Sparks illuminate the soot-covered studio of Japanese swordsmith Akihira Kawasaki as his apprentice hammers red-hot steel, showcasing a millennium-old craft enjoying a resurgence in popularity.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Blade maker Akihira Kawasaki in his workshop in Misato, Saitama prefecture (Yuichi YAMAZAKI) (Yuichi YAMAZAKI/AFP/AFP) Sparks ...

TOKYO - Sparks illuminate the soot-covered studio of Japanese swordsmith Akihira Kawasaki as his apprentice hammers red-hot steel, showcasing a millennium-old craft now enjoying a resurgence in ...

Pop culture fuels katana revival, but Japan’s swordsmiths struggle to survive Sparks flying as swordsmith Akihira Kawasaki forges steel with a mechanical hammer at Kawasaki's workshop in Misato, ...

MISATO, Saitama, Japan — Sparks illuminate the soot-covered studio of Japanese swordsmith Akihira Kawasaki as his apprentice hammers red-hot steel, showcasing a millennium-old craft now enjoying a ...

Driving the sword boom of the last decade has been video game "Touken Ranbu," where swords take on the form of handsome men, with more recent hits like US series "Shogun" and anime "Demon Slayer" also ...

Despite the rapidly greying, shrinking population of blademakers in Japan, their fine steel swords known as katana are amassing a new generation of fans, particularly younger women, on the back of pop ...

A traditional swordsmith in Japan says growing pop culture interest is bringing new, younger audiences to the centuries-old art of katana making. In Saitama Prefecture, 57-year-old swordsmith Akihira ...