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Posts tagged "hamon"

Gokaden Part 5: Mino-den

Gokaden Part 5: Mino-den

A treasure house of swords for actual warfare that are robust and boast outstanding sharpness Mino-den is the most recent of the Gokaden. It originated in the mid Kamakura period (1185-1333) and flourished from the Muromachi period (1333-1568) to the...

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Gokaden Part 4: Soshu-den

Gokaden Part 4: Soshu-den

A group of swordsmiths who produced the famous sword, Masamune Soshu refers to the Sagami Province, which is now current Kanagawa Prefecture. Sagami Province flourished as the center of the Kanto Region until the Warring States Period, when Minamoto no...

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Gokaden Part 3: Bizen-den

Gokaden Part 3: Bizen-den

High-quality iron sand produces numerous great swords There were master swordsmiths all over Japan, even outside of the Yamato and Yamashiro regions, but Bizen (present-day Okayama Prefecture) was the place that produced the greatest number of excellent swordsmiths. The term...

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Gokaden Part 2: Yamashiro-den

Gokaden Part 2:  Yamashiro-den

An elegant style, favored by aristocrats, leading shrines, and temples In 794, the capital was transferred from Yamato in Nara to Yamashiro, or present-day Kyoto. Kyoto then played a central role in politics and culture for more than 1,000 years...

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Gokaden Part 1: Yamato-den

Gokaden Part 1: Yamato-den

In the history of Japanese swords, the five major sword-smithing regions are called Gokaden, each of which has developed in its own unique way. Although at first glance, Japanese swords appear to be made in the same way, in fact,...

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