Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on February 2014

Nezu Museum is holding a exhibition of 50 top-grade blades by Minamoto Kiyomaro, a swordsmith who is known for his fine craftsmanship as well as his intriguing personal life. Born in Nagano in 1813, he began his career at a young age, but abandoned it—along with his wife and son. He returned to the former, making swords in Edo, moving to Hagi, Yamaguchi prefecture for a few years and returning to the capital where he committed suicide in 1854. Theories for his motivation range from alcoholism, to his betrayal of the shogunate, to chronic chest pains. Regardless of his troubled life, his works are still renowned for the beauty of the hamon (the pattern on the blade), the utsuri (a tempered effect above the hamon) and their dynamic form.

Nezu Museum, Feb 26-Apr 6.