Museums always struggle to find ways to attract younger visitors, so it’s not unusual to see a museum tie in an exhibition to some pop-culture trend.  Even the Bizen Japanese Sword Museum which you’d think is one of the “cooler” museums for the kids has had to come up with new ideas recently.

As a result anime fans may want to take a trip to Setouchi City in Okayama Prefecture this summer to check out the “Neo Japanese Sword Evangelion” exhibition.  This exhibition is a fusion of the hit anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion and the works of Japan’s finest traditional sword makers.

“Popular anime has a huge influence over young people, and we want to use that to deepen their appreciation of traditional Japanese craftsmanship including sword making” explained the city’s board of education.  To do this they have challenged famous sword makers to replicate the weapons used in the Evangelion series.

To help pique our interest they have released information about one of the about 50 pieces that will be on display: The Lance of Longinus.  The gorgeous design and detail that went into this 3-meter piece is enough to make even the most cynical teenager appreciate traditional art.

In addition to the pieces themselves, information on the techniques used to make them will be presented from 14 July to 17 September, 2012.

In a bit of Evangelion trivia: the Lance of Longinus is one of the many biblical references in the series.  If you ever see a picture or statue of Jesus on the cross you can usually see a cut in his side.  That cut was given to his by the lance a roman soldier who is often referred to as Longinus.

Source: Yomiuri Online（Japanese）
Museum:Bizen Osafune Japanese sword museum Bizen Osafune Token Village（English）