The art of Japanese sword making, has a history dating back more than 1000 years, and is considered the height of traditional Japanese craftsmanship. Not only the blade itself, but the entire piece including all the decorative sword fittings, is a work of art and is now drawing much attention from a legion of dedicated fans and art collectors the world over. But how could we add a more global perspective and bring a new look to an art piece that is the absolute pride of Japanese culture? With this goal in mind, we invited the world famous designer; Marc Newson to join the project. Working tirelessly together through much

trial and error, we eventually were able to accomplish our mission and complete“aikuchi” to perfection at last. “Aikuchi” does not incorporate a “lower guard”into its design, and is therefore considered by some people to be more of a “lucky charm” than a weapon.  The name “aikuchi” was chosen for this project to highlight the tight coupling between the sword, handle and scabbard, and also to draw attention to the fusion of two different cultures. Please take this opportunity to see “aikuchi”, which was created by incorporating “a Japanese sense of beauty”, “traditional craftsmanship” and “innovative design”.