This month of October will see the Empty Mind Film crew on location in Japan. We are starting a six week location shoot that will take us from Tokyo down to the southern island of Kyushu. We are filming a new title on the making of the Japanese sword and its place in Japanese culture. Now we have seen recent films on this subject and we are not saying they are wrong. But they are not great either. We think our audience deserves something better.
While the sword is no longer made as a weapon but as a work of art, it is still made in the traditional methods by hand. From the steel smelting to the forging and final polishing. It is the culmination of a handful of dedicated master craftsman. We will take you slowly step by step through each process from making the special steel called Tamahagane, to the swordmaker who forges the steel into his own special shape and finish, a process little changed in the last six hundred years. However, todays swords are not just copies of old styles – they are often much better both in quality and in showing us the unique artistry of the makers imagination. These are not the swords you would use in the practice of Iaido, sword drawing or other Kenjutsu which are usually lighter (less than 2 Ibs) and without the razor sharp cutting edge. However, we will feature the swordmasters who practice the fighting techniques once used and perfected by the Samurai.
Only two or three swords are allowed to be produced each month by the swordmaker and this forces each sword to be very expensive and instantly a collectors item to be mounted and encased in glass. Many swordmakers are against the law, called Ju-To-Ho, that restricts the number of sword being made and limits the swords freedom to circulate and be purchased by admirers, not just a few small collectors. We will feature a rare visit to Japans showcase for the sword, a meeting that takes place each year where we will talk to buyers and collectors about the swords future as a work of art.
The swords place in Japanese culture is unique and found no where on the planet in terms of its importance as a symbol and an expression of a peoples spirit. Through its importance in martial terms as a weapon of the soldier and the samurai and as a symbolic representation of Japan’s past – the sword is seen as a gift from the gods. Shrines and temples exist today in Japan that for centuries have been a place to show respect and honor for the Japanese sword. Certainly, we at Empty Mind Films feel that no coverage of Japans martial arts can be properly covered, without a feature length documentary on the sword. In this endeavor we are working alongside Mr Paul Martin, an expert in the Japanese sword who has curated a number of museum quality exhibitions to showcase the sword. More details will follow, and we hope to post one or two stories as we shoot on location. Until then, Jon Braeley.
