5 vintage and legendary swords of Asia

Bloodthirsty Swords of Muramasa

Muramasa is a famous Japanese blacksmith and swordsman. He lived in Japan during the Muromachi period, that is, approximately in the XNUMXth century, and was distinguished by the fact that he founded armory school named yourself. Muromas' swords (and this was not one, but a whole series of blades) were distinguished by quality and were famous for their unusual sharpness, which made them very popular in a military environment. Muramasa is supposedly a whole dynasty of gunsmiths, as historians distinguish several masters with this name. The first of these was Senji Muramasa, whose work was known back in the 1460s.

Legend has it that Muramas’s blade is cursed and infects the wearer with an insane thirst for blood. If he dusts himself in a sheath for a long time, the sword can even rebel against his master and force him to commit suicide in order to find a more suitable warrior after death. Muramasa is often contrasted with another famous master, Masamune, which will be discussed below. The reality, however, most likely was not so terrible: given the excellent quality of the blades, the owner of an expensive sword expectedly won the fight much more often than he earned the glory of magic weapons for the products of the family of gunsmiths. Well, in feudal Japan, this was perhaps the best PR of all possible options!

Swords Masamune

It is often said that Muramasa and Masamune were contemporaries, but this is commonplace historical inaccuracy. One of Japan’s most famous gunsmiths lived at least two centuries earlier, from 1288 to 1328, at the end of the Kamakura era. He worked in the Sagami province and became famous for creating a revolutionary sword manufacturing technology for the 128th century - Sosyu. Japanese edged weapons of that period were fragile, since the source of iron was sand, rich in ore, which is very difficult to clean from impurities. Layered forging, where strips of steel with different carbon contents were welded together and forged several times (making XNUMX layers of steel), made the swords much stronger.

According to legend, Masamune’s swords give the wearer calm and cool blood, highly revered by Japanese soldiers and much needed during a real fight. They say that the master did not even sign his works - nobody could forge them anyway.

Seven sword

The bizarre blade of Nanatsusaya-no-tati (aka the “seven-petal sword”) was discovered in the Shinto sanctuary of Isonokami-jingu, in the city of Tenri, in 1945 year. Its shape indicates that this sword was most likely a ceremonial weapon and was not used in real combat: six curving branches depart from the blade, and the upper part of the blade appears to be the “seventh tooth”. The inscription on the blade states that this sword was presented to the Chinese emperor by the sovereign of Korea. Unfortunately, the sword was kept in terrible conditions, and therefore its appearance leaves much to be desired.

According to legend, this sword was presented to the semi-mythical Empress Jingu. Strange as it may seem, archaeologists are convinced of the veracity of this legend: it mentions both the sanctuary and the sword itself, while the age of the blade and the historical date of government of Jingu coincide.

Goujian Sword

Here is a more ancient, but much better preserved blade. His archaeologists found in 1965 year in one of the tombs in China. The sword is extremely remarkable: in 2500 years (and that’s how scientists estimate its age), the blade not only did not rust, but didn’t even become blunt: one researcher cut a finger by running a finger over it. The stainless alloy in the composition of the blade and the sheath, which practically does not allow the air inside, did their job perfectly well and did not allow time to spoil the artifact.

According to the most common version, the owner of the sword was Goujian, one of the rulers of the Yue kingdom. According to legend, he considered this sword the only standing weapon in his entire collection, and his beauty was "created by the joint efforts of Earth and Sky." Well, the Chinese Vans definitely had good taste.

Victory Sword

This sword is one of the royal regalia of Thailand, personifying military might and power of the monarch. The length of the blade is 64,5 cm, and its weight in the sheath is 1,9 kg. The gap between the blade and the hilt is decorated with gold inlay, depicting the god Vishnu riding a huge riding bird Garuda. Legends say that in 1784, Cambodian fishermen fished out this sword in the Tonle Sap lake and presented it to King Ang Young, who in turn decided to present the sword to his suzerain King of Thailand Rama I. As soon as the sword was delivered to Bangkok, from seven Seven bright lightning strikes the city from various sides.

Phra Sen Khan Chayashi (Phra Saeng Khan Chaiyasi) means "King's Wisdom" and serves as a reminder that the lord should wisely rule his subjects. Rama I made a magnificent sheath of gold encrusted with diamonds and other precious stones for the sword.

Comments

[ProkletyiPirat]

looking at these swords and comparing them with others, the thought immediately pops up "you can immediately see who really fought and who suffered garbage."

[ImPerts]

Quote: ProkletyiPirat

you can immediately see who really fought and who suffered garbage

A sword is a very expensive pleasure, and a good sword all the more. It’s easier to put on axes, halberds, axes, coinage, etc.
And ceremonial weapons will always be present in our lives.

[grandson of the hero]

Not a little I want to belittle the skill of Japanese masters of antiquity in the manufacture of knives !!!
But, they are extremely lucky! The metal obtained from the swamp ore already initially contained a set of elements that made this weapon unique in terms of strength and sharpening retention. What the whole world will come technologically in several centuries, they got ready-made!

