Art of the Japanese Sword

If you have even the slightest interest in the Katana then this link is for you.
This video is beautifully presented and the film quality is very good. If your broad band speed is high then the streaming option will work.
I chose to purchase the video. It is a 1 Gig download, but after that it is yours.



The Japanese sword … prized as much for its exceptional beauty as for it’s deadly cutting ability. It has endured for a thousand years as the pinnacle of Japanese culture. Now you can enter a world rarely seen by outsiders. To experience the true story of the Art of the Samurai Sword. A story told in the swordsmiths own words that separate the myth from the fact. Follow the swordsmiths dream of creating a masterpiece. From the quest to making an ancient steel to forging a blade equal to those of the Kamakura, a medieval period that produced the greatest swords in history. For the martial artist the Japanese sword is a precise cutting weapon and symbol of the Samurai. For the collector, it is an art form whose beauty is derived from its deadly function to cut. As our story of the Japanese sword unfolds, we bring together all the artists and craftsmen whose skills turn it into both a modern work of art and a window into the past. Produced in association with Paul Martin, a leading Japanese sword expert and filmed throughout Japan with the very best swordsmiths and craftsmen who are the absolute masters of their art … the art of the Japanese sword. Packed with never before seen footage, filmmmaker Jon Braeley was given unrestricted access to film inside the forges, workshops and Shinto shrines and museums. Featuring Japan’s top swordsmiths: Kawachi Kunihira, Matsuda Tsuguyasu and Manabe Sumihira and many more.

It is a fascinating journey that starts with swordsmith Manabe who makes his own steel from an ancient recipe dating back to the 13th century. In this unusually detailed look into the making of the Japanese sword, this documentary “lifts the lid” and exposes dramatic footage of the forging methods, the folding, the clay coating and more. Going beyond films before it, Art of the Japanese Sword showcases the polishers, scabbard and metal fitting makers as well the handle wrapping … the most comprehensive movie ever made on the Japanese sword.

Often referred to as the Samurai sword, we enter the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu – the oldest martial arts dojo in Japan, where traditional sword fighting techniques of the Samurai are still taught. The schools instructor and top martial arts master and sword expert is Otake Risuke who grants a very rare interview to talk about this most ancient symbol of Japanese culture.

Art of the Japanese Sword is a truly unique exploration of one of the worlds most beautiful yet deadly cutting edge weapon. The following is a small sample of the chapters or scenes:

Making the Steel: Follow swordsmith Manabe Sumihira as he makes his own steel from an ancient recipe.
Forging the Steel: One of Japan’s top swordsmith’s, Kawachi Kunihira at work folding and forging the steel.
Martial Arts: Enter the Katori Shinto Ryu, Japan’s oldest traditional school of classic sword fighting, Koryu Bujutsu.
Forging the Blade: Swordsmith Matsuda Tsuguyasu shapes and tempers the blank (sunobe) blade.
Shinto and the Sword: The spiritual practice of Shinto has a long deep connection to the Japanese Sword.
Polishing: Follow polishers Matsumura Sotaro and Morii Tetsutaro as they slowly bring the beauty of the blade alive.
Handle Making: Watch a master craftman at work as Iiyama Kensen wraps the handle in rayskin and silk-cord.

Run Time::
85 minutes
Region:
Plays worldwide
Language:
English Narration and subtitles
Format:
Widescreen 5.1 Surround sound

James Clavell's Shogun TV Miniseries

There is a special on 'TV series' and James Clavell's Shogun DVD boxed sets are available for £16.98. This is less than half price. Not bad for nine hours of mini-series and one hour of special features. I bought this set a couple of years back and have watched it at least twice. It truly is a spectacle.

The complete collection of Shogun tells the story of John Blackthorne (Chamberlain), an English navigator who finds himself shipwrecked off the coast of Japan. Once rescued, Blackthorne becomes an eyewitness to a deadly struggle involving Toranaga, a feuding Japanese warlord intent on becoming Shogun - the supreme military dictator. Blackthorne is, despite his better judgement, irresistibly drawn into the turmoil and finds himself vying to become the first ever ‘Gai-Jin’ (foreigner) to be made a Samurai warrior.

You can get the Book Shogun for £5.84... or maybe even £1.05 if you are happy with a second hand copy. This is a truly great book. Here are some of the reviews:

'My bet for the most satisfyingly popular novel of the year . . . It has power, it has violence, subtlety and lots, lots more . . . Clavell never puts a foot wrong . . . Get it, read it, you'll enjoy it mightily' (Daily Mirror )

'SHOGUN is a huge exotic, blood-stained canvas of sixteenth century but still medieval Japan, rival warlords and proselytising Jesuits, geishas, seppuku, samurai with the death-with and a shipwrecked Elizabethan' (Guardian )

'Mr Clavell tells his story brilliantly' (The Times )

'One of the great page turners of all time' ( Good Book Guide )

'I can’t remember when a novel has seized my mind like this one. It’s irresistable, maybe unforgettable. Clavell ... creates a world so enveloping you forget who and where you are' (New York Times ) 

You might even consider getting both the DVD miniseries and the Book for £22.82, you will find the link marked "Frequently Bought Together" if you click on the book link.

I'm not sure how long these prices will hold, so if you come back to this page and the prices I have quoted in the text and the prices you see in the links are not the same, accept that you missed out.