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Japanese sword over view
The Japanese sword holds an enormous amount of reverence both in Japan and within Martial Arts circles around the world. To most people whether in or out of the martial arts, the sword holds some intrigue and mystic. In this short work we hope to cover most points about the Japanese sword. We do not promise you the complete encyclopaedia of knowledge on the Japanese’s sword.
This is a huge subject. Our aim is too clearly and simply cover all the points promised and may be if you are still interested direct you to other works to further your study. No one book could possible teach you everything about this vast subject. In fact you could write a complete book about any one of these headings the subject is so large.
The sword itself has a fascinating history stretching back nearly 1500 years beginning its life back in the fourth or fifth centuries. Then it was just a straight edged weapon not like the swords we know today. In the Nara period (AD 646-794) swords known as 'chokuto' were produced while these were still straight they had a single edge in the style of 'Kanto-Tachi' a new adaptation of the blade had taken place. There are not many blades from this period still in existence .
The sword began to develop over centuries until swords were banned in 1876. Swords then were only for ceremonial duties, no one was allowed to wear a sword in public. Sword production became almost extinct except for a few smiths who made swords for
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