Destructive Sword Test.... Machine Gun vs. Katana

[Lew]

Gentleman

This type of test is partly done for hype and partly done for knowlege. I am sure that ancient bladesmiths on occassion experimented with new or different steel combinations and heat treatments to see if they could come up with a better sword. Also destroying a blade now and then gives one a chance to see how their quality control is doing. So it is not stupidity in anyway to do this type of testing granted it is on the extreme side of experimentation. Some blades with kisu or flaws are often destroyed maybe this was one of them? I recall a story of a famous Japanese sword maker who created a very beautiful katana for his lord but when the blade was tested it failed to cut well. The sword maker spent an entire year or more refining his technique and told his lord that his next sword would surpass all the cutting tests or he would commit sepuku. Well the sword maker finally kept his word and produced the most wonderful sword for his lord that would pass all of the cutting tests put to it. I am quite sure that the sword maker went through a few test swords before he finally came up with the winner his life depended on it.

Lew