1 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:05,920 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey you welcome to Stuff to Blow 3 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:17,599 Speaker 1: your Mind. My name is Robert Lamb and I'm Christian Seger. Robert, 4 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:20,279 Speaker 1: you and I have played many a D and D game. 5 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:22,159 Speaker 1: We've talked about it on the show before. Many of 6 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,080 Speaker 1: the listeners are D and D fans, some are not. 7 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:27,640 Speaker 1: But I'm curious what weapon did you decide to go 8 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: with your first time playing the first time you rolled 9 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:33,400 Speaker 1: up a character. Oh, I went with a katana of course, 10 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:36,440 Speaker 1: Samurai sword. Yeah. This is one of the beautiful things 11 00:00:36,479 --> 00:00:40,560 Speaker 1: about D and D is that they meticulously researched weapons 12 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:43,559 Speaker 1: from throughout history so they could insert them into this 13 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:46,880 Speaker 1: game full of elves and goblins. But you learn about 14 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 1: things like katanas and falcions and glaves and all these. 15 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:54,440 Speaker 1: I have all this weird, useless knowledge about melee weapons 16 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 1: from throughout history. Uh. Yeah, katanas are fascinating. Yeah, I 17 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 1: mean it was the sword to and uh. And and 18 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: to your point that the fantasy world of Dungeon and 19 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 1: Dragons especially is the it is an unreal history, that is, uh, 20 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:10,759 Speaker 1: that is forged out of out of many a detail 21 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 1: from our actual history of taking on New Shape and 22 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 1: New Form. Yeah, like you're halfling thief can have a 23 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:19,720 Speaker 1: katana and that's not like cultural appropriation or anything, which 24 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: we're gonna talk about episode yeah, or is it. I 25 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 1: don't know, it might be well we'll have to get 26 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 1: into that. Ye spoilers to the next episode. But be 27 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:31,040 Speaker 1: that as it may. Uh. Yes, the katana, the Samurai 28 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:36,480 Speaker 1: sword definitely a sexy, sexy weapon. Any any child, any 29 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,640 Speaker 1: adult can tell you that that this is a this 30 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:44,039 Speaker 1: is a really cool sword to look at, two wield 31 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,480 Speaker 1: and fantasy battle. And I mean it's all over our media, right, 32 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: I mean, teenage Muntan, Ninja turtle. Yeah. I forget which 33 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: one had the katana. Leonardo Leonardo did. Yeah, he was 34 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 1: always the one you want to do Leonardo does. Swords 35 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 1: is the riff. Yeah. Oh, and then of course the 36 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 1: Highlander movies, Connor McCloud with this ivory, hilted katana even 37 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 1: though he's the Scottish maybe alien immortal. Well but see 38 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:13,480 Speaker 1: he got that sword from an ancient Scottish Egyptian played 39 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 1: by with the Spanish name, played by Sean Connery, So 40 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:19,800 Speaker 1: it's like it's a little complicated with immortals. But but 41 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: clearly like the stik of the sword was was was 42 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: presented in that film. Yeah, I've been really interested in 43 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:29,399 Speaker 1: just samurai fiction in general lately, and so the Katana 44 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 1: has been on my mind, which is why I asked 45 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:33,799 Speaker 1: you if we could do an episode on this. I'm 46 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 1: working on a project that is going to incorporate elements 47 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:41,919 Speaker 1: of samurai, you know, lore like armor and clothing and 48 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:44,799 Speaker 1: weapons of course, and and their ethos. So I've been 49 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:47,960 Speaker 1: catching up on all the samurai fiction and reading a 50 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:50,520 Speaker 1: ton of Lone Wolf and Cub You know that manga. 51 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: I'm familiar with it. I've never read it though. It's 52 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: about this father and son. The son's like three years 53 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:59,080 Speaker 1: old as a journey through historical Japan, and he's this 54 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:02,600 Speaker 1: exiled runan. It's pretty fascinating. And then, of course I 55 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:06,520 Speaker 1: watched a ton of Cia Kurasawas movies, the big ones 56 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 1: being Seven Samurai, Thrown of Blood and you know Jimbo. 57 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 1: Those are all starring Toshiro Mufune as the title samurai 58 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: usually in most of those cases. Uh. And then of 59 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: course there's Jim Jarmish's Ghost Dog The Way of the Samurai. 60 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:23,520 Speaker 1: You remember that movie from the nineties. I never saw it, 61 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:27,400 Speaker 1: but it's the Forest Whittaker Samurai movie. Yeah. And and then, uh, 62 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 1: the other one that I've seen recently that I like 63 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 1: a lot surprising was that takash miche uh movie Thirteen Assassins. Yeah, 64 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 1: it's pretty good. I I haven't watched any of his 65 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 1: films recently. I'm not usually a big fan of his work, 66 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 1: but this is a great samurai movie. And it definitely 67 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 1: shows the power of the katana. There's lots of limbs 68 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 1: flying around and and I assume it's suitably weird. H Yeah, Yeah, 69 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 1: it's definitely, like especially like when you think of like 70 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: seven Samurai and thirteen Assassins like next to one another, 71 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: and like there's probably fifty years in between the two 72 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 1: of them, it is significantly weirder. Well, you know, I 73 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: don't think I've really enjoyed any samurai fiction recently, unless you, 74 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: of course, count the American Samurai and Samurai Cop starring 75 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 1: Robert Sadar. Yeah. I mean his katana must have been 76 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 1: made in the Ancient Tree, right, I remember that movie vaguely. 77 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:24,040 Speaker 1: That isn't that tied in with another series of movies? 78 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: Is that the American Ninja movies. I don't know that 79 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:29,720 Speaker 1: it's directly tied in with those, but it's in the same, 80 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 1: the same spirit, the same uh you know, culturally slightly insensitive, 81 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:41,640 Speaker 1: but but I do. I also remember reading James Clavel's 82 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:45,880 Speaker 1: Showgun back in middle school. There is a ve novel 83 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:51,040 Speaker 1: about intrigued between between samurai and you had this this 84 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 1: Western character in the midst of it, you know, this outsider. 85 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:57,839 Speaker 1: I've never heard of this. It is a really long novel. Yeah. 86 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:00,760 Speaker 1: The main thing I remember about it, aside from various 87 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 1: details of swordplay and uh and and a few elements 88 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: that were perhaps a little too mature for for me 89 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:10,200 Speaker 1: as a middle school reader, I do remember that it 90 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:12,279 Speaker 1: was it was so thick, and I brought it to 91 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:15,239 Speaker 1: scout camp with me, and then it got damp because 92 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:18,880 Speaker 1: it rained, and so the spine remained the same size, 93 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 1: but the bulk of the paperback swelled up to like 94 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:27,160 Speaker 1: three times the size of the spine. Totally remember that. Yeah, 95 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:30,040 Speaker 1: that's funny. Now. When I got older, I did get 96 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 1: into Crosawa films for a while, and I think I 97 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,480 Speaker 1: just mainlined a bunch of Corosawa films and today the 98 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:39,159 Speaker 1: really the only one that stands out to me. It 99 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:41,560 Speaker 1: is Throwing of Blood. Yeah, it's great. Throwing of Blood 100 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:45,640 Speaker 1: is the their version of Macbeth basically right and take 101 00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:49,240 Speaker 1: brilliant black and white. Yeah. Yeah, it's creepy too, like 102 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:51,920 Speaker 1: the way the witches are done and everything. Yeah, that's 103 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:54,480 Speaker 1: a great film. Yeah, one of my favorite McBeth adaptations 104 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 1: and probably the best death by Aero scene ever. Spoiler 105 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: from adst. So, yeah, we've got plenty of samurai fiction 106 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:04,719 Speaker 1: to go around, and we're not even like going through 107 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:07,320 Speaker 1: and listing like there's I mean, if you look at 108 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:10,880 Speaker 1: samurai fiction list on Google, there's just like hundreds of 109 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 1: movies that have been made. And uh, you know, I 110 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:16,520 Speaker 1: think I mentioned this on the show before I grew 111 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:18,640 Speaker 1: up in Singapore and so I ended up watching a 112 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:21,159 Speaker 1: lot of Wosa movies growing up too, And they weren't 113 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:23,880 Speaker 1: necessarily using katanas in all of those movies, but like 114 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: that same kind of uh Asian sword play mysticism, it 115 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:32,120 Speaker 1: worked its way into those films in the same way 116 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:34,400 Speaker 1: that they do sort of in Curse Awa. But Curse 117 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:36,719 Speaker 1: I was not necessarily other than like throwing a blood, 118 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:40,840 Speaker 1: there'sn't like magic um. But yeah, so it's just always 119 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:44,080 Speaker 1: been something that's on my mind. And then I started 120 00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:47,120 Speaker 1: looking into this and I found out, holy cow, these 121 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:51,400 Speaker 1: swords are apparently like a marvel of engineering even by 122 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:54,960 Speaker 1: today's standards, and they're they're relatively complex in terms of 123 00:06:55,000 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 1: how they were made and incredibly expensive. Oh kill Bill Uh. 124 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:03,720 Speaker 1: We've seen that. Obviously, that's probably the film that most 125 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:06,440 Speaker 1: people would know Katanas from, because there's a whole long 126 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:09,480 Speaker 1: scene where the katanas being made for her, but like 127 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:14,640 Speaker 1: specific accomplished sword smith. Uh. And that was the one 128 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 1: that really brought to my mind, like, oh, there is 129 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 1: there's an art to this, right, It's not like they're 130 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:21,840 