MORI SHUSUI MUSEUM OF ART showcases a vast assortment of Japanese swords, all of which are part of private collections. The museum faces the challenge of attracting visitors, as its home in Toyama prefecture takes approximately 2 hours to reach by bullet train from Tokyo, which is a more popular place. More importantly, however, the museum wants to change people’s image of swords, by showing that they are not simply a Samurai’s weapon, but are in fact, works of art.

SHUSUI means beautifully clean and honed-mind. This film is for the private museum that showcases a variety of assortment of Japanese swords, all of which are part of private collections and was released when the museum opened. The elements used in the design were iron, as the sword’s material; steel, used after heating up the iron; and an array of sword patterns. The patterns varied depending on the era the sword was created, as well as the manufacturing process. We depicted the process of sword making through motion graphics, using these elements as the design motif. We intended to appeal that Japanese swords are works of art by creating the branded film also like the work of art. We also aimed to lead people to have a more profound understanding the essence of Japanese swords.

We applied elements of the Japanese sword in our design and expressed the concept of “Shusui” through motion graphics. The elements used in the design were iron, as the sword’s material; steel, used after heating up the iron; and an array of sword patterns, which varied depending on the era the sword was created, as well as the manufacturing process. By using sophisticated designs and animation instead of live-action footage, the branded film became a work of art, much like the Japanese sword, which it set out to depict. Additionally, having audiences image the patterns of the sword from Tateyama’s mountain landscape is representative of Toyama, where the museum is located and is a sword manufacturing area.