User blog comment:Gon10/Kuchiki Byakuya´s Bankai/@comment-8669536-20130621094711

Even if Äs died, we can't be sure that the medallion was destroyed with him. He probably still had it but theoretically he could have given it to another Stern Ritter during the time between his fight with Byakuya and his assault on Yamamoto.

And something else I've been thinking about concerning the stolen Bankais. Komamura's Bankai has the obvious flaw of Komamura taking damage when it is damaged. But now that it isn't Komamura who wields it, will the wielder be hurt if the Bankai is damaged or will Komamura be?