Creation Of Samurai Swords

The first swords known to appear in were actually gifts sent to queen Himeko fromin 240 A.D. Approximately forty years after this event multiple iron swords were imported to as well.

Around the sixth century, Japanese sword makers developed ways to harden the steel making the swords stronger. The blades of the samurai swords became curved around the 18th century. One of the reasons for the change in the swords was the shift from ground combat to fighting on horseback.

The samurai warriors took hold in 1184-1333 when Minamoto no Yorimoto took power. Artisans and sword makers began gathering and taking different methods of making swords. These early swords were wider than modern swords today. The strength of the steel began impoving and hardening. They had many battles with Mongols which tested the strength and durability of the swords. Many of the tips of the swords broke off which showed that they needed to improve the quality of the swords even more.

Around 1332 there there were intense wars that continued for the next sixty years. They broke apart the Northern and Southern empires of Emperor Godaiko and Emperor Komyo. While previously fighting was done mostly on horseback, during this era fighting on the ground came back a lot. The need for longer swords came into demand. These longer swords were called odachi. They normally were held with two hands. These odachi led into the modern katana.

The wars between the two empires finally stopped and there was a time of peace. This time of peace was called Senkogu meaning the time the country was at war. This is the time when the tachi was shortened. This shortening of the tachi made it much easier for soldiers fighting on the ground.

Swords were later shortened even more which created the katana. The katana is the same thing as the modern samurai sword. The cutting edge was facing up so the sword could be taken out in one motion and be ready for battle.