Imitation swords made of wood — Byakko Swords from Fukushima Prefecture, Nara Swords from Nara Prefecture and other similar items from around the country — are a popular souvenir for students going on school trips.
But it is not well known that a small Fukushima company called Takahashi Industry Co., which produces wooden products in the city of Aizuwakamatsu, used to dominate the domestic market. In recent years, many of the swords have been imported from China.
The firm first mass-produced the wooden swords in the 1970s using machinery it developed and started selling the items to souvenir stores in popular tourism spots nationwide.