Speaker 1: just like cranking these things out of forge. Now, one 131 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:25,360 Speaker 1: other point about the Samurai before we get in want 132 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:27,800 Speaker 1: into more detail here. I think it's also worth pointing 133 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:31,000 Speaker 1: out that even if you're not dealing with actual Samurai 134 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:35,440 Speaker 1: lacquered armor and uh Samurai swords, the spirit of the 135 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:39,720 Speaker 1: Samurai castle long shadow over the history and the pop 136 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:43,640 Speaker 1: culture of Japan. So even in things like uh, you know, 137 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:47,880 Speaker 1: various science fiction and anime UH franchises, and and even 138 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:51,600 Speaker 1: in for instance New Japan Pro Wrestling, of which I 139 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 1: am I'm a fan, you see the Bushido code, the 140 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:58,200 Speaker 1: way of the samurai reflected in the way some of 141 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:01,480 Speaker 1: these characters are presented to Yeah, there is like a 142 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:06,120 Speaker 1: very strong association with that. I don't know if lifestyle 143 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:09,360 Speaker 1: is even the right word, but like quality of character. Uh. 144 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:12,280 Speaker 1: And these weapons actually because I can say a distinctive 145 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:15,200 Speaker 1: warrior ethos. Yeah, yeah, very much. So. That's one of 146 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 1: the things that I love about Lone Wolf and Cub 147 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:21,800 Speaker 1: is that it's meticulously researched, and the lead character obviously 148 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:25,600 Speaker 1: follows that ethos very closely and constantly talks about it 149 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:28,440 Speaker 1: as you do in Mango, like he's always telling his opponents, 150 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:30,320 Speaker 1: you know, beforehand, like this is why I'm about to 151 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:33,440 Speaker 1: cut you in half because my specific code of honor, 152 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:36,760 Speaker 1: uh makes it so I have to do this because 153 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:40,080 Speaker 1: you're a dishonorable cur Well. I think that the great 154 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:42,640 Speaker 1: thing about the katana is that it is a perfect 155 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:48,120 Speaker 1: extension of the samurai and and the cultural qualities that 156 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:51,920 Speaker 1: go into that. Yeah. So uh, I guess we should 157 00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:53,439 Speaker 1: go ahead and get into it a little bit. I 158 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 1: feel like everyone knows on some level what the samurai were, 159 00:08:57,120 --> 00:08:59,600 Speaker 1: but we probably need to just unwrap it a bit 160 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:02,240 Speaker 1: as well here, right, so, as I was mentioning earlier, 161 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:04,920 Speaker 1: these are not just like your everyday warriors, right, It's 162 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 1: not like every warrior in Japan was a samurai. They 163 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:12,000 Speaker 1: were expected to have personal characteristics and attitudes that were 164 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:15,679 Speaker 1: different from those of the ordinary soldier. And that's why 165 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:19,079 Speaker 1: they were given the responsibility of wielding these specific weapons, 166 00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:23,400 Speaker 1: because they were considered honorable and trustworthy, just like the 167 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:28,080 Speaker 1: sword was because it was so meticulously made. And so 168 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:30,320 Speaker 1: then you get this, uh, what's referred to as the 169 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:32,920 Speaker 1: lifestyle of kendo. We're not going to go away into 170 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:35,920 Speaker 1: this in this episode, but that's basically what's referred to 171 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:39,160 Speaker 1: as the way of the sword, and that subsequently developed 172 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:43,040 Speaker 1: around these weapons. It was a culture essentially based on 173 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,440 Speaker 1: how amazing these weapons were, not just in combat, but 174 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:52,200 Speaker 1: just as like artistic artifacts. So the katana itself, it 175 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:55,240 Speaker 1: was invented a millennium ago. That's crazy to think about, 176 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:58,080 Speaker 1: and it is basically if you've never seen one before, 177 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:01,520 Speaker 1: it it's it's this famous curved sword that samurai wielded. 178 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:06,080 Speaker 1: It's still today marveled for its aesthetic construction and skillful engineering. 179 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:08,920 Speaker 1: In fact, we were just talking about this before we 180 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:11,000 Speaker 1: went live on the mic that if you go to 181 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:14,760 Speaker 1: most comic book conventions or like the local pop culture 182 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:17,959 Speaker 1: convention for us as Dragon Con, on the floor, there 183 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:22,920 Speaker 1: is usually a weapons dealer. Uh, and you can buy katanas. Uh. 184 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:24,920 Speaker 1: They have lots of them. I mean they usually have 185 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 1: like swords that are like such and such person's sword 186 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:29,960 Speaker 1: from such and such a movie, right, like Ari Norns 187 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:33,720 Speaker 1: sword or Protos sword or something like that. Um, But 188 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:36,200 Speaker 1: you can just buy katanas too, and they're like a 189 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:38,160 Speaker 1: couple hundred bucks. I think. I have to say I 190 00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:42,280 Speaker 1: always enjoy looking at displays for that kind of stuff 191 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:45,160 Speaker 1: to see what what is the most ridunculous blade that 192 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:47,400 Speaker 1: is that is available for purchase, you know, the like 193 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:54,120 Speaker 1: the least realistic, um, you know, most ridiculously designed weapon, right. Yeah. 194 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:57,760 Speaker 1: And that's the thing too, is like I'm not entirely 195 00:10:57,800 --> 00:10:59,920 Speaker 1: sure unless you're like a really big fan of the 196 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:04,920 Speaker 1: aesthetics and ethos of samurai lifestyle, Uh, why you buy 197 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:06,880 Speaker 1: a katana and like put it on the wall in 198 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:09,480 Speaker 1: your living room. Although, like I've heard of people who 199 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:12,640 Speaker 1: have those like actually using them in self defense, like 200 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:15,400 Speaker 1: if somebody breaks into their house. But again, I don't 201 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:17,800 Speaker 1: think those swords are made for fighting. Like, I think 202 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:20,800 Speaker 1: they're their metals probably gonna break because they're not made 203 00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:23,439 Speaker 1: in the fashion that these katanas were made in. Yeah, now, 204 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:26,120 Speaker 1: I do want to drive a couple of facts home 205 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:28,720 Speaker 1: for here for everybody. So when we're talking about the 206 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:31,800 Speaker 1: invention of the katana sword and the development of katana sword, 207 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:36,280 Speaker 1: there's no joke katana that invented the blade. No, Like, 208 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:38,440 Speaker 1: this is a this is an evolution of a tool, 209 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:42,400 Speaker 1: a tool that was that was that was created to 210 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:46,679 Speaker 1: to fulfill a particular purpose, but then takes on additional 211 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:50,400 Speaker 1: sort of cultural resonance as well. Yeah, it's kind of amazing. 212 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:53,440 Speaker 1: I can't think of a single artifact in our modern 213 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:57,120 Speaker 1: culture that has this much reverence attached to it, right, 214 00:11:57,200 --> 00:11:59,600 Speaker 1: and that like it's a thing that took like I mean, 215 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:01,280 Speaker 1: we'll go through this, but it took like something like 216 00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:04,480 Speaker 1: sixteen people to make over the course of like months, 217 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:08,200 Speaker 1: and uh then you you you know, give it to 218 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:11,319 Speaker 1: this one person to wield and they're buried with it. 219 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:14,040 Speaker 1: There's a lot of personal attachment to it. I can't 220 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:16,679 Speaker 1: think of anything. I mean, like everything we have is 221 00:12:16,679 --> 00:12:20,679 Speaker 1: pretty much disposable, right, like your car, your phone, all 222 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:22,720 Speaker 1: that stuff. It's not like it's made to last for 223 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:25,679 Speaker 1: your entire lifetime and be made of like the best 224 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:28,360 Speaker 1: metals that are possibly available. Yeah, this was this was 225 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:31,520 Speaker 1: a finely crafted item that was that was that was 226 00:12:31,559 --> 00:12:33,760 Speaker 1: built to last. Now, at the same time, I do 227 00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:36,679 Speaker 1: want to stress that there was nothing magical, like there 228 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:39,360 Speaker 1: wasn't anything truly magical about the Samurai s or these 229 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:45,680 Speaker 1: were tools and Katona's plus two there's no magical bonus. No, 230 00:12:45,679 --> 00:12:49,599 Speaker 1: no that for horriple that that's even even rare. But 231 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:53,480 Speaker 1: but as tools, they were items that were they were 232 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:58,319 Speaker 1: made uh with with various physical restraints in place, and 233 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:01,160 Speaker 1: it was certain compromises in play. So these were these 234 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:03,640 Speaker 1: were blades that that could be dull, that could be 235 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:07,880 Speaker 1: uh damaged or destroyed. Uh you know, generally the blade 236 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:10,440 Speaker 1: itself would last longer than the hilt to hilt might 237 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:15,120 Speaker 1: be replaced, etcetera. But it is as phenomenal as these were, 238 00:13:15,559 --> 00:13:17,720 Speaker 1: we don't want to fall into the trap of of 239 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:22,920 Speaker 1: of thinking them as something um supernatural, you know, yeah, definitely, um. 240 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:25,520 Speaker 1: But I think that where that sort of supernatural idea 241 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:29,280 Speaker 1: comes from is that historical adherence to the idea of 242 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:32,559 Speaker 1: it being so important in particular lifestyle, so the sword 243 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:35,559 Speaker 1: itself was actually considered a crucial part of a samuraized life. 244 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:38,440 Speaker 1: In fact, when they were born, a sword was brought 245 00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:41,920 Speaker 1: into the bed chamber during delivery, and when they died, 246 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:45,040 Speaker 1: their sword was placed by their side. The sword was 247 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:47,800 Speaker 1: basically said to be akin to their soul, so they 248 00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:50,560 Speaker 1: really thought of it in in that higher regard. I 249 00:13:50,559 --> 00:13:52,320 Speaker 1: don't I don't think you would say today like my 250 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:55,880 Speaker 1: cell phone is my soul, or my my my toyota 251 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:59,120 Speaker 1: is my soul. Well, both of your kia soul. I 252 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:02,640 Speaker 1: think one might not say those things, but I feel 253 00:14:02,679 --> 00:14:05,240 Speaker 1: like some people might have. I think that those statements 254 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:07,400 Speaker 1: are true for some in it that's true. Yeah, there's 255 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:10,760 Speaker 1: a certain amount of marketing around that. Just before I 256 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:13,040 Speaker 1: came in here, I was reviewing one of our YouTube 257 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:15,680 Speaker 1: videos and the commercial that played before it was for 258 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:18,920 Speaker 1: Dodge Cars, and it was Vin Diesel driving a Dodge 259 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 1: car around and basically being like, if you drive one 260 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:23,680 Speaker 1: of these, you will be as cool as my characters 261 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:26,840 Speaker 1: and fast and the furious, uh, and you will belong 262 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:29,760 Speaker 1: to my muscle family. Oh god, did I saw a 263 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:31,680 Speaker 1: trailer for one of those films and he referred to 264 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:33,800 Speaker 1: it as like the order of the muscle. Is that right? 