SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.

Featured

Weird
Studio Ghibli
Jobs

swords (Page 5)

Young martial artist slices through the competition, takes the internet by storm

Jamie Koide
Nov 10, 2015
Tweet

Female fighters in Japan and all across the globe and are inspiring a whole new generation of young women to take up martial arts in what has traditionally been considered a male-dominated domain, like this adorable pint-sized warrior who’s starring in a new music video.

But another young female athlete found herself suddenly in the spotlight for her proficiency in multiple martial arts, catching the attention of viewers all across the world by channeling her inner ninja with an amazing video of her performing her best sword fighting techniques.

Internet
(cool • kids • martial arts • swords • U.K. • video)

Voices beckons you to see new project from Attack on Titan director【Video】

KK Miller
Oct 23, 2015

Though the live-action Attack on Titan movie wasn’t the gigantic hit it was supposed to be, director Shinji Higuchi is moving forward and has already been signed to co-direct the 2016 blockbuster Shin Gojira (“New Godzilla“). One would think that the Japanese follow-up to the 2014 American reboot of Godzilla would be enough to keep a director busy, but it seems he is multitasking by working on another project with the action director of the live-action Rurouni Kenshin films, Kenji Tanigaki.

This brand new project is titled Voices and features action-packed footage and some stirring theme music. That seems like some solid preview material, but it appears they have left out one key point, what in the world is “Voices”?

Japan
(Kenji Tanigaki • martial arts • Shinji Higuchi • swords • video • voices)

Evangelion x Japanese Sword dolls take a trip to traditional Japan with katana blades and kimono

Oona McGee
Oct 21, 2015

It’s been 20 years since the critically acclaimed Evangelion series first came to life on the small screen, and to this day it remains one of the most successful animated series to ever come out of Japan.

With such a dedicated legion of fans, the merchandising has been off the hook, with everything from burgers to lingerie and even a bullet train getting the Eva treatment. But amongst all this, there’s one special limited-edition range that’s really striking a chord with Japanese fans, as it takes the tough, sexy heroines of the series out of their futuristic battle cockpits and re-imagines them as katana sword-wielding ladies in kimono.

Japan
(anime • dolls • Evangelion • Katana • manga • samurai • swords)

Hobbyist turns Volks Super Dollfie girls into amazing Dancing Dolls

Oona McGee
Oct 19, 2015

Japanese company Volks has been making Super Dollfie dolls for more than a decade. The ball-jointed doll-figures are designed to be fully customisable, with removable wigs, interchangeable appendages and resin parts that can even be sanded for reshaping.

One Super Dollfie fan has taken the concept of customisation to a whole new level by melding the cute doll parts with robot skeletons, which allows the dolls to dance, play violins, and take part in some awesome samurai-style katana swordplay.

Japan
(dolls • Katana • robots • samurai • swords)

Modern samurai demonstrates that he could make it in Major League Baseball【Video】

KK Miller
Oct 15, 2015

The master swordsman Isao Machii has been dicing up whatever has been thrown at him so far. Whether it’s shrimp, fruit, or soybeans, this expert has left his cutting mark in a field of sliceable items.

One field he hasn’t turned his sword on yet is baseball, but considering how much Japan loves the game, it was only a matter of time before Machii would step up to the plate, and he’s done so in an impressive display of swordsmanship you won’t want to miss.

Japan
(awesome • baseball • Isao Machii • samurai • swords • videos)

Chop up paperwork with katana scissors inspired by the swords of Oda Nobunaga and other samurai

Preston Phro
Oct 2, 2015

If you’re anything like us, you spend a more than healthy amount of time day-dreaming about cutting down enemies with a katana. Not that we really have any enemies or even people we’d glare at on the subway. Heck, we’re pretty peaceful, loving folks here at RocketNews24! But that doesn’t change the fact that Japanese swords are just freaking awesome.

Still, there’s not much cause to walk around with a sword strapped to your hip these days. Fortunately, Nikken Cutlery has found the perfect compromise: scissors inspired by the swords of Oda Nobunaga and other samurai!

Internet, Japan
(cool • fun • Katana • Oda Nobunaga • scissors • swords)

Man At Arms is back, forging the epic Excalibur from Fate/Stay Night【Video】

KK Miller
Sep 27, 2015

Two weeks ago, we were blown away by the Oathkeeper Keyblade created by the talented blacksmiths and craftsmen over on the YouTube show Man At Arms: Reforged. After binge-watching all their previous episodes, we drummed away at our keyboards, waiting for their next beautiful piece to show up, and when it finally did, we weren’t disappointed.

