Samurai Swords: Evolution and Overview

throughout the history of feudal Japan many weapons were used by the samurai military class the naginata polearm the yachty spear the kana bow studded war club the ume bow firearms such as the Tanegashima and tipo and of course the most prominent of all the samurai sword although each weapon has their important art and history tied to them significances that helped shape the face of warfare in Japan for over a thousand years it is the swords of the samurai that have become the most iconic not only for their role in samurai culture but also later on as some of the most famous and easily recognizable weapons on earth this has led to their rise in popularity as many outside Japan began romanticizing them in ways they should not have been forming misconceptions about the blades that need to be dispelled however the purpose of this video is not just to break apart myths but rather to take a journey back through time as we examine the evolution and implementation of the samurai sword by the end answering the question of why they are so significant especially when compared to so many other swords across the world throughout the history of Japan we can see that all swords crafted in the country known as nihonto fall into categories of when they were produced it is important to understand these dates as they will help us to understand the different styles present throughout each period they also help to indicate events that were going on throughout Japan at that time as periods of continuous conflict would play a massive role in the development of updated sword styles to begin let's go back all the way to when Japanese swords weren't even Japanese designs the earliest swords crafted in Japan were known as Joe Couto just like early Japanese armor these swords were styles that originated on the mainland straight double-edged blade weapons that were found throughout China and Korea actually very much akin to the Jian for a time the makers of these swords were actually brought over to Japan or eventually Japanese craftsmen began to learn and emulate their designs yet while these swords indicated a form of fighting that relied more on thrusting and stabbing motions typical Japanese sword plate employed far more slashing and cutting motions through this end craftsmen began steadily introducing a curve to their blades enter the legend of amakuni around the Year 700 a swordsmith in yamato named amakuni became disheartened due to a lack of recognition but also upon seeing his very own blades broken after battles wishing to improve on his craftsmanship and forged superior blades he and his son locked themselves away for seven days and seven nights praying to their shinto gods for guidance finally appearing to have been enlightened amakuni set forth to forge a strong curved single-edged blade he also perhaps may have been the first to introduce the process of folding steel to not only improve its strength but also remove impurities what he forged would be seen as the first tachi initially other sword smiths were skeptical of the design yet when soldiers began returning from battle with his swords still intact and with tales of their fine usage a maki's design quickly caught on by the 10th century after a few hundred years of perfecting the design the blade had been continually improved prompting a transitional stage in Japanese sword development swords made during this period were to be known as koto by combining various steel that differentiated in hardness and carbon content craftsmen were able to produce swords that had a strong cutting edge and a soft core body which not only lightened their weight but also provided cushioning for blows around this time we can also see that some of the earliest sword schools of sword making had arisen initially in Yamato and Yamashiro followed closely after by Beason the sword smiths the schools and their sub schools are as important to the evolution of the Japanese sword as the samurai that wielded them all books and documentaries could be made just talking about famous sword craftsman themselves as popular swordsmith created what would become incredible works of art inscribing their signatures onto the tang of their blades by the late 1100s the samurai took control of the country after the end of the climactic and pay war if anything this empowered military atmosphere caused sword production to flourish as the warrior class was now governing over Japan yet it is important to note that while the tachi was becoming seen as a staple of the samurai class it was not the primary weapon used in battle rather at this point the samurai were still largely in the form of mounted archers and if melee ground combat was to be fought by samurai it would be done using a popular pole arm of the time like the naginata of course the first Shogunate was not without its rivals the emperor goat Oba would be staunchly opposed to the samurai government and would challenge the Shogun from his seat in Kyoto to this end goal Toba attracted many sword smiths from deezen who began working alongside him to create blades swords made by emperor gol Toba himself still exist today and are recognizable due to the stamp of the Imperial chrysanthemum later Japan would suffer two invasions from Kublai Khan's Mongol armies in 1274 and 1281 as I've discussed much in the past the Mongol invasions drastically changed the face of warfare in Japan as the samurai style of fighting met challenges against mainland tactics in particular the samurai had to adapt to fighting close-knit clusters of Mongol infantry this type of group combat had not yet been experienced in Japan thus a new need for hearty close-quarters weaponry caused a development in the tachi which around this time can be seen to have been given wider blades another important development