Japanology Plus Season 2016 Episode 10 - Bladed Tools

Airdate: 2016-Apr-21

Episode summary:

In this edition of of Japanology Plus, host Peter Barakan pays a visit to the city of Sakai, which is part of Osaka Prefecture in Western Japan. Sakai has been known for bladesmithing since the Muromachi period (1333–1568), The emergence of sushi as the fast food of the age called for a range of knives for street-side vendors. The bonsai tradition, meanwhile, spawned a range of delicate shears and squeeze-scissors, a genre of tool that was also turned to the shaping of wagashi confections for the tea ceremony, and the fashion and beauty needs of an increasingly style-conscious populace. Indeed, this is the area of Japanese bladesmithing that continues to evolve.

About Japanology Plus series:

Going a step further from our previous series BEGIN Japanology, host Peter Barakan visits experts in various fields to show Japanese culture from a...Show more >