Secrets of the Samurai Sword Part One
Secrets of the Samurai Sword Description: English archers had their longbows, Old West sheriffs had their six-guns, but samurai warriors had the most fearsome weapon of all: the razor-sharp, unsurpassed technology of the katana, or samurai sword. In this program, NOVA probes the centuries-old secrets that went into forging what many consider the perfect blade. The beauty and lethality of the curved steel blade became identified with the distinctive culture of those who wielded it so expertly: the samurai warriors of medieval Japan, celebrated in countless Japanese woodcuts, prints, and films. Fifteen traditional Japanese craftsmen spent nearly six months creating the sword that NOVA follows through production, from smelting the ore to forging the steel to sharpening the blade to a keen edge, capable of slicing through a row of warriors at one swoopΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥although NOVA does not put the super-weapon to this ultimate test. (See a slide show of the process.) Not that samurai sword fighting has died outΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥far from it. The program also traces the schooling of a modern-day devotee of samurai combat: Midori Tanaka, a receptionist for a Japanese electronics firm by day and a blade buff by night. For Tanaka it’s a family tradition, since her father, Fumon Tanaka, is a grand master swordsman. Father and daughter show their mutual respect with a breathtaking test of skill. Midori draws a bow, aiming an arrow directly at her father’s heart. His only protection is his sword. When …
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Tags: blade, family tradition since, fumon tanaka, program, samurai sword fighting, Sword
16 Responses to “Secrets of the Samurai Sword Part One”
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@leftyfourguns They just don’t like the idea that a katana would cut through a medieval European sword. Which it would.
Loved this when it came out on PBS and watched it every time it re-aired. This is a well produced episode which rock solid production values and PBS should be proud. The artistic beauty of the sword, crafting process and the people who weld it is a sight to behold. I’m buying it ASAP. Found it at the shoppbs org website.
@CrimsonGetsu i agree it is an amazing feat i myself am a blade smith that will be starting my apprenticship in a year i cant wate. but there are other swords that can cut throught that many bodys, the killige and the claymore for example.
Lol I like how people are calling these swordsmiths, who’s families have been making swords for hundreds of years, full of shit. I also like how this is pretty much the only documentary that examines the true chemistry of katanas, but it’s also full of shit. Fuck you, science!
Now to shut the fuck up all you mediocre illiterate critiques out there… The katana blade had recordings of slashing cleanly through up to 5 bodies in half with one stroke (that was their way of measuring at the time). No other blade has had such capacity. So when your shitty swords get to 5 bodies, or you get doctorate degrees, shut the fuck up.
Why do people get upset?its just a opinion.
Their opinion its the best sword.Just an opinion.not worth getting upset about.I watched a bio once that said the roman gladius sword was the best .
Look at the nerds here butthurt enough to rant that their favorite dungeons and dragons weapon doesn’t have a TV episode.
“the following program is available in high definition”
not really…
The Romanian kilij and among other Western sabres are a better design than the katana, which can be considered as an out of date design. The intricate curved edge of any contemporary sabre allows them out-cut the near straight edge of a katana (which slight curve was an accident of metallurgy). Furthermore, the curves of a western sabre allows the blade to be twisted into blind spots of plate armor, while the katana which never had to contend against such defenses did not evolve.
Oh please! Overrated sword I tell you. Yes the katana is a great sword, but far too much credit is given to it than it deserves. Open your eyes people! There are other great swords around the world and in history that are equal (if not better) than the katana.
They downplay other cultures far too much in this video. The katana honestly was not more(or less for that matter) effective then their European counterparts. They’re equals, it’s simply the uninformed who follow the mystique surrounding the katana who think of it as some godly weapon leaps and bounds ahead of any other.
I haven’t seen this many samurai sword secrets since the third Highlander movie.
Can you talk for 10 minutes without saying anything?
Wow. This is such a load of shameless, false garbage that I am amazed I spent ten minutes watching this. I should have stopped with the description, but wow, this is just sad. I knew PBS was a load of shit, but I had no clue they would do something this ridiculous.
you should thank him if you like it
great vid, thank you