“Do you know about Ryūseitō?” asked Kuniichi Takami, 48, as he slowly took out a dagger, otherwise known as tantō (短刀, literally short sword).

Hiroyuki Kobayashi (Sankei Shimbun), JAPAN Forward

Have you heard of “meteor swords”? They really do exist.

Sometimes called a “sword from heaven,” Ryūseitō (流星刀) is “a Japanese sword made out of meteoric material.” For most people, the name brings to mind a fairytale fantasy sword or a special weapon that appears in an anime series depicting a samurai during the Sengoku Period (1460 to 1615).

In real life, however, Takeaki Enomoto 榎本武揚, (1836-1908), who was vassal to the shogun and then key statesman during the Meiji Era (1868-1912), is known to have owned a sword made from meteors that had fallen from outer space. It is said that he is the man who christened this type of sword for the first time.

They exist outside of Japan, too. Swords made with similar material have been reported in various places around the world since ancient times.

This fascinating history led me to delve deeply into the “World of Ryūseitō.”

As Brilliant as Silver

“Do you know about Ryūseitō?” asked Kuniichi Takami 高見國一, 48, as he slowly took out a dagger, otherwise known as tantō (短刀, literally short sword).

Takami has a sword forging lab in the Sayo district, Hyogo Prefecture. He entered the world of sword-making in 1992, and set up on his own in 1999. He has won several awards at modern day sword exhibitions organized by The Society for Preservation of Japanese Art Swords, which allocates the most prestigious awards in the sector.

Takami represents Hyogo prefecture as a swordsmith.

In 2019 Takami also earned the title Mukansa (無鑑査) in recognition of his outstanding swordmaking skill.

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