Special Reports
Top 25 JAPAN Forward Articles of 2018: 15-11
Happy New Year from JAPAN Forward! One week into 2019, we are sharing with you in a series the […]
Culture
Help Bring Home the ‘Sanchomo,’ A National Treasure Sword of Japan
The town of Setouchi in Okayama Prefecture is home to the Osafune Japanese Sword Museum. Osafune, a […]
Culture
Muramasa Dagger Given By Vladimir Putin to Shinzo Abe on Public Display November 16-18
The Tokyo Art Club in Shinbashi is host every year to the world’s largest Japanese sword show […]
Blog
Giveaway: Get Tickets for You and a Friend to the ‘Swords of Kyoto’ Special Exhibition
Swords of Kyoto, a spectacular new sword exhibition opened September 29 at the Kyoto National Museum and finishes November […]
Culture
Yasugi: City of Japanese Steel and Samurai
Paul Martin for JAPAN Forward The city of Yasugi has a long history with Japanese steel. […]
Culture
Campaign to Save Japanese Sword Culture Gets Support From Political Heavyweights
On June 22 a written request for a budget increase to train Japanese sword artisans was delivered […]
Culture
San’in Travels: Oki-no-Shima and the Exiled Swordsmith Emperor Gotoba
Part 1: Traveling the San’in: Orochi and the Mythical Origins of the Sword Part 2: Japanese Swords: ‘Tatara,’ […]
Culture
‘Touken Joshi’: Girls Are Infatuated With Japanese Swords, and It’s Good
Three years ago, Touken Ranbu, an online game with personified legendary sword characters, kindled the Japanese sword trend, […]
Culture
Japanese Swords: ‘Tatara,’ the Traditional Iron and Steel Culture of the San’in
The traditional dance performance of Iwami Kagura tells the story of the discovery of steelmaking in Izumo, Japan, […]
Culture
Oku-izumo’s Annual Sword Steelmaking Begins
The raw material used to make Japanese swords is called tamahagane. On January 24, production of the annual batch […]
Culture
Priceless Sword Discovered in Ceiling at Kasuga Taisha Restored
An important twelfth-century Japanese sword, discovered hidden in the ceiling during a 1939 refurbishment of the treasure house at Kasuga […]
Culture
Traveling the San’in: Orochi and the Mythical Origins of the Sword
I recently took a trip to Shimane Prefecture, also known as the San’in region, to research some of the […]