Art of the Japanese Sword

Director: Jon Braeley
Run time: 85 minutes
Language: Japanese with English subtitles

Relying on interviews with the top swordsmiths in Japan, the film follows the Japanese ethos of process. The blending of the old with the new is included with how to produce the right steel from scratch, the influence of the Shinto religion, and all of the experts at their craft who are involved in the process (swordsmith, sword carver, habaki maker, polisher, scabbard maker, handle wrapper).

This film would be an excellent piece to a Common Core unit regarding Japanese culture and history. Students begin to understand that there is a spiritual aspect that remains in the hearts of the Japanese when it comes to their past. There is also a connection to Japanese mythology which is rarely taught in schools as an example of mythology readings with the film adding the mythological piece through interviews. The students will begin to see that the art of the sword is connected to the Shinto religion that Japanese say is the true traditional indigenous religion. I will offer a study guide with the film that also offers linking questions to mythology readings and Japanese historical texts.