Jinja and Shoga: Life in the Land of the Rising Sun

  We got to see the family katana this weekend. It was Yuki's grandfather's sword, and he carried it during the war. It was likely crafted at the end of the Edo era, although nobody's too sure whose it was before his grandfather came into possession of it.
  I admittedly know absolutely nothing about swords and in particular even less about katana, but this thing is a work of art. The craftsmanship is gorgeous, and the pictures below don't really do it justice. (Note the flower on the handle--it's the Kuwabara family house mark).
 That being said...the thing creeped me out! Anything that's designed solely for killing another human being kind of makes my skin crawl in the first place, and this sword just seemed so dangerous! I was feeling kind of silly for having these thoughts, but it turned out that the rest of the family agreed with me. I guess you'd have to see it in person for yourself to know what I mean, but...yikes!
  Nobody feels comfortable hanging onto it, so it'll be sold to a collector soon (katana also require a lot of care---frequent cleaning, airing, and inspection to prevent rust/mold, etc). As beautiful as it is, it's also a bit too deadly to keep in the house!

                          Otousan and the beast 

                              Note the family house mark

                    SCARY!!!