[Kenxnumx]

Right? And on the contrary, I have repeatedly heard that swamp ore produced all kinds of pus, including most Japanese swords, while less decent ones were made from imported material. And in Russia, swamp iron was mainly used for all kinds of home crafts such as agricultural implements.

[zxc15682]

The skill of Japanese masters and at the height of shit to make swords ..

[zxc15682]

And just do the samurai main weapon was a bow ..

[Kenxnumx]

By the way, also pretty good. Compared to the Mongolian samples

[zxc15682]

The most modern bow was among the Chukchi.

[Kenxnumx]

I have the most modern with carbon arcs.

[Michael_Zverev]

It was not swamp ore, but iron-containing sand from streams, a product of erosion of magnetite, but natural impurities of alloying elements were often found there.

[brn521]

Quote: Mikhail_Zverev

natural impurities of alloying elements were indeed often found there

Those. still lucky. Given the primitive technologies of smelting, having mediocre material and putting a lot of effort into its preparation, it was still possible to shamanize a blade of acceptable quality. Thanks to these very alloying elements. Therefore, they are shaking over their pickers like that. They have a lot of manual labor and shamanism of experienced blacksmiths. It turns out a work of art. Like for example, elite double-barreled shotguns.

[iConst]

Quote: Hero's grandson

But, they are extremely lucky! The metal obtained from the swamp ore already initially contained a set of elements that made this weapon unique in terms of strength and sharpening retention. What the whole world will come technologically in several centuries, they got ready-made!

Unfortunately, you have fallen victim to the mythologization of Japanese blades.
The Japanese "swords", although it is a subspecies of a two-handed saber, even the best samples in terms of fighting qualities hardly reach a little higher than the average samples of Syrian and Indian blades.

Propaganda films of the WWII era, where we will not take into account the barrel of a machine gun (browning !!!) with a sword (we will call it that), although this myth also came to be thanks to them.

The low quality of raw materials led to the creation (and here we applaud the Japanese masters!) Of technology, let’s say, a composite blade. When a strip of hard brittle steel is wrapped in two-thirds of a soft ductile steel and forged. Jamon is a winding line on a blade along the blade and is the boundary of the transition of these steels.

[kuznec]

In Japanese swords, on the contrary, mild steel is at the core, and hard steel is on the outside. Jamon is not a border between steels, but a hardening line, and it depends on where the hardening is located during hardening.
The knightly sword of medieval Europe is much more technologically advanced. As a rule, springy steel passed in the core, hard was taken on the cutting edges, and mild on the linings.
The best Syrian and Indian blades were made of damask steel, which, incidentally, was smelted only in India. But that's another story.

[iConst]

Quote: kuznec

In Japanese swords, on the contrary, mild steel is at the core, and hard steel is on the outside. Jamon is not a border between steels, but a hardening line, and it depends on where the coating is applied during hardening ..

Well, dear, write complete nonsense. Well, at least contact Vika, not to mention other specialized resources.

Quote: kuznec

The knightly sword of medieval Europe is much more technologically advanced. As a rule, springy steel passed in the core, hard was taken on the cutting edges, and mild on the linings.

For the first time I hear that such a technology was used in medieval Europe. Only two or three ancient blades with a “composite” structure are known, and even those found in northern Europe - in Scandinavia. Therefore, researchers are inclined to believe that these are random “flying” blades, since the Vikings fought and traded almost all over the Old World.
Apparently you made a discovery ...

Quote: kuznec

The best Syrian and Indian blades were made of damask steel, which, incidentally, was smelted only in India. But that's another story.

Bulat is a collective name. And they produced it from Syria to India. Those. in Persia, which included the territory of modern Iran and Iraq, Pakistan. The categorical "only" does not fit here. Again the opening of the century ...

[kuznec]

1. You, dear, if you write the phrase "specialized resource" then do not mention the wiki. Especially with a capital letter. There, it seems, articles like you are sprinkling. Read about jamon, nie, yakibu, boshi. Only in serious books. On any blade, a hardening line can be obtained. And on monosteal too. Except for beauty, it gives nothing. Any self-respecting blacksmith making a knife will prefer zone hardening. And the presence of a bright line is a visual nuance. Without practical value.

2. The “first hear” argument generally speaks of the quality of the discussion. Read the dissertations of metal experts, or at least start the Internet by digging. Read Anosov, Horev. To Gulyaev you can’t get, it seems, never. According to the scheme I mentioned, even in ancient Rome, gladiuses were made.

3. About damask steel: now this word is fashionable, and they call it anything. Even the alloy of cast iron with nails, God forgive me. But I’m specifically talking about the Wutzians (cast damask steel), and they were made in India, not in Persia or elsewhere. This is an archaeological fact. Here I advise archaeologists to read dissertations. Annealing structures were found only in India (within modern borders), without which damask steel was then impossible to make. For reference, these are pits or stoves the size of a village house. Forged Vutians brought from India generally everywhere in Asia, and in Russia too.

[Mordvin 3]

Quote: kuznec

Any self-respecting blacksmith making a knife will prefer zone hardening.

