In today’s modern society, samurai and the art of sword fighting has an immediate appeal to many thousands of people. There has been a huge upsurge in students flocking to Dojos around the world looking to learn the art of the samurai, whether their hand combat techniques or their most famous sword fighting.

Japanese samurai swords, called katana swords are the stuff of legends. While students will first be taught with a boken or wooden mock sword they will eventually progress to a ‘live’ blade if they persist in the art. Celebrities such as Steven Seagal, who trained in Japan with Aikido master Morihei Ueshiba has brought samurai warriors and legends of samurai to the popular mind in the same way that Bruce Lee and Jacky Chan have done with Chinese Kung Fu.

The image of the modern samurai has been popularised in many a Hollywood film with one of the most epic modern tales ‘Star Wars’ using kendo practitioners to enact the light saber battles. There have also been the ancient samurai heralded in recent films like ‘The Last Samurai’. Manga cartoons are one of the biggest exporters of the samurai legends and the Japanese popular culture that has sprung up around them, both in Japan and in the rest of the world is testament to their lingering appeal.

Today there is also a booming industry for katana swords, with some handmade katanas fetching thousands of dollars to dedicated collectors or practitioners.

Most martial arts equipment stores will sell a version of the katana blade, whether a live blade or a boken, and there are many cheaply produced blades available for purchase in almost every country. The prized handmade katanas are rarer, and usually for sale to an exclusive clientele at auction or through dedicated sellers either online or by order.

Whilst the true art of the finest blade swords has been lost in history, many swordsmiths today are trying to regain the lost knowledge in order to make real samurai swords like those of legendary swordsmith Masamune.

The art of samurai sword making is also being evolved by some smiths, who have incorporated modern technologies into the process. Swordsmiths like Howard Clark have produced fine quality blades that are in such demand he stopped taking order in 2003.

So whilst the real Japanese samurai have long since vanished, we can see their enduring ghosts in the ever present fascination with their weapons and way of life, and their reincarnation in popular films, television and fiction.

And now on a less serious note, a great scene of contemporary samurai sword fighting

The very first blades were a basic variant of the Chinese straight bladed, double edged sword called a jian. The very first precursor to the Japanese katana was seen at around 700AD which were straight swords with a curve at the tang only. Around the tenth century saw Japan cleaving close ties with China and begin developing its own social and class divisions and it was in this time that the palace guards and gentry became the first samurai warriors, and with them developed the first real samurai swords.

The legends of samurai tell of the Emperor’s smith Amakuni who made the first fully curved blade after receiving divine inspiration from the Kami. His sword was praised by the Emperor and the tradition of the curved handmade katanas was born.

The golden period for the authentic samurai swords was between 1192 and 1573 in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods. After the near loss of Japan to the veracious Mongol invaders, the need for a virulent national defence was seen, and so sword smiths were kept very busy. The most famous of Japanese katana smiths was in this period and the legendary Masamune’s swords are still the most prized and exquisite handmade katanas the world has ever known.

It was Masamune who first perfected the art of folding the metal to create the beautiful temper line with crystals imbedded in a pearlite matrix. His remaining blades are considered priceless national heirlooms.

The Japanese samurai swords went into a dark period when the gun was introduced and the skills of the previous generation were almost lost. When this turbulent time in Japanese history was over, the Japanese katana once again rose in the exclusive hands of the privileged samurai class.

With the coming of the west and two world wars, the Japanese katana became a symbol of nationalism, and thousands were roughly produced to equip officers of the army. Since the end of World War II there has been an uptake in interest in the traditional art of samurai swords, and many smiths world wide have tried to reproduce the golden methods of tempering the blade perfected by Masamune. However hard they try, and whatever new methods are devised his still remain the ultimate blades.

Japanese samurai swords, called katana swords are the stuff of legends. While students will first be taught with a boken or wooden mock sword they will eventually progress to a ‘live’ blade if they persist in the art. Celebrities such as Steven Seagal, who trained in Japan with Aikido master Morihei Ueshiba has brought samurai warriors and legends of samurai to the popular mind in the same way that Bruce Lee and Jacky Chan have done with Chinese Kung Fu.

The image of the modern samurai has been popularised in many a Hollywood film with one of the most epic modern tales ‘Star Wars’ using kendo practitioners to enact the light saber battles. There have also been the ancient samurai heralded in recent films like ‘The Last Samurai’. Manga cartoons are one of the biggest exporters of the samurai legends and the Japanese popular culture that has sprung up around them, both in Japan and in the rest of the world is testament to their lingering appeal.

