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posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday October 10 2017, @01:36AM   Printer-friendly
from the swords-are-technology dept.

I have been reading The Japanese Sword Column and thought it may be of niche interest to other Soylentils. It is written by Paul Martin, a noted British expert of Japanese swords. From the introduction:

Along with cherry blossoms and Mount Fuji, the Japanese sword has become one of the enduring symbols of Japan. It has experienced centuries of warfare, evolved through Mongol invasions, survived the introduction of the musket, the end of the samurai era, modernization, and confiscation and destruction by the Allied forces following World War II. They are an anachronism in modern society, yet they continue to be made. They are an integral part of Japanese culture.
Today, I feel very fortunate that we have access to Japanese swords and can observe the artistry of blades that were previously only accessible by Japan's ancient military and social elites.

I particularly enjoyed the July 25th article, The Changes in the Shape of the Japanese Sword. The articles are short, update infrequently and have plenty of pictures of museum-quality swords. A good fit for those with a casual interest in the subject.


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 10 2017, @02:48PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 10 2017, @02:48PM (#579826)

    It is over-hyped, if only because there's just ludicrous amounts of hype. The technology _is_ very neat, mind, but the mysticism around it is huge.

    Do keep in mind that the techniques used are there to make up for the poor quality of the steel available. European swords at the time were made from higher quality material (even the non-Damascus ones), so they didn't need to go the same lengths to get a, well, weapons-grade weapon.

    It does go to show the lengths humans will go to in order to overcome the limitations of what they've got at hand, even if (especially if?) the goal is killing other humans.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 11 2017, @07:33AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 11 2017, @07:33AM (#580333)

    European swords at the time were made from higher quality material (even the non-Damascus ones), so they didn't need to go the same lengths to get a, well, weapons-grade weapon.

    You really, really have no idea of what you are talking about, do you? European "steel" of the Muromachi-jidai? Ha! 愚かな外国人!