0:00:02 > 0:00:07*
0:00:44 > 0:00:49Nothing symbolises the Japanese at war as much as this weapon -
0:00:49 > 0:00:51the sword of the Samurai.
0:01:04 > 0:01:09It's the ultimate cutting weapon. It is designed to cut and it will cut.
0:01:09 > 0:01:14What the Colt 45 is to America, the Samurai sword is to Japan -
0:01:14 > 0:01:17the stuff of national myth.
0:01:18 > 0:01:26The Japanese sword is capable of cutting through iron plates or other sword blades without being damaged.
0:01:28 > 0:01:35But it is revered for more than just its pitiless beauty and deadly precision.
0:01:35 > 0:01:41The sword was a weapon that represented the Samurai himself.
0:01:41 > 0:01:48The great Shogun, Tokugawa Iyeyasu, referred to the sword as "the soul of the Samurai".
0:01:48 > 0:01:56This is the weapon that saved Japan from one of the most warlike empires in history - the Mongols.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01It seemed nothing could stop them,
0:02:01 > 0:02:07until in the Battle of Hakata Bay they met the Samurai and his sword.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12This was the sword that kept Japan Japanese.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24Before gunpowder, wars were fought with swords.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29But of all the thousands that have existed in history,
0:02:29 > 0:02:36only one remains as potent today as it did 1,000 years ago - the Japanese sword of the Samurai.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45No other can rival it for beauty,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48or cutting power.
0:02:52 > 0:02:58For 1,000 years, swordsmen have agreed that where the cut is concerned
0:02:58 > 0:03:02the best weapon is this - the Japanese sword.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05It has a curve to the blade.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10This means that when you strike at your opponent,
0:03:10 > 0:03:17only one little bit of the curve reaches the target first, and then the rest bites in,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21bites through, and cuts to the bone.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33IN JAPANESE
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Compared to the Japanese sword,
0:03:57 > 0:04:03western swords of the same period are crude bludgeons.
0:04:03 > 0:04:09On the eastern Mediterranean there were European crusaders
0:04:09 > 0:04:13who were fighting with a weapon like this.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16It is straight-bladed, as most were.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20It was basically a thrusting weapon.
0:04:20 > 0:04:26You hoped that you pushed with enough strength to get the point into the chain mail,
0:04:26 > 0:04:31which is what the Europeans faced when they fought each other.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34If you struck a blow... It's heavy.
0:04:34 > 0:04:41Although it had a sharp edge, the edge would not cut much because it's not curved.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45The whole blade lands at the same time.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50You stunned your opponent, more than cut him.
0:04:51 > 0:04:59But the Japanese sword has another claim to uniqueness. Sword blades can be either sharp or resilient.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01The Japanese sword was both.
0:05:03 > 0:05:09The whole blade is quite rigid and the edge is extremely hard.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14In the Western sense, one would expect it therefore to be brittle.
0:05:14 > 0:05:20But it's composed of this sophisticated laminate of a mixture of steel,
0:05:20 > 0:05:25so that a hard edge can be regained which will not chip in combat.
0:05:25 > 0:05:33All the other weapons were purely offensive. You defended yourself not with the weapon but with a shield,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36or you hoped your helmet was strong.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40This blade...always was heavy enough
0:05:40 > 0:05:46to knock aside an opponent's blade, to make what fencers call a beat,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48or to make a parry.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51That made it unique.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56Mastering the art of attack and defence armed with sword alone
0:05:56 > 0:06:02made the Japanese warrior one of the most skilled in the world.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04When sparring,
0:06:04 > 0:06:09bamboo swords are used instead of real blades.
0:06:19 > 0:06:26With no shield to hide behind, swordsmen relied on a repertoire of parries and cuts.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Brute strength alone was useless.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Exercises were practised endlessly
0:06:32 > 0:06:35against an imaginary opponent.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09The sword was the mark of a Samurai.
0:07:09 > 0:07:15They were the real power in Japan, with the Emperor a mere figurehead.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19The Samurai's word was law, particularly about swords.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22No-one else could wear one,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25on pain of death.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28The badge of the Samurai -
0:07:28 > 0:07:31the mark of the Samurai -
0:07:31 > 0:07:36was the possession of a sword and the right to wear one.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41The person with a sword through his belt was a member of an elite.
