Nerdcore has a roundup of three signs of changing times in East Asia: an interview with the last traditional swordmaker in Taiwan, the decline of the geisha tradition, and the diminished demand in Japan for actors skilled in the martial arts of the samurai.
The last swordsmith in Taiwan is 65 years old and makes his blades using human bones with the permission of the deceased's relatives. He says that according to tradition, the bones infuse a spirit into the completed sword.
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Nothing says family heirloom like a sword passed down from the last generation, and just so happens to be made of them too.
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