After finishing our lunch, we got back into the rental car and set off once more. Before long, Kuro and I arrived at our destination: the sword museum.
"Huh...?"
"What’s wrong, Kaito-kun?"
"No, it’s nothing."
I looked at the cluster of buildings and the sign that read "Bizen Osafune Sword Village." Had it always looked like this? In my memory, it was a much smaller, more modest place—just the museum and nothing else. Perhaps I was misremembering.
Then again, the last time I’d visited was back in the early years of elementary school, over a decade ago. It wasn't strange to think the place had been renovated since then. Of course, it was just as likely that my childhood memories were simply unreliable.
Regardless, seeing more to explore than I’d anticipated was a pleasant surprise.
Directly ahead of the parking lot stood a building that looked like a gift shop, but we decided to prioritize the museum itself. We passed through a traditional wooden gate and followed the path. A directional sign soon came into view: to the right was the Bizen Osafune Sword Museum, and to the left was the Swordsmith Imaizumi Toshimitsu Memorial Museum. I wondered who Imaizumi Toshimitsu was—perhaps a local legend or a master of the craft?
Deciding to save the memorial for later, we headed into the main museum first. I purchased two adult tickets at the booth. Thankfully, the staff didn't bat an eye at Kuro’s youthful appearance this time.
The tickets themselves were cleverly designed to look like sword scabbards; they certainly didn't skimp on the details here.
According to the pamphlet I picked up at the entrance, the facility featured more than just exhibition rooms. There was an entire section called the World of Swords that detailed the arduous process of how these blades were brought to life. We headed there first to brush up on the basics.
"Wow, so this is how a katana is made," Kuro remarked, peering at the displays.
"Yeah. It’s my first time seeing the full process in detail too. It looks like it takes an entire team of specialists just to finish a single blade."
There was the swordsmith who forged the steel, the polisher who sharpened the edge, the engraver who added decorative flourishes, and the silversmith who crafted the habaki—the metal collar at the base of the blade. Then there were the scabbard makers, the metalworkers for the various fittings, the lacquerers for the scabbards, the tsuba makers for the handguards, the braiders for the cords, and the artisans who specialized in wrapping the hilts. According to the informational panels, a Japanese sword was a true collaborative masterpiece, passing through the hands of nearly a dozen different experts.
"Oh, wait a minute," I said as a thought occurred to me. "If making a single sword takes this much effort... who makes the ones Noin-san uses?"
"Shaltier does," Kuro answered simply.
"Ah... right. That makes sense."
If anyone could handle every single one of those highly specialized steps by themselves, it was Alice. She was a complete anomaly, of course, so I decided not to use her as a baseline. For anyone else, sword-making was clearly a monumental undertaking.
The World of Swords section also featured a small theater where we watched a video on the forging process. By the time it ended, I felt like I’d actually retained some decent knowledge.
Then, as if they had anticipated my growing confidence, I spotted a station for something called the Sword Terms and Master Swordsmith Tonchinkan Game.
"I think I’ll give this a try."
"Go for it! I’m still not that familiar with Japanese, so I’ll just watch you. Good luck, Kaito-kun!"
"Alright, here goes..."
The console featured three buttons for multiple-choice questions. It looked like there were two modes: a Sword Terms Quiz and a Master Swordsmith Game. I realized the "Tonchinkan" part wasn't a pun on the questions, but a sound-effect-themed game for forging the blade. I decided to tackle the quiz first.
Even if it was just superficial knowledge I’d picked up five minutes ago, I wanted to look cool in front of Kuro. I looked at the first question. It was about "clashing handguards"... or something. I searched my brain, but nothing came up.
"..."
"Kaito-kun?"
I didn't have a clue. The difficulty spike was insane. Since I didn't know the answer, I just picked a button at random... and somehow got it right.
I moved on to the second question. Again, I was totally lost. I clicked a random button. Correct.
Third question... Wait, I think I actually saw this in the video. Was it this one? Or that one? I took a gamble. Correct again.
After several minutes of pure guesswork, the game finished.
"Whoa! You're amazing, Kaito-kun! You got every single one right!"
"Y-Yeah... nothing to it."
My "God Hand" luck was in terrifyingly top form. My perfect score was entirely thanks to the fact that every random guess had hit the mark, so I didn't exactly feel like I’d earned the right to brag. Still, Kuro looked genuinely impressed, so I decided to just roll with it.
Having finished our crash course, we finally entered the main exhibition hall.
"Wow, look at the size of that!"
"Incredible... Is that an odachi?"
Right at the entrance stood a sword that was taller than I was. I couldn't even imagine how anyone was supposed to swing such a massive thing. Then again, the petite girl standing right next to me could probably twirl it like a baton without breaking a sweat.
We spent some time admiring the greatsword before moving deeper into the room, where row after row of Japanese swords were on display.
