Samurai Swords for the Material Battle

Gendaito of the Taisho and Early Showa Period (1912 - 1945)

Otto Maxein

• Publisher: Books on Demand
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9783753471419
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9783753455419
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: History

With the advent of World War I, infantry rapiers or cavalry sabers had practically become obsolete on the European battlefields due to the introduction of machine weapons and tanks. At the same time, in Japan, the samurai sword experienced an impressive renaissance due to the growing demand of Japanese officers for traditionally forged swords.Samurai Swords for the Material Battle tells the story of the last Samurai Swords forged for battle and answers the question of why Japan's soldiers entrusted their fate to these swords in the inferno of material battles. Impressive visual documents tell of the events of that time and allow the viewer to imagine the hell through which the soldiers of all warring parties went.Using the example of the works of contemporary swordsmiths, the author not only proves the art status of these swords. He also examines the question of whether only swords from Tamahagane can be genuine Nihonto. Purists will be shocked by the estimation of a leading contemporary swordsmith who recommended that the Japanese War Ministry supply all swordsmiths with Manchurian steel. Likewise, the estimation of Japanese swordsmen who fought to the death with their swords is likely to turn many Budo devotees' idea of the ideal fighting sword on its head.Based on the personal fates of Japanese soldiers, the author evokes the spirit of the last samurai. The reader can understand how the Japanese sword myth and the samurai's code of honor shaped the Japanese society up to the time of the Second World War and had a decisive influence on their actions.By not looking at the swords in isolation, but placing them in the focus of contemporary historical events, this book differs from many reference books in this genre and complements the existing literature in a unique way. Competently and carefully researched, it is for the connoisseur of the subject as well as for beginners or readers interested in contemporary history a real treasure trove and exciting reading to the end.

Glossary

This glossary is not a complete list of the Japanese sword terminology. It should serve the interested reader only for a better understanding, as far as the description of the swords or the translation faithfulness made the use of the Japanese terms seem reasonable. Further explanations of terms were included, as far as the subject matter made this seem reasonable.

Amaterasu-o-mi-kami	Most important Shinto deity; personification of the sun and the light, founder of the Japanese imperial house.
ashi	Literally “foot”; narrow stripes of nie or nioi, running vertically from the tempering line (hamon) to the cutting edge.
Avenger	The Grumman TBF Avenger was the standard torpedo bomber of the US Navy at the end of World War II.
bakufu	Military government of the warrior nobility under the leadership of a shogun.
bizen-den	Bizen school
bizen-zori	Sword blade with the curvature near the tang, also known as koshi-zori.
bo-hi	wide fuller
bo-hi – hisaki-agari	bo-hi running beyond the yokote
bo-hi – kaki-nagashi	bo-hi running into the tang
bo-hi – kaku-dome	bo-hi with square end
bo-hi – maru-dome	bo-hi with round end
boshi	tempering line in the tip of the sword
boshi – kaen	flame shaped boshi
boshi – kaeri	turn back of the boshi to the mune
boshi – ko-maru	small round boshi
boshi – o-maru	large round boshi
Boshin-Krieg	War (1868-1869) between the Tokugawa-Bakufu and the imperial troops It ended with the defeat of the bakufu and sealed the fate of the samurai.
bu	Japanese scale unit; 1 bu = 0,303 cm.
buke	warrior nobility, Samurai
bushido	Literally "way (do) of the warrior (bushi)". Code of conduct and honor of the samurai in the late Japanese Middle Ages.
chikei	darker lines (folds) in ji
choji-hamon	clove-shaped tempering line
Corsair	The Vought F4U Corsair was a US carrier-operated fighter-bomber during World War II. Its characteristic bent wings were striking.
efu (no) tachi	Efu tachi, also known as hoso tachi, were worn exclusively by highranking princes (daimyo) and the highest dignitaries at court. Characteristic features of the mounting (koshirae) are the shitogi tsuba and the same grip without handle winding. This mount serves primarily for ceremonial purposes and less for fighting. Efu tachi were made from the Koto to the Showa period.
fuchi	Handle clamp, front fitting part of the sword handle.
fukura	cutting edge at the tip of the sword
gendaito	Literally “modern sword”; term for a traditionally forged Japanese sword from the time after 1876 until today.
gimei	wrong signature
gunome-hamon	tempering line of a sequence of uniform short waves
gunome shoji	tempering line of a sequence of cloverleaf-shaped figures
gunto	Literally “army or military sword”. The blade could be machine made, but also traditionally hand forged.
ha	cutting edge of the sword
habaki	blade collar
hada	“Skin”, damask structure of the blade surface; visible forging pattern.
hada – ayasugi hada	horizontal and parallel running waves
hada – itame hada	like wood grain
hada – ko-itame hada	similar to itame, but smaller/denser grain
hada – konuka hada	Extremely dense ko-mokume hada with fine, homogeneous surface structure; characteristic of swords forged by the smiths of the Tadayoshi school in Hizen province.
hada – masame hada	horizontal and parallel running straight lines
hada – mokume hada	like burl wood
hada – muji hada ha-machi	damask structure (to the naked eye) practically no longer recognizable step from the cutting edge to the tang
hamon	tempering pattern
Heian period	794 – 1184
Hellcat	The Grumman F6F Hellcat was a US-American carri...

Table of contents

• Foreword
• Table of Contents
• Dedication
• Special Thanks
• Syntax, Formatting
• Image Material, Own Photos
• Samurai Swords for the Material Battle
• Minamoto Yoshichika, Shodai and Nidai
• Minamoto Yoshichika, Shodai
• Minamoto Yoshichika, Nidai
• Coronation Tachi by Minamoto Yoshichika
• Tamahagane or „Jewel Steel“ A Historical View
• The Symbol of the Broken Sword
• The Japanese Sword as an Art Object
• Art Swords for the Hardest Close Combat
• Minamoto Yoshichika, Shodai and Nidai Picture Section
• Shodai Minamoto Yoshichika with Cutting Test by Hakudo Nakayama
• Nidai Minamoto Yoshichika in Gunto Koshirae
• Nidai Minamoto Yoshichika in Kai-Gunto Koshirae
• The Yasukuni Shrine
• Yasuoki
• Gunto, its Place in the Imperial Army and its Importance in Battle
• Gunto, its Place in the Imperial Army and its Importance in Battle Picture Section
• Kamikaze
• Shimpu Tokkotai
• Missions of the Shimpu Tokkotai, Picture Section
• Glossary
• List of References, Print Media
• List of References, Wikipedia
• Other Internet Sources
• Copyright