At Fusahiro Shimojima’s workshop, in the industrial city of Saitama, fires rage in small pits and an earthen floor absorbs the din of hammering. The Japanese swordsmith pounds the nascent blade of his ...

It starts with ordinary iron sand — then, through a 1,300-year-old process, it becomes one of the most refined blades ever made. Using fire, charcoal, and repeated folding, Japanese swordsmiths create ...

Sparks illuminate the soot-covered studio of Japanese swordsmith Akihira Kawasaki as his apprentice hammers red-hot steel, showcasing a millennium-old craft enjoying a resurgence in popularity.

Taro Asano spent six years as an unpaid apprentice before his master, Fujiwara Kanefusa, told him he was ready to be licensed as a master swordsmith. To be officially licensed in Japan, swordsmiths ...

A traditional swordsmith in Japan says growing pop culture interest is bringing new, younger audiences to the centuries-old art of katana making. In Saitama Prefecture, 57-year-old swordsmith Akihira ...

SETOUCHI, Okayama -- Acrylic keychains featuring swordsmiths are gaining popularity at a sword museum in this western Japan city amid a "touken" blade･･･ ...

HARUNAKA Hoshino sits in his garage and slides his finger along a blade wielded by a masterful Samurai centuries ago. The 55-year-old Japanese swordsmith silently looks for any nicks and traces of ...

Despite the rapidly greying, shrinking population of blademakers in Japan, their fine steel swords known as katana are amassing a new generation of fans, particularly younger women, on the back of pop ...

In Saitama Prefecture, 57-year-old swordsmith Akihira Kawasaki continues a centuries-old tradition of forging katana, as renewed interest in Japanese swords draws a new generation of fans. Popular ...