Japanese Swords
From Karate, Kungfu, Wrestling, Mixed Fighting Information Source
The Importance of Swords in Japanese Society
Much of Japanese culture is related to swords. Elaborate methods for carrying, cleaning, storing, sharpening (or not sharpening), and wielding the sword evolved from era to era. For example, a samurai entering someone's house might consider how to place his sheathed sword as he knelt. Positioning his sword for an easy draw implied suspicion or aggression; thus, whether he placed it on his right or left side, and whether the blade was placed curving away or towards him, was an important point of etiquette. At home, the samurai stored his katana above the wakizashi on a rack called a katana-kake, curving upwards; in the manner it was worn, with the omote side showing (tsuka or handle pointing left). The tachi on the other hand, had a stand, the tsuka was set in a groove at the base and the saya pointed upwards set in a notch at the top with the cutting edge down, again in the manner it was worn.
Until the Edo period most samurai did not use their sword as a primary weapon; they used a bow first, a spear next, and then the sword, as a last resort. A proverb, ken ore, ya mo tsuki (literally meaning "with swords broken and without an arrow") described the spirit of fighting with every weapon.
The sword was considered the soul of the samurai. For much of Japan's history, only samurai were even allowed to carry swords, and a peasant carrying a sword was enough reason to kill the peasant and take the sword after a prohibition was issued early in the Edo period. Impoverished ronin would sometimes be forced to sell their swords. They would then be "soulless" in the eyes of a samurai. The 'soul of the samurai' concept has its roots in the early Tokugawa Shogunate. While there has always been reverence for the sword, the official line of it being the 'soul' comes from a need of the Shogunate to provide high value gifts to retainers and noblemen. It became traditional that daimyo and the shogun, and the members of their families, would exchange gifts of swords on special occasions such as weddings and births. The ability to judge a sword for period, maker, and quality became important, as this allowed one to appraise a blade. Older swords by honored makers would then be reserved for very special gifts, in particular to the Shogun and his family or from the Shogun to show special merit.
