Swords of the Samurai
Samurai Sword History
The samurai sword, made from the heat and pounding of the skilled artisans, these weapons of single destruction bring homage and honor to the warrior that carries them. The samurai sword is priceless as it is one and the same with the warrior class that has defined the ultimate Zen Master of Feudal Japan.
Japan has a history that dates back thousands of years. Scientists believe the Japanese people descended from many groups that migrated to the islands from other parts of Asia, including China and Korea . As early as 4500 B.C., the Japanese islands were inhabited by fishermen, hunters and farmers. The early culture was known as "Jomon," which meant "cord pattern." That's because the people made pottery decorated with rope-like designs. Scientists believe a Caucasian race called the "Ainu" were the first inhabitants of what is now Japan . The Ainu still exist today, mostly in the northernmost islands of Japan called " Hokkaido ." The next major Japanese cultural changed occurred about 200 B.C. The people were known as "Yayoi." The Yayoi were mostly farmers. Scientists believe the present-day Japanese closely resemble the Yayoi in appearance and language.
War played a central part in the history of Japan . Warring clans controlled much of the country. A chief headed each clan; made up of related families. The chiefs were the ancestors of Japan 's imperial family. The wars were usually about "land." Only 20% of the land was fit for farming. The struggle for control of that land eventually gave rise to the Samurai.
One of the important dates in the history of the Japanese warring class is 660 B.C. That's when, according to legend, Jimmu Tenno became head of a confederation of warlike clans. Tenno was known as "The Divine Warrior." He led his people from Kyushu to the Kinki region and conquered the people there. Tenno settled in the area of Yamato. This eventually gave rise to the Yamato dynasty and state. The leaders of Yamato believed themselves to be of divine origin.
The Yamato clans conducted many military campaigns on the Asian mainland. The targets included Korea and China . These campaigns led to the importation of Korean and Chinese culture, technology and martial arts.
Legend says that Emperor Keiko was the first person with the title of "Shogun." The word meant "Barbarian-subduing General." Legend continues that Keiko had a son named "Prince Yamato." He was cunning, fearless, strong and a great martial artist. Many believe that Yamato was a role model for future Samurai.
Ancient Yayoi warriors developed weapons, armour and a code during the ensuing centuries that became the centerpiece for the Japanese Samurai. Early weapons included bows, arrows and swords. Armour included a helmet that protected head and neck, a breastplate that protected the chest, arm and shoulder protectors, and a belly wrap. Later armour included protection for the legs and thighs. Armour changed as the type of battles changed. A big change occurred in the 5th century when horses were introduced to Japan . Another change occurred in the 15th century because of the constancy of war and the introduction of guns into battle. The code developed from the Chinese concept of the virtues of warriors doing battle to the Samurai code of chivalry known as Kyuba no michi ("The Way of Horse and Bow") to the Bushido ("Way of the Warrior") code.
"Bushido" means "Way of the Warrior." It was at the heart of the beliefs and conduct of the Samurai. The philosophy of Bushido is "freedom from fear." It meant that the Samurai transcended his fear of death. That gave him the peace and power to serve his master faithfully and loyally and die well if necessary. "Duty" is a primary philosophy of the Samurai.
The Samurai rose out of the continuing battles for land among three main clans: the Minamoto, the Fujiwara and the Taira. The Samurai eventually became a class unto themselves between the 9th and 12th centuries A.D. They were called by two names: Samurai (knights-retainers) and Bushi (warriors). Some of them were related to the ruling class. Others were hired men. They gave complete loyalty to their Daimyo (feudal landowners) and received land and position in return. Each Daimyo used his Samurai to protect his land and to expand his power and rights to more land.
The Samurai became expert in fighting from horseback and on the ground. They practiced armed and un-armed combat. The early Samurai emphasized fighting with the bow and arrow. They used swords for close-in fighting and beheading their enemies. Battles with the Mongols in the late 13th century led to a change in the Samurai's fighting style. They began to use their sword more and also made more use of spears and naginata. The Samurai slowly changed from fighting on horseback to fighting on foot.
