![]() This is visible as a whitish continuous line from a few millimeters to about an inch from the cutting edge. This forms the hamon, where the most prominent crystal structures are seen. The most extreme conditions in the metallurgical transformation of the steel take place along the intersection of the thicker layer of the clay mixture with the thinner band along the edge. The effect of the different thicknesses of clay is to vary the cooling rate and consequently the degree of growth of the different crystalline structures that are formed in the steel. After it has dried hard, the sword is heated until it is red hot and is extinguished by dipping it in a bath with cold water. The blade is covered with a layer of clay, charcoal and the fine mixture of steel and rock dust obtained as a by-product of the polishing process. The layers (jihada) on the blade are the result of the folding process in the forging of the blade.Ī very important part of the process is differential hardening, which is heating and quenching steel to harden it. As soon as this is done, the block is forged in the shape of the Japanese sword. The different steels with carbon content are processed into a block that is repeatedly heated and folded to get the correct laminate structure. The idea behind this is to get a blade with a hard, therefore sharp cut, and relatively softer and therefore more flexible core. The steels of the Japanese katana are of different quality and hardness and are combined during the production process. Tamahagane is very pure as steel, but has many snails and empty spots, so folding a sword is very important, this ensures that it disappears. It is broken into many small pieces and they are delivered to blacksmiths. The tamahagane is often very large and contains different qualities of steel. ![]() The melting temperatures in the Tatara are low and the iron does not become fully liquid. This tamahagane is made from iron sand with a lot of charcoal. Each area or prefecture had its own metallurgical characteristics in the sword, because different techniques were used.įorging an authentic Japanese sword with tamahagane, this is a carbon steel that is produced in a Tatara (clay oven) by the low temperature deoxidation method. Herein it was Shinto, the indigenous religion in which nature communicates with man, the one that was applied. The samurai sword is a fusion between steel and spirituality and belongs to the three sacred objects in the ancient Japanese empire together with the mirror and the jewel.Ĭleanliness was an important concept and the blacksmith had to clear his thoughts in preparation for the work in the forge. It is highly likely that knowledge of steel technology from China was introduced to Japan in the fifth century AD. The advance of the katana was called the tachi, this was used by armored samurai on horseback. It has a cut on one side and salvaged is a beautiful curve and perfected during the Heian period (794-1185). ![]() The Japanese sword is probably the most perfect cold weapon ever produced by humanity. The Naginata (halberd) and Yari (spear) also belonged to the armory of the warrior class. From the age of eight they often received real weapons and were taught military tactics and Japanese sword fighting arts. The children of samurai often received weapons to practice and train from an early age around the age of three. The bow and knives also belonged to the equipment as standard. In addition to the samurai sword, a short sword or wakizashi was also used. The samurai had much more weapons than the sword, also called the Japanese katana. There is much to discover about these noble warriors from a feudal era that lasted from 1185 to 1868 in Japan. The Samurai warriors from Japan had unique weapons and trained in many combat techniques. ![]()
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