This week the team crafted the holy sword from the mega-popular series Fate/Stay Night. Spoiler alert, the finished Sword of Promised Victory looks absolutely stunning and incredibly deadly.

Internet
(anime • cool • Fate/stay night • Man at Arms Reforged • swords • video)

Women in Tokyo are cutting through stress and fat with this new “Katana Exercise” class

Audrey Akcasu
Aug 18, 2015

There’s a growing fitness trend in Tokyo, but it’s nothing new really, being based on age-old traditions: Katana Exercise.

Not only will you be taught to swing a sword like a samurai by a handsome teacher, but you’ll cut out stress and extra fat. Check out our hands-on experience of the class after the jump!

Japan
(exercise • fitness • Katana • samurai • swords • Tokyo • video)

Want to see a katana being made from scratch? Of course you do!【Video】

Preston Phro
Jul 22, 2015

Statistically speaking, we’re going to guess that a few of our readers have a soft spot for katanas. In fact, if we were to really go out on a limb, we’d say a whole bunch of you probably like the swords — and with good reason. They’re just really freaking cool! Now, we’re not going to objectively state that katanas are the coolest swords ever, mostly because some of the people who disagree probably have access to swords. But we think they’re pretty darn nifty, especially when they’re made out of meteorites.

Of course, we’re not the only ones who love old samurai swords. Director Quentin Tarantino, for example, seems to have a strong affection for them, if Kill Bill is any indication. So, it’s probably only logical that the most recent episode of Men at Arms: Reforged features a group of swordsmiths creating a Hattori Hanzō katana. To watch the process from ore to sword, check out the video below!

Internet
(Katana • Man at Arms • Man at Arms Reforged • swords)

Samurai fashion guide – Should you wear your sword blade-up or blade-down?

Casey Baseel
Jun 22, 2015

In any situation, it’s important to dress appropriately. It can be tough to get all the little details just right, though, especially when dealing with articles of clothing you don’t have occasion to use very often. If you’re still a student, for example, you might have trouble tying a nice, crisp knot in your necktie, and even if you’re an adult working in a suit-and-tie business environment, you might not know all the finer points for more formal accessorizing, such as where to position a tie bar or the proper way to fold a pocket square.

Or, if you’re going to meet up with your fellow samurai, should your sword point upwards or downwards?

Japan
(culture • history • samurai • swords)

Driving just became so much more thrilling with this katana-handle shift knob

Meg Murphy
Jun 17, 2015

A while back, we introduced a realistic ninja throwing star origami template for all of you ninjas-in-training, but if you’re more of a sword-wielding samurai-type (and you happen to drive a truck), you can now turn your shift knob into a samurai sword! Or, well, at least half of one…

Japan
(cars • Katana • samurai • shift knobs • swords)

What’s so special about Japanese swords? We interview master katana maker Norihiro Miyairi!

Kay
Apr 29, 2015

You could say that the traditional Japanese sword, or katana, symbolizes the strength and beauty of the Japanese spirit. We see these swords quite often in comics, anime and movies, but how well do we really know the spiritual and cultural elements they embody?

To find out, we went to a true expert to learn about the fascinating and mysterious world of Japanese swords. Join us for an in-depth interview with master katana maker Norihiro Miyairi!

Japan
(interview • Japanese sword • Katana • Norihiro Miyairi • swords • traditional crafts)

Historical Japanese swords turn into hot and battle-hardened Blade Boys in new video game

Casey Baseel
Jan 23, 2015

These days, one of the quickest and most popular methods for stocking a video game with a cast of attractive anime-style characters is to pick a class of item and anthropomorphize the heck out of it. There’s currently no hotter mobile game than Kantai Collection, in which players command a fleet of pretty girls who’re all modeled after World War II-era Japanese warships. If naval history isn’t your thing, you can also find titles featuring comely cars and moe mushrooms.

There’s a new entry in the subgenre though, and judging from its all-pretty boy roster of characters, it’s been designed with female otaku gamers in mind. As such, it’s no surprise that the men of Touken Ranbu are all based on something long and hard…plus sharp, as they’re all anthropomorphized swords.

Japan
(anime • culture • history • samurai • Smartphones • swords • video games)

Samurai tennis! Professional Kei Nishikori trades racquet for a sword in this awesome new ad

Casey Baseel
Jan 9, 2015

Last year, Nissin, makers of Cup Noodle instant ramen, created the awesome Samurai in Brazil ad, in which a soccer player clad in Japanese armor travelled to South America to show off his footwork to the locals. The company later caught up with the freestyle soccer expert in Europe with a sequel, Samurai in Manchester .