The Samurai wore two swords (daisho). One was long; the other short. The long sword (daito - katana) was more than 24 inches. The short sword (shoto - wakizashi) was between 12 and 24 inches. The Samurai often gave names to their swords and believed it was the "soul" of their warrior ship. The oldest swords were straight and had their early design in Korea and China . The Samurai's desire for tougher, sharper swords for battle gave rise to the curved blade we still have today. The sword had its beginning as iron combined with carbon. The sword smith used fire, water, anvil and hammer to shape the world's best swords. After forging the blade, the sword polisher did his work to prepare the blade for the "furniture" that surrounded it. Next, the sword tester took the new blade and cut through the bodies of corpses or condemned criminals. They started by cutting through the small bones of the body and moved up to the large bones. Test results were often recorded on the nakago (the metal piece attaching the sword blade to the handle).
Japanese samurai warriors were ranked at the top of the Japanese social hierarchy for hundreds of years until 19th century. Shogun were the most powerful samurai who ruled Japan at the time.
The medieval swords of Japan was typically a long, straight or slightly curved blade having 2 two cutting edges set into a hilt or tang. There are many tang types. There is the full tang, the encapsulated tang, the rat tail tang, the half push tang, the half tang and the full push tang. The full tang is best because it will give your sword the most stability when making full contact. The sword was the samurai warrior's most treasured weapon. It was a part of him. Swords were awarded as medals and some Samurai's even died to retrieve a treasured sword for their Shogun.
Japanese sword history can be divided into eight periods.
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| 1 | Ancient period (before A. D. 650): The art of making the weapon was introduced from the Mainland of China and Korea . Many artisans and skilled black smiths from China and Korea emigrated to Japan to further develop the art of sword making. Swords during this period was yet to be perfected and the blades were designed straight. |
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| 2 | Nara period (650 ~ 793): In the year 710, the first permanent Japanese capital was established in Nara . It was a city modeled after the Chinese Capital. There were large Buddhist Temples and monasteries. Later the capital would be moved to Nagaoka and then finally to Heian ( Kyoto ) in 794 where it would remain there for over a thousand years. This was the "Golden Age" of religious art, architecture, painting and sculpture. The art of making the sword was still primitive but some progress had already been made. Many wars ensued during this period, and he national army's demand for swords were insatiable. |
| 3 | Heian period (794~1191): The Fujiwara family controlled the political climate during the Heian period over several centuries through strategic marriages with the Imperial Family and by occupying important polical offices in Kyoto. Japanese smiths began to produce their own swords with their own distinctive styling. The art of Japanese sword making had already improved dramatically. This was also the period where Japan found it's own identity, gradually "Japanizing" all of it's imported ideas and customs. It would become a more distinct culture, a Japanese culture, apart from Korea and China . |
| 4 | Kamakura period (1192 ~ 1336): Zen Buddhism was introduced to Japan during this period from China and Korea , otherwise known and Chan Buddhism. Large number of Samurai warriors became followers of Zen. The Samurai class would become a leading social hierarchy. Also during this period, Confucianism became widespread, instilling loyalty and social order to the people. Another noteable event in history during this period is the Mongol Invasion. The Mongols had already conquered China and was eyeing Japan . A large fleet of Mongol ships had made it's way to Kyushu Japan , but was later forced to turn back because of horrendous weather conditions. A quite favorable event for the Japanese, as the Mongol army outnumbered the Japanese by a large number. Several more attempts would be made, but the Mongols would be forced back countless times due to hostile weather. Japanese smiths began experimenting with different kinds of metals and steel types to further improve the sword. The government demand for swords continued to fuel development and manufacturing. |
| 5 | Muromachi (Ashikaga) period (1337 ~ 1573): The Era of Civil Wars. Considered to be a very dark period in Japanese history. Bloody civil wars had broken out and the fuedal Lords and Shoguns of Japan raged relentless battles. The pouring of blood and death appeared to be without end. The demand for more fighting weapons and swords continued to rise. Ironically, this was the same period that the Portuguese traders and Jesuit missionaries arrived in Kyushu Japan and introduced the firearm and Christianity to the people. |
| 6 | Azuchi-Momoyama period (1574 ~ 1602): A more peaceful period. The arts in Japan began to flourish. Shogun Hedeyoshi made social distinctions between the Samurai Class and the Farmer Class. He forbade all Samurais from farming and had them live in castles. These attempts were made to create social order. With some new found peace, the people could now concentrate on developing their spirits. The art of sword making too, reached new heights. |
