Bokken as a consumable Bokken, the wooden swords for kenjutsu training, are exposed to regular stress during training. Depending on the type of training, this load can be higher or lower. Bokken were and are therefore more or less a consumable item that is simply replaced at regular intervals. The names bokken and bokuto are used in this article because both are the [...]
Today we take a look at the story behind the world's most expensive samurai sword. At least the most expensive samurai sword in the world for which the price is known. Nihonto (Japanese swords) can sometimes be traded at very high prices. Many purchases/sales take place behind closed doors and the prices are not publicised. There are only [...]
Prehistory: Who ruled Japan? Before the samurai came to power in Japan in the form of the shogun, the imperial family ruled. According to the story, the imperial family was appointed by the gods themselves to rule over the country. This divine mandate grants the sole right to rule to the emperor. There are also [...]
Japan is the home of Japanese martial arts. It is in the nature of things that training swords from Japan are best suited to these arts. But apart from this obvious advantage, there are other points in favour of using bokken from Japan. Bokken from Japan belong to the higher price segment. The care taken in the manufacture [...]
The history of the world's most expensive katana The world's most expensive katana was forged in the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568-1600), between the well-known Sengoku Jidai and the Edo period that began shortly afterwards. It was commissioned by Nagao Akinaga, the lord of Odawara Castle. A member of the influential Hojo clan. The sword, which later became the [...]
Popular New Year's resolution: Becoming more relaxed in everyday life Today (at the time of writing this article) is 1 January, so we would like to take the opportunity to look at typical New Year's resolutions. In a second article, we already took a closer look at the popular resolution to do more sport. In this article, we would like to [...]
Popular New Year's resolution: Do more sport Today (at the time of writing) is 1 January, so we would like to take this opportunity to introduce everyone who has resolved to do more sport in the new year to a sport that can have an extremely positive impact on their lives. Our website is all about [...]
Weapons laws are an important part of legislation in every country. They have a major influence on conditions in every country. A typical counterexample to Japan and Germany is the situation in the USA, a country with very relaxed gun laws. Gun laws in Japan Japan, on the other hand, has very strict gun laws. The origin of the [...]
Shaku (尺) and Sun (寸) Conversion to cm 1 Shaku = 30.3 cm 1 Sun= 3.03 cm Convert Japanese units of measurement to centimetres Convert Shaku and Sun to cm With our simple calculator you can convert Shaku and Sun to cm and mm and vice versa. Shaku Convert result: or Sun Convert result: centimetres to [...]
Iaito and Nihonto terms The list of Japanese technical terms relating to swords is long. Too long to mention them all here. We don't think it's a skill worth mentioning to include many of these terms in a conversation or to emphasise the Japanese pronunciation. Especially when the conversations actually take place in German or English. In [...]