caused by the Mongol invasions was due to fighting aboard mongol ships which gave a rise to a need for shorter more agile blades than the longer tachi this would lead to an increased demand for shorter swords not only for fighting the Mongols but also later for close quarters Castle or Street engagements thus for such instances the samurai fell back to using the shorter kodachi and even the tanto dagger it would still be some time until a true shorter sword design that would become popularized shortly after the end of the Mongol invasions enters an extremely important swordsmith named Masamune being taught by several masters and thus influenced by several different styles Masamune combined his knowledge to forge master works of the blade his swords are often regarded as the finest Japanese swords to ever be made although identifying his works can sometimes prove challenging as you rarely ever signed his blades to this end Masamune blades are still being discovered to this day although his finest work may still be out there the most prized of all being the Honjo Masamune a blade owned by many famous samurai over the years including figures such as Toyotomi Hideyoshi Shimazu Yoshihiro and Tokugawa Ieyasu the blade would later be passed down through the Tokugawa family yet ultimately it would go missing after the United States occupation of Japan in 1945 when they ordered the banning of swords by the fall of the Kamakura Shogunate in 1333 sword designs were growing larger perhaps due to the changing face of warfare in Japan which was now relying more heavily on shock cavalry and heavy infantry it is here that the low dashi emerged a long wide bladed sword cumbersome to wield but devastating on impact after the establishment of the Ashikaga Shogunate in 1336 we entered into the Muromachi period it was during this time that some of the first kind-- jutsu sword schools began to appear and with them came some of the first dojos although sword fighting schools had most likely been around for centuries it was actually here during this period that we can begin tracing the origins of many well established and jutsu soared schools by the early 1400s we can see that shorts or technology had peaked with the introduction of the new wakizashi the uchigatana and most importantly the katana these durable shorter blades provided excellent mobility handling and wait while specifically in the case of the katana not sacrificing too much of the reach that tachi had provided of course a very common question emerges how can someone tell a patchy and a katana apart well besides the length factor and also the fact that the Itachi has a generally more pronounced curve there are a couple other clear indicators the most noticeable is the way they are worn the tachi is more often tied to the belt while the katana is more commonly just tucked into the belt yet a more significant difference can be seen in which direction the blade points for a fully armored samurai on the battlefield it was far more convenient to wear swords blade down as drawing them by simply extending your arm was easier than actually drawing them in a normal upward motion hence why we see more fully armored samurai wearing swords blade down rather than blade up although many still chose to wear their katana blades up regardless when in full armor simply because it's shorter blade still allowed for convenient unsheathing however outside of armored warfare a katana was always to be warned blade up as without armor hampering one's mobility the blade could be drawn up quickly in defense in the case of the tachi though it was still to be worn blade down as it was not easy to draw this way thus the most common outward indicator of differentiation between the two is simply how they are worn underneath all of that there is one more way you can tell the difference and it has to do with where the swordsmith signed his work because they were both to be worn different ways the craftsman would usually place their signature on the side of the tang that would be facing outward as long as we're here let us briefly take a step away from history so that we can also go over some Japanese sword Anatomy the Tang which we just mentioned was actually called The Mikado it included the May which was the artists signature make ooga ana holes for fastening the actual hill to the blade and Yasuda may file marks the hilt itself is known as suka the pummel is called Kishida the woven cloth grip is called suka Maki Miyuki are the sword pegs the collar for the handle is called Fucci while the actual sword guard is the tsuba getting into the actual blade if the curve of the blade is known as Saudi the cutting edge is called the hasaki while the back of the blade is the Muny thus where the blade actually starts down by the tang the cutting edge is called the hamachi while the back is the moon a machi the surface of the blade is called the shinobi G while the ridge on the side of the blade is simply the shinobi the wavy pattern produced by the hardening process is called the hamon while between the hamon and the shinobi is the ROG finally the tip of the blade is called the key sake a sword sheath is called a saya while the time cord itself is called sakyo and is secured by the Cody kata there is also usually a metal hook called a karasuno which is meant to stabilize they say out when the blade is being drawn many of these terms apply to all knee honto there are plenty more fine details regarding the anatomy of the sword but those I just highlighted are arguably the most significant getting back into history the owning war which began in 1467 and lasted until 1477 would kickstart Japan's iconic period of warring States known as the Sengoku Jidai for nearly 150 years Japan would be embroiled in an intense chaotic period of continuous devastating warfare and while it