The kiridashi is an interesting study. Its original function, probably going back several centuries, was to mark wood. Japanese carpenters still use them today instead of marking pencils. In the form used for their original purpose, the kiridashi is long, slender, and simple. Although there is a sharp edge, the emphasis is on the point, […]
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Throughout history, as armor evolved so did the weapons intended to defeat it. Plate armor was an incredible force on the battlefield, although it was expensive and relatively rare. It was to the medieval battlefield what the tank was to the WWI front lines: when first introduced it was nearly impossible to stop. Contrary to
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The tetsubo is a fairly obscure but interesting weapon that almost no one had heard of until very recently. Its place in history is a bit sketchy, and it’s difficult to find reliable information on the tetsubo, also called the kanabo, but its place in Japanese mythology is solid. While I know a bit of
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The Danish axe—also called the Dane axe and the great axe—is one of the better-known Norse weapons. Although perhaps not as uniquely Norse as the bearded axe, most military history buffs and many fantasy fans can identify it accurately. The forging techniques and basic construction are very similar to the bearded axe, but both the
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The katana is a bigger-than-life weapon with a long and colorful history. It is surrounded by so much legend and mystery that it is sometimes difficult to get to the truth. In the previous article we discussed tamahagane, the steel from which traditional katana are made, and before that we talked in some detail about
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Of all the bladesmithing processes, the one surrounded by the most mystery, the process that has spawned the most legend and myth, is unquestionably forge folding. Forge folding, the process that yields folded steel, is a general term to describe several different processes that different cultures have used since steel was first made. The physics
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What is steel? An alloy of iron and carbon. How could something so apparently simple be the subject of so much myth, mystery, and debate? The short answer is that steel does some very strange things that we still don’t fully understand, and it is exponentially tougher and harder than the iron, copper, and bronze
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The shiv is a nefarious blade that is a favored tool of those who do night work. That a shiv is a knife is indisputable. Exactly what type of knife that word describes is sometimes the subject of debate. The word itself derives from the Romani word chiv, which translates roughly to any sharp or
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Among warrior cultures, the Norsemen created one of the richest selections of battle-tested and war-dedicated weaponry ever seen in a single culture. Spears, bows, seax, langseax, long swords, broadswords, short swords, and of course, axes. While an axe can be a tool, the Vikings clearly distinguished between axes used as common tools and those used
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