And did Samsonov also do zone hardening? Somehow infa did not come across.

[kuznec]

There are many legends about Samsonov’s termichka. But there is no reliable information, although it worked until the 30s of the last century. They write, for example, that he already annealed the blades with straw with a straw in the furnace for a week. And this is just very similar to the annealing of the Indian Wutz. In addition, he mainly made “bearish” knives, up to 30 cm long, over 5 cm wide, with a thick butt of almost 1 cm. With this geometry, zone hardening no longer gives a gain in strength.

[Mordvin 3]

Quote: kuznec

In addition, he mainly made “bearish” knives, up to 30 cm long, over 5 cm wide, with a thick butt of almost 1 cm. With this geometry, zone hardening no longer gives a gain in strength.

But if, as they say, his knife broke under a load of almost 14 tons, then it remains only to scratch his neck from envy.

[brn521]

Quote: kuznec

In Japanese swords, on the contrary, mild steel is at the core, and hard steel is on the outside.

The result was very impractical. The features of using the weapon for its intended purpose required high-quality polishing, and at the same time, the labor costs for it were too large. Therefore, the legendary Japanese swords are actually souvenir. The owner fought with ordinary weapons, and souvenirs were carefully stored and used for demonstrations to connoisseurs. Because, firstly, polishing is expensive and requires a specialist. Secondly, the resource of the sword is limited even in such conditions. Ultimately, the outer layers of the metal were polished through and through.

Quote: kuznec

Jamon is not a border between steels, but a hardening line

In fact, a byproduct of over-polishing. Which in the end was elevated to dignity and specially allocated.

[kuznec]

And here you confuse jamon and hada. Learn the materiel. And one more thing: as a practitioner, I suggest that you polish through your hands with at least a millimeter of hardened steel. You will rise strongly in your eyes. Years through 50 continuous polishing.

[brn521]

Quote: kuznec

And another thing: as a practitioner, I suggest you polish through your hands with at least a millimeter of hardened steel

A quite common defect for old Japanese swords is a worn through top layer of metal. It looks ugly. And this is for the sword in storage. Now send the sword into battle. A few hits are beaten off by the side or back of the sword. As a result, a minimum of 0,1 mm will have to be grinded off to remove the resulting defects and re-polish.

Quote: kuznec

And here you confuse jamon and hada. Learn the materiel.

Learn Japanese? Where and why? I got this attitude from practitioners. Jamon You will get jamon for a fee, even on a sword, even on a knife, even on a fork with a spoon. Full-fledged, associated with zone hardening. But why is he? The blade from this will not get better.

[psiho117]

Quote: brn521

A few strokes beat off the side or back of the sword

The Japanese fencing school did not focus on fencing itself, but on a preemptive strike. Who hit faster - that and dad.
They even came up with Iaijutsu.
And in a real war, the samurai participated as equestrian archers, supporting the Asigaru infantry.
So no fencing ...

[brn521]

Quote: psiho117

The Japanese fencing school did not focus on fencing itself, but on a preemptive strike. Who hit faster - that and dad.

Well, that’s logical. Finishing a fight is more profitable before it starts. Especially if you are dealing with a teapot.

Quote: psiho117

So no fencing.

The visited butt is one of the signs of the illustrious katana who managed to take part in the battles. These traces were saved, because they did not affect the quality of cutting of straw rugs, but at the same time they signaled that the blade was quite combat. Once the blows were beaten off, then it means they chopped back.

[brn521]

Quote: kuznec

And here you confuse jamon and hada.

I walked again through the authentic process technology. Jamon and Hada at the mercy of the polisher. Although if a blacksmith with grief breaks an unsuccessful blank, then he will be able to discern the notorious jamon at a break.

[Rostislav]

And ceremonial weapons will always be present in our lives

In the museum of Dresden I saw samples of award weapons. The blade is studded with diamonds, only the blade is barely visible. But the feeling remains that this is a military weapon. The first thought was that it would hook flat - it would take down the whole skin.

[Kenxnumx]

And if in the belly. Full stomach of diamonds.

[garri-lin]

If you need to cut it like that, you need the blade to remain in the wound. And run away fast fast. Then for the treatment is definitely enough.

[brn521]

Well, the owner also does not bast. Not without reason, he rolled off a fortune to the polisher, so that the weapon went smoothly and did not get stuck. You can certainly use a wooden shield for this purpose. But they were banned in Japan by the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Samurai.

[Berber]

Smiled! There is a risk not to run.

[brn521]

given the excellent quality of the blades, the owner of an expensive sword expectedly won the fight much more often

Just the opposite. The owner was shaking over his blade and was ready to put his hand under attack rather than the blade of his sword. As a result, the sword changed its owner. And so on until the sword was finally started to be used for its intended purpose, after which the blade came the inevitable end.

[nathanael]

Samurai movies have been seen enough and everybody is making nonsense. Even if they had such blades, we would speak Japanese. The date of manufacture of these blades is at the latest in the 18th century. It was then that Japan began to open up a little. And the country came into contact with technology and more or less decent metal