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On May 6, a 14-year-old Filipino junior high school student was arrested in connection with an attempted murder case in downtown Nagoya.

According to police, the boy allegedly conspired with another person to attack an 18-year-old man in a parking lot in Sakae, Naka Ward. The victim suffered cuts to his cheek and nose from a knife-like weapon.

Police said the suspect and the victim had argued shortly before the incident. Surveillance camera footage helped identify the boy.

Authorities have not disclosed whether he admits to the allegations. Police are still searching for the second suspect involved in the attack.

Three foreign nationals have been arrested for allegedly smuggling methamphetamine mixed into cotton, according to Aichi Prefectural Police.

The suspects are 50-year-old British national Mohammed Abed and two Nepali men. Police say the group imported about 215 kilograms of methamphetamine from the United Arab Emirates in March, with an estimated street value of around ¥11.4 billion (about US$73 million).

The drugs were reportedly discovered inside a container sent to a company in Toyokawa City. Nagoya Customs found cotton containing methamphetamine and alerted police.

Police have not disclosed whether the suspects admit to the allegations. Investigators believe an international criminal organization may be involved.

This katana was forged about 500 years ago by Magoroku Kanemoto, the famed second-generation Kanemoto of Mino Province, widely known as “Seki no Magoroku.”

Among the many swordsmiths of Sengoku-era Seki, Kanemoto was especially admired for practical battlefield swords of exceptional cutting ability. His blades were ranked among the highest class of cutting swords, known as Saijō Ōwazamono.

Kanemoto is also famous for the distinctive sanbonsugi (“three cedar trees”) temper pattern, which later generations of swordsmiths continued to emulate. In this blade, the pattern is still irregular and expressive, showing the earlier style before it became more standardized.

Most surviving works by Magoroku Kanemoto are relatively short, reflecting the popularity of one-handed swords during the late Muromachi period. Even after being shortened, however, this blade still exceeds 75 cm in length, making it an especially rare example.

The sword is mounted in a late Edo-period half-tachi style mounting, and the bamboo-and-sparrow crest suggests it was once owned by the Date clan of Sendai.

Photo taken at Touken World Nagoya by Nagoya Explorers

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This impressive katana, forged about 400 years ago, was made by Harima no Kami Kanetaka, a master associated with the Mino tradition.

The blade was passed down within the Makino clan, the feudal lords of Nagaoka Domain in present-day Niigata. The Makino family served Tokugawa Ieyasu even before the famous Battle of Sekigahara in 1600.

This katana is regarded as one of the finest surviving works by Kanetaka and reflects the bold style favored in the early Edo period.

Photo taken at Touken World Nagoya by Nagoya Explorers

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This unsigned katana is attributed to Rai Kuninaga, a disciple of the celebrated Rai Kunitoshi of the Rai school.

Kuninaga later moved from Kyoto to Nakajima in Settsu Province (present-day Osaka area), and works from this branch became known as “Nakajima Rai.”

The sword is regarded as a fine example of the refined Kyoto swordmaking tradition of the Kamakura period.

An appraisal document written in 1734 by Honami Kōyū survives with the blade, and historical records in the Tokugawa Jikki may reference this very sword.

Photo taken at Touken World Nagoya by Nagoya Explorers

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The upper naginata in this photo was forged by Higo no Kami Fujiwara Teruhiro, a master swordsmith originally from Mino Province who later served the warlord Fukushima Masanori in Hiroshima.

Very few surviving works by Teruhiro are known today — fewer than 20 across all sword types — and his naginata are especially prized.
This piece shows his later style, with flowing steel patterns and a dynamic temper line featuring gentle waves and pointed elements.

The lower naginata was forged by Kawachi no Kami Kunisuke, one of the leading masters of early Osaka swordmaking in the 1600s.

It was reportedly commissioned by Itakura Shigemune, a highly respected magistrate and Kyoto deputy governor known for his fairness and careful judgments.
The weapon was given the name “Tenbin” (“Balance Scale”), symbolizing justice and impartiality.

Both naginata were photographed at Touken World Nagoya by Nagoya Explorers.

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The Aichi-Nagoya War Museum is located in a historic building completed in 1933.

Its old architecture and atmosphere reflect the history of prewar Nagoya.

This katana was forged by Kanenaga, a disciple of the famed Chōgi of the Osafune school in Bizen Province.

Like his master, Kanenaga worked in the dramatic Sōden-Bizen style — a fusion of traditional Bizen techniques with the powerful influence of the Sōshū tradition.

The blade has the wide shape and extended tip typical of the Nanbokuchō period (1300s).
Its vivid temper pattern features waves, clove shapes, bright activity along the edge, and flowing lines of hardened steel, creating an especially dynamic appearance.

Interestingly, the tang bears a gold-inlaid attribution added in 1686 by Honami Mitsutsune, one of the most influential sword appraisers of the Edo period.

The inscription confirms the blade as a work of Kanenaga and reflects the high regard it received centuries after it was forged.

