Samurai swords. Japanese weapons and their types

The period of the Tokugawa shogunate rule since 1603 was associated with the departure to the past of the art of possession of a spear. To replace the bloody wars came the era of technology and perfection of the military competition on swords. The art associated with possession of the sword, was called "kenjutsu", eventually turned into a means of spiritual self-improvement.

The Meaning of a Samurai Sword

Real samurai swords were considered not just armaments of a professional soldier, but also a symbol of the samurai estate, an emblem of honor and valor, courage and masculinity. Since ancient times, the weapon was revered as a sacred gift of the Sun Goddess to her grandson, ruling on the ground. The sword should only be used to eradicate evil, injustice and protect the good. He was part of the Shinto cult. The weapons were decorated with temples, sacred places. In the 8th century Japanese priests participated in the production, cleaning, polishing of swords.

The samurai had to always keep a warrior's kit with him. The swords were given a place of honor in the house, a niche in the main corner - the Tokonoma. They were stored on a stand of tatikake or kananakake. Going to bed, the samurai put his swords at his head at arm's length.

A person could be poor, but have an expensive blade in excellent frame. The sword was an emblem, emphasizing the class position. For the sake of the blade, the samurai had the right to sacrifice his own life and his family.

Set of Japanese Warrior

Japanese warriors always carried two swords with them, which indicated that they belonged to the samurai. The warrior's kit (daise) consisted of a long and short blade. A long samurai sword katana or daito (from 60 to 90 cm) - the main weapon of the samurai from the 14th century. He was worn on the belt with the point up. The sword was sharpened on one side, had a curved blade and handle. Masters of the battle knew how to kill with lightning speed, in a fraction of a second stretching the blade and making one swing. This technique was called "Iajutsu".

A short samurai sword wakizashi (shoto or kodakti) was twice shorter (from 30 to 60 cm) worn on the belt with a point upwards, was used less often when fighting in cramped conditions. With the help of wakizashi warriors cut off the killed opponents of the head or, being captured, committed seppuku - suicide. Most often samurai fought with a katana, although in special schools taught fighting on two swords.

Types of samurai swords

In addition to the daise set, there were several types of Japanese swords used by soldiers.

• Tsurugi, tekuto - the oldest sword used up to the 11th century, had straight edges and was sharpened on both sides.
• Ken is a direct ancient blade, sharpened on both sides, used in religious rites and rarely used in combat.
• Tati - a large curved sword (the length of the point is 61 cm), used by riders, ran with the point down.
• Nodati or odati - an extra-large blade (from 1 m to 1.8 m), which is a kind of Tati, was worn behind the rider's back.
• Tanto - dagger (up to 30 cm long).
• For training, bamboo swords (shinai) and wooden (bokken) were used. Training weapons could be used in combat with an unworthy opponent, for example, a robber.

Commoners and men of the lower classes had the right to defend themselves with small knives and daggers, as there was a law on the right to wear swords.

Sword of katana

Katana is a battle samurai sword, which is part of the standard armament of a warrior, along with a small wakizashi blade. It began to be used in the 15th century due to the improvement of the Tati. The katana is distinguished by a curved outward blade, a long straight handle that allows it to be held with one or both hands. The blade has a small bend and a pointed end, is used for cutting and piercing strokes. The weight of the sword is 1 - 1.5 kg. In strength, flexibility and hardness, the samurai sword of the katana takes first place in the world among other blades, cuts bones, rifles and iron bars, surpasses Arabian bullets and European swords.

Blacksmith, forging weapons, never made fittings, for this, he had other masters under his control. Katana is a designer, assembled as a result of the work of the whole team. Samurais always had several sets of accessories, worn on occasion. The blade was passed on for centuries from generation to generation, and its appearance could vary depending on the circumstances.

History of katana

In 710, the legendary first Japanese fencer Amakuni used in battle a sword with a curved blade. Forged from dissimilar plates, it had a saber form. Its form did not change until the 19th century. From the 12th century, kataks were considered swords of aristocrats. Under the rule of the Ashikaga shoguns, the tradition of wearing two swords, which became the privilege of the samurai class, arose. A set of samurai swords was part of a military, civil and festive costume. Two blades were worn by all samurai, regardless of rank: from the rank and file to the shogun. After the revolution, Japanese officials were required to wear European swords, then the katans lost their high status.

Secrets of making katana

The blade was forged from two types of steel: a tough core was made from a viscous, and a cutting edge was made of a sturdy one. The steel before the forging was cleaned by multiple addition and welding.

The choice of metal, special iron ore with impurities of molybdenum and tungsten was important in the manufacture of katana. The iron rods the master buried in the swamp for 8 years. During this time rust consumed weak points, then the product was sent to the smithy. The gunsmith turned the bars into foil with a heavy hammer. Then the foil repeatedly folded and flattened. Therefore, the finished blade consisted of 50,000 layers of high-strength metal.

These samurai katanas have always been distinguished by a characteristic line of jamon, which results from the use of special methods of forging and hardening. The handle of the Tsuka's sword was wrapped around the skin of the ramp and was wound with a strip of silk. Souvenir or ceremonial katana could have handles made of wood or ivory.

