Where did the idea come from, and how or where do you see the place of Japanese sword guards outside the sword community ? I've just realized that it does seem recently that I'm focusing the work for people outside the sword community, but it really is just for this show. In fact, the first people to see these pieces are my local Token Kai, my iaido club and my teacher, Ford Hallam - these pieces needed to "work" as tsuba in every definition and the best feedback for that are people familiar with

“The Japanese sword is a symbol of bushido, and signifies the spirit of Japan” From a sword inscription by Yoshihara Kuniie dated 1944 As Dr. Sato Kanzan is known to the sword world as the saviour of Japanese swords from destruction by the allied forces, so Kurihara Hikosaburo (Akihide) is known as the saviour of Japanese swordmaking. Born in Kanma, Tochigi prefecture in 1879, Kurihara’s interest in Japanese swords stemmed from his childhood. His father, a keen sword enthusiast,

This article is written by Pavel Bolf & translated by Jan Benes Tohoku, Japan 2013 When I started planning for a new trip to Japan this spring I had no idea, that its main purpose would become the opportunity to make a sword in the actual birthplace of Nihonto. Original aim and purpose of the trip was mainly studying Japanese swords. Besides usual museum visits I decided to come to an annual exhibition of swords dealers and sellers of sword fittings taking place in Tokyo, called Dai Token

A little introdution might be at place here before you start to read the interview. Won't tackle his whole story but it's definitely worth to mention that Ford is actually the only full time traditionally trained tosogu-shi even in Japan. Earlier this year he was awarded a gold prize for his " Under pines, beneath the moon" tsuba (picture on top) in the NBSK shinsaku competition. He is the first foreigner ever who received that honor.   1. Usually i do ask a bit about the how , why

1. Lots of people are interested and or fascinated by the beauty of the katana but besides absorbing some general info on the web and watching some documentaries, 98% doesn’t get any further than that. How and why did you ended up in this fascinating world of the Japanese sword? My interest began in much the same way as many people’s did—through participation in martial arts. I would hear about samurai spirit and bushido, etc. This of course led to an interest in Japanese cinema and Kurosawa,

1. Lots of people who are fascinated by Japanese swords are very interested in the forging process of the sword. In most documentaries that’s the part of the sword making process that's being highlighted, mainly because of the fire and the hammering I suppose. How come your path followed the art of polishing ? Well, I guess to answer that I'd probably have to start at the beginning. I grew up during the 1980's “ninja craze”, and the mystique of all that must have had a strong influence

Knowing that you have a backgound in various japanese martial arts, how or when did you decide it was time to start making japanese sword ? There are a lot of folks out there with a great interest in both martial arts and swords but I don’t think many of them are ever thinking about trying to make their own katana… I was always interested in Japanese swords. We practiced iaido as part of our training in the school where I studied karate. Later I took up shinkendo, but that actually happened

Hi everyone! I would like to thank you for your interest in my little adventure, and thank you for your questions. Such questions are the best way to understand myself, really, because I have to think about aspects of my life that I usually just live without much consideration. I enjoy the game and hope the answers are satisfying for you. What first interested you in becoming an apprentice? What really motivated me in becoming a swordsmith apprentice in Japan was the prospect of developping skills