| 7 | Edo (Tokugawa) period (1603 ~ 1867) Edo was the Shogun's capital at the time. Continued peace brought much economic anc cultural prosperity. This was also a period of international seclusion as the nation was closed from outsiders. Only a handful of foreigners including the Chinese, Koreans and some Dutch traders were allowed to enter the Land of The Rising Sun. It was a capital offense at the time to enter or leave the country. This closed border policy continued until the 19th century. Commodore Perry of the American Navy is credit with opening up trade relations with Japan . Shortly thereafter, internal strife combined with foreign pressure ended the Tokugawa period and initiated the emergence of Modern Japan. |
| 8 | Modern period (since 1868): After 1876, the national government forbade the public wearing of swords. Industrialization was introduced, factories were built, Japan became an active trading partner with the Europeons and Americans. Their military power continued to rise. They would later annex Korea and China . They would win a war against Russia and later lose in World War II. They would then rise from the ashes to become an economic power, manufacturing world class goods and their brands becoming household names such as Toyota , Honda, Sony and Panasonic. |
There was a legend from the smiths of Yamato Province in the history of Japan . The legend was about that the smith Amakumi in Yamato about A. D. 700 made the first samurai sword. Amakumi and his son gathered and examined the sword remnants after they found that nearly half of the returning soldiers from the war were carrying broken swords that they made. At that moment, Amakumi made a vow to himself that, "If they are going to use our swords for such slashing, I shall make one which will not break." After that, Amakumi and his son prayed for seven days and nights to the Shinto gods. Besides, Amakumi selected the best sand ore he could obtain and refined it. They worked hard and tried to improve of making the better swords. Later, the smiths emerged with a single-bladed sword, which had curvature. Finally, Amakumi and his son continued with their work and made many improved types of swords. After the other war during the spring, all the returning soldiers were carrying the swords in perfect condition.
Generally, there are four categories of samurai swords as weapons, which are made of steel, single bladed, curved, and tempered. Besides, there are four periods in the history of the samurai swords:
| 1 | Ancient sword (Chokuto or Ken) Period (until A. D. 900): The swords chiefly made by the smiths from China or Korea or by the early Japanese smiths during this period. The swords were made of steel and mostly were straight (chokuto) type. The imitation of Chinese sword was gradually developed into the typical samurai sword. Top officials usually carried expensive swords made in China . |
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| 2 | Old sword (Koto) period (900 ~ 1530): Power was obtained only by means of warfare during this time. So, the sword became an everyday weapon and was carried constantly by the samurai. The swords with the cutting edge of more than 4 feet were often employed. The straight sword for stabbing was replaced by a single-bladed sword with curvature. About the year 900, the smith Yasutsuna in Hoki began forging excellent samurai swords. The most famous swords' smiths appeared in Japanese history during the years 900 to 1450. After the year 1467, the smiths turned out blades in mass production due to the increasing demand for swords. So, there were only a few swords can be considered very good. |
| 3 | New sword (Shinto) period: The end of the long civil war caused the sword lost its functional value. The length of the long sword (daito) was shortened, the cutting edged being reduced to about 2 feet, and the samurai began carrying it by inserting it between the hip and the sash. The smiths engraved extravagant of flowers, shrubbery, and dragons on the swords, instead of the simple Sanskrit characters or grooves of older swords. Besides, pictures of maple leaves, cherry blossoms, chrysanthemums, or Mount Fuji could be found in the tempered lines of the swords. More than half of the samurai swords in today were made during this period. |
| 4 | Modern (Shin-shinto) period: The feudal system and the prestige of the samurai came to an end. Swords could no longer be worn. The smiths of swords lost their trade and turned to make hoes, scissors, and knives for their livelihood. So, a lot of the swords and its ornaments were exported to Europe and United States . Many books about the swords and its ornaments were published. Since 1926 until now, there has not been a single great smith of sword. A stamp of a cherry blossom with the character for Sho (1/8" diameter) could be found above the signature of the smith on the tang of many blades. Besides, many swords like police and parade sabers, which were manufactured during the last forty-year cannot be considered samurai swords because of the plating and methods of forging contrary to the conventional methods of hand-forging and tempering of samurai swords. |
Classifications of swords by length:
Japanese use the shaku to measure the length of the cutting edge of the samurai swords. 1 shaku = 11.903542 inches.
