Father-son duo of the Kanefusa Fujiwara swordsmith family crafted the iconic blade
A recreation of the Shishio’s iconic Mugenjin sword from the Rurouni Kenshin series made its first public appearance at the “~Kenshin vs. Shishio~ Rurouni Kenshin and the World of Japanese Swords Exhibit,” which opened at Gifu’s Seki Sword Tradition Museum on Saturday.
The crafters of the sword are a father-son duo belonging to the 25th and 26th generations of the famous swordsmith family Kanefusa Fujiwara. Although best known these days for making high-quality kitchen knives, the Kanefusa Fujiwara family has made swords since the Muromachi era in the 16th century, making it a fitting choice to recreate the swords depicted in Rurouni Kenshin‘s history-flavored setting.
Notably, Shishio’s sword has a chip in it; in the manga’s story, this allows it to remain sharp even after being used to cut. The smiths took half a year to recreate this thin yet deadly blade in a practical way.
At Friday’s exhibit’s press preview, Kanefusa Fujiwara’s 25th-generation smith Katsuo Katō indicated his pride for the final product: “It was delicate work putting notches into the blade. I think the fire crest came out very well.”
The exhibit also shows off a recreation of Kenshin’s Sakabato, which was first unveiled in 2019, as well as other contemporary swords from the Bakumatsu era. The exhibit will run until March 30.
Source: Yomiuri Shimbun Online via Livedoor News, Otakomu