Evangelion Interpreted Through Modern Techniques! - A Challenge for Japanese Swordsmiths [1/2]

The “Evangelion and Japanese Swords Exhibit” will be held at The Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo starting on Nov. 23. The month-long exhibit will run until Dec. 23. The venue will be holding the “Kaiyodo Evangelion Figure World” event at the same time.

The press was invited to a preview on Nov. 22 before the public opening which included event PR featuring three race queens from Evangelion Racing 1 and a guided tour by the bladesmith who produced the swords on display.

Displayed in the space were original artwork from the anime Evangelion and a number of swords crafted in a traditional Japanese style. It also featured a collaborative project that involved Japanese swordsmith Miyairi Kozaemon Yukihira making an actual copy of “Natayanagi,” a naginata drawn by Rebuild of Evangelion mechanic designer Ikuto Yamashita, and there was a presentation of the blade in mid-production.

A focal point of the collection was the Spear of Longinus. This large object, which far out-scales Japanese swords with a length of 3.32 meters and a weight of 22.2 kg, required a complicated production process for the two-prong blade and the spiral. A building was made over into a workshop to accommodate the special process and new tools were used.

Kamimura, a representative from Grandworks which assisted in planning this event and also opened the Evangelion Store, reflected on the opening of the exhibition, saying, “At first, we started this without knowing the scale it would be.” Kamimura then shared impressions of the tour around Japan: “It’s been well received all over Japan, and the display changes with every venue, so it’s been fun. We held the exhibit in Bizen, the land of the swordsmith, as well as Seki, Gifu Prefecture, which is the mecca of Japanese swords, and we displayed inside of a castle in Okazaki in Aichi Prefecture.”

Also, the contrast of the near-futuristic Evangelion and the historic Japanese was “doubly interesting.” Kamimura excitedly explained, "Anime and Japanese swords are both works of art that take great care to create. I think what they have in common is that they’re both the embodiment of Japanese artisanry. Another thing was how they captured the world of the series. This event experimented with using modern techniques to make swords based on scenes in Evangelion, swords based on characters, and swords that actually appear in the series. I’m very glad that they took on this new challenge of various techniques and designs of Japanese sword-making using this series as a theme."

After ending its run in Tokyo, the exhibit will be displayed in Okayama Prefecture. Then, next year in 2014, it is expected to tour the world, starting in Europe. If it’s held near your town, be sure to stop by!

^1^ A racing team that came about as a promotional tie-in for Rebuild of Evangelion. The coloring of their vehicle was modeled on Eva Unit-01, and they compete in actual races in Japan.

Evangelion and Japanese Swords Exhibit
Location: Mori Art Museum, Ueno
Address: 1-2 Ueno Koen, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Phone: (+81) 03-3833-4191

◎ 3-minute walk from JR Ueno Station Park Entrance
◎ 5-minute walk from Keisei Electric Railway Ueno Station
◎ 5-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Ginza Line/Hibiya Line Ueno Station

Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo Official Site

© Khara Inc.

This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.