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The various lores associated with a Samurai and his sword have given an out-of-the-world image to the Samurai sword. Of course, none of this is just hype...

The Samurai sword deserves admiration on many levels. For its exotic looks and its artistic and aesthetic value, we can like this sword. But it is for its indispensability to the warrior, through its various uses in a battle, that we love this Samurai Weapon.

The individual sword of a Samurai symbolizes the Samurai's prestige and his skills in battle. It is a measure of his stature in society.

The bushi (the warrior class) revered the sword greatly and took great care of it, The sword was treated almost as a living thing made of flesh and blood. Possession of a beautiful sword was considered central to a Samurai's very existence and no bushi worth his salt would want to be seen without his sword being worn proudly.

A Samurai was expected to be a good swordsman and almost always, the survivor in a battle was determined by who was the better swordsman.

A social observation, it is interesting to note that a haughty Samurai who used his sword indiscriminately on other people was severely despised by his fellowmen. Contrary to the images drawn by popular cinema and modern fiction, a Samurai was expected to be bound by the warrior's code of ethics (bushido) as well as his own personal moral values.

A Samurai who was carefree with his use of a sword was looked upon as immature and crude. In fact, there are several recorded incidents in Japanese history of Samurai who were punished by their masters for unnecessary use of the sword. Remember, that Samurai were usually honor bound to Warlords and other Nobility whose word was law...

The traditional name for Japanese swords is nihonto. These, again, can be classified into different types of swords based on the way they are forged, the curvature of the blade and also the sheer size of the weapon.

By far, the most popular among the sword varieties is the katana. Curved and long in size, these majestic single-edged blades were traditionally used by the Samurai starting in the 1400's.

The tachi is also another single-edged blade somewhat similar to the katana, it being longer and more curved.

The Otachi and Nodachi are other swords that should be mentioned, here. As they are among other long, single-edged blades of the same type.

Among the shorter swords wielded by a Samurai is the Wakizashi., And as far as double-edged swords are concerned, the Tsurugi is the most popular one.

There are also some pole-mounted weapons, which not specifically swords, nevertheless, are still considered as part of the nihonto family due to the way they are forged. The Naginata and Yari are two such weapons.

Modern swords, forged in the same way as those carried by real Samurai warriors of the past, as well as antique Samurai swords, are still in great demand. Such Samurai Swords are widely available for purchase. Visit my Live By The Sword Shop, to find swords for sale.

- Recommended Resource - FULL TANG BRASS LORD DRAGON KATANA - $99.99 Full Tang LORD DRAGON KATANA is 38 inches long and has an antique brass dragon handle. The handle has three pins securing the handle to the full tang. The 440 stainless steel blade has a katana curve that adds to its beauty. The black wood scabbard is hand carved with the design of a dragon on the side. A great collector's item. Visit the My Special Sword Shop featuring swords from Kingdom of Swords! Kingdom of Swords Shop

News About Samurai Swords

Brave police officer: How I stopped Finchley Road samurai sword man Camden New Journal newspapers website A BRAVE police officer who single-handedly disarmed a man carrying a Samurai sword as he walked along Finchley Road was given a round ...

Police tackle samurai sword man in West Hampstead BBC News Police officers have tackled a man who was seen strolling in north west London carrying a samurai sword. Six officers suffered minor injuries in the ... Police officer applauded in street after disarming man in sword dramaCamden New Journal newspapers website all 3 news articles »

Woman assaulted, cut with sword Ada Evening News Ada — An Ada woman was arrested after she allegedly assaulted her roommate with a Samurai sword Tuesday. Ada police responded to a domestic disturbance in ...

Sword used in Newtownabbey robbery U.TV A man armed with a samurai sword has held up a filling station in Newtownabbey. The incident happened shortly before 9pm on Wednesday night at premises on ...

Pit bull, samurai sword and wildlife don't mix Record-Searchlight (blog) A story out of Fairfield this week has everything -- a pit bull, a mountain lion and a samurai sword. But the animal that attacked a pit bull owned by ... How to libel a mountain lionohmidog! Watercooler StoriesUPI.com all 141 news articles »

Forty knives handed over in Anglesey amnesty Holyhead and Anglesey Mail A SAMURAI sword and fighting knives were among more than 40 blades handed over to police after the fatal stabbing of an Anglesey mechanic. ...