The True Artisans of Japanese Artifact Swords Essay example

Imagine a knight, jousting in an arena in Europe during the Middle Ages. Surprisingly, across the world during approximately the same time period, samurai warriors fought in Japan. During the time period, 1000 to 1600 CE, the samurai and knights fought in battle in many different ways. Many differences between the samurai and knights included codes, armor, training, and religions. Without a doubt, the differences between the samurai and the knight overshadow the similarities.

While ongoing change became the status quo in late-Tokugawa era Japan the ideals of the samurai—and the respect they receive—endured. And, because samurai could still fall back on the prestige their class represented, members of society still

The Japanese warrior, known as the samurai, has played a significant role in Japan's history and culture throughout the centuries. Their ancestors can be traced back to as far as can be remembered. Some stories have become mysterious legends handed down over the centuries. In this report you will learn who the samurai were, their origins as we know them, how they lived and fought and their evolution to today. It will be clear why the samurai stand out as one of the most famous group of warriors of all times.

“The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life” (Zwick). These are the words of Katsumoto, an important samurai warrior. The movie The Last Samurai directed by Edward Zwick is about an American War Captain named Nathan Algren who is hired to train, lead and modernize a group of Japanese soldiers to defeat a rebellion of the country's remaining Samurai in 1876. Algren is captured by the Samurai and soon becomes part of the village he is being held hostage in. There, Algren learns from the Samurai and comes to respect them. He finds that his true warrior is becoming unleashed as he trains to become a Samurai with the very people we once called his

The samurai were the feudal warriors of ancient Japan. For thousands of years they upheld the code of bushido, the way of the warrior. Samurai were around for thousands of years, but when did they disappear? Does the code of bushido still exist to this day? Exploring the history of the samurai will give an explanation to what has happened to these formidable warriors.

Lord Takeda Shingen- The Lord of Kai, a ruthless warlord whose ambition is to rule all of Japan.

In document D written by The History Channel it says, The samurai’s katana was 42 inches long and it held the soul of the warrior. This shows the connection between the sword and the samurai and that they have complete control of the katana. Another piece of evidence from the same show, it tells us that the knight’s sword was 4 feet long and could weigh from 2-4 pounds. It shows us that it had a longer reach and how much it weighed. The samurai have a superior weapon because if the knights had just come from a far away land and they had that on their backs the entire

In source 4 it says, “A boy in a samurai family was given his first sword when he was born. It was not real, but a symbol of the life he was going to lead” (Source 4). This means that since birth people already started to expect big things from them. Which meant a lot of pressure on them as they grew up. By the age of 13 they knew how to read, write and knew about physical training, poetry, and spiritual discipline since a young age. At the age of 7 they learned kendo, moral code of a samurai, and Zen Buddhism. “At age 13, the young samurai was given a training sword, armor, and a warrior name. They learned how to fight well with a blade and how to fire arrows on horseback with accuracy” (Source 4), source 4 said. Learning how to aim with a blade on a horse would help them in the future during battle. Most samurais has had this training and has started at a young

Samurais were warriors who were well trained and fought for japan. The title “samurais” were given to armed clan leaders in the north. The term “samurai” means “to serve”. The samurai answer to the daimyos. If the samurai disobey their master in any sort of ways, they would disgrace himself and his family. Samurai were trained at a very young age. At 14 they would already be a samurai, but before they became a samurai they had t learn how to ride a horse and other things as well. Their warfare's were filled with all kind of weapons like, the sword, The longbow, and the japanese spear. Armors were also part of samurai warfares. Samurai’s fighting were an important part in the history of their warfare.

Japan is 5,313 miles away from Europe, could it be possible that they have many similarities? Knights and samurai are similar, but some may say that they had different code of honors and different religions and weapons, but this may not be the truth. Samurai and knights had similar views of death, similar codes of honor, and similar training methods. This essay is the real evidence.

Cameron, C. M. (2002). American samurai: myth, and imagination in the conduct of battle in the First Marine Division, 1941-1951. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Such legendary sword makers such as Goro Nyudo Masamune may not have made a sword for a lowly Japanese foot soldier such as the Humongous 66 Inch Full Tang Nodachi Sword, but his contributions to Japanese sword making changed the way swords were made and he introduced double quenching increasing the tensile strength of the swords he made. Such swords were works of art as the Samurai demanded beauty as well as practicality. Swords made after his innovations were stronger, more deadly and less likely to rust.

Throughout History, there have been many different groups or events that are still widely known today. Groups of people such as the Indians or Vikings are popular groups which are referenced constantly in today’s society. However, none of these groups is more known or referenced than the Japanese Samurai. Originating in 646 AD, these Japanese warriors developed from a loose organization of farmers to the dominant social class in Feudal Japan. Along with their dominant military and political standing, the samurai brought with them a unique code or moral belief that became the core of Samurai culture. Because of this, the Samurai and their principles still affect modern day Japanese society with social customs today

The most recognized weapon of the samurai throughout history was the katana. The oldest swords were straight and had their early design in Korea and China. A katana was never worn without its companion sword, the wakizashi; it was a shorter sword with a broader blade. Together the two swords are referred to as daisho, meaning "large and small." The word dai (large) represents the katana and the word sho (small) represents the wakizashi. The smiths who created the katana for the samurai are widely regarded as the finest sword makers in history. (Daidoji, Ratti, and Cleary 42) The samurai's desire for tougher, sharper swords in battle gave rise to the curved blade. One of the biggest problems in making a sword is keeping it sharp. A weapon made with a hard metal will keep its edge, but will be brittle and prone to breaking. Japanese sword smiths solved this problem by making the core of the sword with a soft

Have you ever seen a TV show or a movie about Samurai? Have you ever seen someone dressed up as a Samurai, or read a book with one in it? Maybe you just have a vague idea in the back of your head. Well, guess what? That definition or example, you may think is a Samurai is probably only a small taste of what the calm yet strong warriors were like. Samurai were not only the fearless fighters that we may think of at first, in fact, they were educated, controlled, loyal, and well prepared people. To create a broader picture and to ensure that we don’t create stereotypes about samurai and the people of Japan in general, this PSA was created. The purpose of the different gradation of the various illustrations was to emphasize the middle illustration