Sand and swords in Setouchi
The highlight of this weekend was a field trip (kindly led by the International Affairs Division manager and joined by one of the division’s interpreters, who both gave up their Sundays to further my sightseeing) to Setouchi. Setouchi is basically the Amalfi coast of Okayama prefecture. Miles of perfect drives along the water with stunning views, sailboats dotting the ocean below, and even faux-Roman architecture at the viewpoints and resorts.
Our first stop was “Venus Road,” a collection of tiny islands that are connected by sandbars at low tide. You can catch a boat from Limani Hotel (http://www.limani.jp/) to the first island, and then walk along the sandbars to get to the others. Unfortunately, the tide wasn’t quite low enough on Sunday to reach all the islands, so I could only traverse one sandbar path. It still felt really cool! The people ahead of and behind me looked like they were walking on water, and the ocean vista from the islands was unsurpassed.
After a brief pit stop for gelato (it was hot out!), we went to the Bizen Osafune Sword Museum. We timed our visit to coincide with a forging demonstration, so there was lots of red-hot metal and sparks flying. But in fact, the most interesting demonstrations were the less dramatic ones. We watched an engraver add a tiny, intricate dragon to the forte of a sword. We watch a hilt-maker wrap silk cord in the traditional pattern. We watched a sharpener run a blade over wet stone repeatedly. We watched an enameler painstakingly apply enamel to a wooden scabbard, and a scabbard maker’s apprentice carve wood in the precise shape of a particular blade.
Inside the main museum building was a step-by-step video of the forging process, as well as descriptions of the other craftsmen’s roles. We learned that making a traditional Japanese sword takes a full year from start to finish! The museum also housed many swords of various lengths and styles, some dating back to the 1200s. I’m a fencer, so the sword geek in me was thrilled.
Yes, the gift shop has traditionally made blades, ranging from letter openers to katana-length swords. No, I didn’t buy one. Flying internationally is enough of a headache without having to explain a deadly weapon!
