NHK Cool Japan: "Swords" edition.

 ■ NHK Cool Japan: "Swords" edition.

The most common national treasure is the sword.

Japanese sword sections are also popular in art museums overseas.

Although there are swords overseas as well, Japanese blades are particularly popular.

There is a history boom in Japan as well, and the number of history-loving girls is on the rise.

His gaze towards the sword is heating up.

"Ginza"

The first sword specialty store opened in Ginza 40 years ago.

After that, the number of sword shops began to increase.

Ginza is a place where many people have money to spare.

During the peaceful Edo period, awareness of "what does it mean to be a samurai" grew, and the sword came to be said to be "the soul of the samurai."

Swords became gifts and beautiful works of art that expressed the soul of the samurai, and when a shogun took office or inherited the family headship, a valuable sword was presented to him. Shoguns also gave swords as rewards to daimyo when they returned to their home provinces on alternate attendance or when they made donations.

It's something that's been refined for a long time.

"Sword Girls"

The idea of becoming interested in history through games was also a hot topic when the Ninja chapter was released.

The program also discussed how Japan has created many different characters that don't exist overseas, such as mascot characters and monsters, but the personification of swords and fleets is particularly unique to Japan.

I don't feel strange about giving birth to living things and turning them into people, and I like it.

Moreover, Touken Ranbu is a game about raising characters, rather than fighting. Very Japanese.

"Impersonation sword"

Koshirae is a general term for the part of the sword that is held, the sheath that holds the blade, and the guard that connects them.

Since each sword has a different curvature and width, an original sheath is required.

The tsuba acts as a stopper to prevent the hand holding the tsuba from slipping onto the blade, and also serves to balance the weight of the blade and the tsuba.

These features, including both practical and decorative aspects, are important factors in determining the value of a Japanese sword.

When a sword changes hands, it is often remade to suit the new owner's preferences.

Since it deteriorates more easily than the blade, it is passed down through the generations while being frequently repaired.

"Higo Preparation"

In the techniques that artisans have passed down through the generations, every step and every material has meaning and is imbued with wisdom.

We create things with an understanding of that meaning, and find value in it.

Nowadays, it may be foreigners who can do that.

Foreigners will rediscover the value of cool and it will develop again in Japan.

Isn't this the formula for Cool Japan?

Whenever I arrive at London's Heathrow Airport wearing a kimono, I am always asked at immigration, "Are you carrying a sword?"

I think you wouldn't be able to get on a plane if you had it, and I don't know if they're serious or joking, but people ask me that all the time.

Swords are recognized as a fundamental part of Japanese culture.

We too would like to recognize the value of this.