The Japanese Sword

The Japanese Sword combines unbreakability, rigidity, and lethal cutting power, and it is in the resolution of these conflicting practical requirements that it emerges as a triumph of the forger`s art. The mystique of the sword lingers on in or age of mechanized combat, but the aesthetic qualities for which swords are most valued by collectors today--the liveliness of the metal `skin` the confidence in every aspect of the design, the scrolling temper-line, the almost buoyant lightness of the hilt when the blade is held in the hand-- all derive from what the Japanese sword demanded as a symbol of strength and as a weapon. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.