I think that in many ways Nihonto evokes certain emotions in people. There is always an answer why people like them. Some people adore them for the fine pieces of art that they are. Other people have very strong sentiments regarding Nihonto, and have a special meaning why they love it, or what it does to them. My question is really a dubble question: What does it do to you when you help create a blade, and when does your feeling tell you when something is in your eyes a good piece? This is

How important is balance and weight in the manufacture of a sword to a contemporary japanese swordsmith ? Obviously a fine sword has a fine feeling in hand. Some swords are made only for their look, and feel terrible in the hand. It's up to each swordsmith to put more or less consideration into the actual practicality of a sword. Of course, there were many fencing styles and schools of sword making over the past 1000 years, and not all swords were fine tools either! As for myself, I'm hoping to

What do you do for a living while apprenticing? I have heard of apprentices living with their masters in a sort of barracks-style life. Traditionally, apprentices lived with their master's family, being part of the family. That meant they also participated in daily chores. Newcomers would help the wife cook and clean around. Not much forging for the first year. Nowadays there are many different situation, including the classical one, because japanese swordsmiths are not rich, and cannot always take

Through a couple of friends, I was able to get in touch with Pierre and was very , very excited about that. To keep things very short, Pierre is a “Western guy” who traveled for the first time to Japan in 2002 and was amazed by the fact that there were still real traditional swordsmiths living and working in Japan. The very idea of working alone, at peace, retired in a workshop set in the countryside, nearby a fire, with steel only for raw material, doing a work that never ceases to bring