If any sword could be categorized at the top of the "If this sword could only talk!" list ........this would be it. Mr. Hurst's sensitivity and knowledge is extremely heart warming.............gives you hope for the future.................
The history of how it came to the Royal Armoury itself must be fascinating,on top of its ancient history. That place in Leeds is a national treasure for British history.
Really cool sword and video. One comment just on general production, the audio is REALLY low on this video compared to other general youtube videos. To make out what was being said I had to turn my speakers up significantly, and make sure to turn them back down before I watch anything else.
A fascinating part of the process is the fact the blade traditionally is not forged into it's curved shape, they're forged straight and the quenching warps the metal back towards the softer material in the spine of blade giving them their curve.
Go look at more videos of traditional swords Smiths adding the clay and you will see the swords are normally curved before the quench. The final amount of curve occurs in the quench as it sabers in the heat treatment.
I mean, not a bad choice. The French Army was quite strong for centuries, up until the end of WW1. Obviously the Royal Navy was peerless for centuries. Should have chosen the American Constitution, though.
@@reliantncc1864 I'm no professional on the matter, but I don't think a country that had a tradition of isolation and deference to authority for centuries (and in many ways, still defer to authority quite heavily) would receive an American style constitution all that well. Especially considering that they missed out on a lot of social, political, and philosophical development that the Enlightenment brought to Europe, despite rapidly modernizing in terms of technology.
Dude needs to write this on the blackboard 100X: Sakura Sakura (traditional song). Sakura, sakura, noyama mo sato mo, miwatasu kagiri, kasumi ka, kumo ka, asahi ni nio. Sakura, sakura, hanazakari.
@@zXPeterz14 A katana is intended to be used most effectively with two hands, its your left hand that's supposed to pull the blade through the target and your right hand controlling the movement. I trained in kenjutsu some years ago and only a few were one-handed strikes, everything else was two-handed.
Thanks Scot (and team), that was really interesting. Carrying a 600 year old heirloom with them when going away on military service sounds very unlike anything that UK landed gentry would have done.
In german Wehrgeschichtliches Museum ( Museum of military history) at Rastatt, there is a saber of an Imperial german Admiral. German hilt, japanese blade. Of course, the tang is to long for a one hand hilt/ grip, the distance between guard and blade is filled with a piece of copper or perhaps bronce.
With how you described that bit of 19th century history, I wonder how much the decline of Japanese sword making contributed to a feeling of outright superiority of "traditional" historical japanese blades which has then kind of snowballed out of its context. I imagine even people at the time some people would have been trying to equate the poor quality of many of the "new" japanese swords with "western ways" as well. I could easily see that being the start of the mythologising
I would love to know if these type of swords were continued in WW2? We know that the Japanese also made swords out of cheaper materials too during the war but I'm truly wondering if these 19th century European styled types were also handed down, too? Such a wonderful piece . 😮
Well, their antique swords were already pretty bad quality materials. At any rate, what they did was to re-purpose antique pre-Meji swords after new Gunto style, as well as building new Gunto style swords using powerhammers rather than their traditional blacksmiths. This particular sword, if somehow returned to Japan, would likely be returned to pre-Meji specifications and put on display or some such.
In short : yes. The Japanese military continued to specify officers and NCO's have swords. The models and materials changed some as WWII depleted supplies. But officers still carried and used swords, till the very end ( along with using them in some pretty gruesome atrocities along the way ( see : Nanking 1937 i.e. )).
Oh, god, Royal Armouries, please fix your sound levels. I have both RUclips and my Windows volume cranked to the max and I can't hear the video over the sound of my keyboard as I type this comment. On point, this sword is fascinating! Placing this weapon between a traditional katana and a WW2 NCO's sword, one can really see the shift from traditional to Westernisation and then the backlash that resulted.
Second some of the other comments. Would love to find out where this came from and how it ended up at the museum. Any link to Thomas Blake Glover, for example?
Beautiful sword. Thank you to Scot Hurst and The Royal Armouries for showing this ! I wonder if any of the weapons from famous British archeological sites are shown in the Royal Armouries collection? ( like Sutton Hoo, "bog men" sites, etc.) ☺
It probably is a chrysanthemum, it is the marking that they use to indicate that it is property of the Imperial Army. Having said that, it is visually dissimilar from what you find on WW2 rifles.
@@tonkatsu72 No, the flower on Japanese military swords, both kyugunto and the shingunto are sakura. The double-flowered yaezakura with 10 petals vs 5 is the specific flower used on earlier sword fittings however the simpler 5 petal version started to be used in late WWII production fittings. The chrysanthemum, in particular, the 16 petaled imperial chrysanthemum is part of Japanese iconography and was used on the Arisaka rifle as well as it's accompanying bayonet, but the military sword fittings were all cherry blossom.
@@Flying0Dismount My mistake. I did some poking around too. It looks like you can tell the different areas of operation the sword was from based on the symbol on the hilt. A ten petal sakura was Imperial Army, the Taiwan occupation force was two hollow triangles connected at the base and Korea is a plant symbol I don't recognize. All these weird rabbit holes the internet will take you when you should be doing something else with your time.