Today there is also a booming industry for katana swords, with some handmade katanas fetching thousands of dollars to dedicated collectors or practitioners.
Most martial arts equipment stores will sell a version of the katana blade, whether a live blade or a boken, and there are many cheaply produced blades available for purchase in almost every country. The prized handmade katanas are rarer, and usually for sale to an exclusive clientele at auction or through dedicated sellers either online or by order.

Whilst the true art of the finest blade swords has been lost in history, many swordsmiths today are trying to regain the lost knowledge in order to make real samurai swords like those of legendary swordsmith Masamune.

The art of samurai sword making is also being evolved by some smiths, who have incorporated modern technologies into the process. Swordsmiths like Howard Clark have produced fine quality blades that are in such demand he stopped taking order in 2003.

So whilst the real Japanese samurai have long since vanished, we can see their enduring ghosts in the ever present fascination with their weapons and way of life, and their reincarnation in popular films, television and fiction.

Appearance and Nomenclature

It is the Estoc Sword! The appearance of the Estoc sword dates back to 14th century. This sword was used all over the Europe and is differently called by European nations. The term Estoc itself is of French origins and means to point, or thrust. In Italian the same sword was called Stucco; in Spanish Estoque, in German Dreiecker or Panzersteche. English version for the Estoc sword is Tuck. This sword was so widely spread that reached even Eastern Europe where was known as Kanzer. The Estoc sword is considered the forerunner of the rapier, which is just a supposition.

Designation

The Estoc sword is an anti-armor weapon! It was improved when the armor developed. It was a mean destined to attack as the cutting and slicing weapons were losing their effectiveness. At the same time this sword was designed to replace crushing weapons such as maces and axes which were extremely heavy to wear. The Estoc was able, as well as the maces, to split the rings of mail, or to find the joints and crevices of plate.

Construction

The Estoc sword is a two hander! Which means it was usually wielded with two hands; the second hand often gripped the blade to enforce the thrusting movement. Generally, it represents a long, rigid, pointed, triangular or square bladed piece. Sometimes there was even diamond shaped cross-section. The edges of an Estoc sword usually were unsharpened as it was designed for thrusting into heavy plated armor or steel shields. Only the point was sharpened in order to penetrate through any kind of steel.

A distinctive feature of an Estoc sword is the doubled hand guard construction. This indeed looked like a compound hilt. Usually the guard elements are situated at some distance from one another and feature cross guards for perfect protection of the hand.

Sizes and Possessors

Some of the exemplars of this sword reach 62 inches, but these are exceptions. The maneuverable exemplars are around 46 inches. The geometric cross-section hardens the cutting ability, but allows the weapon to become lengthy, stiff, and act accurately.

The Estoc was the weapon mainly of cavalry. It was hanged by the saddle when on horseback.

Later the Estoc became a characteristic weapon for infantry for this purpose there were provided scabbards. Some forms provided finger rings, curved quillons, or other forms of a compound hilt.

The Estoc sword is one of the rare Medieval cold steel weapons, and probably the unique sword that was able to get through heavy armor and mails.

Roots

It is considered that most of the Viking Era swords had continental origins – the blades were forged in Rhenish workshops. This is confirmed by the Latin inscriptions found on the blades, one of which says Ulfberht Fecit (made by master Ulfberht). The evidences point to the fact that swords were made during Carolingian Empire (which came after Merovingian Dynasty). This led to the prohibition of weapons trade by Charlemagne, who vigorously thought against Vikings.

It should be mentioned that Viking Era Swords are not pure creation of Vikings only. It is a successful combination of Frankish and Scandinavian tradition with several other antique influences.

Construction

The standard length of Viking Era swords was around 39.40 inches (100 cm); whereas the blade measured about 31.50 inches (80 cm). The width ranged from 1.97 to 2.36 inches (5-6 cm). The swords usually weighed from 2.20 lbs to 3.31 lbs (1-1.5 Kg), some of the swords reached up to 4.41 lbs (2 Kg).

The blade’s construction described a very wide groove which made it more flexible and considerably lighter. The groove was provided on both sides and went down the full length. The best Viking swords were forged by smelting a group of several iron bars bundled together.

Style of Wearing

There was a specific style of swords wearing; thus the wall paintings show that the swords were worn on the left side by the thigh. The baldric was thrown over the shoulder or bounded to the belt. It is notable that the swords were provided with a scabbard which featured a wooden confection wrapped with genuine leather. The throat and the end cap of the scabbard were decorated with embossed traditional motifs: birds and dragons entangled with complex ornaments.

Hilt Decoration

A special attention Vikings draw to the hilt decoration. In most cases it was constructed from separately bronze forged elements: the pommel was mounted on the grip. There are known hilts made of bones or animal horns.

