Their swords are often characterized as long and narrow, curved from the base or center, and have a sparkle on the surface of the blade, with the hamon being straight and the grains on the boundary of the hamon being small. It is often evaluated as a sword with an elegant impression. Although Japanese swords originally served as weapons, depending on the periods in which they were made, they were also considered to be objects of worship or symbols of authority.
Onimaru or just Demon is a famous sword crafted by Awataguchi Sakon-no-Shōgen Kunitsuna. It’s one of the legendary swords of the shoguns of the Ashikaga clan that ruled Japan between the 14th and 16th centuries AD. This Totsuka no Tsurugi sword is the second famous sword of the storm kami Susanoo.
In the Edo period (1603–1868), swords gained prominence in everyday life as the “most important” part of a warrior’s amour. The Edo era saw swords became a mechanism for bonding between Daimyo and Samurai. Daimyo would gift samurai’s with swords as a token of their appreciation for their services. In turn, samurai would gift Daimyo swords as a sign of respect, most Daimyo would keep these swords as family heirlooms. In this period, it was believed that swords were multifunctional; in spirit they represent proof of military accomplishment, in practice they are coveted weapons of war and diplomatic gifts.
Great swordsmiths were born one after another in the Osafune school which started in the Kamakura period, and it developed to the largest school in the history of Japanese swords. Kanemitsu and Nagayoshi of the Osafune school were apprentices to Masamune of the Sōshū school, the greatest swordsmith in Japan. While they forged high-quality swords by order, at the same time, from the Muromachi period, when wars became large-scale, they mass-produced low-quality swords for drafted farmers and for export. The Bizen school had enjoyed the highest prosperity for a long time, but declined rapidly due to a great flood which occurred in the late 16th century during the Sengoku period. It is often evaluated as a sword with a showy and gorgeous impression. The tachi was a type of sword that usually had curvature centered from either the middle or towards the tang.
Since 1953, there has been a resurgence in the buke-zukuri style, permitted only for demonstration purposes. Apart from sushi, beautiful temples, and neon-lit cites, what do people who’ve never been to Japan think of when Japan is mentioned? While Japan of course has much, much more to offer than the aforementioned things, let’s be honest, ninjas and samurais are pretty darn cool.
Appearing at the beginning of the 16th century, Uchigatana is a weapon mostly used by samurai class. Therefore, the sword is relatively short and light, which makes it easily be hold by one hand. It’s usually confused between Uchigatana and Tachi though when compared, Uchigatana draws distinct differences in terms of use and feel. One visible characteristic to paintyour life differ these two swords is that Uchigatana was worn with the edge-up in the samurai’s belt. If you’re a big fan of Japanese culture, it must be acquainted for you to see warrior wearing black and holding the legendary Ninja sword in hand. The Ninja swords, also known as Ninjaken or Shinobigatana are the traditionally swords used by the Shinobi of feudal Japan.