"Secrets of the Samurai Sword" on NOVA tonight.

L

Lavan

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Nov 8, 2000
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If interested. I'm interested.
I'll tape it in case it's good.

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:)
 
It's scheduled for rebroadcast 2 or 3 more times this month. Nova is always good, even if it's the history of egg beaters. The mechanical device, not the stuff in the carton.;)
 
I've seen something like this before on PBS. If it's a rerun, it's definitely worth watching. Those old swordsmith masters were light years ahead of us round-eyed Europeans in their time.
 
A very good book about the history swordsmithing and swordsmanship is "By the Sword" by Richard Cohen. He is an ex-olympic fencer, so there is quite a bit about the sport of fencing as well.
 
I was fortunate to know an old fellow who was in the 442nd div of the Japanese US army. He knew John Yumoto , author of "The Samurai Sword" and wangled us an invite to John's house in San Mateo, CA.

I learned the ...etiquette.... of handling the swords. And John had NICE ones. Court swords, major Japanese national treasures, etc.

You NEVER touch the blade. You NEVER hand it to another with the edge toward him.

Interesting field.
 
Great show. It's more than about swords, but about the steel-making process and the blacksmithing and polishing and use of fine blades. One of the things I found interesting is that in the samaurai sword, the inner core is made of softer, tougher steel. The outer steel is harder and more brittle. This arrangement is different than in laminated knives.

The show really illustrates the issues of why carbon is added to steel, and how bladesmiths balance toughness and hardness. It's also a good primer on the quenching process. It's the quenching and the differential types of steel that curve the super-heated blade when it is plunged into water.

One part you really need to see is a master swordfighter slicing an arrow in half just before it hits his heart.
 
LedSled said:
I've seen something like this before on PBS. If it's a rerun, it's definitely worth watching. Those old swordsmith masters were light years ahead of us round-eyed Europeans in their time.
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Perhaps. It is difficult to tell. The way of the sword began to decline hundreds of years earlier in Europe...as did the necessary sword making skills. Their are fewer real European swords available to study than folks realize. That is one reason why old swords dug up from river beds cause such excitement.

The Japanese very well could have been light years ahead, but the paucity of counter evidence doesn't necessarily conclude that notion.
 
zenheretic said:
Perhaps. It is difficult to tell. The way of the sword began to decline hundreds of years earlier in Europe...as did the necessary sword making skills. Their are fewer real European swords available to study than folks realize. That is one reason why old swords dug up from river beds cause such excitement.

The Japanese very well could have been light years ahead, but the paucity of counter evidence doesn't necessarily conclude that notion.
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Any thoughts on the Damascus (Syria) swordsmiths?
 
LedSled said:
I've seen something like this before on PBS. If it's a rerun, it's definitely worth watching. Those old swordsmith masters were light years ahead of us round-eyed Europeans in their time.
Click to expand...
I must respectfully disagree. Different techniques for combining iron and steel were used in Europe possibly as early as 500 B.C. They started getting away from them some time in the Viking era because they figured out how to make a monosteel blade. Personally, I think most Euro. blades were probably stronger.
 
Shoot. I checked out PBS last night at the usual Nova time and it was a show about "Old Brains" or something. I'll keep checking for the sword episode...
 
Was flipping through the channels and caught it in it's entirity. Very informative show. Gave some good laymen descriptions on the making of strong steels. I need laymen terms. Excellent show. Now I know why great blade steel is so expensive even if it isn't handmade.
 
I saw most of it. I was entertained. I thought it was quite good.

I don't know about testing by cutting 5 people in half with one stroke though. Doesn't seem like it would be possible. Did they stack them up like cordwood and chop down? I can't imagine any other stroke would be "long" enough to get through more than 1 or maybe two. I'm quite sure cutting a person in half would be possible, based on seeing those bamboo get halved.
 
I saw the show and found it very informative. It was interesting that you could cut a flying arrow in half to keep it from hitting you.
 
G.Estes said:
I must respectfully disagree. Different techniques for combining iron and steel were used in Europe possibly as early as 500 B.C. They started getting away from them some time in the Viking era because they figured out how to make a monosteel blade. Personally, I think most Euro. blades were probably stronger.
Click to expand...

You seem to know something I don't, and I'm always anxious to learn. Got any references? URL's would be best.
 
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