Wednesday, 20 February 2019

The Witcher

The Witcher franchise follows the adventures of Geralt of Rivia, a genetically-altered monster-hunter. Possessing greater strength, stamina, and speed than a normal human, he also has limited use of magic through the use of Witcher Signs - simple spells that require only a gesture and concentration to cast.

Witcher Villa

The Adventure Begins - Books

The world of the Witcher was first revealed by author Andrzej Sapkowski through a short story about Geralt written for a contest held by the Polish science fiction magazine Fantastyka. It was followed by three more short stories, one of which was a prequel that featured Geralt’s mother.

The book series focuses primarily on Geralt, his daughter Ciri, and his lover Yennefer. Geralt is also often accompanied by Dandelion, his best friend and a minstrel. The series features common fantasy races such as elves, dwarves, gnomes, and, of course, humans. Other common magical creatures make appearances including vampires, werewolves, halflings, and dryads.

The name of the series “Witcher”, was purportedly inspired by the male versions of the world “witch” in English and German. Thus, Sapkowski coined a new Polish word “wiedźmin” to be the male equivalent of the already-existing word wiedźma.

Expanding the Story - TableTop RolePlaying

Soon after the main series line was completed, the first tabletop roleplaying game was developed. Released in 2001, it was called called Wiedźmin: Gra Wyobraźni (English: The Witcher: A Game of Imagination) and was based off the books A second game was released last year (2018), but this one was based off the by-then successful video game franchise.

Witcher Cave

Going National - TV and Movies

Following a similar release schedule to the roleplaying games, in 2001 the first Witcher movie was released, followed in 2002 by a TV series by the same name. Both were hated by the series author. Over a decade later, an American movie was planned for 2017, but has since morphed into a TV series that is still in development (as of early 2019).

International Success - Video Games

By far the most successful spin-off of the books, three successful video games have been developed that loosely following plot lines from the books. A notable feature of all three games has been their delayed consequences mechanic - decisions made early on in a game has profound impact later. This mechanic enhances replayability and prohibits save-and-reloading by players looking for the best short-term outcome. The series is also noted for its morally grey choices - where there is often neither a clear good nor bad option, but rather a mix of both.

The first Witcher video game was released on PC in 2007. It featured a unique combat system that made it markedly different from other roleplaying games. The licensing rights were acquired for a mere $9,500 paid up-front even though the author was offered royalties, a decision he would later come to regret.

The second Witcher game was planned to be the first but re-released on console with a new combat system in 2009, but this failed, so work was transferred to another game which eventually became The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, released in 2011 on both PC and console. It featured a more complex combat system, more complex ability upgrade system, and a new stealth system. This second game was noted for its varied storypaths, with the game developers stating there were “16 different states of the world” that could be explored. Selling over 1.5 million copies, the game was a greater success compared to the original.

The final video game installment that follows Geralt as the main protagonist was released in 2015 to rave reviews and vast commercial success. Selling over 10 million copies and earning profit of over $63.3 million dollars, the game has been considered one of the greatest video games of all time. It was noted for its large open world, memorable side quests, and multiple new systems that gave the game a more realistic feel.

The Swords of the Witcher

There are two main types of swords in the Witcher Series: steel and silver. Steel swords are used against most common foes, especially humans. Strong and sharp, they don’t don’t break easily and can do a surprising amount of damage. Silver swords, by contrast, are used only against magical foes. Silver is much softer than steel, so it wouldn’t last nearly as long against enemies that weren’t supernaturally vulnerable to it. Silver swords are not pure silver however, as they contain a steel core which gives the blade strength.

See our Witcher Swords >

source https://www.bladespro.co.uk/blogs/news/witcher-franchise

Wednesday, 6 February 2019

The Katana’s Predecessor: The Tachi

In the Calvary

Riding with his cavalry contingent, Reo was a bit nervous. While he had been training as a Samurai for years, he had only recently been allotted a horse. In the few months since then, he had been practicing as often as he could, but it was so different from fighting on foot. If there were actual combat, he wasn’t sure how well he would perform.

A few hours later, the sun was just starting down from its noonday crest. The hills, barren of shadows for the moment, would soon begin sporting new ones, perfect hiding places for an ambush. He heard some voices up ahead and saw three men running down a hill just ahead, their feet kicking up dirt into the dry air. They were scouts, and from their rush seemed to have some important news...

***

Once the scouts reached us, they told us the news. They had spotted some men up ahead, and, while they were few in number, it was possible they belonged to a larger force nearby. The scouts assured us that they had not been seen. My commander decided that the few of us on horse had the best chance of catching them, so he dispatched us with one of the scouts to the men’s location, to use the horse's speed to close the gap once we were spotted.