265 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:36,720 Speaker 1: Is it? Or that's the commercial that's the commercial I 266 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:39,920 Speaker 1: just saw. Yeah, it's like it's a sacred uh um. 267 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:44,680 Speaker 1: You know, society templary drop something close to twenty dollars 268 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:47,960 Speaker 1: on a challenger. Yeah, and you joined the family. Uh. 269 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:50,280 Speaker 1: But the samurai you couldn't just buy your way into. 270 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:53,600 Speaker 1: So they wielded two swords and together these were referred 271 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:56,960 Speaker 1: to as the die show. Die means large and represented 272 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:01,640 Speaker 1: the single edged katana, and it's small companion was the wakazashi, 273 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:05,040 Speaker 1: and these were used in close combat, usually for beheading. 274 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:08,320 Speaker 1: Uh usually like if you had an honored opponent and 275 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:10,160 Speaker 1: you you had killed them already and you wanted to 276 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:14,080 Speaker 1: take their head, or for disemboweling yourself during the act 277 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:17,520 Speaker 1: of seppuku. Uh So sometimes they use ritual daggers instead, 278 00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:20,400 Speaker 1: but this was really what the wakazashi was for, and 279 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:24,280 Speaker 1: another samurai would usually stand by to behead the victims 280 00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:26,520 Speaker 1: so their death would be quick. This is something that 281 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:30,960 Speaker 1: Takashi mik Is fascinated within that Thirteen Assassins movie. Yeah, 282 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:36,160 Speaker 1: this was the sep the the ritualized honorable suicide, right 283 00:15:36,560 --> 00:15:39,760 Speaker 1: and Uh, yeah, I remember that being a major feature 284 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:43,440 Speaker 1: in James Clavel's Showgun as well. Right, yeah, there is 285 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:48,360 Speaker 1: a certain Western fascination, right. The katana itself was usually 286 00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:51,160 Speaker 1: thirty to thirty three inches long, while the wakazashi was 287 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:54,400 Speaker 1: eighteen to twenty inches long. Now here's the thing. We're 288 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:56,640 Speaker 1: gonna go real deep into the metallurgy of this in 289 00:15:56,640 --> 00:15:59,720 Speaker 1: a second, but just to sort of briefly tell you 290 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:02,480 Speaker 1: about this, the katana had to be forged so that 291 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:05,520 Speaker 1: it had both a sharp edge and it would not 292 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:08,600 Speaker 1: break during a duel. So if it was too hard, 293 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:11,240 Speaker 1: the sword itself would be brittle, but if it was 294 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:14,120 Speaker 1: too soft, the sword wouldn't take on the keen edge 295 00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:16,640 Speaker 1: that it had. So, for instance, like if you hit 296 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:19,040 Speaker 1: something with it and a crack was introduced to the blade, 297 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:21,760 Speaker 1: as would inevitably happen in battle when you're you know, 298 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:25,400 Speaker 1: hitting other swords, armor, all kinds of things, it would 299 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:28,120 Speaker 1: run all the way through the blade. But instead of 300 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:30,680 Speaker 1: the way that they constructed these, it just stopped at 301 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:34,240 Speaker 1: the core and they could sort of repair the crack 302 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:38,080 Speaker 1: around the core. Now, windshields today are actually made with 303 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:41,240 Speaker 1: a similar principle. They've got these two layers to them, 304 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:43,520 Speaker 1: so that the first layer cracks when like a rock 305 00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:46,760 Speaker 1: hits your your windshield on the highway, but then it's 306 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:50,200 Speaker 1: stopped by the plastic interior. That's why you see that 307 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:52,840 Speaker 1: sort of spider web. Yes, all right, we're gonna take 308 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:54,440 Speaker 1: a quick break and we come back. We're gonna roll 309 00:16:54,480 --> 00:17:02,240 Speaker 1: through the metallurgical details of the Samurai sword. All right, 310 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:06,080 Speaker 1: we returned. So the katanas had to be made of 311 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:10,360 Speaker 1: this really really well put together steel. It was the 312 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:15,280 Speaker 1: purest of steels, and it was called tamahagana or jewel 313 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:18,919 Speaker 1: steel by the Japanese. Now, the methodology for putting this 314 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:22,040 Speaker 1: together was basically, you had to make the swords core 315 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:24,240 Speaker 1: with the soft metal that I was speaking of earlier 316 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:27,240 Speaker 1: that wouldn't break. Then you would cover it with harder metals. 317 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:31,080 Speaker 1: But these were repeatedly folded and hammered over and over 318 00:17:31,119 --> 00:17:35,520 Speaker 1: again until they were literally millions of these layers laminated together. 319 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:40,040 Speaker 1: Constructing a sword took three days and three nights. When 320 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:42,200 Speaker 1: they say that, they're just referring to the metal part, 321 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:44,880 Speaker 1: not not the other aspects, and we'll we'll walk through 322 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:49,439 Speaker 1: that shortly. But smelters, basically to put together a sword. 323 00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:53,920 Speaker 1: They would shovel twenty five tons of iron bearing river 324 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:58,800 Speaker 1: sand and charcoal into a rectangular clay furnace that was 325 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:02,560 Speaker 1: called the tatara. And the charcoal was important in this 326 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:05,880 Speaker 1: process because it fueled the furnace up to two thousand 327 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:09,960 Speaker 1: five degrees fahrenheit. And this was important because it reduced 328 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:14,359 Speaker 1: that iron ore down to steal and would eventually yield 329 00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:17,560 Speaker 1: that jewel steel that we were talking about. Right. Uh, 330 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:20,760 Speaker 1: do you remember Princess Mononoke? Yes, of course, So I 331 00:18:21,040 --> 00:18:23,840 Speaker 1: had forgotten this, but apparently the plot of Princess Mononoke 332 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:26,159 Speaker 1: is that the humans are cutting down the trees in 333 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:29,440 Speaker 1: the forest. The whole reason why is because they're fueling 334 00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:32,560 Speaker 1: these furnaces specifically so they can make more weapons. So 335 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:35,120 Speaker 1: this was like a major plot point of that film. Yeah, 336 00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:36,399 Speaker 1: it's been a while since I've seen that one all 337 00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:39,680 Speaker 1: the way through, because the the Boy is not yet 338 00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:43,200 Speaker 1: ready for the more dramatic Commuzaki films. Yeah, that's definitely 339 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:46,320 Speaker 1: one of the more intense ones. So this steel, while 340 00:18:46,359 --> 00:18:49,000 Speaker 1: it's inside the oven, it was never allowed to reach 341 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:51,439 Speaker 1: a molten state, and the reason why was so that 342 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:54,560 Speaker 1: the carbon that was mixed into the steel would vary 343 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:58,359 Speaker 1: throughout it somewhere between point five percent and one point 344 00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:01,840 Speaker 1: five percent of its property. These the higher the carbon, 345 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:04,800 Speaker 1: the harder the steel, so they had to mix the 346 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:07,359 Speaker 1: two types. You've got the high carbon for this hard 347 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:09,399 Speaker 1: razor edge and you've got the low carbon for the 348 00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:13,200 Speaker 1: shock absorbent core. Now, on the third night, they would 349 00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:17,479 Speaker 1: actually break open the clay furnace and they'd expose this steel. 350 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:21,199 Speaker 1: The pieces that broke apart the easiest helped them to 351 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:23,680 Speaker 1: discern what the carbon content was. Right, they didn't have 352 00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:26,800 Speaker 1: like microscopes to sit there and look at the ore 353 00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:29,000 Speaker 1: and figure out, you know, how much carbon was in 354 00:19:29,040 --> 00:19:31,520 Speaker 1: each one. They literally had to do it by well, 355 00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:34,520 Speaker 1: not by hand, but they use tongs and stuff. Then 356 00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:37,439 Speaker 1: the swordsmith would take this and they would heat it 357 00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:41,359 Speaker 1: and hammer and fold it repeatedly over and over again. 358 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:44,000 Speaker 1: And the reason why was this would combine the iron 359 00:19:44,080 --> 00:19:48,040 Speaker 1: and the carbon while drawing out any of the undissolved impurities. 360 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:51,760 Speaker 1: And these referred to as as slag, which I like, 361 00:19:51,840 --> 00:19:54,240 Speaker 1: I think slag is like a good like this sounds 362 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:57,720 Speaker 1: like a good like like dirty name to call somebody's slag. 363 00:19:58,560 --> 00:20:03,000 Speaker 1: Um If other elements besides iron and carbon remained though, 364 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:05,600 Speaker 1: that this would weaken the metal, so you had to 365 00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:08,680 Speaker 1: get that slag out of there. The smiths would judge 366 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:11,080 Speaker 1: how much carbon they had left over in this by 367 00:20:11,119 --> 00:20:13,880 Speaker 1: how much it yielded to them pounding on it over 368 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:16,560 Speaker 1: and over again with their hammers. So uh. And in fact, 369 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:18,720 Speaker 1: one of the ways they if they if they found 370 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:21,320 Speaker 1: that it was too low in carbon, they would actually 371 00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:24,280 Speaker 1: add it back into the mix by exposing the metal 372 00:20:24,320 --> 00:20:27,560 Speaker 1: to ash from rice straw. So it's really interesting, like 373 00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:31,520 Speaker 1: can imagined the like years and years of smith ng 374 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:35,359 Speaker 1: and learning all of these little techniques, and they weren't 375 00:20:35,359 --> 00:20:38,840 Speaker 1: thinking in terms of chemistry. They weren't thinking like, okay, 376 00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:42,080 Speaker 1: so the molecular bonds of carbon and iron are going 377 00:20:42,119 --> 00:20:44,080 Speaker 1: to produce such in such effect right there, just like 378 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:46,320 Speaker 1: I know that if I hit it this many times, 379 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:48,720 Speaker 1: it will get rid of this stuff, and if I 380 00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:51,440 Speaker 1: add rice straw, it'll put it back in. And so 381 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:55,199 Speaker 1: the doubling of these layers actually increased every time the 382 00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:58,679 Speaker 1: metal was folded, right, and so you go too, and 383 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:00,639 Speaker 1: then you multiply that, then you it four and so 384 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:03,320 Speaker 1: on and so on until it results in a final 385 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:06,879 Speaker 1: count of four million layers. Can you imagine these guys 386 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:10,040 Speaker 1: just sitting here and hammering this stuff over and over again. 