There aren't too many people interested in swords and sword-fighting, but for those that are, here's a bit of esoterica to set you thinking.
A European-style rapier owned by a feudal-era warlord was actually forged in Japan, but who commissioned the production and what was used as the model remain unclear, according to a study.
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Called the Minakuchi Rapier, the weapon is said to have been the property of Kato Yoshiaki (1563-1631), a warlord who served Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) and was one of the seven commanders who distinguished themselves in the 1583 Battle of Shizugatake.
The warlord also showed a strong interest in European culture.
Measuring 104.5 centimeters long with a 1.5-cm-wide blade, the rapier is similar in shape to a fencing foil.
Rapiers were commonly used to stick enemies in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Yoshiaki’s rapier, whose hilt is decorated with complex ornaments, is believed to be the only Western-style sword in Japan dating from the period.
The Kato family later became the lord of the Minakuchi domain and commissioned what is currently known as Fujisakajinja shrine in 1829 to commemorate Yoshiaki. The rapier has been enshrined there.
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A detailed analysis of the weapon’s blade at the SPring-8 large synchrotron radiation facility in Sayo, Hyogo Prefecture, showed a layered structure like a millefeuille. That means the rapier was created by repeatedly bending and hammering the heated iron to remove impurities to make the finished blade even.
That process resulted in the many layers of metal seen in Japanese swords, the researchers said.
“A swordsmith, metal ornament maker and others apparently worked together to complete the rapier based on a Western-style sword imported to Japan,” Kobayashi said ... he found a similar rapier at a museum in the Philippines that was recovered from a Spanish ship that sank off Manila in 1600.
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It was difficult to use thin rapier-like swords in actual battles in Japan, so the Western blade was likely used to enhance the authority of the owner.
There's more at the link, including photographs of the rapier.
It's fascinating to wonder what those ancient Japanese swordsmiths thought when they studied a European rapier and were asked to make one according to their own techniques. It must have been a major challenge, because the shape of the long, very thin blade (with a diamond cross-section) was very different to the typical Japanese sword. A cross-section of the rapier's blade (image at source) shows that it was, indeed, made by folding steel repeatedly, just like a typical Japanese blade, but how they managed to get the diamond cross-section right by that method, I couldn't say.
I don't suppose the rapier was ever used in actual combat, because it would have been completely unsuited to samurai swordplay. Still, the very fact that it was made at all is an historical oddity. I wonder why? What made that design so important to a feudal warlord that he wanted one like it for himself? Early cultural appropriation, perhaps? I guess we'll never know . . .
Peter
7 comments:
That is a serious thing of beauty!
Ah, using a rapier against Japanese armor is an excellent idea. Stabbing into semi-protected places like the elbows, armpits, the hands, punching into the face (unless protected by an armored mask - the Mempo) and attacking horses and less-armed soldiers would work quite well.
And then there's the use against unarmored opponents. Rapiers are excellent for tip slashing or draw slashes, and far better for thrusting than a katana.
Traditional rapiers, not those wire weanie things you see in the Olympics, are actually pretty strong for combat. They were used in the English Civil War against fully and partially armored opponents.
The concept of weebs and reverse-weebs is apparently a lot older than I thought...
To practice fencing with some British friends maybe
Samurai swords matched Japanese armor and defensive practices. If you tried to use one on Milanese armor or any European plate for that matter, they'd be far less effective. Heavy armor began to vanish as musketry and massed pike formations changed the face of European warfare. Swords and halberds remained in use during the time of handguns primarily because of the reloading time. The Brown Bess, a volley fire weapon, relied heavily on the lunger bayonet.
The common soldier could defeat a knight in Europe and then in Japan. The warrior culture shifted. Samurai swords served their purpose during their time. They were the pinnacle of a certain style of warfare in a certain place and time.
LL beat me to it. And no surprise that the Japanese 'improved' on the attachment points.
In “duels”, better known to us as bar and street fights, the rapier was king. Even in Europe rapiers were more of a civilian sidearm than a military weapon.
As to the final shaping of swords in Japan look into Japanese sword sharpeners. Same as in Europe, if the shop was large enough. The Japanese also had a form of trip hammer. The swordsmith had 4 apprentices hammer on the anvil in turn. The swordsmith moved the blade on the anvil and told the apprentices to speed up or slow down. Pretty cool.
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