Customer Reviews

NOVA: Secrets of the Samurai Sword

5 star:		(5)
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A very interesting documentary on the art and science involved in manufacturing a samurai sword. The journey begins with the selection of the metal and the viewer then follows craftsmen producing a sword using the same techniques as their ancestors. Interwoven are scenes with swordsmen demonstrating their skills on bamboo targets and a brief history of the samurai and historical use of these weapons. Modern science is used to explain the strength of the sword and the reason behind the shape of the blade. My only criticism is making the handles, which can be quite ornate, was not explored. The focus is on the blade.
Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in martial arts and weaponry in particular.

Roughly an hour long fascinating documentary of how the infamous sword of the Samurai, the Katana, is made. Learn in detail about every interesting facet of the history and the amazing amount of work and skill that goes into making what is, I believe, the best sword in the world for over a thousand years.

Starting at the very beginning with the smelting of the special high grade iron sand that is only found in certain stream beds in Japan, to the 36 hour forging process involved by a skilled master in making the initial block of iron called Tamahageny. Pieces of which are passed onto another forge master to make the sword template and then to yet another master craftsman who polishes & sharpen and embellishes the blade with engravings etc.

Seen recently on the National Geographic Channel and featuring Dr Stephen Turnbull and Ian Bottomley, this major work is made all the more captivating with many clips of some of the last master sword makers around.

To see the amount of the physical work & effort and time and labour that goes into making one of these masterpieces is truly amazing. Modern day metallurgists are astounded and even baffled by way these swords are so perfectly made without relying on computers or robots or the use of complex formulas, chemistry or other measuring equipment, just the naked eye to measure the temperature of the flame and years of experience.

UK Viewers: WARNING!! Please make sure that your DVD can play with Region 1 DVD's and that your TV is NTSC compatible first.

If you enjoy this then do look out for "Samurai: The Last Warrior. The Path of Honour, the Sword of Revenge" which is also a REGION 1 + NTSC DVD. This documentary explains the history, evolution and final demise of the Samurai.

This was a very interesting documentary on the making of samuai swords. Particularly the more technical parts concerning the metallurgy and what happens to the molecular structure of the steel and carbon during the forging process. I learned something there that I had not known before. I would recommend this to anyone who has a curiousity about sword-making, particularly the Japanese process.

This is an excellent video showing the technology developed over centuries by great craftsmen to produce not simply a weapon, but a work of art.

The video covers the art *and* science of producing a katana - the samurai's sword. It begins with workers making steel from ore. It moves to the swordmaker's art of forging a magnificently crafted weapon perfectly suited for the style of combat the culture revered. It shows that polishing and sharpening are a separate art also practiced by great craftsmen.

There is a great deal of science in the video that explains the properties of steel, how it is hardened, and how the weapon requires different steels to accomplish its task.

It isn't perfect, but this video is very good!

The most impressive and interesting part of this documentary, was the comprehensive documentation on how a sword is made, from the refinery to sword polishing.

The documentary includes extensive background, and excellent cineography of the whole event. I found it alot of fun and interesting to boot.

An hour is far too short a time to present an overview of the art and science of the making of samurai swords. Being an episode of Nova, this documentary focuses heavily on the science. It still feels a little like the whole documentary got shortchanged. There are hints here at what could have been included, including the spiritual nature of the sword. Yes, the blades are the most important aspects of these swords and yet it seems that we should have also been shown at least a little about how a sword's furniture is created. Maybe one day we'll get to see two longer format pieces, one about the samurai sword's place in Japanese history and one illustrating the construction of a single katana from start to finish. Until then, we have this well-made, but brief, program.

I caught the end of this program on television and knew that I had to buy it. It did not disappoint!

It was amazing to know how Japanese swords are made. It takes much longer than I ever thought. I'm going to send a copy to my Sensei (teacher) as his birthday gift.

I do not consider myself a science person but I loved learning about how the Samurai sword was made!!!

Do you really need anything more than the Nova logo to know that this is an outstanding product? Of course not.
This story is, if anything, too short at 1 hour (approximately). The blade itself and the relevant science are covered well. The smelting, forging, sharpening, and polishing are covered; while several of the associated accessories don't fit within the allotted time. It shows the modern artisans using the time honored ways to make a sword worthy of defending a life and becoming an heirloom. We're not talking about $99.95 mass production swords here! This is illustrated when a kendo master defends himself against an arrow to the chest using katana and breathtaking skill.
The photography of the processes is gorgeous! You can practically feel the heat radiating from the screen as the smith toils over the forging process while folding and laminating layer after layer.