387 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:12,159 Speaker 1: So you you start to see like the value of 388 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:15,239 Speaker 1: these swords because they're just really being worked on in 389 00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:20,919 Speaker 1: this artisanal fashion for days. Now. Once the slag is removed, 390 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:24,119 Speaker 1: the smith would heat the high carbon steel that was 391 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:28,399 Speaker 1: left into a U shaped channel. Then they would hammer 392 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:31,000 Speaker 1: the low carbon steel that was left, and they fit 393 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:34,000 Speaker 1: that snugly into the channel, so the hard steel formed 394 00:21:34,040 --> 00:21:36,480 Speaker 1: that outer shell while the tough steel served the core. 395 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:40,480 Speaker 1: The smith would then coat the sword in this thick 396 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:45,639 Speaker 1: insulating mixture of clay and charcoal powder. And what they 397 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:48,760 Speaker 1: would do is they would they would put different consistencies 398 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:52,560 Speaker 1: of this clay around the sword, so for instance, the 399 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:55,240 Speaker 1: front edge would be lightly coated while the rest would 400 00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:58,280 Speaker 1: be covered, and this would protect the blade during further 401 00:21:58,359 --> 00:22:01,840 Speaker 1: heating and give it that kind of signature wavy design 402 00:22:02,119 --> 00:22:04,000 Speaker 1: that you see in the metal, you know, like it's 403 00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:07,719 Speaker 1: the way it reflects now. After coding, the blade was 404 00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:12,280 Speaker 1: heated just below fIF hundred degrees fahrenheit and they forgot 405 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:15,200 Speaker 1: any hotter. Well that was bad too, because it would 406 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:19,800 Speaker 1: actually make it crack afterwards. So swordsmiths they were so 407 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:23,200 Speaker 1: concerned with the quality of these artifacts that they were 408 00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:27,920 Speaker 1: worried about even their sweat touching the metal, so they 409 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,320 Speaker 1: would not touch it with their hands. Like even obviously 410 00:22:30,359 --> 00:22:33,520 Speaker 1: you wouldn't touch like a super hot burning sword coming 411 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:35,800 Speaker 1: out of a fire. But but like at the very 412 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:39,000 Speaker 1: stages in between, they didn't use their hands at all. 413 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:40,960 Speaker 1: They made sure that I mean, they're standing over a 414 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:43,680 Speaker 1: hot fire for days at a time, they're making sure 415 00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:46,879 Speaker 1: that no sweat is dropping down on this because they 416 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:49,480 Speaker 1: didn't want it to somehow interfere with this, you know, 417 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:53,479 Speaker 1: unknown chemical concoction they were working with. Okay, so then 418 00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:56,440 Speaker 1: you get to this stage where the smith pulls this 419 00:22:56,520 --> 00:22:59,520 Speaker 1: out of the fire and plunges it into water for 420 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:03,639 Speaker 1: this really the rapid cooling process that's called quenching. This 421 00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:06,760 Speaker 1: made me think of Highlander as well. It sounds very 422 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:11,840 Speaker 1: cinematic moment. You see this in a lot of sword movies. Totally. Yeah. Now, 423 00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:15,359 Speaker 1: because of the distribution of carbon, there's a difference in 424 00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:18,959 Speaker 1: the degree and speed at which the steel along the 425 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:23,160 Speaker 1: blade contracts when it's cooled, and this causes it to bend, 426 00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:26,960 Speaker 1: which creates that distinctive curve of the katana. Now, as 427 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:29,840 Speaker 1: many as one in three of the swords that they're 428 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:33,240 Speaker 1: constructing were lost during this stage. So we always see 429 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:35,960 Speaker 1: this in movies. Right, they put it in the water, steam, 430 00:23:36,119 --> 00:23:38,040 Speaker 1: looks super cool. They pull it out, it's the best 431 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:40,879 Speaker 1: sword ever, right, ready to go. But like one in 432 00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:43,280 Speaker 1: three times they pull it out in the sword with 433 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:45,600 Speaker 1: like crack and fall apart or something like that. After 434 00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:50,000 Speaker 1: days of hammering this thing millions of times. So the 435 00:23:50,119 --> 00:23:54,399 Speaker 1: quenching actually allowed the clay coating on the cutting blade 436 00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: to cool quickly. In this formed something that's called Martin site, 437 00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:01,239 Speaker 1: which is a type of iron that has assumed a 438 00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:06,720 Speaker 1: fretic crystalline structure with enclosed carbon atoms. Now, these atoms 439 00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:09,560 Speaker 1: are what gives that material it's hard quality, so that 440 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:11,720 Speaker 1: the keen edge that has its hard quality as the 441 00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:15,320 Speaker 1: Martin site. The slower cooling time of the core actually 442 00:24:15,320 --> 00:24:20,000 Speaker 1: created a chorus grain structure that was both soft and flexible. 443 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:23,920 Speaker 1: So this is why these curved swords. Actually they were 444 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:27,080 Speaker 1: lowered horizontally into the water. They weren't just like you 445 00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:29,000 Speaker 1: see it sometimes in the films, like they hold it 446 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:31,760 Speaker 1: by the hilt as if the hilt is already on it, right, 447 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:33,320 Speaker 1: and they'll just like dip it into the water, and 448 00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:37,280 Speaker 1: that's not how they did at all. They would lower 449 00:24:37,280 --> 00:24:40,480 Speaker 1: them down horizontally, so certain parts were cooled down first, 450 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:44,040 Speaker 1: which would you know, obviously change the composition of the metal. 451 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:47,119 Speaker 1: All right, then you've got this blade. It's pretty cool. 452 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:51,320 Speaker 1: It's made of this amazing composition of different densities of metal. 453 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:55,560 Speaker 1: Then you polish it for two weeks by grinding and 454 00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:58,600 Speaker 1: polishing it with these stones that are called water stones, 455 00:24:59,119 --> 00:25:02,800 Speaker 1: and they were typically composed of a hard silicate bunch 456 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:06,520 Speaker 1: of particles that were suspended in clay. The clay as 457 00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:09,320 Speaker 1: you're you know, you're you're rubbing it on these blades, 458 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:13,359 Speaker 1: wears down over time and that reveals even more silicate particles. 459 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:18,480 Speaker 1: So this essentially makes the stones polishing quality improve through 460 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:22,879 Speaker 1: its life as the finer silicate particles come out and 461 00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:25,560 Speaker 1: they make they basically make it so that there's less 462 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:30,320 Speaker 1: steel removed while you're polishing it. So the stones themselves, 463 00:25:30,359 --> 00:25:32,520 Speaker 1: like we're not even talking about the sword yet. These 464 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:35,800 Speaker 1: little stones were worth more than a thousand dollars each 465 00:25:36,240 --> 00:25:40,160 Speaker 1: and we're passed down through generations of families, so there's 466 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:43,399 Speaker 1: just you know, like all these aspects of the sword 467 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:49,360 Speaker 1: making really had this um, this high quality reverence to them. Now, 468 00:25:49,359 --> 00:25:54,159 Speaker 1: other methods of polishing the swords included fine stone powder 469 00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:58,119 Speaker 1: or powdered steel or something called forge cinder, and they 470 00:25:58,119 --> 00:26:01,120 Speaker 1: would also use wet stones like the way we're used 471 00:26:01,119 --> 00:26:04,679 Speaker 1: to seeing like medieval swords made or sharpened. But it 472 00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:08,200 Speaker 1: was preferred to polish the swords in the winter actually 473 00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:10,840 Speaker 1: instead of the summer. And the reason why was because 474 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:14,760 Speaker 1: they thought summer was generally more wet and would subsequently 475 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:18,000 Speaker 1: bring rust to the blade. Now, I don't know if 476 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:21,679 Speaker 1: there's actually any chemical logic to that, you know, in 477 00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:23,680 Speaker 1: terms of like how they're making these swords, but so 478 00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:25,679 Speaker 1: you would find that most of these katanas would be 479 00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:28,520 Speaker 1: made in the wintertime. Yeah, it seems as you're developing 480 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:33,119 Speaker 1: your your sword making technique, you know, over over generations, 481 00:26:33,119 --> 00:26:36,520 Speaker 1: like you're gonna have some uh some some essentially some 482 00:26:36,560 --> 00:26:38,199 Speaker 1: science is gonna work its way in there. But then 483 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:41,159 Speaker 1: you also, uh, there's the potential for just sort of 484 00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:44,600 Speaker 1: superstition to become wrapped up in it as well. Yeah. 485 00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:48,280 Speaker 1: I imagine that there's probably like an entire culture of 486 00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:53,600 Speaker 1: superstitious mysticism that has maybe been lost to history. Actually right, 487 00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:56,239 Speaker 1: because most of the research that I was looking at 488 00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:58,919 Speaker 1: for this was putting it in present day tense of 489 00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:01,480 Speaker 1: here's how we under dan chemistry, here's how these things 490 00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:04,679 Speaker 1: were made. They weren't looking at it from the perspective 491 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:08,760 Speaker 1: of the sword smiths. So the final stage is when 492 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:13,159 Speaker 1: the metal workers add a decorated guard of iron or 493 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:15,560 Speaker 1: other metals at the sword's hilt. This is, you know, 494 00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:18,639 Speaker 1: the guard for if your sword basically comes in contact 495 00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:21,120 Speaker 1: with another one. It's kind of a what's his name, 496 00:27:21,359 --> 00:27:25,280 Speaker 1: Kylo Wren, he's got his, he's got his lightsaber guard, right, 497 00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:28,120 Speaker 1: So it's this this little circular iron thing that goes 498 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:31,160 Speaker 1: at the hilt end there, and the carpenters would fit 499 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:34,920 Speaker 1: the entire sword with a lacquered wooden scabbard and that 500 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:37,639 Speaker 1: was decorated with adornments, and then the handle would be 501 00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:42,439 Speaker 1: fashioned out of