1. Long Sword (Daito): over 2 shaku in length; there are the longer of the two swords commonly worn by the samurai; difficult to temper a daito because of its length.
2. Medium Sword (Wakizashi): 1~2 shaku in length; worn by samurai as auxiliary sword, or by non-samurai, who were allowed to wear no more than one sword of this length.
3. Short Sword (Tanto): less than 1 shaku in length; the shorter of the two swords worn by the samurai as auxiliary swords. Women and tradesmen used them as protective weapons. Commonly called as hara-kiri knives. They are usually the hira-zukuri (without ridgeline) types.
Classifications of Swords by mountings:
1. Ken mountings: The oldest type known for swords of the ancient sword period. Straight, either single or double-edged blades.
2. Jindachi-zukuri mountings: For the long sword of the Old Sword period and were 4 ~ 5 feet in length. There were two rings on the scabbard because the swords worn suspended from the hip by cords. Many imitations of these mountings copied in the past one hundred years in some areas of Japan .
3. Buke-zukuri mountings: Come from the New Sword period. The handle is bound with narrow tape or leather thongs. There were no rings attached to the scabbards because the words were worn on the left hip, inserted between the hip and the sash and not suspended. The full length of this mounting was 3 ½ ~ 4 ½ feet. This is the most common and is of great interest to connoisseurs. There have pockets for a kozuka (utility knife), a kogai (skewer), or a set of wari-bashi (split chopsticks) near the mouth of the scabbard. At the most, only two of these three itens were carried in the pockets of a scabbard.
4. Shira-saya mountings: Made of plain wood and were used to protect the blade or to replace a damaged mounting. It has no guard. It is also called as yasume-zaya (resting scabbard). This type is convenient for protecting a blade or an original mounting. A substitute blade (tsunagi) of wood or bamboo will be inserted to preserve the mounting when a blade is not kept in its original mounting.
5. Gunto (Army and navy swords) and their mountings
• Kyu-gunto (proto-army sword) mountings: The scabbard was chrome plated. The handle was wrapped with shark or giant-ray skin and bound with gold-colored wire. There was a strip of metal starting at the base to the top of the hilt.
• Shin-gunto (neo-army sword) mountings: The scabbard of this type resembles that of jindachi-zukuri mounting but is made of brown-colored metal and usually covered with leather when used in combat area. The handle, which is bound by leather thongs or cord, resembles that of buke-zukuri type. The handle usually has cherry-blossom designs on its pommels and ornaments. Blue color of tassel is for company grade; red is for field grade; red and gold is for general grade.
• Kaigunto (naval sword) mountings: Three types of swords used by the officers of the Japanese navy: (1) about 15 inches long short sword; (2)long and bears a close resemblance to the jindachi-zukuri type or new-army type; having two rings attached to its dark scabbard. (3) long, but narrow and looks like a police saber.
6. Shikomi-zue (Sword cane) mountings: Made after the Meiji Restoration and most of them are of a poor grade.
Composite of the blade.
1. The point (Kissaki):
The point is the most difficult part of a sword to forge and to polish. The value of the sword is mainly determined by the condition of its point. Tempered lines (boshi) on a point need not necessarily be identical on both sides of the blade. Points can be classified into different types of the blade regardless of size, by size and shape, or by their tempered lines (boshi):
2. Dividing line of surface and point (Yokote)
3. Ridgeline (Shinogi): This line will not found on hira-zukuri blades.
4. Upper surface or ridge area (Shinogi-ji): Wide or narrow
5. Surface (Ji) and surface decoration:
- Grooves: were made for preventing the sword from bending and to lesser weight originally. Gradually were made for pure decoration.
- Carvings and inscriptions: A sword is not necessarily a good sword only because of its carvings or inscriptions on its surface or upper surface.
