Bizen Osafune Sword Museum

Okayama Prefecture is counted among Japan’s gokaden—five major sword-producing regions. The best place to encounter this local industry firsthand is the Bizen Osafune Sword Museum in Setouchi City.

Sword Making in Okayama Prefecture

Photo by: PIXTA/ 風太

Iron production has existed in Okayama since ancient times. As the first shogunate government emerged, sword-making schools flourished in the town of Osafune (now part of Okayama’s Setouchi City). The blades produced in this area became known as Bizen swords, named after the old province that later became southeastern Okayama.

Bizen sword production thrived thanks to the local region’s rich natural resources. The nearby Yoshii River also provided a convenient means of transporting and accessing raw materials. The old Sanyodo highway (one of Japan’s historic major roads) was also located nearby. This road supported local trade by connecting Osafune to major cities.

Sword-making schools in Osafune continued producing for centuries. They created priceless blades admired by Japan’s most famous historical figures. Today, Okayama Prefecture is known as the birthplace of almost half of the swords designated as National Treasures and important cultural properties in Japan.

Bizen Osafune Sword Museum

Photo by: PIXTA/ 風太

The art of forging Bizen swords lives on at the Bizen Osafune Sword Museum and the adjoining Bizen Osafune Token (sword) Village.

The sword museum houses hundreds of blades in rotating exhibitions. The sword village, meanwhile, provides visitors a chance to observe craftsmen such as swordsmiths, engravers, polishers and scabbard makers. These and other specialists work together to make a single sword. 

On the second Sunday of every month, swordsmiths host a special demonstration of heating and shaping red-hot steel (advance reservations are possible). Experiences such as knife-making classes are also available with reservations.

Visitors can also glimpse religious sites connected to sword making, like nearby Yukie Shrine and Jigen-in temple. Yukie Shrine is said to be where local swordsmiths prayed for eye health. Jigen-in temple, which is about a five-minute walk south of the museum, holds memorial services for local swordsmiths.