Here's some pics from a feature I shot for Getty recently in Lampang, Thailand. The craft of sword making is dying in Thailand and Boontan Sittipaisal is one of the country's remaining people who are still making the dah, a Burmese word that means 'blade', which represents a long history of sword making across Indochina. The single-edged sword stretches out from a round handle with a subtle curve that widens toward the tip and was used in Thailand during the Ayutthaya period as weapons but later incorporated into ceremonial dances, physical education classes, and martial arts. Boontan, his brother Boonsoung, and a team of craftsmen finish about ten swords each day at their workshop, forging the swords by hand while paying attention to quality and passing on the endangered art to the next generation in hopes that it will not die.
