'Artists of steel': Japanese swords forge new fanbase

Photo by YUICHI YAMAZAKI / AFP This picture taken on January 9, 2026 shows sparks flying as swordsmith Akihira Kawasaki (R) steadies steel over an anvil while his apprentice Toru Watanabe hammers the metal to forge katana blades at Kawasaki's workshop in Misato, Saitama prefecture.