Samurai as Swordsmen

Swordsmanship was the most important skill to be learned by all samurai. Whether dueling a single enemy or joining in a close-quarters melee, the samurai needed to be adept at wielding both his katana (longsword) and his wakizashi (short sword) in order to be considered a complete warrior. This became especially true after the fights with the Mongols in the late 13th century, when the bow and arrow came to be seen as ineffective and the sword began to see a larger role in combat.

The Sword

Samurai wore both of their swords on their left side in such a manner that either one could be drawn with the right arm at half a moment's notice. The exception to this was when they stepped indoors, where only the short sword was allowed to be worn; the long sword stayed at the door. Many samurai named their blades, believing that they held supernatural significance. Tradition holds that the legendary swordmaker Amakuni and his son locked themselves in a room to pray for seven days and nights before setting to work on their swords. The sword was a very important item for the samurai.

The actual construction of the blade was a very involved process requiring great skill. The swordsmith began by welding several small pieces of steel together into a solid block. This block was then hammered down and folded over repeatedly, up to 20 times. This process gave the steel many layers, such that a cross-section looked much like a wood grain pattern. Finally, the block was folded over one last time around a strip of carbon-rich steel which would later become the cutting edge. Lastly the metal was covered in a clay paste with only the edge exposed, heated again, then dunked into water. While the edge cooled quickly in the water, the clay covering allowed the rest of the blade to cool more slowly. Slower cooling meant greater flexibility, which ensured that the blade would not simply snap in battle.