Art of the Japanese Sword
The Japanese sword … prized as much for its exceptional beauty as for it’s deadly cutting ability. It has endured for a thousand years as the pinnacle of Japanese culture. Now you can enter a world rarely seen by outsiders. To experience the true story of the Art of the Samurai Sword. A story told in the swordsmiths own words that separate the myth from the fact. Follow the swordsmiths dream of creating a masterpiece. From the quest to making an ancient steel to forging a blade equal to those of the Kamakura, a medieval period that produced the greatest swords in history. For the martial artist the Japanese sword is a precise cutting weapon and symbol of the Samurai. For the collector, it is an art form whose beauty is derived from its deadly function to cut. As our story of the Japanese sword unfolds, we bring together all the artists and craftsmen whose skills turn it into both a modern work of art and a window into the past.
Produced in association with Paul Martin, a leading Japanese sword expert and filmed throughout Japan with the very best swordsmiths and craftsmen who are the absolute masters of their art … the art of the Japanese sword. Packed with never before seen footage, filmmmaker Jon Braeley was given unrestricted access to film inside the forges, workshops and Shinto shrines and museums. Featuring Japan’s top swordsmiths: Kawachi Kunihira, Matsuda Tsuguyasu and Manabe Sumihira and many more.
It is a fascinating journey that starts with swordsmith Manabe who makes his own steel from an ancient recipe dating back to the 13th century. In this unusually detailed look into the making of the Japanese sword, this documentary “lifts the lid” off forging methods such as folding – filmed exclusively in the Kawachi sword foundry. Going beyond all films before it, Art of the Japanese Sword showcases the polishers, scabbard and metal fitting makers as well the handle wrapping … the most comprehensive movie ever made on the Japanese sword.
Often referred to as the Samurai sword, we enter the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu – the oldest martial arts dojo in Japan, where traditional sword fighting of the Samurai are still taught. The schools instructor and top martial arts master and sword expert is Otake Risuke who grants a very rare interview to talk about this most ancient symbol of Japanese culture.
Running almost 90 minutes in length and filmed in High Definition, Art of the Japanese Sword is a truly unique exploration of one of the worlds most beautiful yet deadly weapons.
Kendo World Magazine Review. Summer issue 2011. Click thumbnail page to download PDF.
Art of the Japanese Sword is a new documentary from Empty Mind Films that focuses not only on Japanese swords themselves, but on the many detailed aspects of their production and use. The first thing worth mentioning is the quality of the footage. The unique processes through which blades are made, from initial steel production through forging, folding, quenching, shaping and polishing are all shown in clear detail. This has the effect of giving continuity to the various stages, bringing them to life in a way that step- by-step photos in a book cannot.
This DVD contains many interviews with craftsmen from different traditions, and the filmmakers have made the sound decision to subtitle them in English. This gives the viewer a chance to get a feel for the personalities of the craftsmen, and is much preferable to watching long stretches of voice-over.
As objects of artistic value, the beauty of the Japanese sword stems from fine detail, so it follows that they are the product of some very subtle and refined labour. Essentially, the value of this documentary is in its recognition that swords are not made all at once. Rather they are the cumulative result of the slow and careful work of multiple craftsmen. The narrative takes care to depict and explain all aspects of the process, right down to tsuka-wrapping, engraving, saya carving and more. Watching this, one can really appreciate how any given stage, no matter how fine, slow or small, contributes to the final product. Footage of the work is alternated with interviews with the workers, and we come to understand that in a sense, their distinct personalities become part of the blades they produce.
Kawachi Kunihara, one of the many smiths featured, states adamantly that a sword, “… does not cut well because it is beautiful. It is because it is designed to cut well that it became beautiful.” Art of the Japanese Sword conducts a thorough examination into our fascination with swords, and the curious notion that an object created for the express purpose of cutting people could be so beautiful in and of itself. Aside from swords themselves, there are also sections that explore how swords are used. There is a brief section on kendo, an explanation of Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū, Japan’s oldest martial art school, and a section on the relationship between swords and Shinto, Japan’s native animistic religion.
In short this is an excellent documentary and a must-have for anyone with an interest in Japanese swords. My single reservation is that at times the narrator mispronounces some Japanese words such as “Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū” and “bokken”. This will not be a problem for people with experience, but the neophyte should take care. All in all, a fantastic DVD. For more information, visit www.emptymindfilms.com
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