Japanese swords focus on powerful cutting with a curved blade, while Chinese swords emphasize balance and movement with straight or curved designs. Japanese sword combat is direct and precise, whereas ...

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 ...

An curved arrow pointing right. Hirakawa Yasuhiro is a master blacksmith for Sasuke in Sakai, Japan, who forges scissors with techniques that were used to make swords, knives, and weapons.