10 minutes later, the scout motioned for quiet and we pulled our horses to a stop. He steadily climbed up the hill, and peeked over it, careful to keep his head down low. Coming back down, he informed us the men we were looking for were in the valley behind the hill. Our leader decided we would ride around the base of the hill and catch them on the other side, while our scout would again summit the hill to make sure no one got away. In anticipation of the coming order to attack, Reo quietly drew his Tachi...

Featured Sword: Tachi

Tachi swords were originally developed around 900 AD and commonly made until about 1600. Typically 2-3 Shaku in length, they are slightly longer than a Katana, the sword to which they are most often compared. However, there are other differences between the two. Both the Katana and Tachi are curved, but the curvature of the Tachi is greater. Additionally, Tachi are worn with the cutting edge down, while Katana are worn with the cutting edge up. Because a swordsmith’s signature would be put on the side of the tang facing outward when worn on the wielder’s left side, this difference in wearing style meant that the swordsmith’s signature on a Tachi and Katana are on opposite sides of the tang.

Because of its greater length than the Katana, the Tachi has been suggested to have been used as more of an open-field weapon. In combat, the person whose weapon has the greater reach almost always has the advantage, so the Tachi with its longer length would have been preferred However, it would be less effective in more closed-in spaces. A further suggested use of the Tachi would have been its use on horseback, as longer reach is even more important for calvary, and the cutting edge worn down would seem to fit the needs of a horseman more. However, we lack early contemporary references to horseback combat, so we don’t know for sure.

A Careful Ambush

My troop carefully trotted around the base of the hill, guiding our horses and keeping them on the firmer, greener grass where the water flowed through between the hills in order to muffle the sound of the horses’ hooves. Three-quarters of the way around the base of the hill, we heard a shout. We had been spotted! Quickly heeling our horses forward, we pushed our horses to a gallop, quickly spotting the men and adjusting our path to intersect.

50 meters, 40, 30, 20, 10...and we were on them. Carefully raising my Tachi as I had trained, I aimed at the men, making careful and deliberate swings while I rode past. I had to be very careful not to hit the horse while keeping my balance - a very difficult feat on a moving horse while swinging at a moving target. One of my swings connected, and one man went down. I heard a horse bellow behind me. Looking back, I saw one of my comrades' horses had a large gash accross its flank. The man who had made it was quickly cut down by another one of our number, but the horse did not look good. Wheeling back, I saw all our targets were down. Now we had to decide what to do with the horse...

Fun Fact

Originally worn with a Tanto as the larger weapon in a Daishō (大小, big-little pair), they were eventually replaced several centuries after with the Katana and Wakizashi pair.

Etymology

From the Old Japanese word “Tati” meaning “sever”, the pronunciation changed to “Tatsi”, then eventually to the modern “Tatchi”. In Kanji, it is written as 大刀, meaning “great/big Katana”.

See Our Tachi Swords >

source https://www.bladespro.co.uk/blogs/news/tachi

Wednesday, 23 January 2019

Chinese Swordsmithing - A Rediscovered Treasure

Japanese swordsmithing is renowned worldwide, and for good reason: the blade quality is superb, and the fittings are works of art in their own right. Using traditional methods, a sword made by a mastersmith can take months to prepare and can run in the thousands to millions of dollars to purchase - when one can be acquired at all. In contrast, Chinese swordsmithing is still relatively unknown, perhaps because it was used more for arming infantryman rather than serving as a status symbol for noble Samurai. However, if we look back at the history of Chinese sword production, we uncover a few surprises.

Ancient Chinese Swordsmithing

Chinese swordsmithing began development early, with knives found dating as far back as 1200 BC. As time progressed, those knives lengthened until they could be considered short swords, and they eventually began to replace daggers and axes in the 7th century BC. Up until this point they were made of Bronze, but, around the 6th century BC, steel processes were imported from India, and China began steel production. While poor at first, the quality of steel blades quickly improved, and with the discovery of quench-hardening in the 3rd century, bronze weapons went obsolete.

Chinese swords are divided into two types: the Jian and Dao. The earliest swords were Jian, double-sided weapons, as they descended from daggers. Dao swords were created later, as it was discovered that dulling one of the sides and thickening it could strengthen the blade, making it more reliable and less prone to breaking. In addition, Jian blades are straight, while Dao blades, especially later ones, tend to be curved. Some people believe that the curved Dao influenced the Japanese toward making their own curved blades such as the later renowned Katana and Wakizashi.

By the 2nd century BC, the Jian and the Dow were each considered one of the Five Weapons - along with the spear, halberd, and staff. As swords became useful when paired with shields or used for cavalry, the Dao became the weapon of choice for battle. Jian weapons were still used, but, because of their lower durability, were wielded only by experts or officials. Around this time, it is possible that Chinese swordsmiths discovered that coating swords with chromium oxide would protect them from rusting, a technique soon lost that wasn’t re-discovered until the 1930s and 40s by the Germans and Americans.

