The period of reign of the Tokugawa shogunate from 1603 was associated with the passing away of the art of holding a spear. The bloody wars were replaced by the era of technology and the improvement of military competition with swords. The art associated with the possession of the sword was called "kenjutsu", over time it turned into a means of spiritual self-improvement.
The meaning of the samurai sword
Real samurai swords were considered not only the weapons of a professional warrior, but also a symbol of the samurai class, an emblem of honor and valor, courage and masculinity. Since ancient times, weapons have been revered as a sacred gift from the sun goddess to her grandson, who rules the earth. The sword was to be used only to eradicate evil, injustice and protect good. He was part of a Shinto cult. Weapons decorated temples, sacred places. In the 8th century, Japanese clergy participated in the production, cleaning, and polishing of swords.
The samurai should always have a warrior kit with him. A place of honor in the house was reserved for swords, a niche in the main corner was a tokonoma. They were stored on a tatikake or katanakake stand. Going to bed, the samurai put his swords at the head of his head at arm's length.
A person could be poor, but have an expensive blade in excellent rim. The sword was an emblem emphasizing the estate status. For the sake of the blade, the samurai was entitled to sacrifice his own life and his family.
Japanese warrior kit
Japanese warriors always carried two swords with them, indicating that they belonged to samurai. The warrior set (dice) consisted of a long and short blade. The long samurai sword of a katana or daito (from 60 to 90 cm) is the main weapon of a samurai from the 14th century. It was worn on the belt with the tip up. Sharpened sword on one side, had a curved blade and hilt. The battle masters knew how to kill with lightning speed, in a split second stretching out the blade and making one swipe. This technique was called "Iaijutsu."
The short wakizashi samurai sword (shto or kodati) was twice shorter (from 30 to 60 cm) worn on the belt with its tip pointed up and was used less often when conducting combat in cramped conditions. With the help of wakizashi, the soldiers cut off the heads of the killed opponents or, being captured, committed seppuku - suicide. Most often, samurai fought with katana, although in special schools they trained in two-sword fighting.
Types of Samurai Swords
Besides the daisy kit, there were several types of Japanese swords used by warriors.
- Tsurugi, tekuto - the oldest sword used until the 11th century, had straight edges and was sharpened on both sides.
- Ken is a direct ancient blade, sharpened on both sides, used in religious rituals and rarely used in battle.
- Tati - a large curved sword (the length of the tip from 61 cm), used by riders, was worn with the point down.
- Nodati or odati - an extra-large blade (from 1 m to 1.8 m), which is a type of tati, was worn behind the rider.
- Tanto - a dagger (up to 30 cm long).
- For training, bamboo swords (Sinai) and wooden swords (bokken) were used. Training weapons could be used in battle with an unworthy opponent, for example, a robber.
Commoners and men of the lower classes had the right to defend themselves with small knives and daggers, since there was a law on the right to wear swords.
Katana sword
Katana is a combat samurai sword that is part of the warrior’s standard armament along with a small wakizashi blade. It began to be used in the 15th century due to the improvement of tati. The katana is distinguished by a curved outward blade, a long straight handle that allows you to hold it with one or two hands. The blade has a slight bend and a pointed end, it is used for cutting and stitching. The weight of the sword is 1 - 1.5 kg. In terms of strength, flexibility and hardness, the katana samurai sword takes first place in the world among other blades, cuts bones, rifle barrel and iron, surpasses Arabic bulat and European swords.
The blacksmith, who forged weapons, never made fittings; for this, he had other masters subordinate. Katana is a constructor assembled as a result of the work of an entire team. Samurai always had several sets of fittings worn on occasion. The blade has been handed down for centuries from generation to generation, and its appearance could change depending on the circumstances.
Katana story
In 710, the legendary first Japanese fencer, Amakuni, used a curved blade sword in battle. Forged from dissimilar plates, it had a saber shape. Its shape did not change until the 19th century. From the 12th century, katanas were considered the swords of aristocrats. Under the rule of the Ashikaga shoguns, a tradition arose of carrying two swords, which became the privilege of the samurai class. A set of samurai swords was part of a military, civilian and holiday costume. Two blades were worn by all samurai, regardless of rank: from ordinary to shogun. After the revolution, Japanese officials were obliged to wear European swords, then the katan lost their high status.
Secrets of making katana
The blade was forged from two types of steel: a core was made from viscous, and a cutting edge was made from strong. Steel before forging was cleaned by repeated addition and welding.
In the manufacture of katana, the choice of metal, a special iron ore with impurities of molybdenum and tungsten, was important. The master buried iron rods in the swamp for 8 years. During this time, the rust eats away the weak points, then the product was sent to the forge. The gunsmith turned the rods into foil with a heavy hammer. Then the foil repeatedly folded and flattened. Therefore, the finished blade consisted of 50,000 layers of high-strength metal.
Real samurai katanas have always been distinguished by the characteristic line of jamon that appears as a result of the application of special forging and hardening methods. The hilt of the Tsuka’s sword was wrapped in stingray leather and wrapped in a strip of silk. Souvenir or ceremonial katanas could have handles made of wood or ivory.
