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Looking Sharp

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Continuing west past Owari, you'll next come upon Mino (in current day Gifu Prefecture). While not originally a stop on the Tokaido, the JR Shinkansen's Tokaido Line passing through this area. This area's most famous aspect is its blades. The finest katana [Japanese swords] were forged here, and the tradition continues on today, with craftspeople maintaining the world-class blade making skills of their forebears.

The city of Seki, in Mino, is the most famous place of all for sword production. Seki is home to over 600 companies involved in the creation of knives, comprising 40% of the businesses in the city. The region's history of sword and knife production stretches back to the 13th century. The high-quality ore and pristine water found here were perfect for crafting the sturdy steel needed for a katana.

There are many different ways to experience the history and culture associated with sword making. Mino has a blade museum in Seki, plenty of cutting implements that make great souvenirs, and for the hands-on types, you can even forge your very own samurai knife.

The Seki Blade Museum

If you have time to visit Seki, you should visit the Seki Blade Museum. You can get the full picture of the history and culture of sword making in Seki here. You can try on a kimono, experience a Japanese tea ceremony, take a "sword forging" tour, make your own sword-quality mini-scissors, and watch an iai [Japanese swordsmanship] demonstration. There are a lot of things to try here.

(70-minute express bus from Nagoya Station)

If you're in the area in October, you can also visit the Seki Cutlery Festival. The knife vendors of Seki show off their products and there are a number of performances and sword forging displays to watch. Admission is free and the festival is open from 10am–5pm. Local foods are also available for purchase throughout the festival.

(80-minute bus from Nagoya Station)

Samurai Knife Experience

Near the JR Shinkansen Gifu Hashima Station, there is another fantastic place to try your hand at creating a knife. Asano Kajiya has a great knife making program where master blacksmiths will help you create a hand-crafted katana-quality kitchen knife that you can take back home with you (checked luggage, of course). Spots are limited, so you'll want to make your reservation as early as possible.

(15 minute walk from Gifu Hashima Station)

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