By lyuesword | 14 April 2021 | 0 Comments
The importance and the destiny of Katana
Katana was not simply a sword, it was considered the mirror of the Samurai soul.
For this reason, a Samurai never separated from his sword and took care of manic levels, constantly taking care of every detail and also investing a lot of money for its maintenance in the best conditions.
It was also believed that a Katana had the peculiarity of absorbing the spirit of its daring owners, which is why, more a sword was ancient, more it was considered powerful and valuable.
In the 16th century, in Japan there was what was called Sengoku Jidai (Warring States Period), a historical period from 1467 to 1600.
Towards the end of this era there followed three great Samurai leaders who will go down in history as the 3 unifiers of Japan.
Under the reign of the second of these unification, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, some laws were passed (1587 and 1591) that would create a very rigid division into castes that would last for 300 years.
One of the main points of this new law enshrined the absolute prohibition, for any person not born Samurai, to bring the Daisho, or any other weapon, and at the same time the absolute prohibition for the Samurai to engage in any other type of work that does not they were war and training, or activities worthy of the noble / warlike class such as meditation, poetry, sculpture, garden design, the art of tea and others.
It was in this period that Katana conquered that legendary state that still distinguishes it today.
During the following period (Edo Jidai), the country was now unified and relatively peaceful; the wars were then replaced by duels.
It is in this context that the adventures of the solitary samurai who wander through Japan are inserted, accompanied only by their Katana, in search of their true strength and Buddhist enlightenment, in order to become the strongest swordsman in the country, and obtain therefore glory and honor and come perhaps assumed as masters of arms in the great Samurai houses or even from the Shogun (this type of history is a very recurring theme in many Japanese Manga).
Once again I have to mention Miyamoto Musashi, as he is probably the greatest exponent of this era, thanks to his countless victories and to his book “Gorin no sho” (“The Book of the 5 Rings”) which has come down to us, in which he tells details of his adventure and his secrets both technical and especially mental to win in war and in duel (just think that this book is still studied by managers of Japanese companies as a manual to excel on the adversary).
Taking a big leap forward, not to go too far, we reach the years of the Second World War.
The Samurai caste had been abolished in 1877 as a result of internal wars between traditionalists and modernists, who saw the victory of the latter. These conflicts broke out because of the arrival of modern American warships in the Japanese archipelago, which immediately made clear the sharp technological inferiority of a country such as Japan, which had come from almost 300 years of complete isolation from the outside world. This situation has made clear the fact that in order to defend itself from the advance of Western colonialism, and not to end the Chinese Empire for example, Japan had to adapt and learn as much as possible American and European production and development techniques.
The country then started towards Meiji restoration, which in less than 30 years will lead it to be the first non-Western nation to militarily defeat a Western power (Russia 1905). Then made room for the rise of a modern Western-style army, no more bows and arrows, but guns, cannons and warships.
Japan is, however, a country that changes only when it is forced to do, and now the Samurai were anachronistic, but even when it changes, it always maintains its tradition firmly, not replacing it with the new, but merging it together.
It is therefore not surprising to learn that during the Second World War, not only the Japanese officers, but also many soldiers, came down on the battlefield with a Katana on their side, and in most cases they used it in suicide against the overwhelming allied firepower. These swords, however, now had only the appearance of a Katana, but in practice they were pieces of steel of low quality and mass-produced; the needs both in the number and in the speed of production were now totally different.
Nevertheless, these swords had a huge impact on the morale of Japanese soldiers, making them feel the bond and the contiguity of the tradition with their legendary ancestors, from whom they also took the code of honor, the Bushido.
After the tormented years of the last world war, and after the end of the American occupation of Japan (1952), the ancient art of the production of Katana was brought back thanks to the passion of the descendants of the old masters and from what remained of the ancient schools, until nowadays and “our” Master Matsunaga Genrokurou.
