| Back in the early times of sword | | | | hammering of the steel, it would create |
| manufacture, the production of super | | | | internally something comparable to |
| strong high-grade carbon steel wasn't | | | | layers. Take a book and fold it parallel |
| even a vague dream. But we know, as | | | | to the spine, roll it up and you'll see |
| history has taught us, that sword makers | | | | what a swords structure inside would |
| of ancient times still managed to | | | | look like, and also see how strength |
| produce superb quality, strong weapons. | | | | increases. This gave the sword a |
| So just how was this possible all those | | | | superior strength. As in much of |
| hundreds of years ago? How did these | | | | Japanese culture, like Martial Arts for |
| ancient swordmakers manage to craft | | | | example, many advancements and ways are |
| weapons of such high-quality? What was | | | | attributed to emulating natures ways and |
| the secret to this skill of taking poor | | | | by observing natures patterns. |
| quality ore and turning it into the | | | | It is sometimes thought by some that the |
| finest quality steel blades? Well, it | | | | idea for this 'folding' to create the |
| seems the process of Japanese samurai | | | | 'rings/layers' inside the samurai sword |
| swords making was an highly advanced | | | | came about by looking at the cross |
| artform. It wasn't as simple as casting | | | | section of the inside of a tree trunk |
| a sword shape with molten steel and | | | | and observing the way these almost layer |
| sharpening an edge. What the swords | | | | like rings of wood gave the tree the |
| makers would do was to hammer the heated | | | | strength to stand upto natures forces |
| and softened steel flat, and fold it | | | | without breaking very easily, but merely |
| over and hammer it flat again, and | | | | bending with the wind. This is thought |
| repeat this process over and over, maybe | | | | by some to be the idea which gave birth |
| by upto as much as thirty times. | | | | to the folded steel concept of Japans |
| This was a very long and labor-intensive | | | | samurai swords. |
| process, but in the constant folding and | | | | |