See Firsthand How Japanese Swords Are Made

Cultural insights in Seki, Japan’s historic sword-making center

Seki, a modest-sized city in Gifu Prefecture known as “the city of blades,” was once the center of sword making in Japan. In the 1500s, some 300 swordsmiths worked here, and it is regarded as the place where the samurai sword was invented and perfected.

This experience offers you the chance to see the 25th and 26th generations of the Fujiwara Kanefusa family, a celebrated sword-making lineage, hammering out a sword with techniques that have been passed down across eight centuries. The Fujiwara Kanefusa family made swords for the Tokugawa shoguns, who ruled Japan from 1603 to 1867. Even today, the family continues to make the ceremonial swords that are presented to sumo wrestlers promoted to the highest rank of yokozuna. Watching the sparks fly as they pound the raw steel while dressed in traditional blacksmith costumes is a remarkable experience, and even more so when you consider that you’re witnessing a living manifestation of a tradition stretching back over half a millennium.

You can round off the experience with a visit to the Seki Hamono Museum. The museum features displays of swords along with demonstrations of sword sharpening and sheath making. The museum shop sells everything from scissors and clippers to kitchen knives and swords.

Access: From JR Nagoya Station, take the JR Tokaido Main Line bound for Ogaki or Maibara and get off at JR Gifu Station (20 minutes). Then take the bus from JR Gifu Station and get off at Oyana Bus Stop (40 minutes). From there, it is about a 15-minute walk. 

Japanese Sword Forging Experience（Hamonoya Sansyu）