He continued to collect Japanese swords on the sidelines of his practice as a physician. Twenty-two of the 31 blades are categorized as “koto” (old swords), which date to around the 16th ...

The traditional katana sword is fashioned only from the purest steel, which the Japanese call tamahagane ... high-carbon, which is very hard and allows for a razor-sharp edge, and low-carbon ...

It read: “I am very glad to ... the blade to the Japanese Sword Museum and other facilities for analysis. Experts said the weapon is believed to be one of a series of swords referred to as ...