![]() To get the actual history of Samurai Blade, we necessitate to travel time for the Middle Ages as the role of steel from bronze intended for bladed weapons massively amended and also single edged swords turn into the most famous throughout Asia.
The existence of samurai swords in Japan dates back to 240 BC, the Yayoi time period, when a tribute was sent from the queen Himeko to the Chinese dynasty Wei. In 280 BC, numerous iron swords were brought in from China. It is believed that the art of forging the steel came straightaway after that from China, through Korea, but the details are still unclear. The first samurai katana sword was introduced on the major scale in the 5th century. They were straight within look and were called chokuto. Within Japan, the method used for hardening of steel is quite unique, as far as the devising of the swords is concerned. The period of the straight swords continued until the beginning of the eighth century, the Heian period of time, when the style of battling was changed, and the fight on horseback became predominant. In order to handle swords with horse riding, they turned longer, curve, with a single blade and were named tachi. Between chokuto and tachi style swords there were more halfway styles, the most widely used being short sword kogarasumaru with two edges followed by kenukigatatachi swords. One of the favourite swords used in war through Japanese warriors (Samaurai) are called Nipponto or Nihonto, which describes Japanese curved swords. Heian period is thought as the beginning of the history of Japanese swords and is described by the fact that several ideas were imported from China and were reformed to make them Japanese. Most of things that we consider specific to Japane were seen during this time period. During this period, the idea to manufacture swords by smithing had been also introduced, so that the outer surface remains rough and the core becomes soft. During the Heian period, the folded metallic samurai swords of class tachi had been also manufactured and used. Simultaneously the habit of signing on the sword blades started, therefore most likely, the firstborn tachi sword puts up with signature of its manufacturer Sanjo Munechika. The ancient Japanese sword was made by Namihira Yukimasa, which contained date of its manufacturing and Yukimasa’s sign. And then comes the Taira clan, which was defeated by Minamoto no Yoritomo, marking the start of the period Kamakura, but simultaneously, it marked the take over of the power by samurai warriors. It is considered to be the golden period of the Japanese swords that continued to improve from all the points of view, including the actual artistic one. Width of the blade in the sword is a characteristic of the swords belonging to that period, which was bigger than that of the previous period, a small difference within the width of the blade at its end and base, and the shape connected with its end, which belonged to ikubi type. The discovery regarding new samurai strategies, weapons, and technologies showed some weak facts in the tachi swords, such as the end of the sword’s blade was simple to break and couldn't be fixed. These experiences accrued in the battles, affected the impending design on the swords. So while the Samurai have gone, history of Samurai swords continues right into future which hunt for each perserving and recovering the outdated ways, and discovering the new. |