| Ever since humans learned how to shape metal, the | | | | points of weakness. |
| sword has been the weapon of choice for many | | | | Japanese military swords were only allowed to have |
| warriors. It is a sturdy, durable weapon that has been | | | | a single edge; the dull side was for support. Up until |
| a fixture in the hands of soldiers for thousands of | | | | the onset of World War II, the majority of Japanese |
| years. Military swords have been used in combat in | | | | military swords were made by hand. With |
| nearly every continent and come in a myriad of | | | | industrialization and a need to mass produce, swords |
| styles. | | | | created during WWII were done so by machine. |
| The process of creating traditional Japanese military | | | | It is interesting to note the quality of these blades |
| swords is not really a process - it is an art. These | | | | drastically decreased as the progression of the war |
| swords are made using an intricate process | | | | gradually turned against Japan. High quality military |
| developed by the Chinese and improved by the | | | | swords created at the beginning of the fighting were |
| Japanese. The method involves an extraordinary | | | | replaced with low quality swords made with poor |
| amount of labor, and frequently, several workers | | | | materials as combat came to an end. American |
| would create swords through an assembly-line like | | | | forces in the Pacific Ocean had created a stranglehold |
| process. The sword maker must heat, fold and | | | | on Japan's ability to obtain resources and the quality |
| hammer the metal until it reaches the desired | | | | of these weapons reflected it. |
| thickness. | | | | Today, with the modern weapons available to |
| The steel used in Japanese military swords is thought | | | | soldiers, military swords are no longer needed for |
| to be the best for the creation of these deadly | | | | combat. However, modern armies still produce |
| blades. Folding and hammering the metal enabled the | | | | swords for many of their troops as part of tradition. |
| steel to reach its strongest and most resilient state. | | | | There are still a handful of traditional Japanese military |
| Air bubbles were beaten out and the composition of | | | | sword makers that work to keep the art alive. |
| the steel was turned uniform, thereby eliminating | | | | |