This is the first installment in a series on the turbulent era of Bakumatsu Japan and encounters between the British legation and samurai of the Meiji...
Last of Three Parts Part 1: Samurai Spirit of Fukushima: The Shonentai Youth Corps of Nihonmatsu Castle Part 2: In Search of the Samurai...
In recent times, there have been many cases of war loot being repatriated to the original owners, their descendants, or country of origin. French...
Second of Three Parts Part 1: Samurai Spirit of Fukushima: The Shonentai Youth Corps of Nihonmatsu Castle In the late Edo period, the...
Recently, the current Emperor Heisei emerged from Ise shrine with the three sacred treasures of the Imperial regalia, known collectively as the, Sanshu-no-jingi. These...
(First of 3 Parts) At the end of the Edo period (1600-1868), Japan was in turmoil. There had been over 260 of rule by...
The revival of the tatara method of traditional steel production has begun! A new era in traditional Japanese steel (watetsu) manufacturing has been established...
The town of Setouchi in Okayama Prefecture is home to the Osafune Japanese Sword Museum. Osafune, a village in the archaic province Bizen,...
The Tokyo Art Club in Shinbashi is host every year to the world’s largest Japanese sword show called the Dai Token Ichi. ...
A spectacular new sword exhibition has opened at Kyoto National Museum. The exhibition focuses on the sword culture of Kyoto from its...
Paul Martin for JAPAN Forward The city of Yasugi has a long history with Japanese steel. Hitachi Metalworks — co-sponsors of the...
Part 1: Traveling the San’in: Orochi and the Mythical Origins of the Sword Part 2: Japanese Swords: ‘Tatara,’ the Traditional Iron and Steel Culture...