photos of the items. They will be about 270 important items, 70 swords and 15 armors including 30 kokuho (national treasures) swords, also what is the best samurai sword in the world by O’KANEHIRA, the best MASAMUNE and the best example of a SADAMUNE plus many other national treasure’s. Included will be O’Yorie armor from the 12th. century, complete and all original, the famous Haniwa (tomb figure), sword fittings by SOMIN, tanegashima (matchlock guns) by HANKEI, kimono, pottery, many famous battle screens. Yes, these are the famous and important pieces we see in the art books that we never thought we would see in person, they will be there for our viewing pleasure and visual study. This is the first time ever, anywhere, even in Japan that these important items will be shown together in one place. Ogawa Sensei, special consultant at the MET, who is in charge of this superb dream exhibition along with the Japanese government, has brought this about. It is an event that should not be missed by any collector and perhaps will never be repeated. Ogawa Sensei has graciously offered to give our members a tour of the exhibit. We should start planing now, perhaps rent a bus and or hotel rooms and go as a group. Any ideas or suggestions from the BTK members appreciated.

I am more than delighted to hear about that, it is a fantastic opportunity. However, I will not participate in any organized tour - the reasons if stated here will be an insult to the nihonto community.

A little lead time?
 

2008? Three years from now? Are you serious?

I can, at most, plan for a year ahead of time. I just can't get that excited about something that is happening three long years from now.

I don't think that even the star wars sequels were advertised that far ahead of time.

And I was starting to get excited, thinking it was this year! I actually had to find this thread to get the info, thinking that I'd go down this weekend!

PATIENCE GRASSHOPPER :D GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT.

THANKS FOR POSTING THE INFORMATION AND PLEASE GIVE US A REMINDER WHEN THE TIME GETS CLOSER. IF A GROUP GATHERING DOES FORM UP PLEASE GIVE US A HEADS UP ON THAT ALSO AS SOME MAY WISH TO PARTICIPATE. I ASSUME THAT IT WILL JUST BE A TOUR TO THE MUSEUM EXHIBIT WITH A EXPERT WHO SHOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE VALUBALE INFORMATION AND HISTORY ON THE OBJECTS AND ANSWER QUESTIONS. IT IS VERY GENEROUS OF THE SENSEI TO TAKE THE TIME TO DO THIS WHEN I AM SURE HE COULD BE HAPPY JUST CONTEMPATING THE OBJECTS BY HIMSELF. HAVING NEVER BEEN TO THE MET I COULD BENEFIT FROM GOING WITH A GROUP WITH HOTEL AND TRANSPORT AND A GROUP WITH LIKE INTERESTS TO GO AROUND TOWN WITH LATER. I AM SURE THERE WOULD ALSO BE TIME TO GO LOOKING AROUND THE MUSEUM ON MY OWN AS MUCH AS I LIKE. THANKS AGAIN FOR SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO!

Samurai exibition @ MET. Update
 

Greetings:

Sorry their was some confusion in my first post here. The announcement was an excerpt from the Boston Token Kai newsletter and the offer of the private tour was for our members only. Ogawa Sensei is an honorary member and teacher to the Boston Token Kai. Perhaps other clubs or groups may be able to arrange a private tour also if they wish.

Best Regards,
Jerry
aka Maskell
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(Members newsletter) 3/25/08

Dear Boston Token Kai Members:

Our next meeting will be at John White's office in Newton, Ma. and will be on Sunday, April 20th. 2008 at 1:00 PM. Thank you John for accommodating us. We encourage new members to join our club.

The directions would be: coming down the Mass Pike from either direction take exit 17. From the west you want to go all the way around the rotary but stay in the 3rd lane from the left so NOT!! to get back onto the Mass pike and then take a left in the Citizens bank parking lot right after you go thru the lights, you can park in that lot and come to the back doors of the office building around back. From the east stay in the left lane off the exit go straight thru the lights and left into the bank parking lot.

Our topic for discussion will be plans for the upcoming Metropolitan Museum of Art trip to NYC in the beginning of Nov. 2008. We will need to get a rough head count of how many are planing to go, rental of a bus and room accommodations possibly in NJ or CT as rooms are very expensive in NYC. I am waiting to hear from Ogawa San, had dinner with him a couple weeks ago & I asked a lot of questions including the Boston Token Kai members private tour by him on the MET exhibition, Said he has to propose it to some board to get an OK. He said he will get back to me soon about it. I will write another news letter as soon as I know. Hope to see you all there.

What I have so far is the opening will be early in OCT. will run to JAN. 2009 and that the first week in Nov. would be best for our private tour at the MET.

Their will be a big thick catalog of the exhibition, 20,000 copies printed with an estimated cost of $50. to $60. each.

Best Regards,
Jerry
aka Maskell
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MET exhibition has been postponed till Oct. 2009
 

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(Boston Token Kai newsletter 4/4/08)

Dear BTK Members:

I have received a call last night from Ogawa San that the Samurai Art exhibition at the MET has been postponed a year to Oct. 2009. The reason I'm told is that they are adding several more kokuho (national treasures) to the exhibit and their just isn't enough time to make the arrangements. This promises to be a world class exhibition and I'm just as disappointed as the rest of our members for the longer wait.

We will still have our planned BTK meeting at John White's office in Newton, MA. on April 20 at 1:00 PM. Hope to see you all there.

Best,
Jerry
aka Maskell
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