Handmade Samurai Swords

Before the 10th century, Japanese swords were straight, but that began to change when sword-making techniques travelled from China's Tang dynasty to Japan. These new swords were curved and they were single-edged to emphasize cutting rather than stabbing. The curved blade made horseback-riding warriors far more powerful because the downward swipe of the blade had far more cutting power.

During the Mongol invasion of Japan in the 13th century, the Japanese realized that they had to redesign their sword again because it wasn't holding up to the tough leather armor. To hold their own against the invasion, handmade samurai swords began to sport thinner temper lines along with bigger blades and tips.

When firearms were introduced in Japan as weapons, the art of the handmade samurai swords began to taper off, and the art of sword making was able to survive at the hands of a very few artisans. The future of the Japanese samurai sword faced further threat of distinction during the U.S. occupation of Japan after World War II. At this time, any Japanese armed forces were disbanded and the production of weapons with blades was banned.

Things did not turn out to be quite so dismal for the fate of the samurai sword, because of a man named Dr. Junji Honma who made the case for samurai swords as representations of art. There was a review with General Douglas MacArthur where artistic sword blades were able to be distinguished from blades meant only for fighting. As a result of this negotiation, samurai sword artisans were able to continue practicing their craft.

In recent years, television and movies have featured samurai swords, especially the katana, fuelling a huge demand for handcrafted swords. Many people, who are entranced by the beauty of the Japanese swords, found it's easier and more affordable to have a reproduction. But if you want a real handmade samurai sword made in Japan, you can expect to quite a high price. And if you are concerned with authenticity, it is well worth your value. If you are not concerned about owning a real handmade samurai sword from Japan, you can still purchase well-crafted swords made in other countries at much more reasonable prices.

If you haven't clicked on any of the links in the lens above, you can try this one:

http://www.samurai-weapons.com