http://vimeo.com/32113233
Korehira Watanabe is only one of 30 master swordsmiths left in Japan. This beautiful documentary short, directed by Takeshi Fukunaga and made By Etsy.tv, tells how he’s followed his love and passion for making swords for over 40 years, even against his family’s wishes. He feels that only recently has one or two of his swords come close to a level near those levels of perfection that are exhibited in the Koto sword of the Heian and Kamakura periods. He also feels that it’s nearly impossible to reach that state of perfection, but he is interested in trying because of his passion to create as well as his need to pass on his knowledge to the next generation.
To him, the modern era has actually hurt the training of a master craftsman because they lose the soul of the work as they attempt to replicate perfection through technical means. A sword made with this approach is like producing an empty vessel. It may look beautiful, but it is empty on the inside. His ultimate goal is to train his disciple to become better than he ever was so that he in turn can train the next generation and keep the craft alive.
Each handcrafted sword contains the soul of Japan and its people, and is a symbolic piece of history that many people want in their homes. A master swordsmaker like Watanabe-san is as much a treasure as his creations, because like the sword, there are so few examples of perfection.
This is also true for an old-world craft which is fading because of modern times. Thank goodness there are many people who choose to keep these fields and these creations alive, because the world would be so much more emptier without them.
– found through Vimeo stumble