Possession of a katana

The long hilt of the sword allows them to maneuver effectively. To hold the katana, grip is used, the end of the handle should be kept in the middle of the left palm, and the right hand squeeze the handle near the guard. The simultaneous swing of both hands enabled the warrior to obtain a wide swing amplitude without spending a lot of effort. The blows were applied vertically to the sword or to the hands of the enemy. This allows you to remove enemy weapons from the trajectory of attack, to hit him with the next stroke.

Ancient Japanese weapons

Several varieties of Japanese weapons are of an auxiliary or secondary type.

• Yumi or o-yumi are battle bows (from 180 to 220 cm), which are Japan's oldest weapons. Bows were used in battle and in religious ceremonies since ancient times. In the 16th century, they were replaced by muskets brought from Portugal.
• Jari - a spear (length 5 m), a weapon popular in the era of civil strife, was used by infantry to drop the enemy from the horse.
• Bo - a military battle pole, which in our day refers to sports weapons. There are many versions of the pole, depending on the length (from 30 cm to 3 m), thickness and section (round, hexagonal, etc.).
• Yoroi-dosi was considered a dagger of mercy, resembling a stylet and used to finish off the wounded in battle opponents.
• Kodzuka or kotsuka - a military knife, fixed in the sheath of a combat sword, was often used for economic purposes.
• Tessen or dansen uti - the military fan of the military leader. The fan was equipped with steel sharpened knitting needles, could be used in attack, as a battle ax and as a shield.
• Jitte is a fighting iron baton, a fork with two teeth. It was used in the Tokugawa era as a police weapon. Using the jitte, the police intercepted samurai swords in battles with violent warriors.
• Nagatinata is a Japanese halberd, a weapon of monk warriors, a two-meter-long pole with a small flat blade at the end. In ancient times it was used by foot soldiers to attack the enemy's horses. In the 17th century it was used in samurai families as a female weapon for self-defense.
• Kaiken is a fighting dagger for female aristocrats. Used for self-defense, as well as disgraced girls for suicide.

During the internecine civil wars in Japan, firearms were manufactured, rifles with silicon locks (teppo), which were considered unworthy with the coming to power of Tokugawa. Since the 16th century, Japanese troops have also appeared guns, but the bow and sword continued to occupy the main place in the armament of the samurai.

Katana-kaji

Swords in Japan were always made by people of the ruling class, often relatives of samurai or courtiers. With increasing demand for swords, the feudal lords began to patronize smiths (katana-kaji). The making of the samurai sword required careful preparation. Forging swords resembled a liturgical ceremony and was filled with religious activities to protect the owner from evil forces.

Before starting to work, the smith kept fasting, refrained from bad thoughts and deeds, performed the ritual of purifying the body. The forge was carefully cleaned and decorated with sime - ritual attributes, woven from rice straw. In each smithy there was an altar for prayers and for moral preparation for work. If necessary, the master was dressed in kuge dresses. Honor did not allow the experienced master to produce substandard weapons. Sometimes the blacksmith destroyed a sword, which he could spend several years, because of a single flaw. Work on one sword could last from 1 year to 15 years.

The technology of Japanese swords

The melted metal, obtained from the magnetic iron ore, was used as weapon steel. Samurai swords, considered to be the best in the Far East, were as solid as Damascus. In the 17th century, the production of Japanese swords began to use metal from Europe.

The Japanese smith formed a blade from a huge number of iron layers, the finest strips with different carbon content. The strips were welded together during melting and forging. Forging, stretching, multiple folding and new metal strip forgings made it possible to obtain a thin bar.

Thus, the blade consisted of many fused thin layers of carbon-free steel. The combination of low-carbon and high-carbon metals gave the sword a special hardness and toughness. At the next stage, the smith polished the blade on several stones and hardened it. Often samurai swords from Japan were made for several years.

Murder at the crossroads

The quality of the blade and the skill of the samurai were usually tested in combat. A good sword made it possible to cut three corpses laid on top of each other. It was believed that the new samurai swords should be tried on a man. Tzuji-giri (killing at the crossroads) is the name of the rite of testing a new sword. Victims of samurai became beggars, peasants, travelers and just passers-by, the number of which was soon numbered in the thousands. The authorities put patrols and guards on the streets, but the guards did not do their duty well.

Samurais, who did not want to kill innocent people, preferred a different method - tameshi-giri. Paying the executioner, you could give him the blade, which he tried during the execution of the convict.

What is the secret of keenness?

The real katana sword can self-sharpen as a result of the ordered movement of molecules. Simply by placing the blade on a special stand, the warrior, after a period of time, again received a sharp blade. The sword was polished step by step, through ten grinding wheels, which reduce the graininess. Then the master polished the blade with charcoal dust.

At the last stage, the quenching of the sword in liquid clay was carried out, as a result of this procedure a matte finest strip (yakib) appeared on the blade. Famous masters left a signature on the tail of the blade. After forging and hardening, the sword was polished for half a month. When the katana had a mirror shine, the work was considered complete.

Conclusion

A real samurai sword, the price of which is fabulous, as a rule, is the manual work of an ancient master. Such tools are difficult to find, since they are inherited by families as a relic. The most expensive katana have mei - the stigma of the master and the year of manufacture on the shank. On many swords symbolic forging, drawings from the Chinese mythology, driving away evil spirits were put. Sheath for the sword was also decorated with ornaments.