I think everyone knows about the Samurais. Yes, the elite warriors of ancient Japan. They were skilled warriors who fought with courage and left a legacy behind them. Samurais are popular, but even more popular are the Samurai swords. These swords are still considered the most awesome swords ever designed. They revolve around the famous katana sword which was a masterpiece itself. In this article, I will be focusing on certain interesting facts associated with the samurai swords. So, let’s uncover those interesting facts:
The Earliest Samurai Sword was Different
The earliest samurai swords were not the ones we have today. There were a few key differences. Starting with the shape of the earliest swords, they had very straight blades. However, they were often single edged and were imported from China and Korea. The earliest samurai swords were called chokuto. However, in the 8th century, they were replaced by the curved blade swords, known as Tachi. Samurais were smart to realize that curved blade is easy to be drawn from the scabbard in a quick succession. Also, they realized that curved blade could offer better cutting angles.
The earliest samurai swords had a point known as Kissaki. This was perhaps the most difficult part of the sword for forging and polishing. Hence, to develop a quality sword, a highly skilled artisan was required. The quality of the point was pretty important though because it determined the value of sword.
Samurais Used Different Swords
Many people think that samurais only used the famous katana. But, exploring the facts, we figured out that samurai also used bokken for training. These were the swords made of wood and were designed only for practice purposes. To ensure the safety, samurai preferred these wooden swords for practice. It also assisted them in avoiding any unnecessary damage to their original swords. The original swords were even then called samurai swords because samurai believed that the name of the sword would lift their spirits. And, they did take pride in it.
Samurai swords were typically of three types. The most popular was the katana which was perhaps the longest sword among them. The length of this sword was around 24 inches. It served as the greatest combat sword. Even today, katana is the most popular sword. We know it as the best sword ever constructed. The second sword used by the Samurai is the Wakizashi. This was one third shorter than the famous katana. Generally, it was under 20 inches and more than 12 inches in length. During indoor combat, they preferred this short sword because it had the better maneuverability. The third one was the tanto sword. This was more a knife than a sword because it had a short blade and was used in a similar fashion Wakizashi was used.
Sword Testing by the Samurais
Sword testing process was quite interesting during those times. The sword testet took the newly crafted blade and cut through the bodies of condemned criminals and corpses to figure out the strength of the blade.
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