Koetsu Gallery - The Colors of KOETSU

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Re: Koetsu Gallery

Postby jadis » Thu Oct 02, 2008 8:13 pm

crisdlr wrote:Hmmm, maganda siya. Magkano kaya yang ma-asul na Koetsu na yan? :!: :^) :^) :wasntme: :fubar:


basta ikaw, atty......pasyalan kita isang araw... :)
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Re: Koetsu Gallery

Postby jadis » Thu Oct 02, 2008 8:17 pm

Jon Agner wrote:


:o :o :o there's one here na? :o :o :o :clap: :clap: :clap:



not YET, jon...i'm hoping someone WOULD...and SOON.... :D[/quote]

Phil,

I suddenly remembered this color...... it's the total opposite of this color: :P :D :D :D

Image :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:[/quote]

yes, jon...and only one man has it here, bar none. but he will have no problem donning the blue color one day... :D
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Re: Koetsu Gallery

Postby jadis » Thu Oct 02, 2008 8:18 pm

Racio wrote:
jadis wrote:A DARKER SHADE OF BLUE...

Image

The latest, newest, and most mystifying colored stone in the 'platinum' line of Koetsu...in a stunning darker shade of blue...and it doesn't 'wear' a lace...not a 'blue lace'... 8) :)


Wow! :o


hi john racio,

long time no see....koetsu is still waiting for you. :)
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Re: Koetsu Gallery

Postby Racio » Fri Oct 03, 2008 3:33 am

jadis wrote:hi john racio,

long time no see....koetsu is still waiting for you. :)


Well thanks Philip! However, I'm kinda saving up for another hobby of mine... ;)
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Re: Koetsu Gallery

Postby jadis » Fri Oct 17, 2008 10:52 am

jadis wrote:A DARKER SHADE OF BLUE...

Image

The latest, newest, and most mystifying colored stone in the 'platinum' line of Koetsu...in a stunning darker shade of blue...and it doesn't 'wear' a lace...not a 'blue lace'... 8) :)


Allow me do something I haven't done before, which is, to reply to my own post. :D

For the longest time, I had been trying to get an 'authentic' way of expressing my thoughts of Koetsu in Nihonggo. My 2 year course in that language way back in 1979 has all but disintegrated into nothingness, but somehow I was able to extract a one liner in Japanese that goes like this:

"Koetsu no oto ga ichiban ii."

In simple terms, it just means: "Maganda tumunog ang Koetsu". :lol:

To make a short story long, I was having lunch with my wife in my favorite Japanese restaurant along T.Morato and Sct. Rallos. The chef is Japanese and his Filipina wife is the manager. While the guy was busy cooking his stuff in the kitchen, I braved myself to ask an 'out of the blue' question to the wife (who speaks fluent Nihonggo) to translate the one liner into Japanese. She gladly obliged and the result is the above mentioned line. :D Another use of that line is when my dream can come true to visit Fumihiko Sugano san, I can use that 'line' on him. :D :D (And I hope that is what it really means). :lol: :lol:
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Re: Koetsu Gallery

Postby Jon Agner » Fri Oct 17, 2008 10:58 am

Phil,

does anybody here own the Dark Blue Koetsu yet? :)
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Re: Koetsu Gallery

Postby jadis » Fri Oct 17, 2008 11:08 am

Jon Agner wrote:Phil,

does anybody here own the Dark Blue Koetsu yet? :)


Not YET, Jon. The Samurai Sensei exhorts on all NINJAS to take the 'plunge'. :D
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Re: Koetsu Tonearm - Silver Matte Edition

Postby jadis » Thu Jul 07, 2011 10:14 am

KOETSU TONEARM - SILVER MATTE EDITION

The Koetsu story started with the color of the night - that is the BLACK, and little did I expect so many other colors of Koetsu to come out as even this NOS tonearm has another color, in its MKVII incarnation and Silver Matte finish, arrived at these shores - the little town of Koetsu-Phil(ippines). :lol: Many thanks to the new owner for allowing pics to be taken. Domo arigato gazaimasu. :rock:

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
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Re: Koetsu Gallery - The Colors of KOETSU

Postby kabubi » Thu Jul 07, 2011 10:21 am

Komrade,

i have a deep suspicion that Koetsu commissioned the Jelco company to make this tonearm.
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Re: Koetsu Gallery - The Colors of KOETSU

Postby jadis » Thu Jul 07, 2011 11:28 am

kabubi wrote:Komrade,

i have a deep suspicion that Koetsu commissioned the Jelco company to make this tonearm.


Komrade KBB,

You are quite correct in your deep suspicion. You are fit to head the E.German Stasi. :lol:

Jelco was commissioned by Sugano-San to make this tonearm, but they are built using the blueprint of the late master. From material used, to some small but integral revisions, to some 'secret' positioning of parts used in the tonearm, they were made to be worthy of the Koetsu name and brand.
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Re: Koetsu Gallery - The Colors of KOETSU

Postby Jon Agner » Thu Jul 07, 2011 11:44 am

jadis wrote:
kabubi wrote:Komrade,

i have a deep suspicion that Koetsu commissioned the Jelco company to make this tonearm.


Komrade KBB,

You are quite correct in your deep suspicion. You are fit to head the E.German Stasi. :lol:

Jelco was commissioned by Sugano-San to make this tonearm, but they are built using the blueprint of the late master. From material used, to some small but integral revisions, to some 'secret' positioning of parts used in the tonearm, they were made to be worthy of the Koetsu name and brand.


