Samurai swords have become an "it" item for many Japanese women in their 20s and 30s, giving rise to the term "rekijo" — girls with a fetish for Japanese history. The term rekijo first emerged in 2009 after a number of successful NHK historical TV drama series. rekijo was also crowned one of the top 10 buzzwords of the year at U-Can's 2009 Buzzwords Awards. However, the hype surrounding the history fetish did not end in 2009.
rekijo are mostly obsessed with Japan's sengoku, or warring states period, from the middle of the 15th century to the start of the 17th century. These women are attracted to the masculine samurai and Bushido themes of the period's warrior class, which has in turn led to a boom among women in learning the martial arts practiced by samurai.
"When the sword strikes the enemy's shoulder, take the sword down diagonally," instructs an iaido teacher, a master in the art of drawing a sword. The students, dressed in traditional hakama outfits, obey and slice the air in unison.