The samurai were a group of elite warriors who lived by the codes of Bushido. The title of samurai is hereditary. This means that every generation would train the next generation in the proper ways of the samurai. The samurai came into the limelight in medieval Japan. In the training of the next generation of samurai sword were extremely important. It is said that they give the young children swords or model of swords to hold on to when going to bed. This way the swords become a vital part of them. At this point, you should understand just how important a swordsmith is to a samurai. In this article, we will briefly introduce the wielders of the weapons, the samurai. Then we will move on to the swordsmith.
The Japanese samurai were trained to be honorable men. They were trained in the ways of Bushido. Bushido refers to a collection of ideas detailing how an honorable warrior is to live. It could be translated to mean “way of a warrior”. Bushido makes mention of loyalty until death, honesty, modesty, a certain immunity to pain, chivalry as well as good control of martial arts.
The samurai were highly respected. They served under a daimyo. The daimyo could be seen as the wealthy retainer of the samurai. The daimyo was the landholder. The samurai were so respected that they were given certain privileges in society. An example of these privileges is the strapping of two swords. Wearing two swords is a sort of proof of a person`s identity as a samurai.
Moving on, we will now turn to the swordsmiths. Working as a swordsmith was also a vital profession in early Japan. This is because these swordsmiths in a way held the lives of the samurai. If a samurai sword was faulty, let us just say that he will not be riding back. For this reason, master swordsmiths were very respected (even by samurai).
The swordsmiths used unique methods to extract required steel from their ores. Every competent swordsmith had methods and techniques unique to them. The materials they used in their crafting process, as well as the techniques, were well-protected trade secrets. These secrets were passed on only to their descendants or trustworthy disciples (apprentices). So in a way, they were a form of inheritance.
Today we have master swordsmiths capable of making top-notch samurai swords. These swordsmiths inherited some of the ancient ways of crafting samurai swords. Over the years some techniques have been improved to yield more durable samurai swords.
We have trustworthy swordsmith who have more than three decades of experience in sword making. So if you are interested in making and/or customizing a sword contact them.
Even though we have less samurai today and no one will go around with swords looking for who to fight, swords are still vital. Samurai swords are an indispensable part of Japanese history and culture. There are also a lot of enthusiasts who appreciate the aesthetic air accompanying a good sword crafting.
