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Katana

Evangelion x Japanese Sword dolls take a trip to traditional Japan with katana blades and kimono

It’s been 20 years since the critically acclaimed Evangelion series first came to life on the small screen, and to this day it remains one of the most successful animated series to ever come out of Japan.

With such a dedicated legion of fans, the merchandising has been off the hook, with everything from burgers to lingerie and even a bullet train getting the Eva treatment. But amongst all this, there’s one special limited-edition range that’s really striking a chord with Japanese fans, as it takes the tough, sexy heroines of the series out of their futuristic battle cockpits and re-imagines them as katana sword-wielding ladies in kimono.

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Hobbyist turns Volks Super Dollfie girls into amazing Dancing Dolls

Japanese company Volks has been making Super Dollfie dolls for more than a decade. The ball-jointed doll-figures are designed to be fully customisable, with removable wigs, interchangeable appendages and resin parts that can even be sanded for reshaping.

One Super Dollfie fan has taken the concept of customisation to a whole new level by melding the cute doll parts with robot skeletons, which allows the dolls to dance, play violins, and take part in some awesome samurai-style katana swordplay.

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Chop up paperwork with katana scissors inspired by the swords of Oda Nobunaga and other samurai

If you’re anything like us, you spend a more than healthy amount of time day-dreaming about cutting down enemies with a katana. Not that we really have any enemies or even people we’d glare at on the subway. Heck, we’re pretty peaceful, loving folks here at RocketNews24! But that doesn’t change the fact that Japanese swords are just freaking awesome.

Still, there’s not much cause to walk around with a sword strapped to your hip these days. Fortunately, Nikken Cutlery has found the perfect compromise: scissors inspired by the swords of Oda Nobunaga and other samurai!

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Evangelion exhibit-inspired figure gives us Asuka in a beautiful kimono!

Remember the  Evangelion and Japanese Sword Exhibition that we reported on a while back? We thought the idea was pretty cool, because…well, an exhibit that brings together an internationally popular anime and beautiful deadly weapons of steel has to be awesome, right? And we think you’d agree that such a unique exhibit deserves a commemorative item that’s just as unique and artistic.

Evangelion fans need look no further, because toy manufacturer Takara Tomy has come up with just that — a series of original tie-in figures of the anime’s three female pilots as they appear in promotional artwork for the exhibit…in magnificent kimono! 

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Women in Tokyo are cutting through stress and fat with this new “Katana Exercise” class

There’s a growing fitness trend in Tokyo, but it’s nothing new really, being based on age-old traditions: Katana Exercise.

Not only will you be taught to swing a sword like a samurai by a handsome teacher, but you’ll cut out stress and extra fat. Check out our hands-on experience of the class after the jump!

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Want to see a katana being made from scratch? Of course you do!【Video】

Statistically speaking, we’re going to guess that a few of our readers have a soft spot for katanas. In fact, if we were to really go out on a limb, we’d say a whole bunch of you probably like the swords — and with good reason. They’re just really freaking cool! Now, we’re not going to objectively state that katanas are the coolest swords ever, mostly because some of the people who disagree probably have access to swords. But we think they’re pretty darn nifty, especially when they’re made out of meteorites.

Of course, we’re not the only ones who love old samurai swords. Director Quentin Tarantino, for example, seems to have a strong affection for them, if Kill Bill is any indication. So, it’s probably only logical that the most recent episode of Men at Arms: Reforged features a group of swordsmiths creating a Hattori Hanzō katana. To watch the process from ore to sword, check out the video below!

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Driving just became so much more thrilling with this katana-handle shift knob

A while back, we introduced a realistic ninja throwing star origami template for all of you ninjas-in-training, but if you’re more of a sword-wielding samurai-type (and you happen to drive a truck), you can now turn your shift knob into a samurai sword! Or, well, at least half of one…

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Engineers teach robot to swing katana at 1,000 foes, hopefully don’t awaken its bloodlust 【Video】

We recently took a look at the latest iteration of the DARPA Robotics Challenge, which showed us how far scientists have come in building sophisticated robots, and yet how far those machines have left to go before they can get from point A to point B without falling down hilariously. But little did we know that while we were snickering at those clumsy creations, another group of engineers were building their own robot that can perfectly perform a severing strike with a samurai sword.

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Expert Swordsman Isao Machii is back and fighting fried shrimp at 130km/h for SoftBank!

They don’t come much more badass than Isao Machii. Dubbed the “Heisei Samurai” or “Modern Samurai” he’s a five-time Guiness World Record holder for feats such as slicing a BB pellet in half mid-flight with a sword. He is also the creator of the Shushin-ryu style of Iaijutsu which is a martial art centered on sudden sword strikes.

Needless to say, this guy has the skills to pay the bills. And pay bills he does by occasionally appearing in commercials. Last year, we saw him promote Toaster Strudel by playing a live version of Fruit Ninja. Now, he’s back to take on more food with his mighty sword, this time at speeds of up to 150 kilometers per hour (93 mph).

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There’s a katana in the Tokyo Skytree that’s forged from a meteorite!

There’s a lot going on at the base of Tokyo Skytree. Not content with being the tallest structure in Japan and the tallest tower in the world, Skytree also boasts an entertainment complex the size of a small town. Hiding among the shops and restaurants is an aquarium, a planetarium, and a university campus…

Well, sort of. The Chiba Institute of Technology’s ‘Skytree Town Campus’ is more science exhibition than campus – but it does have this badass Japanese sword made from a 450-million-year-old meteorite.

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What’s so special about Japanese swords? We interview master katana maker Norihiro Miyairi!

You could say that the traditional Japanese sword, or katana, symbolizes the strength and beauty of the Japanese spirit. We see these swords quite often in comics, anime and movies, but how well do we really know the spiritual and cultural elements they embody?

To find out, we went to a true expert to learn about the fascinating and mysterious world of Japanese swords. Join us for an in-depth interview with master katana maker Norihiro Miyairi!

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Japanese girl accidentally finds a new use for her decorative sword: accessory organizer

Sometimes people can be a little shy about their hobbies and may not always be upfront with their friends, even if it’s something they really like. Things like cosplay or model building aren’t always seen as the epitome of cool (although, many would argue otherwise!).

When one girl was asked by a friend why she bought a fake katana (Japanese sword), she came up with a pretty terrible fake reason. However, that lie turned out to be a really good idea!

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Is that a giant sword in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?【Video】

What child hasn’t run around swinging a giant sword at imaginary enemies? We did it when we were kids and we’ll bet dollars to doughnuts that you did too! It’s just too bad that you can’t do it as an adult–at least not without someone calling the police! (Don’t ask how we know.)

Except that you totally can! Iaido, a Japanese martial art which uses real swords, is all about swinging blades at imaginary enemies–and it’s a hell of a lot of fun. Of course, most iaido schools don’t use “giant” swords, since, in reality, an arm can only stretch so far. But certain styles have told reality to go jump in a river and given practitioners swords big enough to make Sephiroth blush.

Check out the awesome “giant sword” videos taking the Japanese Internet by storm below!

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Last Samurai Caught on Video on a Train in Arizona, Rescues Passenger Being Beaten

On a late night light rail train in Phoenix, Arizona on what authorities believe to have been October 6, a man rescued another passenger from a fight by wielding his samurai sword towards the assailants.

The incident was caught on video and uploaded to YouTube.  None of the parties involved have been identified and the police are currently investigating.

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Traditional Japanese Sword Makers Commissioned to Create Real-Life Evangelion Weapons

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. Read More

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