Photo taken at Touken World Nagoya by Nagoya Explorers

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Crafted in 1856, at the very end of the Edo period, this armor was made by Yoshitane, whose signature appears on the helmet, mask, and cuirass.

Its most striking feature is the enormous crescent-shaped sashimono mounted on the back.

Unlike the flat cloth flags commonly used on the battlefield, this is a rare three-dimensional form — bold, rigid, and highly visible.

Rather than practicality, it emphasizes presence, identity, and status.

An unmistakable silhouette designed to stand out.

Photo taken at Touken World Nagoya by Nagoya Explorers

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This katana is attributed to Yoshie, believed to be the son or grandson of Munechika, founder of the Sanjō school in Kyoto.

Although the blade is shortened, it preserves a gakumei (inlaid signature) reading “Yoshie saku,” helping identify it as a work of the Sanjō tradition.

Yoshie’s style retains the elegance of early Kyoto blades, while showing a slightly broader and more solid shape compared to his predecessor.

The blade shows a soft, flowing pattern with subtle variations, reflecting the elegant style of Munechika.

The finely forged steel shows subtle surface patterns, giving the blade an elegant and refined look.

Photo taken at Touken World Nagoya by Nagoya Explorers

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This katana was forged by Kunikane, a swordsmith who served Date Masamune.

After further training under a master in Kyoto, Kunikane was granted an official court title. Later in life, following Masamune’s death, he entered the Buddhist priesthood and took the name “Yōkei.”

This blade bears that rare “Yōkei Kunikane” signature — an uncommon inscription that reflects this later stage of his life.

Blades signed with “Yōkei” are particularly scarce, making this an important historical piece as well as a fine example of his craftsmanship.

Photo taken at Touken World Nagoya by Nagoya Explorers

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This katana was originally a naginata, later reshaped into its present form — a process known as naginata-naoshi.

It is attributed to Kaneuji, one of the legendary Ten Disciples of Masamune and a key figure in the development of the Mino tradition.

Kaneuji trained under Masamune before moving to Mino, where he blended the Sōshū style with earlier traditions to help shape a new regional school of swordmaking.

What makes this blade truly unique is its long inscription carved into the tang:

“Do not sell, pawn, or give away this sword.
Those who disobey will fall into hell and suffer divine punishment.”

Such inscriptions reflect a long-held belief that Japanese swords possessed spiritual power — and were far more than mere weapons.

A rare fusion of craftsmanship, faith, and warning.

Photo taken in Touken World Nagoya by Nagoya Explorers

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This blade was forged by Ōmura Kaboku (Yasuhide), a 17th-century samurai physician.

Born in Suruga Province, he trained in medicine and served as a surgeon to a domain lord before later becoming a personal physician to Tokugawa Mitsukuni.

Despite not being a professional swordsmith, Kaboku forged just over 100 blades in his lifetime — making surviving works exceptionally rare.

Many of his swords bear the striking inscription:

“I am not a swordsmith.”

Yet the craftsmanship tells a different story.

Working in the Sōshū tradition, his blades combine technical skill with a uniquely personal identity rarely seen in Japanese sword history.

A rare fusion of medicine and steel.

Photo taken in Touken World Nagoya by Nagoya Explorers

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This tachi was forged by Rai Kunitoshi, one of the leading masters of the Rai school in Kyoto during the late Kamakura period.

He is believed to be the son of Rai Kuniyuki, and both are regarded as among the finest swordsmiths of their time.

Kunitoshi’s works are known to bear either a two-character signature (“Kunitoshi”) or a three-character signature (“Rai Kunitoshi”).
Today, these are generally understood to represent different stages of his career — the shorter form for earlier works, and the longer form for his mature period.

Although this blade has been shortened, it still retains part of the three-character signature near the tang, confirming its attribution.

Forged around 700 years ago, it reflects the refined elegance and strength that define the Kyoto tradition.

Photo taken in Touken World Nagoya by Nagoya Explorers

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A 21-year-old Filipino man was arrested on the evening of the 5th at a recycle shop in Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture, on suspicion of robbery causing injury after allegedly shoplifting merchandise and injuring a store clerk.

According to police, at around 7:00 p.m., the suspect attempted to steal a computer keyboard from a recycle shop in Shinzaike-cho, Nishio. When a store employee confronted him, he fled the scene.

The suspect was eventually apprehended by store staff in a parking lot about 300 meters away. However, while fleeing, he allegedly rammed into a 38-year-old male employee who was trying to pick up a smartphone the suspect had dropped. The employee sustained minor injuries to his hand.

The suspect, identified as Joel Second Maningo Sandig, a temporary worker, has been arrested on suspicion of robbery causing injury. He denies the charges, stating, “I forgot I was holding the keyboard when I left the store, and I did not ram into the employee.”

These are wild softshell turtles (suppon), pretty common in Japan but I didn’t expect this during cherry blossom season.