gold, exotic leather and stones. The swordsmith 502 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:44,840 Speaker 1: then would get the blade returned to him after the 503 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:47,399 Speaker 1: carpenters did this work, and he would review his work. 504 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:51,119 Speaker 1: And it actually took fifteen people nearly six months to 505 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:54,440 Speaker 1: create a single sword. Now I don't imagine they were 506 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:57,840 Speaker 1: working for six months straight. Obviously, like there were there's 507 00:27:57,880 --> 00:28:01,480 Speaker 1: sort of an assembly line fashions, right, but um, it 508 00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:03,520 Speaker 1: just goes to show you, like how much went into 509 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:07,280 Speaker 1: the construction of these devices. So it's a finely crafted item. 510 00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:09,600 Speaker 1: I mean in a way you'd be you'd be privileged 511 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:14,160 Speaker 1: to die, right, It makes me kind Yeah, I wouldn't 512 00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:17,800 Speaker 1: mind that. Uh. So they were worth hundreds of thousands 513 00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:21,440 Speaker 1: of dollars, especially nowadays, they're worth that much to modern 514 00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:25,600 Speaker 1: art collectors. Sometimes the smiths would put their names on 515 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:29,000 Speaker 1: this metal, but others actually had like kind of a 516 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:30,680 Speaker 1: policy where they were like, oh, I'm not gonna put 517 00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:33,879 Speaker 1: my name on there. Anybody who actually understands swords is 518 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:36,560 Speaker 1: going to recognize just by looking at it that this 519 00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:39,760 Speaker 1: is my work, that the quality here comes from my 520 00:28:39,880 --> 00:28:43,440 Speaker 1: particular style of smith ing. Now, all kinds of other 521 00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:45,560 Speaker 1: things were written on these swords. They would put poems 522 00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:49,520 Speaker 1: on them, sayings, the owner's names, anything you can think of. 523 00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:52,360 Speaker 1: And there's a couple of things that should be noted 524 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:54,920 Speaker 1: about the blades in terms of quality. First of all, 525 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:58,960 Speaker 1: the more strongly the whitish color of the hardened blade 526 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:02,120 Speaker 1: is the more strongly that contrasts with the blue tinge 527 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:04,520 Speaker 1: of the rest of the blade, the better the metal 528 00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:07,240 Speaker 1: and it's forging were considered, so you could kind of 529 00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:09,440 Speaker 1: look at it same way, sort of like a jeweler 530 00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:13,240 Speaker 1: looks at that stuff today, right. I I imagine they 531 00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:15,640 Speaker 1: had like something kind of like a loop maybe for 532 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:18,360 Speaker 1: for a magnifying glass that they would look at this 533 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:21,680 Speaker 1: metal with. There's also another thing that's a sign of 534 00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:24,480 Speaker 1: poor forging, and that was if there was a weak 535 00:29:24,680 --> 00:29:28,560 Speaker 1: glimmer that ran parallel to the hardened edge inside the 536 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:30,760 Speaker 1: darker metal. So this is the kind of thing that like, 537 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:33,600 Speaker 1: I mean, you and I would have no idea of, 538 00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:36,120 Speaker 1: but like if you're next time you're at your old 539 00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:39,880 Speaker 1: convention there and there's somebody selling these katanas asked to 540 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:43,920 Speaker 1: look and say, well, look that glimmer doesn't run right 541 00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:48,480 Speaker 1: the hardened edge. I'm not going to pay for this. Sorry, Deadpool, 542 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:53,640 Speaker 1: Yeah exactly. Yeah. What kind of katan is Deadpool? Wheel? Yeah? 543 00:29:53,720 --> 00:29:56,000 Speaker 1: I I wish I had to remember him earlier. That's 544 00:29:56,000 --> 00:30:00,400 Speaker 1: what I think. That's most of the katanas that decisi Well, actually, 545 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:03,400 Speaker 1: and you know, um, this is this is not funny, 546 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:06,400 Speaker 1: But there was a recent incident in Phoenix at a 547 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:09,280 Speaker 1: comic book convention in which a guy showed up with 548 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:12,640 Speaker 1: a bunch of guns, uh, in order to shoot police officers. 549 00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:16,600 Speaker 1: And luckily he was somebody saw him posting about this 550 00:30:16,640 --> 00:30:19,520 Speaker 1: on Facebook ahead of time, and so the security was 551 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:23,240 Speaker 1: able to arrest him. Since then, at least the conventions 552 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:25,880 Speaker 1: that I've attended, like I just set up and tabled 553 00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:29,880 Speaker 1: at one two weeks ago. Uh, there's police presence now 554 00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:32,480 Speaker 1: on the floor. And when you go through, the police 555 00:30:32,920 --> 00:30:35,800 Speaker 1: check all of the costplay weapons and they put like 556 00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:38,960 Speaker 1: a little they sometimes they call it peace bonding, but 557 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:41,920 Speaker 1: it's like a little tag basically that goes around your 558 00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:44,920 Speaker 1: sword or your your toy gun or whatever that indicates 559 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:48,280 Speaker 1: like this isn't real, You're not gonna hurt anybody. Yeah. 560 00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:50,680 Speaker 1: So Deadpools, all the Deadpools I saw, I had these 561 00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:56,720 Speaker 1: little tags. Yeah. So let everybody slastic sword. Yeah yeah. Now, 562 00:30:56,760 --> 00:30:58,640 Speaker 1: in terms of who made the swords where they were 563 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:02,040 Speaker 1: essentially referred to as words smith's. But the most famous 564 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:04,120 Speaker 1: of which of these was a guy named and I 565 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:07,360 Speaker 1: hope I'm getting this right, Massi Moune I believe is 566 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:09,440 Speaker 1: his name. Uh. And this is this is a name 567 00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:12,640 Speaker 1: that's like sort of legendary in samurai fiction now too, 568 00:31:12,760 --> 00:31:15,160 Speaker 1: like they were. They've I've actually heard like Massa moun 569 00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:17,880 Speaker 1: a sword used before in comics and stuff like that, 570 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:20,120 Speaker 1: is like this was forged by the greatest of sword 571 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:23,640 Speaker 1: smith's and so you know it's it's a vorpable blade. Basically, 572 00:31:23,720 --> 00:31:27,560 Speaker 1: it's you mentioned the Highlander sword in the Highlander lore. 573 00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:33,600 Speaker 1: It is supposed to have been forged Massimne in five BC. 574 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:36,600 Speaker 1: Oh perfect, Okay, I didn't know that. Yeah, there you go. 575 00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:38,840 Speaker 1: So he just made all these swords that all these 576 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:43,920 Speaker 1: you know, essentially superheroes now wield. BC. Is the Highlander 577 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:47,360 Speaker 1: date though, don't you don't let that get trapped in here. 578 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:50,040 Speaker 1: And that's the the actual well that's actually interesting because 579 00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:53,320 Speaker 1: it's not actually known when this guy lives. Um. So 580 00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:56,600 Speaker 1: he reached this sort of legendary status in swords smith 581 00:31:56,680 --> 00:31:59,160 Speaker 1: in lore, but nobody can actually pin down the date 582 00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:01,720 Speaker 1: that he lived in and he was constructing these supposed 583 00:32:01,800 --> 00:32:04,920 Speaker 1: swords um. And you know, basically the way that they 584 00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:07,720 Speaker 1: would make them. The swordsmiths, like I said, this wasn't 585 00:32:07,840 --> 00:32:12,160 Speaker 1: just like a blacksmithing job. This was cultural and so 586 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:14,760 Speaker 1: they would pray, they would fast, and they would even 587 00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:18,280 Speaker 1: purify themselves in cold water. First before they would start 588 00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:20,320 Speaker 1: the smithic. I wonder, actually I didn't see this in 589 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:22,560 Speaker 1: the notes, but I wonder if the purification and cold 590 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:26,120 Speaker 1: water had to do the sweat thing. Maybe like you 591 00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:29,360 Speaker 1: douse yourself in cold water, uh to sort of try 592 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:32,080 Speaker 1: to keep yourself from sweating for a certain amount of time. 593 00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:34,400 Speaker 1: I don't know. Yeah, And I wonder too about the 594 00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:38,720 Speaker 1: Shinto connections. Here. You're you're making this, You're forging this 595 00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:41,360 Speaker 1: blade out of the elements of the natural world, and 596 00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:45,440 Speaker 1: they're all these uh in every substance has its own 597 00:32:45,760 --> 00:32:49,280 Speaker 1: sort of spiritual energy exactly. You're manipulating those energies to 598 00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:53,520 Speaker 1: create this, this holy weapon. And I would imagine that this, uh, 599 00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:56,640 Speaker 1: this sword in particular would have a lot of spiritual energy. 600 00:32:56,960 --> 00:32:59,240 Speaker 1: But then, so you get these things, you make it, 601 00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:02,479 Speaker 1: it takes six months. How do you then test it? Right, 602 00:33:02,520 --> 00:33:05,680 Speaker 1: It's not like you just hand over this untested blade 603 00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:08,400 Speaker 1: to a samurai. Here you go bet your life on it. Yeah, 604 00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:11,560 Speaker 1: And there's real interesting stories, you know, sort of folk 605 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:14,440 Speaker 1: tales about massa munai and other swords and the sort 606 00:33:14,440 --> 00:33:16,800 Speaker 1: of battling over who had the best swords, and they 607 00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:19,360 Speaker 1: would do stuff like dip their sword into a river 608 00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:21,880 Speaker 1: and like a fish would swim through it and get 609 00:33:21,880 --> 00:33:24,640 Speaker 1: cut in half. And then massa Munai swords didn't cut 610 00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:26,760 Speaker 1: the fish in half because like it was a it 611 00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:29,480 Speaker 1: wasn't an evil sword. It had like peaceful intentions, and 612 00:33:29,480 --> 00:33:32,000 Speaker 1: so the fish would swim around it like stuff like that, right, 613 00:33:32,080 --> 00:33:34,520 Speaker 1: may maybe hold it up and you you speak across it, 614 00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:39,520 Speaker 1: and they only the words, yeah, Well, we were gonna 615 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:41,960 Speaker 1: get into ways to test a Samurai sword in the 616 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:45,080 Speaker 1: traditional way of testing samur so at Samurai sword right 617 00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:53,040 Speaker 1: after this break. Alright, we're back. So so yeah, how 618 00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:56,200 Speaker 1: do you how do you test drive a katana? Well, 619 00:33:56,360 --> 00:33:58,400 Speaker 1: so I would imagine that you know, you have to 620 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:01,280 Speaker 1: make sure that it cuts through flesh. You're not gonna 621 00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:04,760 Speaker 1: just like bang it against iron. Although some of the 622 00:34:04,800 --> 00:34:07,400 Speaker 1: things that I read were that they would essentially like 623 00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:10,000 Speaker 1: to show the quality of it, they would see how 624 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:12,920 Speaker 1: deep it would go into certain kinds of metals, usually brass. 