Each sword take dedication, skill and can take over 18 months to create. The resulting blades can be worth ... sword smiths working across Japan. Japanese swords have always been more than just ...

Both types of tamahagane are now exactly where they need to be: the hard steel forms the sword's outer shell and deadly blade, while the tough steel serves as the katana's core. This perfect ...

He continued to collect Japanese swords on the sidelines of his practice as a physician. Twenty-two of the 31 blades are categorized as “koto” (old swords), which date to around the 16th ...

NARA--Some of the finest swords of Japan’s feudal age are now on show at the Kasuga Taisha shrine here. Many of them are national treasures. What sets the blades apart is that they were ...