"Secrets of the Samurai Sword" on NOVA tonight.

Peak_Oil said:
That's racist, right?
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The Japanese are notorious racists. Thier disdain for Koreans is legend. I recently heard somewhere that archeological evidence has been unearthed indicating that the Japanese had originally emigrated from the Korean penninsula. He he he...I'm sure -- if true -- this would be fully covered someday in Japanese history textbooks. Not. :)
 
Peak Oil, Cpl Punishment & Citizen Q:

Yeah, you guys are right. I know the Japanese have a long history of Xenophobia. I don't normally think about it in relation to swords. Even if I was Japanese, I would still rather buy a house than a museum piece.
One of my teachers had a beautiful katana made for him by a Japanese smith, although he wasn't a whuper-duper national treasure ranked smith. It's a modern blade made with practicality in mind. Something like 10? piece laminate construction, aged crysanthymum wood tsuka, Same under black silk or cotton ito, the whole deal. Strong, too. It's apparently cut rather easily though bamboo and fence palings. Probably not a 5-body sword, but I would sure as heck be doing my Carl Lewis impression if I saw someone wielding it and heading my way:eek:
 
The new Stephan Hunter book does a good job explaining a lot of Katana stuff. Very entertaining, set in Japan, another Bob Lee Swagger adventure.
 
Cpl Punishment said:
No, but it would be racist if I told people none but a full-blood Scot could buy one of my Claymores.
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:D:D:D:D:DHa! That's funny.

and oh yeah I saw the show last night, man I hate when I see the hours almost up and the show is almost over, I could watch hours of that stuff:)
 
I too saw and recorded the 1 hour presentation, good in lots of ways and missing a lot of stuff in many others, but clearly presented to tip of the iceberg for non-sword laymen. I personally own a few real Japanese swords, including a shinsakuto (modern made sword) by a smith named Enemoto Sadayoshi. He was at the time the oldest living Mukansa smith in Japan, and he died at the age of 92 (I believe). He made my sword in the late 1980's and said it almost killed him to make this masterpiece. Done Soshu style, over 30 inches cutting length, a copy of Kunihiro, who coppied the great Soshu masters Sadamune, Masamune etc. An awsome sword that cost me a good $. (pardon any spelling errors, it is late.) More later is there is any interest.
 
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