625 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:15,759 Speaker 1: I think, yeah, I ran across a few of those 626 00:34:15,840 --> 00:34:18,400 Speaker 1: those tests as well, But those are kind of dangerous 627 00:34:18,480 --> 00:34:22,520 Speaker 1: because you run the risk of damaging the blade. And 628 00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:28,080 Speaker 1: ultimately it is an item designed uh and and homed 629 00:34:28,239 --> 00:34:32,040 Speaker 1: to cut through human tissue. So they what they like, 630 00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:36,600 Speaker 1: go chase squirrels around. It's a little grizzlier than that. Yeah. 631 00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:39,680 Speaker 1: So I looked at a few different sources on this. 632 00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:43,960 Speaker 1: The first one I I ran across was one by 633 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:47,080 Speaker 1: one Benjamin smith Lyman. This was from the Journal of 634 00:34:47,160 --> 00:34:51,000 Speaker 1: the Franklin Institute in eight titled Metallurgical and Other Features 635 00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:53,920 Speaker 1: of Japanese Swords. Given the date on this, given the 636 00:34:53,960 --> 00:34:56,840 Speaker 1: Western author, I was a little skeptical at first, but 637 00:34:57,000 --> 00:34:59,440 Speaker 1: this is what he said. The usual Japanese test of 638 00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:01,759 Speaker 1: a sword or on the human body on corpses of 639 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:05,040 Speaker 1: beheaded convicts, or in the beheading, or by ruffians on 640 00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:08,799 Speaker 1: beggars and peaceable wayfares, or even a dog. Yeah. I 641 00:35:08,840 --> 00:35:10,799 Speaker 1: read the same article and when I hit the dog 642 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:14,160 Speaker 1: part weirdly, I was like, yeah, ruffians fine, but the dog. 643 00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:17,680 Speaker 1: Come on. There's actually this kind of infamous Lone Wolf 644 00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:20,520 Speaker 1: and Cubs story about the abuse of a dog by 645 00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:23,799 Speaker 1: um people testing up bow bows. I think they're like 646 00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:26,000 Speaker 1: trying to make sure that their bows are gauged the 647 00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:29,160 Speaker 1: right way. So they tie a dog to like a maple, 648 00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:31,200 Speaker 1: and it runs around in a circle and they have 649 00:35:31,239 --> 00:35:34,000 Speaker 1: to try to shoot it, and it's it's awful, you know, 650 00:35:34,200 --> 00:35:37,160 Speaker 1: but it's you know, supposed to be historically accurate. Well, 651 00:35:37,239 --> 00:35:40,160 Speaker 1: you know, when I first started encountering this material about 652 00:35:40,160 --> 00:35:42,520 Speaker 1: the testing of the blade, you know, as as a 653 00:35:42,520 --> 00:35:46,319 Speaker 1: Westerner especially, you know, as one who comes across the 654 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:49,920 Speaker 1: Western accounts of the sort of thing pretty frequently, you know, 655 00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:53,000 Speaker 1: I was naturally a little bit skeptical because it sounds 656 00:35:53,080 --> 00:35:56,279 Speaker 1: like a bit of classic Go Orientalism, right, doesn't it, 657 00:35:56,520 --> 00:35:59,480 Speaker 1: and an exotic and barbaric practice of the people from 658 00:35:59,480 --> 00:36:02,960 Speaker 1: a distant And so I was I was inclined to think, well, 659 00:36:03,040 --> 00:36:06,040 Speaker 1: maybe that's that's not quite what's going on. But the 660 00:36:06,080 --> 00:36:09,960 Speaker 1: act did exist, and the act was known as tamishi geary, 661 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:12,799 Speaker 1: and that literally means to test the cutting ability of 662 00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:16,359 Speaker 1: a blade, and in modern martial art jargon, the term 663 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:18,800 Speaker 1: often refers to a training method in which the users 664 00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:22,560 Speaker 1: slashes conventional mediums, you know, like a dumby or a 665 00:36:22,560 --> 00:36:25,520 Speaker 1: piece of ballistic ji. Yeah, or I guess one of 666 00:36:25,520 --> 00:36:28,719 Speaker 1: those it's like MythBusters. Yeah, I guess you could also 667 00:36:28,719 --> 00:36:30,600 Speaker 1: slash one of those, like karate dudes. You know, they 668 00:36:30,600 --> 00:36:33,520 Speaker 1: always have that same face, the big reperkarate dudes. I 669 00:36:33,560 --> 00:36:36,279 Speaker 1: never practiced karate. What are you talking about? These are like, Oh, 670 00:36:36,440 --> 00:36:38,360 Speaker 1: you go to a dojo and they all have the 671 00:36:38,400 --> 00:36:42,000 Speaker 1: same weird face and they're made out of pink plastic 672 00:36:42,120 --> 00:36:45,960 Speaker 1: or something none never, so you do, but you're trying 673 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:48,120 Speaker 1: the sword out on this plastic. Well, I don't know 674 00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:50,000 Speaker 1: if you probably wouldn't want to actually slash one of 675 00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:53,160 Speaker 1: those dojo guys because they look expensive. They're mainly for punch. Yeah, 676 00:36:53,200 --> 00:36:56,080 Speaker 1: they probably cost worth than a dog. But you would 677 00:36:56,120 --> 00:36:58,239 Speaker 1: use this nowadays you would use a stand in for 678 00:36:58,239 --> 00:37:01,000 Speaker 1: a human body, But at that at the time, yeah, 679 00:37:01,040 --> 00:37:04,520 Speaker 1: you would use an actual cadaver. And uh, I think 680 00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:07,960 Speaker 1: it's it's worth taking a step back and saying this 681 00:37:08,040 --> 00:37:11,840 Speaker 1: is quite practical, right, because you're crafting a precision weapon 682 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:15,160 Speaker 1: with an express purpose in mind the slashing and dismemberment 683 00:37:15,200 --> 00:37:18,400 Speaker 1: of human bodies. So why wouldn't you test these on 684 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:21,560 Speaker 1: the thing itself? Because you're a guy is going to 685 00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:24,680 Speaker 1: go into battle with this thing, and uh, and his 686 00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:26,359 Speaker 1: life is going to be on the line and he 687 00:37:26,640 --> 00:37:30,120 Speaker 1: needs to effectively in the lives or at least injure 688 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:33,439 Speaker 1: other individuals in order to carry out his job. Yeah, 689 00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:37,520 Speaker 1: this I think to probably shows you how that culture 690 00:37:37,719 --> 00:37:41,520 Speaker 1: was hierarchical and elitist in a way, and that like 691 00:37:41,840 --> 00:37:44,239 Speaker 1: the people who wielded these weapons literally thought that they 692 00:37:44,280 --> 00:37:46,759 Speaker 1: were better than other people, and so their lives were 693 00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:50,799 Speaker 1: subsequently worth more. But just the the the idea of 694 00:37:50,920 --> 00:37:53,680 Speaker 1: using a cadaver as a test, I mean, we can 695 00:37:53,719 --> 00:37:56,000 Speaker 1: look to examples in our own culture where things of 696 00:37:56,080 --> 00:37:59,080 Speaker 1: this nature carried out. Forensic scientists today will study the 697 00:37:59,080 --> 00:38:02,359 Speaker 1: effects of the decompos issue on actual corpses. The US 698 00:38:02,400 --> 00:38:05,320 Speaker 1: automotive industry has even depended on the use of cadavers 699 00:38:05,360 --> 00:38:08,400 Speaker 1: to make our cars safer, and the U S Military 700 00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:10,960 Speaker 1: has used cadavers to test everything from land mines and 701 00:38:11,040 --> 00:38:15,719 Speaker 1: sniper rifles to body armor. So it's it's not just this, 702 00:38:16,040 --> 00:38:21,719 Speaker 1: you know, archaic curio from the past. Killing people is 703 00:38:21,719 --> 00:38:26,040 Speaker 1: a serious business, and and in order to to effectively 704 00:38:26,080 --> 00:38:29,520 Speaker 1: carry out that business, uh, we've often turned to the 705 00:38:29,600 --> 00:38:33,680 Speaker 1: use of cadavers. Yeah. Luckily, we've I guess graduated morally 706 00:38:33,719 --> 00:38:35,719 Speaker 1: to the point where we're not putting like death Row 707 00:38:35,840 --> 00:38:40,839 Speaker 1: inmates in cars and then driving them into walls. Right, yeah, 708 00:38:41,040 --> 00:38:44,040 Speaker 1: so so far so right. We haven't hit the running 709 00:38:44,040 --> 00:38:47,840 Speaker 1: Man yet and his kazu hero Sakai points out in 710 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:51,920 Speaker 1: his two thousand tin paper in which he u He 711 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:55,400 Speaker 1: looks at skeletal remains that show signs of Tammi shigiri 712 00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:59,600 Speaker 1: uh He says that the uh Tokugawa Shogunate had several 713 00:38:59,640 --> 00:39:03,000 Speaker 1: execut Usian methods. So there was decapitation with the sword, 714 00:39:03,120 --> 00:39:06,080 Speaker 1: there was crucifixion that was burning, and there was also 715 00:39:06,239 --> 00:39:11,080 Speaker 1: sawing or a cubo, and then there was also tamishi 716 00:39:11,080 --> 00:39:14,560 Speaker 1: gary which was also like written into the uh into 717 00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:16,319 Speaker 1: the laws of the day, and this was carried out 718 00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:20,399 Speaker 1: as part of chase execution. This was reserved for male 719 00:39:20,480 --> 00:39:23,440 Speaker 1: felons who are not protected by either samurai or a 720 00:39:23,520 --> 00:39:27,240 Speaker 1: clergical status, and the prep practice survived till the beginning 721 00:39:27,440 --> 00:39:32,799 Speaker 1: of the Meiji period. In that's intense. Yeah, So the 722 00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:35,919 Speaker 1: way this would take places, you had the already decapitated 723 00:39:35,960 --> 00:39:39,839 Speaker 1: corpse and it was placed on elevated soil with its 724 00:39:39,920 --> 00:39:45,400 Speaker 1: limbs held extended for testing by another individual. Then the 725 00:39:45,480 --> 00:39:48,760 Speaker 1: performer of the tamishi geary would cut at fixed points 726 00:39:48,760 --> 00:39:51,719 Speaker 1: on the body, and sometimes you'd have two or more 727 00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:55,000 Speaker 1: bodies piled on elevated soil so as to mark how 728 00:39:55,040 --> 00:39:58,879 Speaker 1: many bodies could be cut through with a single blow 729 00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:01,800 Speaker 1: of the sword. Now, depending on the blade, the number 730 00:40:01,880 --> 00:40:06,799 Speaker 1: might range between two and even six bodies. Holy cow, 731 00:40:07,120 --> 00:40:10,319 Speaker 1: I can't even imagine a scenario. I just watched that 732 00:40:10,480 --> 00:40:13,960 Speaker 1: dumb new Transformers movie an optimist Prime beheads like five 733 00:40:14,120 --> 00:40:16,960 Speaker 1: robots at the same time. But other than that, I 734 00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:21,040 Speaker 1: can't imagine a scenario where you're gonna be cutting six 735 00:40:21,080 --> 00:40:23,759 Speaker 1: people simultaneously. So I guess it's not as much about 736 00:40:23,760 --> 00:40:26,400 Speaker 1: the the practical battlefield application of this, so you wouldn't 737 00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:30,799 Speaker 1: necessarily be cutting through to samurai enemy samurai at once. 738 00:40:30,960 --> 00:40:34,520 Speaker 1: But it's a testament to the blade's ability. It's like 739 00:40:34,560 --> 00:40:37,680 Speaker 1: bragging rights basically, because you could say, like this, you 740 00:40:37,719 --> 00:40:40,399 Speaker 1: can put a little six on the blade that can 741 00:40:40,440 --> 00:40:44,000 Speaker 1: cut through six. That's exactly what happened. So the blade 742 00:40:44,080 --> 00:40:48,160 Speaker 1: sharpness rating was recorded in the sodomy, which is which 743 00:40:48,200 --> 00:40:51,040 Speaker 1: was inscribed on the tang of the blade. The tang 744 00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:54,160 Speaker 1: is the portion of the blade itself that's fixed in 745 00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:56,920 Speaker 1: the hilt, so that's where most of the writing would be, 746 00:40:56,960 --> 00:40:59,279 Speaker 1: so you wouldn't actually see it if the hilt was attached. Yeah, 747 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:01,560 Speaker 1: this is this made me think about underwear a lot, 748 00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:03,520 Speaker 1: because this is very much like the tag of the 749 00:41:03,600 --> 00:41:07,040 Speaker 1: underwear that is tucked away. Uh. So that you know, 750 00:41:07,120 --> 00:41:08,840 Speaker 1: I guess if you're just walking around in your underwear, 751 00:41:08,920 --> 00:41:12,080 Speaker 1: nobody can see the tag, but it's there and uh 752 00:41:12,120 --> 00:41:14,720 Speaker 1: and it's also kind of like the inspected by tag 753 00:41:14,800 --> 00:41:18,000 Speaker 1: that you encounter with garments, right Meundy is in Mack 754 00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:21,319 Speaker 1: Weldon should incorporate that into their underwear. So you've got 755 00:41:21,360 --> 00:41:24,959 Speaker 1: like how many bodies this underwear can cut through? Tag? Yeah? 756 00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:28,160 Speaker 1: So this would be chiseled or engraved in gold, and 757 00:41:28,480 --> 00:41:31,200 Speaker 1: it featured the name of the tester, the cutting positions 758 00:41:31,239 --> 00:41:33,640 Speaker 1: of the bodies, and the number of bodies that it 759 00:41:33,680 --> 00:41:36,680 Speaker 1: could that could be cut simultaneously. Um. Yeah, So it's 760 00:41:36,760 --> 00:41:38,719 Speaker 1: very much like a bloody version of the inspected by 761 00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:41,440 Speaker 1: tag and a pair of underwear. It's very d and 762 00:41:41,520 --> 00:41:46,400 Speaker 1: d that like system categorization of the weapons. So, and 763 00:41:46,480 --> 00:41:48,560 Speaker 1: the the other thing about this is there there is 764 00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:52,000 Speaker 1: evidence to support all of this. The aforementioned Sakai paper 765 00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:56,280 Speaker 1: examines Edo era skeletal remains and he identified the unique 766 00:41:56,280 --> 00:42:01,160 Speaker 1: wounds associated with the Tamishi geary practice, and interestingly enough, 767 00:42:01,200 --> 00:42:04,319 Speaker 1: he also explains a couple of vertebra cuts. Uh, they 768 00:42:04,320 --> 00:42:09,120 Speaker 1: are there that possibly occurred during the extraction of the kidney. Uh. 769 00:42:09,239 --> 00:42:13,719 Speaker 1: He says that the Amata family quote who monopolized Tamishi 770 00:42:13,760 --> 00:42:16,480 Speaker 1: geary business during the eighteenth century, also made a medicine 771 00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:19,960 Speaker 1: called jim Ton from corpse kidneys. So, okay, so you 772 00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:23,200 Speaker 1: get your corpse, well presumably it gets its head cut 773 00:42:23,239 --> 00:42:26,319 Speaker 1: off in an execution, then you remove its kidney, and 774 00:42:26,360 --> 00:42:29,520 Speaker 1: then you put it out for this this cutting practice, right, 775 00:42:30,200 --> 00:42:32,920 Speaker 1: and then afterwards I'm assuming they're not buried. They must 776 00:42:33,000 --> 00:42:35,840 Speaker 1: just like throw them to the wolves or something like. 777 00:42:35,880 --> 00:42:38,680 Speaker 1: They they've treated this corpse so poorly at this point, 778 00:42:39,080 --> 00:42:41,799 Speaker 1: I doubt they're gonna like put a headstone over it. Yeah. 779 00:42:41,800 --> 00:42:45,759 Speaker 1: It's definitely a testament to um to the the the 780 00:42:45,960 --> 00:42:50,640 Speaker 1: societal barriers that were in place at the time, because again, 781 00:42:50,680 --> 00:42:53,040 Speaker 1: this was not not everybody was going to end up 782 00:42:53,040 --> 00:42:57,200 Speaker 1: being used to test samurai swords. Only particular uh, male 783 00:42:57,400 --> 00:43:02,480 Speaker 1: of felons, of of the correct class. Right, I'm thinking 784 00:43:02,480 --> 00:43:05,279 Speaker 1: about like if I had to be executed, if I 785 00:43:05,320 --> 00:43:07,560 Speaker 1: would want to be executed this way, and like I said, 786 00:43:07,760 --> 00:43:09,920 Speaker 1: well you would, don't. It's not so much the execution 787 00:43:09,960 --> 00:43:12,040 Speaker 1: this was this is just just what's done to your body. 788 00:43:12,719 --> 00:43:16,000 Speaker 1: So It's really not that different from say, you know, 789 00:43:15,600 --> 00:43:18,359 Speaker 1: you die, you die by natural causes than your body 790 00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:21,319 Speaker 1: is used to test landlines for the U. S. Military. Right, Yeah, 791 00:43:21,440 --> 00:43:23,160 Speaker 1: And in a way you can think, hey, you've got 792 00:43:23,160 --> 00:43:26,080 Speaker 1: to be a part of the of the creation of 793 00:43:26,080 --> 00:43:28,719 Speaker 1: this fine blade, the rating of this blade exactly. Yeah, 794 00:43:28,760 --> 00:43:30,759 Speaker 1: maybe it's maybe it's not a bad way. Couldn't have 795 00:43:30,800 --> 00:43:35,120 Speaker 1: been made without me and my meat. So everyone out 796 00:43:35,160 --> 00:43:37,160 Speaker 1: there might be wondering, well, is this is this legit? 797 00:43:37,280 --> 00:43:40,840 Speaker 1: Could blades really cut through this much human meat? Well, 798 00:43:40,880 --> 00:43:43,280 Speaker 1: I mean, on one hand, we we have the sudden 799 00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:46,719 Speaker 1: may information on the blades themselves to to go by. 800 00:43:46,800 --> 00:43:49,040 Speaker 1: We have skeletal remains to to look to to know 801 00:43:49,120 --> 00:43:52,240 Speaker 1: this was actually a thing. Uh. The individuals who performed 802 00:43:52,239 --> 00:43:55,080 Speaker 1: these tests were masters licensed by the government, so it 803 00:43:55,080 --> 00:43:59,640 Speaker 1: couldn't be performed by just anyone and a career. Yeah. Yeah, 804 00:43:59,719 --> 00:44:02,120 Speaker 1: and uh and it was this was also very much 805 00:44:02,160 --> 00:44:05,560 Speaker 1: a value added thing. I was reading the Connoisseurs Book 806 00:44:05,560 --> 00:44:09,880 Speaker 1: of Japanese Swords by Cocaan Nakayama, and uh, and he 807 00:44:10,239 --> 00:44:13,560 Speaker 1: said the following, there is no doubt that that tamish 808 00:44:13,520 --> 00:44:16,400 Speaker 1: she may attracted customers and could raise the price of 809 00:44:16,400 --> 00:44:18,480 Speaker 1: a sword in much the same way that a title 810 00:44:18,520 --> 00:44:21,560 Speaker 1: could even during a time of lasting peace and low 811 00:44:21,640 --> 00:44:25,640 Speaker 1: demands for swords, right because you're getting into the artistic 812 00:44:25,719 --> 00:44:29,200 Speaker 1: value of yeah yeah, but it's uh, it's not really 813 00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:30,800 Speaker 1: the sort of thing we can really test for in 814 00:44:30,920 --> 00:44:35,040 Speaker 1: modern times with an old blade. Right now, various professional 815 00:44:35,200 --> 00:44:37,760 Speaker 1: and when we shall we say less than professional swordsmen 816 00:44:38,000 --> 00:44:42,120 Speaker 1: have taken katanas to to pig carcasses and other carcasses 817 00:44:42,320 --> 00:44:45,759 Speaker 1: off and on YouTube, and the results are pretty convincing. 818 00:44:46,920 --> 00:44:49,200 Speaker 1: You must know about this that one of Joe and 819 00:44:49,280 --> 00:44:51,719 Speaker 1: my favorite things on the internet, I believe that's The 820 00:44:51,719 --> 00:44:56,279 Speaker 1: company is called Blue Steel, and they produce replicas of 821 00:44:56,600 --> 00:45:01,160 Speaker 1: various historical weapons, and their YouTube video yos are literally 822 00:45:01,239 --> 00:45:06,760 Speaker 1: these it's these office looking guys with these weapons hacking 823 00:45:06,800 --> 00:45:09,959 Speaker 1: away at like giant pieces of beef hanging from a book, 824 00:45:10,040 --> 00:45:12,120 Speaker 1: or like a like a full pig. They'll hang like 825 00:45:12,160 --> 00:45:14,840 Speaker 1: a full pig corps and they'll come at it with 826 00:45:14,920 --> 00:45:17,279 Speaker 1: like a battle axe or something like that. And it 827 00:45:17,440 --> 00:45:20,960 Speaker 1: is the craziest thing like to to watch because they 828 00:45:21,000 --> 00:45:24,160 Speaker 1: play like this generic metal music over and and just 829 00:45:24,239 --> 00:45:27,279 Speaker 1: showing these guys like just going to town on these 830 00:45:27,320 --> 00:45:30,400 Speaker 1: animal corpses, but basically to be like, look at how 831 00:45:30,480 --> 00:45:34,319 Speaker 1: cool our axes are. Yeah, I think I may have 832 00:45:34,360 --> 00:45:36,719 Speaker 1: seen I've seen videos of this nature. I don't know 833 00:45:36,719 --> 00:45:39,160 Speaker 1: if it was Blue Steel because one of the groups 834 00:45:39,160 --> 00:45:42,360 Speaker 1: that conducts these kind of tests is Association for Renaissance 835 00:45:42,400 --> 00:45:45,799 Speaker 1: Martial Arts or ARMOR, and I saw I was looking 836 00:45:45,800 --> 00:45:49,160 Speaker 1: at a straight dope article, uh, from the last few 837 00:45:49,239 --> 00:45:52,600 Speaker 1: years where they spoke to Armor director John Clements, and 838 00:45:52,640 --> 00:45:54,520 Speaker 1: he states that there have been there have been plenty 839 00:45:54,719 --> 00:45:58,440 Speaker 1: of such experiments, you know, animal carcasses to prove that, 840 00:45:58,840 --> 00:46:01,719 Speaker 1: to prove that, yeah, these these weapons were effective at 841 00:46:01,760 --> 00:46:05,600 Speaker 1: body hacking, and that even fairly blunt blades can get 842 00:46:05,600 --> 00:46:08,280 Speaker 1: the job done as long as the weapon has quote 843 00:46:08,440 --> 00:46:11,600 Speaker 1: a hard and well honed edge, hitting forcefully with the 844 00:46:11,640 --> 00:46:16,600 Speaker 1: correct geometry and energy. Yeah. So this actually gets into 845 00:46:16,640 --> 00:46:19,800 Speaker 1: like a good point that I'll bring up shortly about 846 00:46:19,880 --> 00:46:24,080 Speaker 1: like the composition of the sword geometrically in terms of 847 00:46:24,120 --> 00:46:26,279 Speaker 1: how much cutting power it has. Yeah, and then it 848 00:46:26,600 --> 00:46:28,600 Speaker 1: also gets into the fact that you had to know 849 00:46:28,640 --> 00:46:32,480 Speaker 1: how to use it because even a finely tuned item 850 00:46:32,560 --> 00:46:35,239 Speaker 1: like this, it's not it's not a sentient dungeons and 851 00:46:35,320 --> 00:46:37,600 Speaker 1: dragon sword. It's not going to go out there and 852 00:46:37,640 --> 00:46:40,000 Speaker 1: hack for you, you have to be able to wield it. 853 00:46:40,239 --> 00:46:42,680 Speaker 1: But but one thing that to keep in mind, and 854 00:46:42,680 --> 00:46:46,640 Speaker 1: this is something that John Clements pointed out, is that, yes, 855 00:46:46,920 --> 00:46:50,560 Speaker 1: the average samurai was skilled with their blade, but only 856 00:46:50,920 --> 00:46:56,000 Speaker 1: five per cent of samurais were probably masters, which sounds appropriate, 857 00:46:56,080 --> 00:46:58,759 Speaker 1: like you wouldn't. I mean, mastery means you have a 858 00:46:58,760 --> 00:47:01,960 Speaker 1: degree of skill with an item or practice that is 859 00:47:02,520 --> 00:47:05,719 Speaker 1: beyond that of most practitioners. Yeah, I mean I would 860 00:47:05,719 --> 00:47:08,120 Speaker 1: think about it the same way, probably, jeez. And I 861 00:47:08,120 --> 00:47:10,400 Speaker 1: don't want to insult anybody who's in the military, but 862 00:47:10,480 --> 00:47:15,200 Speaker 1: I imagine that, like there are certain uh people who 863 00:47:15,320 --> 00:47:18,560 Speaker 1: are really good shots, right, like who are like the 864 00:47:18,680 --> 00:47:22,640 Speaker 1: five percent top tier of being able to hit something, 865 00:47:23,560 --> 00:47:28,880 Speaker 1: maybe usually snipers, right. Uh, So it's probably similar, I 866 00:47:28,880 --> 00:47:31,279 Speaker 1: would guess, so. Yeah. And and then of course in 867 00:47:31,280 --> 00:47:33,520 Speaker 1: the modern military terms, of course, is important to realize 868 00:47:33,520 --> 00:47:35,959 Speaker 1: that you're going to have specialists and then you also 869 00:47:36,239 --> 00:47:38,719 Speaker 1: you also need a lot of generalists and specialist in 870 00:47:38,800 --> 00:47:44,680 Speaker 1: other areas to carry out the overall goals of the combat. Yeah, exactly. Now, 871 00:47:45,160 --> 00:47:48,799 Speaker 1: Clements makes some other solid points about the katana here 872 00:47:48,800 --> 00:47:51,280 Speaker 1: that I want to share. He says that a curve 873 00:47:51,360 --> 00:47:54,440 Speaker 1: blade is mechanically superior to a straight one at delivering 874 00:47:54,920 --> 00:47:57,920 Speaker 1: edge blows to produce injury, and due to its hardness 875 00:47:57,960 --> 00:48:01,520 Speaker 1: a single curving edge, the katana is very good at 876 00:48:01,520 --> 00:48:05,520 Speaker 1: penetrating even hard materials with straight on strikes. So that's 877 00:48:05,520 --> 00:48:08,200 Speaker 1: one of the things that's interesting is the curvature is 878 00:48:08,239 --> 00:48:12,120 Speaker 1: actually an effect of the engineering, but it's also really 879 00:48:12,200 --> 00:48:15,240 Speaker 1: useful in terms of the application of the weapon. Yeah. 880 00:48:15,360 --> 00:48:17,560 Speaker 1: And he also points out that you could thrust. You 881 00:48:18,000 --> 00:48:20,759 Speaker 1: can thrust with the katana, but it is really a 882 00:48:20,800 --> 00:48:23,560 Speaker 1: dedicated slicer, so you had to put it in Dungeons 883 00:48:23,560 --> 00:48:26,200 Speaker 1: and Dragons terms. You can go for that piercing damage, 884 00:48:26,280 --> 00:48:30,239 Speaker 1: but you really want that slashing damage. And uh. And 885 00:48:30,280 --> 00:48:33,000 Speaker 1: he also had a note to hear about the durability 886 00:48:33,080 --> 00:48:36,520 Speaker 1: of the katana versus the Western long sword. Yeah. I 887 00:48:36,560 --> 00:48:39,319 Speaker 1: read a long article that I didn't include in our 888 00:48:39,400 --> 00:48:42,000 Speaker 1: notes that was comparing the two and which one was better. 889 00:48:42,200 --> 00:48:44,680 Speaker 1: That was that was from Arma, that was by climates. 890 00:48:44,719 --> 00:48:46,800 Speaker 1: He did one comparing the long sword to the katana 891 00:48:46,840 --> 00:48:50,839 Speaker 1: and another comparing the katana to the rapier, and he 892 00:48:50,920 --> 00:48:53,600 Speaker 1: said he makes a solid point. He says, no sword 893 00:48:53,640 --> 00:48:57,680 Speaker 1: is indestructible. They're all produced as perishable tools with a 894 00:48:57,719 --> 00:49:02,000 Speaker 1: certain expected working lifetime. And there's also evidence of both 895 00:49:02,040 --> 00:49:04,799 Speaker 1: the sword styles via a katana or long sword were 896 00:49:04,880 --> 00:49:08,440 Speaker 1: made inversions intended for armored combat and versions intended for 897 00:49:08,600 --> 00:49:11,560 Speaker 1: unarmored combat. Yeah. Yeah, I think that you can see 898 00:49:11,600 --> 00:49:15,040 Speaker 1: that with the katana construction obviously, because there were certain 899 00:49:15,200 --> 00:49:18,560 Speaker 1: unarmored reasons why they would fight with them. Yeah, And 900 00:49:18,560 --> 00:49:21,640 Speaker 1: this is in this last point is probably it might 901 00:49:21,680 --> 00:49:24,840 Speaker 1: be an overstatement of the obvious, but the Samurai sword 902 00:49:25,000 --> 00:49:28,920 Speaker 1: was not the the only method of combat for the Samurai. 903 00:49:28,920 --> 00:49:31,239 Speaker 1: They depended on range weapons such as long bows and 904 00:49:31,239 --> 00:49:34,400 Speaker 1: and and later the Japanese matchlock gun. Uh, you know, 905 00:49:34,520 --> 00:49:37,520 Speaker 1: they had poll weapons, so it was all part of 906 00:49:37,560 --> 00:49:41,440 Speaker 1: a well, it was a singularly important weapon and certainly 907 00:49:41,480 --> 00:49:45,560 Speaker 1: had extreme cultural importance. It was not the only tool 908 00:49:45,640 --> 00:49:48,880 Speaker 1: of battle, right. Yeah. My understanding actually from the research 909 00:49:48,960 --> 00:49:52,040 Speaker 1: I didn't include this in the notes, was that historically 910 00:49:52,440 --> 00:49:56,920 Speaker 1: Samurai actually started off as archers, as as horse mounted archers, 911 00:49:57,000 --> 00:49:59,200 Speaker 1: and they would specialize in that, and then I think 912 00:49:59,280 --> 00:50:01,760 Speaker 1: when the engine hearing of the katana came into play, 913 00:50:01,920 --> 00:50:06,160 Speaker 1: that's when they sort of graduated into that proficiency, and 914 00:50:06,160 --> 00:50:09,680 Speaker 1: then like you say, when a gunpowder and the engineering 915 00:50:09,800 --> 00:50:12,879 Speaker 1: of matchlock. Probably not pistols. I don't know what those 916 00:50:12,960 --> 00:50:14,800 Speaker 1: how big those guns were, but it was it was 917 00:50:14,840 --> 00:50:18,479 Speaker 1: like a match It was like a long rifle. Yeah, 918 00:50:18,480 --> 00:50:22,120 Speaker 1: then they started using those. So before we cut out here, 919 00:50:22,400 --> 00:50:24,760 Speaker 1: I have to include this one study that I found. 