In its newest commercial, Nissin isn’t just switching venues, but sports, too, as Samurai in New York features one of the best tennis players in the world, who proves just how talented he is by leaving behind his racquet and delivering powerful forehands, backhands, and serves using a wooden sword.

Japan
(awesome • commercials • cool • cup noodles • history • ramen • samurai • sports • swords • tennis)

Make studying violent with these Legendary Weapon pencil toppers

Casey Baseel
Dec 27, 2014

When I was in junior high school, for a couple of weeks it seemed like whenever the teacher’s back was turned, all the kids in the classroom were engaged in pencil fighting. One combatant would hold his pencil lengthwise, his opponent would try to shatter it with his own, and then they’d switch, taking turns until only one pencil was left intact.

When you stop and think about it, it’s kind of a dumb game. Sure, destruction being a critical component gives it an undeniable appeal. No matter how talented you are though, in the end, you’re just swinging around a writing instrument, and not an awesome foe-cleaving weapon.

Unless, of course, you have one of these cool Legendary Weapon pencil caps.

Japan
(awesome • cool • Fantasy • swords • toys • writing instruments)

“2D vs. Katana” exhibition shows off recreations of swords from anime and video games in Osaka

Casey Baseel
Dec 20, 2014

Last year, Tokyo’s Ueno Royal Museum held an exhibition of Japanese swords inspired by the mechanical and character designs of landmark anime Evangelion. As cool as some of the pieces looked, though, you won’t find any scenes in the giant robot franchise where someone actually fights using a katana.

On the other hand, right now the Osaka Museum of History is holding an event that goes even further in bridging the gap between fantasy and reality, by displaying recreations of amazing blades seen in anime, manga, and light novel illustrations.

Japan
(anime • awesome • cool • cosplay • events • history • manga • museums • swords • video games)

Zelda hero Link’s other blade, the Fierce Deity Sword, brought to life in awesome video

Casey Baseel
Nov 26, 2014

While every game in Nintendo’s long-running Zelda franchise stars an elfish boy named Link who goes on a quest to save the world, each installment puts its own signature wrinkle on the formula. Wind Waker is the one with cel-shaded, storybook-like visuals. Twilight Princess is the one where Link can turn into a wolf.

And Majora’s Mask is the weird, dark one that would give little kids nightmares.

That’s not the sole distinction for title, though. Majora’s Mask is also the only place where you can see the awesome Fierce Deity Sword. Well, more accurately, it was the only place, since the awesome blade now exists in real life, too.

Japan, USA
(awesome • cool • crafts • nintendo • swords • video games • Zelda)

Who needs scissors? Stylist in Vietnam slices customers’ hair with samurai sword

Casey Baseel
Nov 14, 2014

About a month after I moved to Japan in college, my hair was getting pretty shaggy, so I asked my host dad where I could get a trim. The place he took me to was an old-school barbershop, and I remember being surprised when instead of using electric clippers on the back of my neck, the barber used a straight razor.

Still, that wasn’t nearly as big as the shock some customers get when they walk into this hairdresser’s in Vietnam and see the stylist slicing people’s hair with a Japanese sword.

SE Asia
(cool • crazy • fashion • swords • weird)

Scholars confirm first discovery of Japanese sword from master bladesmith Masamune in 150 years

Casey Baseel
Sep 9, 2014

Should you visit a history museum in Japan, and, like I do, make an immediate beeline for the collections of samurai armor and weaponry, you might be surprised to notice that Japanese swords are customarily displayed with the stitching removed from the hilt. Visually, it sort of dampens the impact, since the remaining skinny slab of metal is a lot less evocative of it actually being gripped and wielded by one of Japan’s warriors of ages past.

The reason this is done, though, is because many Japanese swordsmiths would “sign” their works by etching their names into the metal of the hilt. Some craftsmen achieved almost legendary status, becoming folk heroes whose names are widely known even today.

The most respected of all, though, was Masamune, whose reluctance to sign his blades has made identifying them difficult. But difficult and impossible are two different things, and for the first time in over a century, a sword has been confirmed by historians as being the creation of the master himself.

Japan
(cool • history • samurai • swords)

Real, functional Attack on Titan swords: This man’s year-long project will blow your mind

Preston Phro
May 7, 2014

As popular as Attack on Titan is, it’s hardly surprising how many great cosplay outfits have been made by fans. And with a live action movie in the works, we wouldn’t be surprised if the level of pure awesome of AoT cosplay explodes a few hundredfold.

But it’s going to be tough to top these real, functional swords one university student made in his free time over the course of a year. The best part is, he might even make a pair for you!