Katana possession
The long hilt of the sword allows them to maneuver effectively. To hold the katana, a grip is used, the end of the handle of which should be held in the middle of the left palm, and with the right hand squeeze the handle near the guard. The synchronous swing of both hands made it possible for the warrior to obtain a wide amplitude of the stroke without spending a lot of energy. Blows were carried vertically against the sword or hands of the enemy. This allows you to remove the enemy’s weapons from the attack path to hit him with the next wave.
Ancient japanese weapons
Several varieties of Japanese weapons are auxiliary or secondary type.
- Yumi or o-yumi - war bows (from 180 to 220 cm), which are the oldest weapons in Japan. Bows have been used in battle and in religious ceremonies since ancient times. In the 16th century they were driven out by muskets brought from Portugal.
- Jari - a spear (length 5 m), a weapon popular in the era of civil strife, was used by infantry to throw the enemy off the horse.
- Bo is a military combat pole, which today belongs to sports weapons. There are many options for a pole, depending on the length (from 30 cm to 3 m), thickness and section (round, hexagonal, etc.).
- Yoroi-dosi was considered a dagger of mercy, resembled a stylet and was used to finish off wounded opponents in battle.
- Kozuka or Kotsuka - a military knife fixed in the sheath of a battle sword, was often used for economic purposes.
- Tessen or dansen utiva - warlord's military fan. The fan was equipped with sharpened steel knitting needles and could be used in attack as a battle hatchet and as a shield.
- Jitte - a military iron club, a fork with two teeth. It was used in the Tokugawa era as a weapon of the police. Using jitte, the police intercepted samurai swords in battles with violent warriors.
- Naginata - Japanese halberd, weapons of warrior-monks, a two-meter pole with a small flat blade at the end. In ancient times it was used by foot soldiers to attack the horses of the enemy. In the 17th century, it began to be used in samurai families as a female weapon for self-defense.
- Kaiken is a military dagger for female aristocrats. Used for self defense, as well as dishonored girls for suicide.
During the internecine civil wars in Japan, firearms and rifles with silicon locks (teppos) were made, which were considered unworthy with the coming to power of Tokugawa. Since the 16th century, guns also appeared in Japanese troops, but the bow and sword continued to occupy the main place in the armament of the samurai.
Katana kaji
Swords in Japan have always been made by people of the ruling class, often relatives of samurai or courtiers. With the growing demand for swords, feudal lords began to patronize blacksmiths (katana-kaji). Making a samurai sword required careful preparation. The forging of swords resembled a liturgical ceremony and was filled with religious activities to protect the wearer from evil forces.
Before getting down to business, the blacksmith kept fast, refrained from bad thoughts and actions, performed the ritual of cleansing the body. The forge was carefully cleaned and decorated with sime - ritual attributes woven from rice straw. In each forge there was an altar for prayers and for moral preparation for work. If necessary, the master put on a kuge - formal clothes. Honor did not allow an experienced craftsman to make low-quality weapons. Sometimes a blacksmith destroyed a sword, which he could spend several years on, due to a single flaw. Work on one sword could last from 1 year to 15 years.
Japanese Sword Technology
Remelted metal obtained from magnetic iron ore was used as weapon steel. Samurai swords, considered the best in the Far East, were as strong as damask ones. In the 17th century, metal from Europe began to be used in the production of Japanese swords.
The Japanese blacksmith formed a blade of a huge number of iron layers, the thinnest strips with different carbon contents. The strips were welded together during melting and forging. Forging, drawing, multiple folding and new forging of metal strips made it possible to obtain a thin beam.
Thus, the blade consisted of many fused thin layers of different-carbon steel. The combination of low-carbon and high-carbon metals gave the sword special hardness and toughness. At the next stage, the blacksmith polished the blade on several stones and hardened. Often, samurai swords from Japan were made for several years.
Crossroads Murder
The quality of the blade and the skill of the samurai were usually tested in battle. A good sword made it possible to cut three corpses laid on top of each other. It was believed that new samurai swords needed to be tried on a person. Tsuji-giri (killing at the crossroads) is the name of the rite of trial of a new sword. The victims of the samurai were beggars, peasants, travelers and just passers-by, whose number was soon in the thousands. The authorities put patrols and guards on the streets, but the guards poorly performed their duties.
Samurai who did not want to kill the innocent preferred a different method - tameshi-giri. Having paid the executioner, you could give him the blade that he tried during the execution of the convict.
What is the secret of katana sharpness?
A real katana sword can self-sharpen as a result of the orderly movement of molecules. Just placing the blade on a special stand, the warrior again received a sharp blade after some period of time. The sword was polished in stages, through ten grinding wheels that reduce grit. Then the master polished the blade with charcoal dust.
At the last stage, the sword was quenched in liquid clay, as a result of this procedure, a dull thin strip (yakiba) appeared on the blade. Famous masters left a signature on the tail of the blade. After forging and hardening, the sword was polished for half a month. When the katana had a mirror shine, the work was considered completed.
Conclusion
A real samurai sword, the price of which is fabulous, as a rule, is the manual work of an ancient master. Such tools are difficult to find, since they are inherited in families as a relic. The most expensive katana have mei - the mark of the master and the year of manufacture on the shank. Many swords were symbolically forged, drawings from Chinese mythology, driving away evil spirits. The scabbard for the sword was also decorated with ornaments.