is extremely important to note that the sword was still not yet the primary weapon of the samurai as the e re spear took over as the true main melee weapon of the period the sword still went through a series of changes during this time particularly swords started being mass-produced for warfare in a sense this led to many blades of the period being very poor quality the only swords that proved to be of good use were ones that were specially ordered and took the Smith some time to properly craft yet during the period the Mino school of swordsmith became increasingly popular and adjacent to them swords made in Issei would also gained some recognition mostly through a craftsman named Muramasa Muramasa gained infamy from the Tokugawa family who he apparently cursed in fact both Tokugawa Ieyasu grandfather and eldest son would be killed by Muramasa blades while he and his father would both receive injuries from them this allowed the idea to spread that going into combat against the Tokugawa while wielding a Muramasa blade would bring fortune on the battlefield even later during the Bakumatsu period when the Tokugawa Shogunate was in decline owning a Muramasa blade was seen as an anti Tokugawa statement during the mid 1500s we can also see the rise of Edo a popular sword based martial art that centered around quick draw and the sword from the towards the end of the single cootchie day we entered into the period of swords known as su a koto it was another transitionary period as new creative influences what later lead to the new period of swords known as Shinto not to be confused with the Shinto religion however right before the single GU ji die would end the famous unifier Toyotomi Hideyoshi would begin a process known as the sword hunt which effectively stripped commoners from owning swords as they were now to be strictly just for the samurai class as the Edo period was ushered in it would end up being a major turning point for the samurai sword while most forms of weaponry that had been popular during the climactic single kuchi die fell away as peace was established the sword remained this was of course due to two important factors the sword had become a symbol of samurai status to own and carrying a sword signified that you were of the samurai class as truth be told even the Tokugawa Shogunate would come to mandate the wearing of swords by all samurai whereas before it wasn't an official law the Shogunate would order all samurai to display their status by wearing the tie so one long and one short sword also more practically the sword was a convenient sidearm not as large as a spear and not as small as a dagger it could be worn almost anywhere and brought into almost every situation these two reasons made it so that initially the sword would truly flourish during the period and may have perhaps even aided in the rise of the katana as a more popular blade but more importantly this is where we can really point to the idea that the sword was not only just a staple of the summary class but also where the sword became the soul of the samurai intertwining the two forever in the early years of the Aido period we are introduced to miyamoto musashi a pioneer of swordsmanship he would not only perfect his own style of double bladed fighting but also found his own sword school he would become the greatest Japanese sword duelist who ever lived emerging undefeated after roughly 61 duels later he would cement his legacy with the writing of his extremely popular and influential work on the subjects of kenjutsu and martial arts the book of five rings however due to the 8o period being a time of peace the ingenuity of sword craftsmanship went to the wayside as swords began to be made into rather works of art instead of practical fighting weapons that is not to say that sword making suffered everywhere as many new sword schools began popping up especially around Edo the capital of the Tokugawa Shogunate the Tokugawa family actually trusted in a particular line of craftsmen from HSN who pioneered the usage of foreign steel to make superior blades as the Edo period went on and samurai began to forget the life of war many of them began to question their actual readiness for battle and if their weapons were indeed suitable for combat this led to the Shogunate creating execution grounds where prisoners would be used as live test subjects for swords to effectively see if the blades were actually usable if a sword was seen as a successful killer of men it would be inscribed with a gold inlay signifying its capability another way samurai remained battle-ready during the edo period was largely through the rise of kindle japanese fencing which emerged in the early 1700s kendo became a popular way to hone one's skill and engage in nearly real duels that wouldn't be possible with real metal blades it became a fantastic alternative to King jutsu and idol during the later stages of the tokugawa shogunate we enter into the scenes into a period of sorts which is marked to have seen an increase in wider blades similar to those of the koto of the Kamakura period this may have been done to make the sword appear more intimidating in a time when many actually lacked skill with the blade these would be heavily used during the ocean war which saw the overthrow of the Tokugawa government and the return of imperial authority and while the age of the samurai came to an end the evolution of Japanese swords does not as swords would still be relevant yet now any more ceremonial sense it is here we entered into the gun title era of swords after the emperor was returned to power and with an increased Japanese interest in Western Imperial culture and styles the typical Japanese sword was briefly left behind as many imperialists began carrying Western sabers this would not last however as a drive to return to traditional