Japanese Swords - For The Big Fan
Are you a big fan of the samurai as well as oriental war stories? Then you must be a fan of Japanese swords as well. Whether you are a sword collector or just someone who would like a unique and authenticated replica of a Japanese sword in your display, you will need to know a thing or two about the swords you are collecting. Knowing the historical value of these swords, after all, is half the beauty of collecting them.
In a short definition, Japanese swords are basically those bladed weapons traditionally made in Japan. These swords are also known as the nihonto to the locals as well as the more experienced sword users. What made Japanese swords stand out from the other sword categories was that the blades of the sword were single edged and curved somewhere near the tip, which is a strong contrast to the thick, and straight blades of the medieval age that could be sharpened on both sides. And because of their thin blades, the Japanese swords were naturally much lighter than their western counterparts. Nevertheless, these blades were very deadly in the hands of a well trained samurai or some other warrior trained to wield the nihonto.
Two of the more popular types of warriors of Japanese origin that used the Japanese swords were the ninja and the samurai. The samurai were more known to be the Japanese counterparts of the military in ancient Japan, while on the other hand ninjas were those who practiced a particular martial art which involves versatility in weapons and the use of stealth in their fighting technique. Nevertheless, both types of warriors used Japanese swords and were disciplined in using them.
The hobby of collecting Japanese swords may have come later compared to the other classes of sword collections because after World War II Japanese swords were banned from being produced and nobody was allowed to possess these swords without a government issued permit. Fortunately, people started lobbying for the ownership of Japanese swords for their aesthetic and artistic value, which eventually led to the amendment of such law.