The Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo, set along the bank of the Sumida river, enshrines behind glass a collection of remarkable blades spanning hundreds of years of craftsmanship. Books about the longer uchigatana and shorter wakizashi, some of them written by the museum's very donors, celebrate the swordsmiths who hammered them out of steel. But flip through one, and there's a good chance you won't spot the name Muramasa, despite his swords playing a prominent role in some of Japan's most famous battles.
English (US)