0:07:41 > 0:07:48It was the weapon with which he had been trained, with which he would defend his life,
0:07:48 > 0:07:50and, if necessary, end it.
0:07:50 > 0:07:56In the hands of a Samurai, the sword had only one purpose -
0:07:56 > 0:07:59to kill rivals.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04Duels between Samurai were governed by an elaborate etiquette.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27IN JAPANESE
0:08:56 > 0:09:03The secret of the Japanese sword lies in the extraordinary way in which it is made.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10To this day, sword-makers continue to forge them in a complex process
0:09:10 > 0:09:13that dates back 1,000 years,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17and yet remains one of the most sophisticated.
0:09:19 > 0:09:26The Japanese perfected a technique that solved the dilemma at the heart of all sword-making -
0:09:26 > 0:09:30how to combine a hard, sharp cutting edge
0:09:30 > 0:09:35with a blade that will not break in combat.
0:09:38 > 0:09:45The sword-maker combines hard and soft steels, which are hammered together.
0:09:45 > 0:09:52They're heated and folded up to 15 times, creating a layered structure in the steel.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04When finished, the sword can have over 30,000 layers.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13The steel is now stretched out and beaten gradually
0:10:13 > 0:10:16into its distinctive, curved shape.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21The blade is ready for hardening,
0:10:21 > 0:10:25a critical moment in the sword-making process.
0:10:25 > 0:10:31When steel is hardened... by quenching in water...
0:10:31 > 0:10:37it's able to take a sharp cutting edge, but it becomes as brittle as glass.
0:10:39 > 0:10:47To overcome this problem, Japanese swordsmiths control the hardening process by applying a layer of clay.
0:11:08 > 0:11:14Different cooling rates produce varying degrees of hardness in the blade.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17The Japanese blade,
0:11:17 > 0:11:22because the cutting edge is hard and the back of the blade is soft,
0:11:22 > 0:11:30the soft back reinforces the cutting edge, and enables it to be left as hard as it possibly can be.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37The clay-covered blade is reheated for the last time.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40This is the climax of the process.
0:11:40 > 0:11:46Quenching will fix for ever this combination of hard and soft within the blade.
0:11:46 > 0:11:53The sword-maker judges the right moment to remove the hot steel. According to tradition,
0:11:53 > 0:11:58he waits until the metal is the colour of the August moon.
0:12:10 > 0:12:18The finished sword is marked with a crystalline pattern in the form of a ripple along the blade.
0:12:18 > 0:12:25Called the hamon, its form can determine the period of the blade, as well as the swordsmith.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29The hamon is also valued for its beauty.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Before it could be used in battle,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46the new sword had to be tested.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53It could be tested on bamboo, bundles of straw, or soft metal.
0:12:56 > 0:13:02The most horrid test was obviously that against a living person,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05then testing it on a dead body.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10The sword was ready for the purpose for which it had been designed -
0:13:10 > 0:13:15the settling of scores between rival Samurai warlords.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19But against a foreign enemy, the sword was untried.
0:13:19 > 0:13:27Then, in the late 13th century, Japan faced the most feared army in the world - the Mongol Hordes.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35War against the Mongols culminated in the Battle of Hakata Bay.
0:13:35 > 0:13:43The battle is as significant to the Japanese as the defeat of the Spanish Armada is to the English.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Known as the Devil's Horsemen,
0:13:55 > 0:14:00the Mongol army exploded from their homelands in central Asia.
0:14:00 > 0:14:05Their style of warfare was very different from the Samurai's.
0:14:09 > 0:14:15Mongol expansion began in the early years of the 13th century.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20By Kublai's time - Kublai became Mongol Emperor in 1260 -
0:14:20 > 0:14:27the Mongol Empire stretched from Korea in the east to Hungary in the west -
0:14:27 > 0:14:32the largest continuous land empire in the history of the world.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37The Mongol weapon was the bow.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41Most people didn't get close enough to a Mongol army
0:14:41 > 0:14:47to find out whether they were good with swords, because they were shot.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Theirs was the first army to have fire in movement.
