History of the Japanese Samurai Sword
In 240 – 280 A.D. Himeko, queen of Japan, received two double edged tsurugi swords as a gift from China. It is a belief that the art of molding steel into a sword was introduced from China to Japan around third and fourth centuries. In the fifth century straight, single edged swords named chokuto were introduced. These types of swords were available in the major scale.
In the sixth century, the method of hardening the steel was introduced in Japan. But in the eight century, the beginning of Heian period, the fighting style was changed and people started fighting on horseback. Due to this, the straight swords were eliminated. The swords became curved and longer with single blade named tachi. But between chokuto and tachi, many different swords were introduced; the most popular are kogarasumru and kenukigatatachi. Kogarasumru is a short sword with two sharp edges. Nipponto or nihonto are the curved swords also known as Japanese swords.
Heian period is the beginning of the period of Japanese swords. During this period many different methods were introduced from China which were then modified in Japan, basically to make them Japanese. Also in this period the idea of building swords by smithing was introduced due to which the core remains soft and the outer surface remains rough.
In this Heian period, the folded steel samurai swords were also manufactured which comes under the class of tachi. In the same time, the trend of living a signature on the blade of the sword was also started. The first ever tachi sword has the signature of its manufacturer named Sanjo Munechika and the first Japanese sword has the signature of Namihira Yukimasa. The date of its manufacture is also engraved on it.
The period of kamakura begin when Minamoto no Yoritomo defeated Taira Clan. In the same period the power was taken up by the samurai warrior class. In this period the Japanese swords became more and more superior from all points which also include the aesthetic one. Big changes were introduced in the width of the blade of the sword. A small difference was kept at the width of the blade at the base and at its end. The shape of the end was also changed which mainly belonged to ikubi type, meaning bull nape.
When kamakura period ended, two mongol invasions, 1274 and 1281, took place. This lead to the discovery of new weapons and technologies which proved that there are some weak points in the tachi swords like the end of the blade could be broken which could not be repaired. Due to this, the designing of swords affected a lot but became more superior.
Nowadays, these superior swords are used for decoration at home and in Japan used as a sign of honor. You can buy Japanese swords from online shops. The main advantage is that there is no need to roam around in busy markets to find the best one. You will get all the details on internet and can choose the best Japanese sword according to your needs.
Related posts:
