Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-07-02
SWORDS OF JAPAN
Old SamUrai Blades Are Locke d
Upon as Sacred.
HANDLED WITH REVERENCE.
A Curious Formula Of Etiquette Fol-
lows When 'the Steel Bible Of
Bushido" Is Drawn From Its Sheath
by Hand Which Grasps II In Peace.

Of the old samurai swords that rest In;
the lacquered sword rack in u place
or honor there curious formula of
etiquette would be followed by the
host.
he would go to closet and return
with little square OF silk in his hand.
This he would wrap about the shark
skin handle of the sheathcd sword be-
fore touching his bare hand TO the
sheath. Then. with his right hand
Srasping the silk covered handle and
The fingers Of his left gingerly raising
The lacQuered hit from the rack. the
Japanese host would lift the sword to
the level OF his forehead and bow to IL.
All this in revcrential spirit and with
utmost gravity. The square of silk,
preserved for no purpose but this and
having It's own name in the japanese
vocabulary. is TO prevent the defile-
ment of the handle by hand which
grasps 1t in peace. The bow is meant
for the spirit of the swordsmith who
forged this weapon. phe reverence is
for the sword itself. soul of the sa-
mural" In the Japanese poetical con
ception and APPLY called by foreigners
the steel Bible OF Bushdo."
But this is only the beginning OF the
formality. When the Japanese host
unsheathS the blade he does it with
The edge toward his own body and the
point directed away from his guest.
When the guest receives the sword in
his own hands he must be careful to
keep the outer edge always away from
Ilnn Il - 1t.
II he wishes to examine both sides of
the blade he must even turn his back
so that never will the menace of the
sharpened edge be directed toward his
friend.
After the examination Is completed
the sword Is returned to its scabbard.
and the owner receives 1t with an
other bow and places it once more on
its rack.
The etiquette of the sword Is no
empty thing. With the high spirited
JAPANESE: who have not forgotten the
many centuries of chivalry and of
band fighting behind them. the deli
cately curved and curiously welded
sword of the samurai has a signifi-
canoe almost sacred. There is a phi
| losophy OF Sthe sworn no less stern
than the use of the weapon.
| In the old days when the Japanese
| lighters wore the war masks and the
steel armor seen nowadays in the
curiosity shops the boy was taught
that as the shining blade must be kept
free from spot and corruption, so must
his soul be ever clean. Neglect Of the
blade brings rust; neglect of the soul
/ an impure character. 31
Then the sharp edge was held not
] only as a constant guardian of per-
I Sonal safety and honor. but as a sacred
distdplinarlan TO punish whenever its
BposSessor stepped FROM the narrow
path of the Yamato spirit of chivalfy,
'Agaiii.' the sword was emblematical
of true gentility. which is never over
bearing or vulgar in department but
sternIy self repressive.
No man knows when FIRST the forge
for fighting weapons was set up in the
dawn Of japanese history nor who
l was the man who first replaced the
rude bronze blades of n primitive folk
| by the tempered steel of the Yamato
ton of swords at the castle of Nara
the weapon worn by the Crown Prince
II Shotoku, who compiled the consttu-
ton Of seventeen articles IN a. ID. G93,
the oldest sword known in Japan. From
that weapon. which was straight and
not curved as all other swords OF Nip
pom are, down 10 the fall Of the Toku-
gawa shogunate in the nifdIfet OF the
last century there is an unbroken his
tory Of the art of the sUsrdSmith
Twelve centuries of recoI9lcd art In
swordmaking and the names Of over
10000 makes constitute the history of
the sword in Japan.
The japanese blade. placed almost
on par with the Damascus product
i'm art and utility, differs from the
Arabian weapon in one material detail
of manufacture? Instead Of hnt ing a
uniform high temper. which gives tlte
remarkable hexibility sscSyedby che
Damascus blade. the JapdhcAt sword
has two tempcrs. hS9 "ha2S mid
steel - fA'
The edge of the blade il hard with
the finest temper. the body ana bnck
OF q nilder temper sufficient to give
some elasticity. \ Japanese sword
cannot be bent half double with the
pressure Of a hand; it IS nearly rigid
Though sword manufacture has ccas.
ed to be in Japan today outside OF the
government arscnalS. which turn out
only the accepted military blade Of the
modern army. the country Is filed with
4 priced relics Of tTe past art and these
arc relics which the Japanese will not
sell. 4 posscssor Of one Of the old
swords. keen and blue white in lustcr
rs the day IT was forged. would sell
bis house. oven himself maybe. before
Doc would part with his iron Bible OF
I. Bushido for money -.Japau Magazine.
Starting the Trouble.