920 00:50:24,840 --> 00:50:27,680 Speaker 1: It was a lot of fun. It is a nineteen 921 00:50:27,840 --> 00:50:31,319 Speaker 1: forty six study that was commissioned by the U. S. Army. 922 00:50:31,520 --> 00:50:33,560 Speaker 1: I don't know where they got this sword from, but 923 00:50:33,760 --> 00:50:39,640 Speaker 1: essentially this general sent this group of scientists a katana 924 00:50:39,680 --> 00:50:42,920 Speaker 1: that they had and they wanted it to have a 925 00:50:42,960 --> 00:50:47,279 Speaker 1: metallurgical examination. I think the results are pretty fascinating in 926 00:50:47,360 --> 00:50:49,520 Speaker 1: lieu of what we've talked about today in terms of 927 00:50:49,520 --> 00:50:53,759 Speaker 1: how they're put together. Essentially, they wanted to understand its 928 00:50:53,800 --> 00:50:57,960 Speaker 1: metallurgical properties and how the variations in the sword fabrication 929 00:50:58,040 --> 00:51:02,279 Speaker 1: from different eras produced different style blades. Now, this particular 930 00:51:02,320 --> 00:51:06,200 Speaker 1: blade that they looked at, I'm immediately because of the date, 931 00:51:06,400 --> 00:51:10,400 Speaker 1: thinking that this must have come from somebody in World 932 00:51:10,400 --> 00:51:14,040 Speaker 1: War two, right, like either somebody who's stationed in Southeast 933 00:51:14,040 --> 00:51:17,719 Speaker 1: Asia or like, um, I'm reading it right now, and 934 00:51:17,760 --> 00:51:21,480 Speaker 1: there's like the one of the character's father like brings 935 00:51:21,520 --> 00:51:24,640 Speaker 1: back a katana with him from like a Japanese soldier 936 00:51:24,640 --> 00:51:27,239 Speaker 1: he killed in combat or something like that. Like I'm 937 00:51:27,239 --> 00:51:29,840 Speaker 1: thinking it's some scenario like that, but I'm sure it 938 00:51:29,840 --> 00:51:33,080 Speaker 1: could have totally been a peaceful method of acquiring this 939 00:51:33,160 --> 00:51:36,640 Speaker 1: sword too, you know. Yeah, I um, and I actually 940 00:51:36,680 --> 00:51:40,080 Speaker 1: grew up with a Samurai sword in the house because 941 00:51:40,080 --> 00:51:43,360 Speaker 1: it was it was a family member on my dad's 942 00:51:43,440 --> 00:51:47,359 Speaker 1: side had had acquired the item after the war, and 943 00:51:47,440 --> 00:51:51,280 Speaker 1: I think I think he bought it um in Japan, 944 00:51:51,520 --> 00:51:54,120 Speaker 1: if I'm remembering the story correctly, but I would. I 945 00:51:54,160 --> 00:51:56,920 Speaker 1: would often like take it was an interesting weapon to 946 00:51:57,120 --> 00:51:59,520 Speaker 1: take out and hold as a child because you could, 947 00:52:00,040 --> 00:52:01,879 Speaker 1: I was, I didn't wave it around, like I knew 948 00:52:01,920 --> 00:52:04,319 Speaker 1: that this was a very dangerous item because you could. 949 00:52:04,360 --> 00:52:06,839 Speaker 1: I don't know how sharp it actually was in comparison 950 00:52:06,880 --> 00:52:10,759 Speaker 1: to like a well maintained weapon, but you could. You 951 00:52:10,760 --> 00:52:13,240 Speaker 1: could look at it and you could imagine the damage 952 00:52:13,280 --> 00:52:15,960 Speaker 1: that could be done with it, and even imagine the 953 00:52:16,040 --> 00:52:19,600 Speaker 1: damage that might have been done with it in the past. Right, Yeah, 954 00:52:20,160 --> 00:52:23,840 Speaker 1: So this sword that they looked at in particular my theory, 955 00:52:24,200 --> 00:52:26,680 Speaker 1: and I'll see, let's see what you think afterwards is 956 00:52:26,719 --> 00:52:30,520 Speaker 1: that this was probably produced to sell to people it 957 00:52:30,840 --> 00:52:34,600 Speaker 1: or whether they were tourists or Japanese soldiers who just 958 00:52:34,680 --> 00:52:38,360 Speaker 1: wanted like a representation to bring with them into battle. 959 00:52:39,000 --> 00:52:40,879 Speaker 1: This doesn't sound like it was something that was meant 960 00:52:40,920 --> 00:52:43,520 Speaker 1: to be used in combat. They found that this sword 961 00:52:43,680 --> 00:52:47,680 Speaker 1: was made from extremely poor quality steel, and so this 962 00:52:47,719 --> 00:52:51,360 Speaker 1: gives you a hint. It had one point oh five 963 00:52:51,440 --> 00:52:54,440 Speaker 1: percent carbon, so earlier we said it was between point 964 00:52:54,480 --> 00:52:56,680 Speaker 1: five and one point five percent carbon was kind of 965 00:52:56,719 --> 00:52:59,239 Speaker 1: your your limited range. So it sounds like this is 966 00:52:59,360 --> 00:53:02,200 Speaker 1: right in the middle and it's considered poor. So they 967 00:53:02,280 --> 00:53:06,480 Speaker 1: examined it both microscopically and macroscopically, and in addition, they 968 00:53:06,480 --> 00:53:10,160 Speaker 1: performed tension tests on the core. It found that the 969 00:53:10,200 --> 00:53:12,400 Speaker 1: core of this sword had a tensile strength of a 970 00:53:12,480 --> 00:53:16,120 Speaker 1: hundred and ninety thousand p s. I Now, the sword 971 00:53:16,239 --> 00:53:19,839 Speaker 1: they examined it had a cutting angle of twenty two 972 00:53:19,840 --> 00:53:23,720 Speaker 1: to forty degrees, which I'm imagining is far more curved 973 00:53:23,760 --> 00:53:26,680 Speaker 1: than what we usually think of as a katana. And 974 00:53:27,040 --> 00:53:29,720 Speaker 1: they actually say that this gave it less cutting power 975 00:53:29,800 --> 00:53:33,760 Speaker 1: than the reference literature that was available in nineteen Because 976 00:53:34,040 --> 00:53:39,840 Speaker 1: traditional katanas were supposed to have a fourteen degree angle 977 00:53:40,000 --> 00:53:43,280 Speaker 1: for the cutting edge. They also found that the steel 978 00:53:43,400 --> 00:53:47,239 Speaker 1: that was in this it had high sulfur and phosphorus content, 979 00:53:47,640 --> 00:53:50,600 Speaker 1: which was indicative of a poor melting practice. So we 980 00:53:50,640 --> 00:53:52,239 Speaker 1: go back to what we talked about earlier. This is 981 00:53:52,280 --> 00:53:54,719 Speaker 1: the slag. They didn't work the slag out of this 982 00:53:54,840 --> 00:53:58,040 Speaker 1: metal and it was still in there. The hardness values 983 00:53:58,080 --> 00:54:00,600 Speaker 1: of it. It actually indicated to them that the sword 984 00:54:00,719 --> 00:54:04,759 Speaker 1: was air cooled instead of water cooled or quenched. Uh 985 00:54:04,800 --> 00:54:07,520 Speaker 1: and this also contributed to its poor quality. So all 986 00:54:07,560 --> 00:54:10,439 Speaker 1: these things, I mean, you can make a katana right 987 00:54:10,600 --> 00:54:14,400 Speaker 1: like through mass production, but they're not necessarily going to 988 00:54:14,440 --> 00:54:18,600 Speaker 1: be these these artistic artifacts that we've been discussing today. 989 00:54:18,680 --> 00:54:23,560 Speaker 1: Now today, if you purchase the steel that that jewel Tomahagan, 990 00:54:23,600 --> 00:54:26,960 Speaker 1: a steel I referred to earlier, it can cost fifty 991 00:54:27,080 --> 00:54:30,960 Speaker 1: times more than ordinary steel, even when we're talking about 992 00:54:31,000 --> 00:54:34,919 Speaker 1: like modern smith and cons Now I'm gonna throw this down. 993 00:54:34,920 --> 00:54:37,160 Speaker 1: This is a little bit of like Marxist theory here. 994 00:54:37,160 --> 00:54:41,040 Speaker 1: But the Samurai sword is this great example of Marx's 995 00:54:41,160 --> 00:54:45,160 Speaker 1: uh capitalist mode of production. That theory that is put 996 00:54:45,200 --> 00:54:48,240 Speaker 1: to work basically because you've got this object that's used 997 00:54:48,480 --> 00:54:51,640 Speaker 1: to be produced over a long period of time by experts, 998 00:54:51,840 --> 00:54:54,440 Speaker 1: but now it's produced on a mass scale, right, for 999 00:54:54,600 --> 00:54:58,120 Speaker 1: less cost and less quality. You can buy these katanas 1000 00:54:58,320 --> 00:55:01,839 Speaker 1: everywhere now. There's no way they're engineered to be as 1001 00:55:01,960 --> 00:55:07,000 Speaker 1: precise as the originals were. Only these swordsmiths knew how 1002 00:55:07,040 --> 00:55:11,400 Speaker 1: to precisely build an object for the requirements that were necessary. 1003 00:55:11,880 --> 00:55:14,680 Speaker 1: We can reproduce them using industrial techniques, but they don't 1004 00:55:14,719 --> 00:55:17,200 Speaker 1: have that artistic beauty to them. I think in a 1005 00:55:17,200 --> 00:55:19,520 Speaker 1: previous episode you and I were talking about the idea 1006 00:55:19,520 --> 00:55:22,799 Speaker 1: of like an artistic object having an aura, right, and 1007 00:55:22,880 --> 00:55:25,080 Speaker 1: this seems to be sort of the same thing here 1008 00:55:25,200 --> 00:55:29,279 Speaker 1: is that, Uh, these katanas that were really refined in 1009 00:55:29,320 --> 00:55:32,160 Speaker 1: the method that we talked about earlier had an aura 1010 00:55:32,200 --> 00:55:34,759 Speaker 1: to them that the mass produced ones don't. Well, and 1011 00:55:34,760 --> 00:55:36,480 Speaker 1: they're kind of it seems like it's kind of like 1012 00:55:36,719 --> 00:55:41,040 Speaker 1: the modern samurai sword. Samurai sword produced today is kind 1013 00:55:41,080 --> 00:55:44,680 Speaker 1: of like a well bred dog, you know, like it 1014 00:55:44,760 --> 00:55:47,719 Speaker 1: has it may look great, it it may it may 1015 00:55:47,800 --> 00:55:49,960 Speaker 1: you know, you can check off all the criteria, but 1016 00:55:50,080 --> 00:55:52,719 Speaker 1: it has no purpose. It's not just as the you know, 1017 00:55:52,960 --> 00:55:56,439 Speaker 1: whatever the small legged dog is is not actually being 1018 00:55:56,600 --> 00:55:59,760 Speaker 1: used to hunt rats in a warehouse. The samurai sword, 1019 00:56:00,000 --> 00:56:02,400 Speaker 1: if it is not being used as as a weapon 1020 00:56:02,440 --> 00:56:06,560 Speaker 1: of an instrument of death and dismemberment, then is it 1021 00:56:06,800 --> 00:56:10,319 Speaker 1: truly a Samurai sword anymore? Right, of course, it's kind 1022 00:56:10,320 --> 00:56:12,680 Speaker 1: of a complicated question when you consider all the cultural 1023 00:56:13,080 --> 00:56:15,640 Speaker 1: value that's placed on the item. But still at the heart, 1024 00:56:15,960 --> 00:56:18,319 Speaker 1: you strip away all those layers of culture. You have 1025 00:56:18,400 --> 00:56:21,600 Speaker 1: a tool, and that tool has a purpose and it 1026 00:56:21,239 --> 00:56:24,680 Speaker 1: it does not fulfill that purpose anymore. Well, in the 1027 00:56:24,760 --> 00:56:28,560 Speaker 1: last three hundred years, it seems that the Japanese themselves 1028 00:56:28,680 --> 00:56:32,840 Speaker 1: understood this because they would recognize not all Japanese, but 1029 00:56:32,880 --> 00:56:36,400 Speaker 1: obviously people who had a smithing background. They would recognize 1030 00:56:36,400 --> 00:56:39,920 Speaker 1: when European medal was used instead of Japanese steel, and 1031 00:56:39,920 --> 00:56:42,799 Speaker 1: they referred to that, and they would actually market and 1032 00:56:42,920 --> 00:56:48,920 Speaker 1: the marker would say Southern barbarians. Um. Now, the emperor 1033 00:56:49,080 --> 00:56:52,000 Speaker 1: banned samurai from wearing their swords in public in eighteen 1034 00:56:52,080 --> 00:56:54,920 Speaker 1: seventy six, so that was essentially the beginning of the 1035 00:56:55,040 --> 00:56:58,839 Speaker 1: end of that warrior culture. So subsequently we're now here 1036 00:56:59,120 --> 00:57:01,719 Speaker 1: almost a hundred and a few years later. You know, 1037 00:57:02,360 --> 00:57:05,279 Speaker 1: katanas are basically trinkets that are bought at you know, 1038 00:57:05,320 --> 00:57:08,319 Speaker 1: conventions or I don't know, I suppose you get them 1039 00:57:08,320 --> 00:57:10,960 Speaker 1: at like certain thrift stores, but you know what I mean, 1040 00:57:11,040 --> 00:57:14,400 Speaker 1: like like oddity shops. Yeah, I mean, well, there was 1041 00:57:14,440 --> 00:57:17,000 Speaker 1: the whole scene in Pull Fiction, right and I take 1042 00:57:17,040 --> 00:57:20,680 Speaker 1: place in essentially a pawn shop, and Bruce Willis's character 1043 00:57:20,680 --> 00:57:22,760 Speaker 1: has kind of run awhile with the katana. At the 1044 00:57:22,840 --> 00:57:25,320 Speaker 1: end of it, they have that. The TV show Atlanta 1045 00:57:25,480 --> 00:57:27,160 Speaker 1: has a scene like that as well, where they're in 1046 00:57:27,160 --> 00:57:30,080 Speaker 1: a pawn shop and guys like, guys like you should 1047 00:57:30,080 --> 00:57:35,760 Speaker 1: totally buy the sword. Yeah, I mean, yeah, it's interesting 1048 00:57:35,840 --> 00:57:39,880 Speaker 1: it In many cases the swords kind of become trinkets 1049 00:57:40,040 --> 00:57:42,920 Speaker 1: or in the higher levels, they become you know, very 1050 00:57:42,960 --> 00:57:47,520 Speaker 1: important collectible items, museum pieces. And still the the idea 1051 00:57:47,520 --> 00:57:50,600 Speaker 1: of the samurai continues to fascinate, it can you continues 1052 00:57:50,680 --> 00:57:53,600 Speaker 1: to cast this long shadow across Japanese culture, as you know, 1053 00:57:53,640 --> 00:57:56,640 Speaker 1: as well as as various other fandoms, like the the 1054 00:57:56,720 --> 00:58:00,400 Speaker 1: idea that the archetype of the samurai is um you know, 1055 00:58:00,440 --> 00:58:04,000 Speaker 1: it's it's pretty powerful, definitely, and I imagine that there 1056 00:58:04,000 --> 00:58:06,400 Speaker 1: are people out there listening who know a lot more 1057 00:58:06,400 --> 00:58:08,400 Speaker 1: about this than we do, and I'd be curious to 1058 00:58:08,440 --> 00:58:10,640 Speaker 1: hear from you, like did we did we miss anything? 1059 00:58:10,720 --> 00:58:12,520 Speaker 1: I hope not. We did a lot of research for 1060 00:58:12,520 --> 00:58:16,640 Speaker 1: this episode, but is there something about these newer katanas 1061 00:58:16,720 --> 00:58:19,320 Speaker 1: that we don't know uh in terms of like the 1062 00:58:19,360 --> 00:58:24,040 Speaker 1: smithing process and why they're they're subsequently worthless or made 1063 00:58:24,040 --> 00:58:26,560 Speaker 1: by Southern barbarians. Well, and of course we we we 1064 00:58:26,560 --> 00:58:28,840 Speaker 1: didn't have time to go into much in the way 1065 00:58:28,880 --> 00:58:31,600 Speaker 1: of the martial art of using these swords, and there's 1066 00:58:31,600 --> 00:58:33,800 Speaker 1: a there's a tremendous amount of information out there on that. 1067 00:58:33,880 --> 00:58:37,800 Speaker 1: And if you are a connoisseur of such martial arts, 1068 00:58:37,800 --> 00:58:39,800 Speaker 1: so we'd love to hear from you because perhaps that 1069 00:58:39,920 --> 00:58:42,280 Speaker 1: you have some some favorite details that you would like 1070 00:58:42,320 --> 00:58:44,160 Speaker 1: to share. Yeah, So if you want to get in 1071 00:58:44,240 --> 00:58:46,680 Speaker 1: touch with us about that, tell us your sword stories. 1072 00:58:47,040 --> 00:58:51,560 Speaker 1: We are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and tumbler. We're all 1073 00:58:51,600 --> 00:58:54,240 Speaker 1: over social media. You can also find all of our 1074 00:58:54,280 --> 00:58:57,360 Speaker 1: social media accounts un stuff to Blow your Mind dot com. Hey. 1075 00:58:57,400 --> 00:59:00,240 Speaker 1: And also if you listen to our podcast via uh 1076 00:59:00,480 --> 00:59:03,320 Speaker 1: apple podcast, why don't you go by there, why don't 1077 00:59:03,360 --> 00:59:05,720 Speaker 1: you leave us a nice review that really helps us out, 1078 00:59:05,800 --> 00:59:09,960 Speaker 1: helps helps the algorithm, as they say, so that other 1079 00:59:10,000 --> 00:59:13,280 Speaker 1: folks can try out the show as well, and, as always, 1080 00:59:13,280 --> 00:59:14,440 Speaker 1: if you want to get in touch with us the 1081 00:59:14,440 --> 00:59:17,200 Speaker 1: old fashioned way via email, simply email us a blow 1082 00:59:17,240 --> 00:59:30,400 Speaker 1: the mind at how stuff works dot com For more 1083 00:59:30,400 --> 00:59:32,720 Speaker 1: on this and thousands of other topics. 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