0:14:52 > 0:14:59They evolved tactics used by Rommel and Patton. They worked with tanks
0:14:59 > 0:15:01as well as they worked with archers.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04By the end of the 13th century,
0:15:04 > 0:15:10all that remained for them to conquer were the islands of Japan.
0:15:10 > 0:15:18The Japanese had no intention of capitulating without a fight. The Mongols were happy to give them one.
0:15:18 > 0:15:23In 1274, 40,000 Mongols crossed the sea, bound for Hakata Bay.
0:15:23 > 0:15:28The Japanese warriors had no idea what was about to hit them.
0:15:28 > 0:15:34The Japanese, hearing of the arrival of Mongols, galloped to meet them,
0:15:34 > 0:15:41and were intent on singling out a suitable opponent, preferably someone of high rank.
0:15:46 > 0:15:51The whole of the tradition of the elite Samurai warrior
0:15:51 > 0:15:56was based around the desire to meet a worthy opponent in battle,
0:15:56 > 0:16:01to challenge him to single combat, and to win a glorious victory.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04We know from records of the time,
0:16:04 > 0:16:10that this was initially what the Japanese expected to do with this strange enemy.
0:16:10 > 0:16:16But there was one slight problem. The Mongols didn't speak Japanese.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21Their swords had proved useless against the marauding archers.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24With no regard for etiquette,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27the Mongols swept the Samurai aside.
0:16:29 > 0:16:34It must have created enormous terror. And then night fell,
0:16:34 > 0:16:39illuminated only by the burning buildings.
0:16:39 > 0:16:44The Mongols spent the night on their ships rather than on land.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49And that was when the great surprise happened for the Japanese.
0:16:49 > 0:16:57When dawn broke they walked back to the beach, wondering where the Mongols were. They'd all gone.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11It was normal Mongol practice,
0:17:11 > 0:17:15prior to invading a new part of the world,
0:17:15 > 0:17:19to send reconnaissance in force
0:17:19 > 0:17:22before mounting a full invasion.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27It's possible to see this invasion as a reconnaissance expedition.
0:17:30 > 0:17:35The Japanese gave thanks for what they saw as divine intervention.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45But they knew the Mongols would be back.
0:17:45 > 0:17:51The Samurai would keep faith with their swords, but a new way of fighting was needed.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55A defensive wall was built at Hakata Bay
0:17:55 > 0:18:01and the etiquette of the personal challenge was dropped.
0:18:01 > 0:18:08Seven years later, the Mongols turned their attention to Japan again, calling for their surrender.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12The Japanese made their defiance clear.
0:18:16 > 0:18:23The Japanese, encouraged by the withdrawal of the Mongol force in 1274,
0:18:23 > 0:18:27got into the habit of executing Mongol envoys.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31This was a heinous crime in Mongol eyes.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36They regarded the person of an ambassador as absolutely sacred.
0:18:36 > 0:18:43This left Kublai with no alternative but to invade as soon as circumstances permitted.
0:18:43 > 0:18:51The result was inevitable. In 1281 the Mongols sent a second invasion fleet, even larger than the first.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57They expected little resistance.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12The skies went dark with the arrows from the Mongol troops.
0:19:12 > 0:19:18At the same time, the Mongols advanced, shoulder to shoulder,
0:19:18 > 0:19:20with spears lowered.
0:19:22 > 0:19:29The Samurai met them from behind their defensive wall, and managed to force the Mongols back
0:19:29 > 0:19:32to take refuge on their ships.
0:19:35 > 0:19:42Because the line held and the Mongols weren't able to force their way inland,
0:19:42 > 0:19:47the Japanese then were able to take the fight to the Mongol ships.
0:19:47 > 0:19:53This time, the Japanese would fight the battle that suited their swords,
0:19:53 > 0:19:59not on the open beaches where archers could hold them off, but on the ships' decks.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02It was a masterstroke.