Komrade KBB,

CIA analysts interpret your queries as a plan to somehow infiltrate Sugano-San's Oukoku and secure the top secret modifications on the jelco tonearm to suite the Koetsus :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: ]:)
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Re: Koetsu Gallery - The Colors of KOETSU

Postby jadis » Thu Jul 07, 2011 2:57 pm

I've posted this link previously, and just to point out what a CEO of a famous cartridge manufacturer was using in his early days - none other than a Koetsu Tonearm.


http://www.stereophile.com/news/11249/

News
Remembering Yoshiaki Sugano
By Stig I. Bjorge • Posted: Jan 27, 2002

The creator of Koetsu phono cartridges passed away on Sunday, January 20, 2002, just a couple of months short of reaching the age of 95. A wake was held in Chiba, Japan on January 22; the funeral took place on the following day.

A descendant of the Japanese medieval artist Honami Koetsu, Yoshiaki Sugano was brought up in a tradition of crafting swords. As a young man he practiced boxing, including participation in events in China. It is said that he never lost a fight. Later he joined automaker Toyota, where he rose to the rank of an executive in the domestic sales division. He retired from the auto industry at the age of 60.

Even while working at Toyota, he was fascinated by music reproduction in the home, and he took a special interest in phono cartridges, first studying and repairing broken samples of European imports, and later carefully examining Japanese efforts. Upon retiring from Toyota, he created his own Koetsu brand of moving-coil cartridges—the brand name is derived from his distant ancestor, to whom a temple is dedicated in the ancient Japanese city of Kyoto.

I first met Yoshiaki Sugano in the early 1980s. He welcomed me into his home, and I made repeated visits, which resulted in an article about his life and his work in audio, published in the Danish magazine High Fidelity in 1983. What fascinated me about his work with the Koetsu cartridges was his keen interest in high-purity materials, like 6-nines copper and 5-nines iron. He also introduced me to platinum-iron magnets, made in small quantities by a laboratory of the giant company Nippon Mining. He would then combine these high-tech materials with natural elements like wood and stone (eg, ebony and onyx) in a symphony that resulted in the rich, lush sound of each Koetsu cartridge. On certain models he would also apply the traditional "Urushi" laquers of Japan.

I think it is safe to say that Yoshiaki Sugano was the Master Craftsman who created the genre of true high-end phono cartridges. With the introduction of Koetsu cartridges, for the first time the status of a phono cartridge could be said to be similar to that of the finest musical instruments, like a Steinway grand piano or a Stradivarius violin. For years, while living within an hour's drive of Yoshiaki Sugano's home, I would listen to my Koetsu Wood cartridge on a Koetsu tonearm via a Koetsu step-up transformer, and a rich, transparent, musical sound was the order of the day.

Regularly I would visit the Master, and just as often as I would find him occupied with cartridge making. I would also find him busy working on his oil paintings, another major passion of this incredibly interesting personality, who had gone from sword-making to boxing, and then became a Toyota executive, before focusing his creative efforts on phono cartridge design and manufacturing. While painting, he often enjoyed listening to music of Christian choral performances, which set him in the right artistic mood for his brush strokes.

Another positive side of Yoshiaki Sugano was his willingness to share and teach. Rather than being secretive and protective, he would willingly share his ideas and know-how. In fact, he encouraged me to pursue a career in phono cartridge manufacturing myself. He introduced me to subcontractors manufacturing cartridge parts, and even let me have, at his cost, a stack of his valuable test records necessary for cartridge manufacturing. This led to a tremendous respect that allowed me to search for an alternative, a unique direction, rather than copying the Master. I humbly look at him as my mentor and teacher.

Participating in his wake last Tuesday, together with his family and his friends, made me contemplate his wonderful human qualities and his accomplishments, not only as a cartridge designer and craftsman, but as a whole human being.

Yoshiaki Sugano is survived by several children. His son Fumihiko Sugano was especially trained to take over the cartridge legacy from his father. The world's audio community is thus lucky to have a continuous supply of Koetsu cartridges today, even though the Grand Master himself has achieved eternal peace.

Stig I. Bjorge, CEO, Scan-Tech/Lyra
, Tokyo, Japan
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Re: Koetsu Gallery - The Colors of KOETSU

Postby mullard88 » Fri Jul 08, 2011 6:04 pm

Hi Jadis,

Would you know if there is a MkVIII Koetsu tonearm?
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Re: Koetsu Gallery - The Colors of KOETSU

Postby jadis » Fri Jul 08, 2011 6:20 pm

mullard88 wrote:Hi Jadis,

Would you know if there is a MkVIII Koetsu tonearm?


I wouldn't know at the moment, Mullard. I'll try to find out.
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Re: Koetsu Tonearm - Silver Matte Edition

Postby Superman » Sat Jul 09, 2011 1:29 pm

jadis wrote:KOETSU TONEARM - SILVER MATTE EDITION

The Koetsu story started with the color of the night - that is the BLACK, and little did I expect so many other colors of Koetsu to come out as even this NOS tonearm has another color, in its MKVII incarnation and Silver Matte finish, arrived at these shores - the little town of Koetsu-Phil(ippines). :lol: Many thanks to the new owner for allowing pics to be taken. Domo arigato gazaimasu. :rock:

Image

Image

Image

Image

Sir Phil, seems very similar w/ Jelco Arms ah?

Image

Image
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Re: Koetsu Gallery - The Colors of KOETSU

Postby jadis » Sun Jul 10, 2011 6:46 pm

Jen, it may look the same but it isn't the same. ;)
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