Florida Token Kai 2005 Report

Written by Byron Shimizu.

The annual Florida Japanese Sword Show was held in Tampa on February 11, 12 and 13th. Located in the Tampa Airport Marriot Hotel, it was a convenient elevator ride and walk from baggage claim to the hotel lobby.

After registering, Exhibitor Setup started at 12:00 noon. Tables slowly filled until the show opened at 2:00 pm. All tables were sold for the show. It was a good period to see what other exhibitors had before everyone else. Some items "changed hands" during this period. (Note: the date on my camera is one day off.)

The show was well attended and the atmosphere was friendly. It was a good time to meet people with similar interests and to see old friends.

There were many items for sale at various price levels. It seemed that the lower priced swords below $3000.00 was what was moving. There were a few Juyo Token available; a Ko-Hoki, a mumei Awataguchi and my Sanenaga for example.

Finding a "treasure" required a lot of time and effort to look through the volumes of swords and fittings available. I would guess that a lot on the tables were ebay "finds".

Lots of nice kodogu were available. There were other Samurai related art such as armor, paintings and books.

Friday and Saturday were the busiest days. Some tables were already cleared on Sunday morning. I counted three dealers from Japan. Usually there may be double that amount.

On Saturday there were many other activities taking place outside the showroom. Classes in sword etiquette and producing oshigata were offered. There was a sword kantei session sponsored by the NBTHKUS and a talk on tsuba by Jim Gilbert. There was even a sword cutting demonstration!

On Saturday evening the showroom closed while the Exhibitor Cocktail Party and Buffet took place. Free food and two free drinks are hard to pass on!

After the Buffet there was a "Live auction". The room was packed and good deals were had. How about a signed and dated Shinshinto wakizashi in mounts for $600.00? The sellers were charged a 10 percent fee on sold items with the option to bid on their own item for a 5 percent fee.

The Florida Token Kai is one of only a few shows in the U.S.A. devoted entirely to Nihonto and related arts. It is a great opportunity to learn about swords as well as to meet the community of collectors and dealers.

The next sword show in 2005 is the Midwest Token Kai to be held May 20, 21 and 22, in Chicago. After that there is the San Francisco Token Kai held in August.

I strongly encourage anyone interested in Japanese Swords to attend one of these shows.

please email if you have any questions or comments

or call 808-542-9410

Japanese Samurai Swords, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.