Japanese swords

Japanese swords

The katana one was considered like the soul of the Samurai and is one of the elements that the culture of Japan represents more.

The art to use the Japanese swords has become a modern martial art.

The Samurai fought with done katanas by hand and very sharpened, reason why they are mortal.

The sword was the most important weapon of Japan. In 1588 exclusive privilege of the class was declared single-breasted uniform jacket.

History of its swords

In year 240 A.d., they were sent to him as present to queen Himeko, from China, two swords and in 280 year d.c. more iron swords were concerned from China to Japan.

In century V the first Japanese steel swords make and Chokuto is called to them. These Japanese swords were straight and with a single side edge.

In century XI the method was developed to harden the steel, something very typical of the Japanese swords.

The era of the Chokuto swords lasted until century VIII. It is then when it changes the style to fight, and on foot happens to be to be to horse. This made vary the form of the sword and happened to be straight to be curved.

This one type of sword was called Tachi and was curved and releases of a single side edge.

Between chokuto and tachi were the many other intermediate forms, most common were the curved swords of double edge, calls kogarasumaru and kenukigatatachi.

The evolution of the Japanese sword happens in relevance to the history of Japan.

Japanese history is divided in eras:

The era Heian (794-1184)

The era Kamakura (1184-1333)

The era Nanpokucho (1334-1393)

The era Muromachi (1394-1595)

The era of Edo (1596-1867)

Modern time (1868-hoy)

After the Japanese lost the war, the Americans prohibited the manufacture of swords. Near 400.000 Japanese swords of great artistic and historical importance, finished in the United States and the art of the Japanese sword was on the verge of being extinguished.

In 1953 it returns to be legal the manufacture of swords and the tradition is reestablished.

Old teachers who were alive taught to the new generations and nowadays there are 250 forjadores of sword.

Types of Japanese swords

- As much

It is a species of fine dagger with a single edge and one took hidden. It was only used in case of emergency.

- The Japanese Saber, the Katana

The Katanas was used by the Samurais. Those that they made this type of sword were dealt with a great honor.

The process to make a Japanese sword of this type was long, was necessary to forge the metal, to give form him and to elaborate the leaf.

The Samurai sword has fame by its metal that is unbreakable, due to the good work of the craftsmen whom they had to double many metal layers until turning it the leaf of the sword. Whatever more layers more hard the sword. One says that some swords had more than one hundred layers.

Within the Japanese sabers we found several types:

- Tachi

The Tachi is a saber that has been created for ceremonies and cortesanas celebrations.

It is decorated profusely and its leaf is recorded with beautiful drawings.

The Tachi is a species of saber in full dress and rarely it was used in combat.

- Daisho: Katana and Wakizashi

This type of saber had less decoration and was the weapon that the Samurai really used.

The Daisho saber subjected with a tape that went through a wood eyelet that was leaned to the case.

There is two sizes for this one type of saber, katana, that are greater and wakizashi, the minor.

The most known it is the katana and it is used with the two hands, although also it is possible to be used with one.

Wakizashi is handled single with a hand and it was used in spaces closed like castles and forests.

The sabers keep in wood boxes decorated that are called katana zutsu and the supports katana kake.

- Iaito

The Iaito saber is made with alloy of zinc aluminum and it is resembled an authentic katana by its form, size, weight and balance.

Its main characteristic is that little it is sharpened, sometimes without edge.

The Iaito is designed to train iaido, in addition to other martial arts.