0:20:02 > 0:20:07The Japanese would go in small boats of 12 or 15 people in a boat,
0:20:07 > 0:20:12and launch night raids on the Mongol ships lying at anchor.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19These boats would be rowed out into the middle of the bay.
0:20:19 > 0:20:26The mast would be let down as a sort of ladder on which they could climb on board.
0:20:26 > 0:20:33Then, with their sharp swords, the Samurai were there to attack the Mongols
0:20:33 > 0:20:35on board the ships.
0:20:38 > 0:20:44The Mongol sword, although very useful on a horse,
0:20:44 > 0:20:50I think could have been a problem against a Japanese sword.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53This has no strength to it at all.
0:20:54 > 0:20:59It's not designed for meeting the opponent's blade.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04One good beat from a Japanese sword, you'd be dead.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09If it was sword to sword, the invaders didn't have much chance.
0:21:13 > 0:21:21These tactics kept the Mongols on their ships for four weeks, unable to establish a beachhead.
0:21:21 > 0:21:26But the coup de grace would be delivered not by the Japanese sword
0:21:26 > 0:21:31but by the volatile Japanese climate.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32The Mongols could not land.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37The Mongols could not find a friendly harbour.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41The Mongols had to sit there and experience
0:22:41 > 0:22:47the wind and the waves and the ships smashing against each other.
0:22:47 > 0:22:52Some sources speak of casualties approaching 90%
0:22:52 > 0:22:57in some of the contingents of the Korean or Mongol armies.
0:23:07 > 0:23:14Such troops as remained - much reduced in numbers - were captured or killed by the Japanese.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18It was a catastrophic defeat for the Mongols.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35The Mongols would never return.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Having beaten this terrifying enemy,
0:23:38 > 0:23:43the Japanese would come to venerate their swords.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47The Japanese prized them over all other weapons.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50So complete was their faith in them
0:23:50 > 0:23:58that when gunpowder and muskets should have made swords obsolete, the Japanese would not give them up.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01A myth, a legend, a belief -
0:24:01 > 0:24:04an act of faith, almost -
0:24:04 > 0:24:12grew that the Japanese Samurai, who grew more and more to be personified by the Samurai sword,
0:24:12 > 0:24:16was a match for anything in the world.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20The arrival of the Europeans in the 16th century,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23bringing muskets that fired bullets,
0:24:23 > 0:24:26they were withstood.
0:24:26 > 0:24:32The brave individual Samurai with his sword were absorbed into the culture
0:24:32 > 0:24:40to such an extent that firearms could be rejected in favour of the sword as the superior weapon -
0:24:40 > 0:24:46superior not only in military terms, but superior in moral terms.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51But the Samurai spirit
0:24:51 > 0:24:54had a darker legacy.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03During the Second World War the sword became infamous,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06identified for ever with atrocities
0:25:06 > 0:25:10committed against Allied prisoners of war.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25Probably the most active use of the sword
0:25:25 > 0:25:28was beheading Allied prisoners.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35The killing of prisoners, whether done by a Samurai sword or not,
0:25:35 > 0:25:44was out of step with the Samurai tradition into which those people had supposedly been initiated.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47It was left to post-war Japan
0:25:47 > 0:25:55to try and rescue the spirit of the Samurai and his sword from those terrible years.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03For the great film director, Akira Kurosawa,
0:26:03 > 0:26:09they're as potent a part of Japanese myth as cowboy films are to America.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17IN JAPANESE
0:26:17 > 0:26:21His most famous film, The Seven Samurai,
0:26:21 > 0:26:26supplied the blueprint for one of the great westerns -
0:26:26 > 0:26:28The Magnificent Seven.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40The Samurai sword may no longer be used in anger,
0:26:40 > 0:26:46but it lives on as a work of craftsmanship and for use in martial arts.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51Strictly controlled by the Japanese government
0:26:51 > 0:26:53in terms of number and quality,
0:26:53 > 0:27:01they're still made with the same reverence as the swords that won the Battle of Hakata Bay,
0:27:01 > 0:27:06testimony to a weapon which refuses to become a relic.
0:27:47 > 0:27:53Subtitles by John Macdonald, Subtext for BBC Subtitling, 1997