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