6. Tempered line (Yaki-ba): It is a continuous straight or wavelike line running the length of the blade. When skillfully polished, the tempered line, which is the hardest part of the steel, takes on a white color. It represents the most beautiful feature of samurai swords and is the most important item in their appraisal.
7. Back or top ridge (Mune)
8. Curvature (Sori): It is measured at the top ridge of a sword. Curvatures are classified into 2 types: deep and shallow.
9. Tang (Nakago): It fits in the handle or hilt. It is important in appraising samurai swords because they often reveal the date of a sword's construction and the identity of its maker. It can be classified by the shapes of tangs, shape of tips of tangs, file marks on tangs (yasuri-me), rivet hole in the tang (mekugi-ana) or the inscriptions on tangs.
Mountings. Including all the fittings and furniture of the sword exclusive of the blade. Mountings are classified by:
1. Long Sword (Daito): over 2 shaku in length; there are the longer of the two swords commonly worn by the samurai; difficult to temper a daito because of its length.
2. Medium Sword (Wakizashi): 1~2 shaku in length; worn by samurai as auxiliary sword, or by non-samurai, who were allowed to wear no more than one sword of this length.
3. Short Sword (Tanto): less than 1 shaku in length; the shorter of the two swords worn by the samurai as auxiliary swords. Women and tradesmen used them as protective weapons. Commonly called as hara-kiri knives. They are usually the hira-zukuri (without ridgeline) types.
4. Collar (Habaki): It is made to prevent the blade from rattling in the scabbard and from slipping out of the scabbard.
5. Spaces or washers (Seppa)
6. Pommel or metal sleeve (Fuchi)
7. Rivet hole of the hilt (Mekugi-ana)
8. Hilt ornaments (Menuki): A hilt has a pair of menuki with identical designs or companion or counterpart designs.
9. Pommel at base (Kashira)
Commonly, the samurai-sword blades are divided into the hira-zukuri type (without ridgeline) and the shinogi-zukuri type (with ridgeline). There are eight different types of the common samurai-sword blades:
1. Shinogi-zukuri, which is the most common and mostly found in long swords (daito).
2. Kanmuri-otoshi.
3. Unokubi-zukuri, which is found in short swords (tanto) after the late Kamakura period.
4. Shobu-zukuri, which was popular in the Muromachi period and generally, found in short blades.
5. Moro-ha, which is found in the tanto from the mid-Muromachi period. Straight blades with two cutting edges are known as ken.
6. Kata-kiri-ba, which is found in the short blades and was popular in the late Kamakura and the Momoyama period.
7. Kata-shinogi, the blades are generally short.
8. Hita-zukuri, which is the most common type for short blades without ridgeline.
Besides, there are five different types of construction of the blades:
1. Maru-gitae, which is with one grade of steel and used for mass production. Usually the swords reveal a smooth, grainless appearance on their surfaces.
2. Wariba-gitae, which is a better construction than Maru0gitae because harder blade-steel is applied to the blade.
3. Makuri-gitae, which is with the soft core that, surrounded by hard steel.
4. Hon-sanmai-awase-gitae, which is the skin steel cover the soft core and harder blade steel.
5. Shiho-zume-gitae, which is same as Hon-sanmai-awase-gitae with the addition of back steel.
The metal is heated, stretched and folded as many as twenty times before the sword assume its final form. Fine layers appear on the ridge area and surface that is called the grain (hada). There are different types of grains:
1. Plain (muji)
2. Straight grain (masame-hada)
3. Wood or wood-vein grain (itame-hada)
4. Burl grain (mokume-hada)
5. Curved grain (ayasugi-hada)
There were a lot of problems that faced by the smiths in the ancient times. The smiths discovered that a sword with a razor-sharp blade very often broke off when used against armor. However, an unbreakable blade made of soft steel would bend. Another issue was to make the light sword for use in combat. The smiths found that the most satisfactory weight for a sword is around 2 or 3 pounds. There are many methods of making swords. Some of the methods have to go through many times of repeating process of heating and folding of the steel. After that, the smith engraved his signature and the blade was transferred to the polisher. Meanwhile, different artist will work on different parts of the swords like hilt ornaments, handle bindings, guards, and the sheaths.