Bushido made the sword its emblem of power. In fact, a wise man one said that “The sword is the Key of heaven and hell”. Indeed, the swords of Samurai never left their side, they were priceless. But more than just that, these swords also have a unique and amazing history.

Historically the first Japanese sword was produced around 700 AD. A Blacksmith named Amakuni Yasutsuna, was responsible for making the first single edged long sword. At first, his swords were doing little to help the warriors in battle. There was of course reason for this, One day Amakuni realized that the Emperor never gave Amakuni any sign of recognition for his efforts. So, upon realizing this, Amakuni observed the warriors as they returned from battle. Of these warriors, nearly half of them were returning with broken swords.

Amakuni was heartbroken. He realized that all of his work had been put to shame. He had to make things right, and so he and his son Amakura set off to work again. They at first, evaluated the broken sword of a warrior, and realized that they were improperly made. The swords could not handle large impacts, yet they desperately needed to. So Amakuni and his son locked themselves up in the forge for seven days and nights, during which they prayed to the Shinto gods. After their long prayer session, Amakuni selected the finest Iron sand ore and refined it to steel. Thirty days later after arduous work and days of sleepless nights, Amakuni and his son emerged from the foe with a single edged sword that had curvature. They polished this new sword, and later continued to work developing many more like it.

And so, the warriors came to wield these new swords. The next spring, there was another war, and the Samurai fought with Amakuni’s swords. They returned however, not with broken swords, but with perfectly intact swords. Afterwords, the Emperor congratulated Amakuni, saying that he was an expert swordsman. And thus, the Katana, the Wakizashi, and the Tanto were born.

Even today, there still exist sword smiths who practice the ancient art of sword making. Currently, the best known Japanese sword company is the Japanese Sword Company in Tokyo.