The Manufacturing of Japanese Samurai swords

A samurai sword is the most important possession of a samurai warrior. Samurai’s believe that their soul dwells in the sword that is why it holds a great significance to them. These swords weren’t just shaped and honed. An authentic Japanese samurai sword goes through a whole lot of process before it can be fully called a samurai sword.

The Manufacturing Process of a Samurai Sword:

A Japanese samurai sword had to go through a lot of stages; the heating of the steel procedure, the hammering to flatten the steel, folding, then hammering it again, then folding, it goes on and on until the blacksmith is finally satisfied with the results of his hard work. Here is the actual break down of what goes on:

1. SLABBING OF STEEL

First is the squashing of a hunk of high carbon steel with another type of steel that is considerably flexible. These pieces of steel are then beaten together then folded together over and again until it becomes one chunk of steel.The clever mishmash of hard and soft steel produces a shielding effect that reinforces the strength of the steel while making it soft enough to be able to withstand impact.

This is important because if the blade is excessively unbreakable, it becomes very brittle therefore making it susceptible to breakage when it is in contact with another sword. If it is super soft, the need to constantly hone it to your suited sharpness would be your steady worry. However, this could mean an unreliable weapon on the battlefield; hence, death.

2. HEATING PROCESS

To have the desired length and width, the chunk of steel goes through the heating process. Then it is pounded to make the steel more compact, and again, it is heated. This process of heating and pounding of the steel goes on and on for approximately 30 times until the desired results are achieved.

3. FORMATION OF THE EDGE OF THE SWORD

The blacksmith takes great importance in the creation of the spine of the blade. It is coated with clay; with the slicing part of the blade exposed. This goes through the heating process again and then chilled in oil or water. The application of the clay plays a very important role in the intensification of the strength of the blade.

4. HONING OF THE BLADE

Genuine Japanese samurai swords are sharpened with the use of a wet rock. This allows that shaping and honing of the blade to precision.

5. MAKING OF THE HANDLE AND HANDGUARD

The handle (tsuka) is made out of two, sculpted, wood halves. Covered with leather or synthetic leather it is then wrapped with cotton or silk depending on the pattern of the grip that is desired. The hand guard (tsuba) is carefully shaped then lodged into the blade’s steel handle (tang). The handle is inserted into the steel handle with a wood or pin pounded into it that sets the blade in position.