Japan is often seen as a blend of the advanced and the archaic. But this combination is nothing new, as a visit to an exhibition of swords now on at the Nezu Museum in Tokyo's Omotesando district makes clear.
Focusing on Japan's greatest swordsmith, Masamune, who brought the art of sword-making to the peak of perfection in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, the pristine and gleaming weapons on show here seem almost alive with a lightness and energy that is difficult to explain. Compared to their ponderous, dented and dulled European counterparts, they embody workmanship so precise that it is hard to believe they are relics of a preindustrial society.
Of Masamune himself, little is known. Apart from around 50 surviving swords attributed to him -- 16 of which are displayed here -- all that remains is his mystique and legend. Even Taeko Watanabe, director of Mishima City's Sano Art Museum and the exhibition's curator, can cast little light on the master's techniques. Generally, however, it is known that even before Masamune's time, sword-making in Japan was highly advanced, as seen in an excellent sword by one of his predecessors, Sukezane.