Japanese roots would cause the concept of Bushido to rise in popularity as it was not something that was generally thought of during the age of the samurai but rather an idea in retrospect and as the idea of the samurai honor of days past began to return to the forefront of Japanese culture so too did the sword to which the samurai were so intertwined in fact we can even here in the battle tie Imperial March song lyrics which reflect a return of the sword [Music] Oh [Music] yet in the years to come nihonto that would be produced for the military known later as show ATO were not made by the same craftsmen of old but rather factory made blades that were nowhere near the same quality as their predecessors but luckily thanks to a few families of craftsmen the Kazan and Odie the practices of old sword making were kept alive throughout the first half of the 1900s Imperial Japan embarked on a series of conquests and while the sword became common imagery seen in the Imperial Army there is no more fine example of its usage during this period then when it was used during the Second World War throughout world war ii the sword would often be used by the Japanese to execute prisoners not too different from how the samurai used it to test their blades on prisoners in fact this is a direct correlation to the samurai mindset of victory and head taking it is not entirely surprising that these atrocities are rather in line with the militaristic mindset that had been present in feudal Japan after the end of the Second World War as I mentioned earlier the United States began a process of rounding up swords as they were seen as a symbol of Japan's aggressive militaristic past yet shortly thereafter a renewed interest in samurai swords would once again re-emerge boosted not only by a traditional lust to continue the arts of old but also due to rising popularity in the West Japanese history became a fascinating subject as samurai culture became a hallmark of the East a feudal society that had existed outside of Europe and continued on into relatively recent history throughout everything kendo higher though and even kenjutsu would remain popular martial arts in Japan and would even draw in enthusiasts from across the world sword production would also continue although due to increased demand in the West this also gave rise to rather cheaply made swords that were not properly crafted factory mass-produced swords not real Nihon ttle although true nihonto are still made today using the lengthy smithing processes of the past these swords are extremely expensive yet are the truest form of modern Japanese sword so now that we have journeyed through the history of the samurai sword let us return to the final question I posed at the beginning why did the samurai sword gain such a renown recognition and misconception in a world full of unique swords from military societies in various countries over thousands of years what makes Nihon tow so special that they are so sought after today no doubt it largely has to do with the popular portrayal of samurai swords in movies TV shows books comics and video games often Japanese swords are depicted as the ultimate killing machine that no sword is better than it easily cuts through anything and everything these are all of course or mantas ations glorifications and falsehoods as over the years they have continued to be proven wrong it has been shown that samurai swords were often weaker than swords made in the West and that Japanese sword fighting styles were not necessarily better or worse than Western fighting styles the one thing that has been proven to be somewhat true is that due to how nihonto are made they actually tend to have a very sharp and strong edge that is shown to be rather resilient even when compared to foreign swords although even with all of that said I still believe Japanese swords are the most significant swords in the world but for other reasons what it comes down to for me is the significance the sword held and for the length of time that it did opposed to other warrior cultures around the world there was never a military society so intertwined with their weapons like the samurai war to their sword as we saw her by the edo period it became almost the embodiment and soul of the samurai it became a unique status symbol that only the samurai could possess nowhere else in the world were swords restricted to a single group in society like this even in the case of European Knights you cannot point to a European sword and say that that is the soul of the night it just doesn't work the same way on top of that the continued practice and appreciation to the usage of the nihon thought through kenjutsu hadou and kendo is a continued extension of samurai tradition and Japan's feudal past I'd go so far to say that each has a more significant connection to their history than modern-day Western fencing and just to be clear I did actually fence for a while so while the samurai sword is in no way physically superior to other swords across the world where they do outshine any other sword is in regards to their relevance and importance to the history of a warrior class that outlasted many other feudal societies throughout time that is what makes the samurai sword so great and influential anyways that about wraps it up in the future I plan on coming back to detail more samurai weaponry but until then thank you all so much for watching and don't forget to Like subscribe and ring that notification bell if you enjoyed this video and found it to be most informative [Music]

Channel: The Shogunate

Views: 434,252

Keywords: samurai, Japan, History, bushido, sword, blade, katana, honor, battle, sengoku jidai, military, education, Tachi, wakizashi, shogun, shogunate, daimyo, evolution

Id: QzMTE6fLG5M

Length: 24min 58sec (1498 seconds)

Published: Thu May 07 2020