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Martial Arts Of The World - Webs

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As a result of the first invasion, warriors began ordering polishers to<br />

grind off the ha-niku, making a sharper edge-profile. During this time, the<br />

Soshû school of sword-making came into its own. In this new tradition, a<br />

piece of steel plate was welded to an iron rod and beaten to a thin rectangle,<br />

marked across, and folded. This was beaten again to the same dimensions<br />

as before, the folding and beating process repeated up to fifteen times.<br />

Next, four such pieces were welded together to create a thicker plate, and<br />

again the cutting, folding, and beating process was carried out, this time for<br />

five repetitions. In this manner the individual layers being worked fifteen<br />

times gives 32,768 laminations in geometrical progression, the final number<br />

Carl McClafferty and<br />

Tosho (swordsmith)<br />

Ezawa Toshiharu<br />

examine metal to<br />

be used in a sword,<br />

April 1994.<br />

(Courtesy of Carl<br />

McClafferty)<br />

Sword, Japanese 567

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