The Search for the Mysterious Sword "Kotetsu" By now, many are aware of Kondo Isami. The broad faced bull of a man with a sharp, piercing stare. He was the head of the Shinsengumi, a secret police force appointed by...

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More Japanese expressions associated with Japanese swords For this entry, I would like to continue to introduce Japanese idioms related to the Japanese sword. Dotanba (A podium made of sand) During the Edo period, the execution place for criminals had...

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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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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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