Want a unique sword? Feel free to contact us:
Email: lyuesword@hotmail.com
Website: www.lyuesword.com
Custom Sword Page: www.lyuesword.com/Custom-Sword/customization-options/Create-Your-Own-Swords
For this reason, a Samurai never separated from his sword and took care of manic levels, constantly taking care of every detail and also investing a lot of money for its maintenance in the best conditions.
It was also believed that a Katana had the peculiarity of absorbing the spirit of its daring owners, which is why, more a sword was ancient, more it was considered powerful and valuable.
In the 16th century, in Japan there was what was called Sengoku Jidai (Warring States Period), a historical period from 1467 to 1600.
Towards the end of this era there followed three great Samurai leaders who will go down in history as the 3 unifiers of Japan.
Under the reign of the second of these unification, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, some laws were passed (1587 and 1591) that would create a very rigid division into castes that would last for 300 years.
One of the main points of this new law enshrined the absolute prohibition, for any person not born Samurai, to bring the Daisho, or any other weapon, and at the same time the absolute prohibition for the Samurai to engage in any other type of work that does not they were war and training, or activities worthy of the noble / warlike class such as meditation, poetry, sculpture, garden design, the art of tea and others.
It was in this period that Katana conquered that legendary state that still distinguishes it today.
During the following period (Edo Jidai), the country was now unified and relatively peaceful; the wars were then replaced by duels.
It is in this context that the adventures of the solitary samurai who wander through Japan are inserted, accompanied only by their Katana, in search of their true strength and Buddhist enlightenment, in order to become the strongest swordsman in the country, and obtain therefore glory and honor and come perhaps assumed as masters of arms in the great Samurai houses or even from the Shogun (this type of history is a very recurring theme in many Japanese Manga).
Once again I have to mention Miyamoto Musashi, as he is probably the greatest exponent of this era, thanks to his countless victories and to his book “Gorin no sho” (“The Book of the 5 Rings”) which has come down to us, in which he tells details of his adventure and his secrets both technical and especially mental to win in war and in duel (just think that this book is still studied by managers of Japanese companies as a manual to excel on the adversary).
Taking a big leap forward, not to go too far, we reach the years of the Second World War.
The Samurai caste had been abolished in 1877 as a result of internal wars between traditionalists and modernists, who saw the victory of the latter. These conflicts broke out because of the arrival of modern American warships in the Japanese archipelago, which immediately made clear the sharp technological inferiority of a country such as Japan, which had come from almost 300 years of complete isolation from the outside world. This situation has made clear the fact that in order to defend itself from the advance of Western colonialism, and not to end the Chinese Empire for example, Japan had to adapt and learn as much as possible American and European production and development techniques.
The country then started towards Meiji restoration, which in less than 30 years will lead it to be the first non-Western nation to militarily defeat a Western power (Russia 1905). Then made room for the rise of a modern Western-style army, no more bows and arrows, but guns, cannons and warships.
Japan is, however, a country that changes only when it is forced to do, and now the Samurai were anachronistic, but even when it changes, it always maintains its tradition firmly, not replacing it with the new, but merging it together.
It is therefore not surprising to learn that during the Second World War, not only the Japanese officers, but also many soldiers, came down on the battlefield with a Katana on their side, and in most cases they used it in suicide against the overwhelming allied firepower. These swords, however, now had only the appearance of a Katana, but in practice they were pieces of steel of low quality and mass-produced; the needs both in the number and in the speed of production were now totally different.
Nevertheless, these swords had a huge impact on the morale of Japanese soldiers, making them feel the bond and the contiguity of the tradition with their legendary ancestors, from whom they also took the code of honor, the Bushido.
After the tormented years of the last world war, and after the end of the American occupation of Japan (1952), the ancient art of the production of Katana was brought back thanks to the passion of the descendants of the old masters and from what remained of the ancient schools, until nowadays and “our” Master Matsunaga Genrokurou.
Want a unique sword? Feel free to contact us:
Email: lyuesword@hotmail.com
Website: www.lyuesword.com
Custom Sword Page: www.lyuesword.com/Custom-Sword/customization-options/Create-Your-Own-Swords
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