The relatively simple hilts (with straight guard and crossline and triangular pommel) of the 9th century were replaced by more sophisticatedly shaped handles. The pommel featured embossed shape with several vertical sections. The hand guard piece very often had a concave shape with bound to the blade peripheries. The ornamentation of the hilt became even more complex and subtle. Even the simplest decoration required several hundreds of holes made in the bronze plates of the hilt and several hundreds of silver or copper wire for incrustation.

Places were Viking Era swords were found and the way their hilts are worked can tell a lot about Vikings weaponry and traditions linked with it. One of the most wonderful swords of the 10th century was found next by the Thames. Its hilt is worked with incrustations of silver and copper wire featuring Scandinavian “animal” style (the complex curves of the braid feature figures of mythological monsters)

Most of the Viking Era swords feature Frankish blades and Scandinavian hilts. And these types of swords are mainly called Vikings Swords. Most of them were found in the graves of the great warriors. This is due to the fact that Vikings (and the rest of Scandinavians) believed that the warrior continues to live after his death. And that he will need his attributes when passing through Valhalla Gates.

Tradition

Because there were a huge number of grave embezzlers the swords were intentionally bended and broken. This also served as precaution as the Scandinavians believed that the spirit of the passed away warrior brings danger to the living people (especially if it was a war prone person).

A special role the bladed weapons played in ceremony of obtaining military virtue symbols. The most appropriate example is the ritual scalping of the wounded or killed enemy which existed in the Indians tribes from Northern America. A similar ritual was spread in Turkmenia for analogical purposes. Usually, they used European knives to cut the nose and ears of the killed enemy.

The Aztecs sacerdotes used knives with obsidian blades and golden hilts to cut off the hearts of the scarified humans in the name of Huitzilopochtli god. The in the well known “Night Sorrow” (June 30), when hundreds of Spanish prisoners (from Cortés army) were killed, the Aztecs used the ritual described above. An identical ritual of human sacrifice was present in India in the temples of Kali (Devi, Shakti).

Other Types of Sacrifices

Bullfight (corrida) is one of the representative rituals, which indeed has the meaning of defeating the enemy and represents a summation of several ancient rituals. From ancient times the bull itself represented nature power, source of masculine power, etc. The bullfighting ritual uses a lot of bladed weapons like: epee, banderilla (a type of spears with long wooden shaft adorned with ribbons) and points (used to finish off the bull).

Wedding Rituals with Bladed Weapons

The bladed weapons were widely used in wedding rituals. As a rule they were a symbol of phallus, masculine source, and courage. It was not incidental that in Bulgaria a young woman in order to show that she agrees to be courted draw out the knife from men’s belt.

In Nepal the kukri knife is an important attribute of the fiancé. In some of the countries from eastern and south-eastern Europe the members of the bride’s family wished numerous descendents in the “presence” of a knife. It served like some kind of guaranty. In Montenegro the bride was guided to her fiancé stepping on a carpet under which the relatives hide the knife and the belt. This ritual was performed to make the woman give birth to boys. In India the bladed weapons were part of the wedding gift offered by the bride’s parents. The brides even were ‘bought’ with a dao knife.

Birth Rituals with Bladed Weapons

In Asia Minor to ease the pain of a pregnant woman during the giving birth process, she had to step over a specific knife. In Italy and Spain all lacings, cords and ribbons of the woman in labor’s clothes were cut trough.

The knives had important attribution to the birth of children. The umbilical cord was cut with the help of certain knives (in Nepal – Kukri). The same knife was put under the child’s bed to protect him (her) from evil spirits. In Turkey Central Asia and Caucasian zone and even in Italy in the child’s bed were placed knives, scissors, and fragments of sickle, sword and other bladed weapons.

Burial Rituals with Blades

The bladed weapons were widely used in burial rituals. The most spread tradition was to place the warrior’s weapon in his grave or to burn them together (Indonesia, India). In Nepal the oldest member of the deceased person held the kukri dagger unsheathed marching in front of the burial cortege.

In most cultures the blade featured the achievement by a man of a higher social status, his formation as a warrior and continuator of the clan. In the Central Asia the blade was one of the three main elements of a man: sheepskin hat, knife, and belt. In Turkmenia the Djouher dagger of the defunct was considered able to release sins when used in specific rituals.

The axe Importance

The axe was also a symbol of protection – averter. For example, the northern nations (hutuls, lemkos, bojki) used to mount the axe above the house entry for protection. In some regions of Germany (Lujica) the bride coming to her fiancé house had to step over an axe placed at the entry.