The trees were grown on-site from saplings obtained from parent plants located in Nara Prefecture, Japan, in 1905. The parent trees were owned by a family of traditionalist swordsmiths, claiming to be descended from a legendary sword maker named Amakuni. They referred to the original trees as “jinki no kodachi” (刃木の木立), or the “Bladewood Grove.” It is from them that the Foundation gained the techniques to cut and work the wood and petals into serviceable items.
