Tag - swords

 
 

SWORDS

Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 25, 2023
High-tech 'sassen' duels are an active otaku's dream
In a world of endless options for virtual entertainment, could this be the perfect marriage of tech and athletics?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Fukushima
May 17, 2021
Fukushima firm leaves mark on students' favorite school trip souvenir
Takahashi Industry started manufacturing wooden swords soon after it was founded in 1972, and has carved out a niche in Japan's souvenir market.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 21, 2020
Masters of their craft: Foreign apprentices reveal their life-changing experiences in Japan
You don't master traditional Japanese crafts, says Japanese lacquerware artist Suzanne Ross, “they master you.”
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2019
Sword presented after Emperor's birth to be displayed at Kyoto shrine
A short sword linked to the so-called amulet sword, a ceremonial sword that was presented to the Imperial family when Emperor Akihito was born, will be displayed at a shrine in Yawata, Kyoto Prefecture, from Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2018
Setouchi sets ¥500 million goal to bring renowned Japanese sword back 'home'
The city of Setouchi in Okayama Prefecture, which once flourished as a major producer of swords, said Tuesday it will use crowdfunding as part of an attempt to raise a total of ¥500 million from in and outside the country to bring back "home" a renowned sword called Yamatorige.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2018
1,400 guns and 1,200 swords from World War II found buried at Tokyo elementary school
About 1,400 firearms and 1,200 swords believed to be from the period of World War II were discovered buried at an elementary school in Tokyo, city officials said Monday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
May 16, 2018
Swedish-Japanese swordsmith forges his destiny in Yamaguchi after trial by fire
Driving through the valleys outside Hofu in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Yasha Yukawa scours the surrounding rice paddies for the raw material he covets. He is constantly on the lookout for rice straw, but only the farmers that harvest the traditional way preserve it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 21, 2017
The maven of Japanese sword fittings
The special exhibition "Pinnacle of Elegance: Sword Fittings of the Mitsumura Collection" at the Nezu Museum offers a fascinating look at the collection that Toshimo Mitsumura (1877-1955), a wealthy businessman, amassed at the end of the Meiji Era (1868-1912). Mitsumura's passion for swords is reflected in the portion of his collection that the museum acquired — an array of 1,200 sword fittings and blades from the 13th to the 19th centuries.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Oct 14, 2017
Japan's 'way of the sword' baffles foreign observers
All cultures present aspects that cannot but baffle the foreign observer. For example: nothing in the native tradition equips a Japanese to grasp the concept of the blood of the crucified son of the one God washing believers clean of sin.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 19, 2017
Gifu cutlery firm's samurai-sword scissors prove popular with tourists
Samurai-sword scissors developed by a manufacturer in Gifu Prefecture are proving to be popular souvenirs for foreign tourists as well as schoolchildren.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Feb 18, 2017
'Moving Zen' and the modern samurai
"Be true to the thought of the moment and avoid distraction. Other than continuing to exert yourself, enter into nothing else, but go to the extent of living single thought by single thought."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 14, 2017
Sharpen your knowledge of Japanese swords
If you've ever wanted to learn about Japanese swords, now's the time, as an unusually large number of top-quality blades are currently on view at two Tokyo museums. Either exhibition is well worth a visit but together they're dynamite.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 31, 2015
Katana swordplay exercise is a hit with Tokyo women
Samurai may be known as a man's pursuit, but feudal Japan produced a number of legendary female warriors who took to the battlefield with a sword that still holds a high cultural position today.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 30, 2015
The Edo samurai knew how to look sharp
'The World of Edo Dandyism: From Swords to Inro" at the Nezu Museum is a splendid collection of Edo Period (1603-1868) swords and sword accessories that includes blades, scabbards and metal fittings, as well as decorative sets of inrō (pill boxes) and netsuke (carved toggles). The exhibition looks back to a fascinating period of Edo history when prosperous samurai and merchants sought out the most stylish outfits and accessories that would establish them as refined men.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 2, 2015
'The World of Edo Dandyism: From Swords to Inro'
May 30-July 20
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2014
Anime-themed Japanese sword exhibition to open in Paris
An exhibition showcasing traditional Japanese swords as well as replicas of blades that appeared in the animated series "Neon Genesis Evangelion" opened at the Japan Cultural Institute in Paris on Wednesday.
Japan Times
LIFE
Apr 27, 2008
Bestowing beauty on a fearful blade
If you were to call 51-year-old Yoshihiko Usuki a makeover maestro, he'd probably just chuckle, go back to his hunched position and continue sliding the sword clasped in his hands over a polishing stone.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores