Travel
In Search of the Samurai Spirit of Fukushima: The Heroes of Aizu
Second of Three Parts Part 1: Samurai Spirit of Fukushima: The Shonentai Youth Corps of Nihonmatsu Castle [&hellip
Special Reports
Ushering in the Reiwa Era: The Importance of the Three Sacred Treasures
Recently, the current Emperor Heisei emerged from Ise shrine with the three sacred treasures of the Imperial regalia,
Travel
Samurai Spirit of Fukushima: The Shonentai Youth Corps of Nihonmatsu Castle
(First of 3 Parts) At the end of the Edo period (1600-1868), Japan was in turmoil. There had […]
Culture
‘Tatara Watetsu’: Japanese Town Revives Traditional Steel Production
The revival of the tatara method of traditional steel production has begun! A new era in traditional Japanese [&hell
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 […]
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
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,’ [&hell
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 swor
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 [&h
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 […]