Are Old Samurai Swords Better Than New Ones?
With modern technology and our understanding of science constantly progressing, we could be forgiven for thinking that anything which was created centuries ago would be of inferior quality to anything created now.
But is this the case with samurai swords? Are the swords which actual samurai carried around in those days of superior quality to the ones being made now?
The answer is, yes and no. You see, it depends.
Most samurai sword connoisseurs agree that the best swords produced now are equal to any of the best swords produced in the past. Undoubtedly, this has much to do with the fact that the methods of making the swords, the materials, and the sword designs themselves are very similar. It’s a very traditional art form.
However. In times of war when the state called for mass production of swords, because of the scarcity of materials and the limited time available to make the swords, the quality most often suffered, resulting in an inferior blade. Moreover, for seven years after WW2, sword making was prohibited in Japan which resulted in the secrets almost being lost forever, and the craft temporarily set back.
Today you also have the open school aspect, where artisans share their secrets with one another in the hope of innovating and producing better quality blades. In centuries past, the very distinctive secrets of the different schools were jealously guarded, so it naturally follows that some schools were simply better than others.
Because there is no way to transport a blade forged hundreds of years ago into the present for scientific and practical comparison without it aging hundreds of years, unfortunately, a direct comparison can never be drawn.
You see, because some blades were forged centuries ago, the metal changes. From a decorative point of view, many connoisseurs argue the swords of the past are more beautiful because of the distinctly different color of the old metal. It’s not known whether this was due to the source of the metal, forging methods, or simply down to great aging of the metal.
From a practical point of view though, it would be unreasonable to expect a blade hundreds of years old to be as strong as a newly forced blade. Old blades are also often pretty worn due to hundreds of years of polishing.
The really is no definitive answer to any such question, and unfortunately, there never will be. We just have to accept this, and enjoy the blades for what they are, old and new.