To be honest, I struggled to see the differences between them. I could tell the shapes and patterns were slightly distinct, and I tried reading the descriptions next to them, but it was all very technical. My internal monologue mostly consisted of "Wow, that looks cool."
If I’d had an expert with me, they probably could have pointed out all the nuances, but neither Noin-san nor Alice was here. Still, you didn't need to be a scholar to appreciate the aesthetic beauty of the blades.
"I felt the same way when I saw Noin's swords, but Japanese blades really are beautiful," Kuro said.
"They really are. The way they’re polished to a mirror finish is stunning."
"Mm-hmm. And they really know how to use the lighting here. It makes the temper line stand out beautifully."
"Huh?"
"Is this a clove-patterned choji-hamon? The cosmetic kesho-togi polish makes it a bit hard to tell... but the craftsmanship on the nakago is exquisite."
"K-Kuro...?"
Wait, what was happening? Kuro sounded like a seasoned expert. Technical terms were flying out of her mouth like it was nothing. How did she know all this?
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Why are you so... knowledgeable all of a sudden?"
"Oh, remember that reference area we walked past earlier? The one with all the books?"
"Yeah, the library-looking place..."
"I memorized every single one of them!"
"..."
I was floored. She had memorized an entire library? In the few minutes we were there? Now that I thought about it, I had seen her picking up books and putting them back in rapid succession, but I’d just thought she was being restless. To think she was absorbing the contents of every page at a glance... her specs were truly terrifying.
"Wait... I’ve been so used to the translation magic that I didn't even think to ask, but can you even read Japanese, Kuro?"
"Eh? Oh, that’s right... You might not have noticed because of the magic, Kaito-kun, but I’ve actually been speaking Japanese this whole time."
"...What?"
I barely managed to keep myself from shouting. We were in a quiet museum, after all. But the shock was real. I hadn't noticed a single difference. Her Japanese was so fluent and natural that it was indistinguishable from the translation I usually heard in my head.
"The translation magic from Shiro or the Earth God doesn't work on me, remember? It works for you, but the people in the shops wouldn't be able to understand me if I didn't learn the language... so I did. My pronunciation still isn't perfect, though."
"I had no idea..."
"Really? Do I sound okay?"
"Yeah. You sound completely natural."
"Really? Oh, thank goodness!"
She really was incredible. I suppose if you could memorize a whole library in an instant, mastering a language was a walk in the park. I had a feeling that by the time we returned to the other world, she would have mastered every major language on the planet.
Stunned as I was by her revelation, it didn't change the fact that we were on a date, so we continued our tour.
On the second floor, we found an exhibit by the Setouchi Swordsmiths Association, featuring blades forged by modern masters. The precision and artistry were breathtaking. They also had spears and naginatas on display, and thanks to Kuro’s newly acquired expertise, her commentary made the experience much richer.
After leaving the main museum, we headed to the Bizen Osafune Sword Workshop, where you could usually watch the smiths at work. They even offered a chance to try your hand at the forge on certain days. Unfortunately, most of the craftsmen were off today, so the forge was quiet.
Even so, seeing the specialized tools and the layout of a real workshop was fascinating. With the help of the informational panels and Kuro’s explanations, I left with a solid understanding of the environment. I did notice a lot of celebrity autographs decorating the walls—I assumed they were from actors or famous figures who had an interest in swords.
Next, we visited the Swordsmith Imaizumi Toshimitsu Memorial Museum. It was dedicated to a specific master, showcasing the tools he’d crafted for his own use. While they were similar to the ones we’d seen in the workshop, seeing the personal items of a man who had mastered his craft gave me a profound sense of the history and the continuity of the art.
Finally, we stopped at the Fureai Product Center. They sold kitchen knives made with traditional sword-forging techniques, along with more unique items like braided cords. They also had standard Okayama souvenirs; I found a pair of scissors designed to look like a katana particularly amusing.
To commemorate our visit, Kuro and I each bought a Japanese sword guard as a souvenir, and with that, our tour of the Sword Village was complete.
On the drive back, as we chatted about the terminology we’d learned, I realized just how much I’d enjoyed the visit. It had far exceeded my expectations. I truly felt glad we had come, and I made a mental note to visit again if the opportunity ever arose.
Serious-senpai: "The craftsmen who make Japanese swords all work with the utmost sincerity... which is to say, they work with serious expressions! Therefore, swordsmithing is Serious Smithing, and by extension, Japanese swords are Serious Swords! And the museum? A Serious Museum!"
???: "No, it isn't... More importantly..."
Serious-senpai: "More importantly?!"
???: "The fifth 4-panel manga has been released on PantaPorta. This time, it features none other than that incredibly popular character everyone has been waiting for!"
Serious-senpai: "Ugh, get a load of this self-promotion."
???: "..."
Serious-senpai: "Wait, why do you have a knife? No, wait! I was kidding! I have no connection to that person whatsoever! Stop—no, get away—gyaaaaah!?"