Time continued until the 6th century AD, when co-fusion steelmaking was developed (combining different iron ores with varying carbon content). This greatly enhanced swords by giving them the best of both worlds - a hard but brittle edge with a soft but flexible spine. It also seems to have given them an advantage against contemporary armor. Around this time, Chinese sword-making techniques were imported into Japan by immigrants from China, and the Japanese began their own sword traditions.

However, Chinese sword development did not stop as Japan’s began, but they both continued down separate paths in parallel. For another 6 centuries in China, the Dao continued its dominance over the Jian, and was divided into 4 categories: Ceremonial, Cross, Defense, and Divided. Ceremonial Daos were ornate and decorated with precious metals. Cross Daos were worn by crossbowmen as a sidearm. Defensive Daos were used for, you guessed it, self-defense, and Divided Daos were longswords attached to meter-plus long handles - some of these weapons reaching up to 3 meters in total length! Around the 12th century AD, the Jian experienced a short period of revival, until again being overtaken by the Dao a century later.

After this period, less is known about Chinese swords as there is little written material to work with. A few reasons have been suggested for this. One such reason is that sword-making in China was so well-established and developed that there was little need to continue writing books on the subject, so instead attention was given to newer technologies. Another idea is that because of Confucian values urging against militaristic pursuits in favor of cultural ones, the sword was no longer a “worthwhile” subject to write on. Whatever the case, while there may not be a large written tradition from those times, swordmaking in China never truly stopped, and today there are swordsmiths in China whose swords’ values match and even outstrip their Japanese counterparts.

Modern Chinese Swordsmithing

Chinese swordsmiths gain experience through the time-honored tradition of apprenticeship, often starting in their teenage years and continuing for years before they can hope to obtain the rank of master. Of those who do eventually reach master-rank, China divides into 3 levels: city-level master, province-level master, and country-level master (also known as a national treasure smith). Levels 1 mastersmiths typically work for large factories or small smithies owned by others. Levels 2 and 3 mastersmiths usually work at their own forges, with a few owning their own factories. Level 1 mastersmiths can command prices of around $5-10K for a sword. Level 2 smiths can command prices from $10K and up, and swords made by Level 3 masters range from over $100K to over $1M. Some mastersmiths choose to specialise, creating only the blade, while others choose to generalise, creating the fittings as well. The work of Level 2 and 3 swordsmiths are considered meritorious enough that some of them have been chosen to gift swords on behalf of the Chinese nation to foreign heads of state.

Today, Chinese swordsmiths have learned how to make Japanese swords along with their own, using the traditions shared by both and a few imported techniques such as folding. (Folding was not developed in China because they had access to better iron ores than Japan, making folding unnecessary. Today it is used mainly for the aesthetic appeal of such folded swords.) Because of this, Japan and China are two of the few countries using traditional techniques passed down over more than a millennia to craft swords similar to those made by their ancestors. If you’d like to see representations of ancient Chinese swords, please see our Chinese Sword collection*.

See our Chinese Swords >

*Note, these swords are for ornamental or display use only.

source https://www.bladespro.co.uk/blogs/news/chinese-swordsmithing

Wednesday, 9 January 2019

The Best Of 2018: Blood Grooves, Female Samurai, Ninjas VS Samurai, Steel Types & More

We think the best customers are well-informed customers, so we do our best to find valuable information and present it in a way everyone can enjoy. As swords enthusiasts ourselves, we feel such information should be shared freely among all who share our passion.

Thus, in 2018, we worked hard to update old articles and create new ones chock full of information for old and new sword enthusiasts alike, while also making them fun and engaging to read. Now, at the beginning of 2019, we look back at the results of our undertaking and feature the articles we and you liked the most.

Staff Picks

We asked our team to choose the posts they liked the most, and give their reason why. Here are their top picks:

Female Samurai - The Onna Bugeisha - "My favourite post for 2018 was the one about the Onna Bugeisha. I am the only female in our team, and learning about Samurai and their history is a great passion of mine, so I was thrilled to learn about the role of women and the courage of some female samurai.

For over half a millennia, women stepped up to the plate to defend their homes and families as the men left for battles. Within their communities, these women became great examples of courage, leadership, and strength. This article shines a light on the less famous, yet equally fierce female samurai." - Silvia.

The Magic of the “Blood Groove” - "I love how the blood groove (aka "Bo-Hi") is woven into the story of Kana, showcasing its usefulness in lightening the blade while also making it a fun, engaging and personal read." - Tristan

The Ninja vs The Samurai - "I like how the story is engaging while trying to stay as historically accurate as possible, even while creating the unlikely engagement between a samurai and a Ninja. The information is interesting too." - Ryan

#1 - Blue Blade Samurai Katana

The beautify of this Sapphire Sword makes it clear why it's our customers' #1 pick. The ornate details on the Tusba and Saya are stunning, and the deep color draws in one's eyes. While not cheap, it remains affordable at just under £200.