Fascinating video, thank you. Have you ever received requests to return family heirlooms to original owners' descendents? And how would you assess or address such requests, are there common policies for that situation?
@@acacac557 Judge Bert Röling, who represented the Netherlands at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, noted that "many of the commanders and guards in POW camps were Koreans - the Japanese apparently did not trust them as soldiers - and it is said that they were sometimes far more cruel than the Japanese."
I had no idea people would replace the blades on swords like this. I'd seen something similar to this in a game and I figured it was just artistic license. I wonder if it was just coincidence or if they based it on the idea that some officers would replace their sword blades like this.
Swordhilt sets are generally always removable in some way or another, in order to be repaired, redecorated, symbology changed and so on. The classic bare wood set that's sometimes seen for Katana is the set up when the blade is to be stored
Obviously a heirloom, whether or not anyone is left to claim it is another issue entirely. With no marks on it, have you tried analyzing/x-raying the tang? Could be they were ground off during the Gunto-conversion, either way I'm sure someone in Japan really wants it lol. If it was made as a Gunto out of a bar of steel on a powerhammer however, different story, Japan actually destroys those when returned, regardless of their legacy.
That thing is HIDEOUS! I really think the museum could enhance the value of its purchase if they re-mounted this fine blade in a nicely made, traditional 14th century Japanese hilt.
Another fun video, and whilst I enjoy videos featuring Johnathon, its nice to see other. Unfortunately there is still a persistant issue of sound quality/volume in these videos.
@@scottwatrous Normalizing volume generally doesn't get you very far, because people don't speak at a constant volume. You also need to add compression, and that can be challenging and/or expensive. Same thing goes for a "proper microphone setup," as they need to have the camera far from the presenter in order to show the object. As a non-profit, they probably have neither the budget to buy the necessary software/equipment nor the personnel with the expertise and time to set up and use it.
I wonder if any of the people that run this channel wish our firearms laws weren't so restrictive or if they too peddle the notion the general public shouldn't have access to these relics of freedom.
![ROSÉ(로제) - APT. (Band VER.) (With. 이영지) [더 시즌즈-이영지의 레인보우] | KBS 241129 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IW8qaemx74g/mqdefault.jpg)
If any sword could be categorized at the top of the "If this sword could only talk!" list ........this would be it. Mr. Hurst's sensitivity and knowledge is extremely heart warming.............gives you hope for the future.................
The history of how it came to the Royal Armoury itself must be fascinating,on top of its ancient history. That place in Leeds is a national treasure for British history.
Really cool sword and video. One comment just on general production, the audio is REALLY low on this video compared to other general youtube videos. To make out what was being said I had to turn my speakers up significantly, and make sure to turn them back down before I watch anything else.
Really nice presentation, I like when people talk passionately about their favourite thing.
I love the royal armouries
Excellent video. Thank you.
Would love to know the story behind the sword - how did it end up in the armoury?
A fascinating part of the process is the fact the blade traditionally is not forged into it's curved shape, they're forged straight and the quenching warps the metal back towards the softer material in the spine of blade giving them their curve.
Go look at more videos of traditional swords Smiths adding the clay and you will see the swords are normally curved before the quench. The final amount of curve occurs in the quench as it sabers in the heat treatment.
Great video. Well presented by Scot. More of these please!
That description of a Samurai's soul brought a tear to my eye.
How could you hear anything?
@@Law0086the soul of the blade can be heard by all who listen (Noh theater noises)
This might be my new favourite sword
Army modelled after France, Navy modelled after Britain, constitution modelled after Prussia.
What an interesting time for Japan.
I mean, not a bad choice. The French Army was quite strong for centuries, up until the end of WW1. Obviously the Royal Navy was peerless for centuries. Should have chosen the American Constitution, though.
@@reliantncc1864 : After french defeat in 1870/71 German - French war, german military advisers came to Japan.
@@reliantncc1864 I'm no professional on the matter, but I don't think a country that had a tradition of isolation and deference to authority for centuries (and in many ways, still defer to authority quite heavily) would receive an American style constitution all that well.
Especially considering that they missed out on a lot of social, political, and philosophical development that the Enlightenment brought to Europe, despite rapidly modernizing in terms of technology.
@@brittakriep2938Franco-Prussian war was great advertising for Ludwig Loewe
@@brittakriep2938Prussian constitution is probably more appealing to a militaristic and autocratic country
Brilliant thanks for sharing with us 👍
Which makes this blade being in a British museum rather heartbreaking. The ancestral connection to this families lineage has been broken.
exactly what i say
would have to go back too jap ancestors if any remain
cant even be hard too trace with a history like that blade
I am relatively certain that that is not a lotus flower but rather a cherry blossom
Dude needs to write this on the blackboard 100X:
Sakura Sakura (traditional song).
Sakura, sakura, noyama mo sato mo, miwatasu kagiri, kasumi ka, kumo ka, asahi ni nio. Sakura, sakura, hanazakari.
Oh look, someone with my dream job. Thanks for the video, Scot.
Sound just fine to my ears.
The Kyu Gunto is really cool. A combination of a Katana blade and grip, and western military saber styling.
What do you mean "mix of a katana and two-handed grip"? Katana are already designed for primarily two-handed use
@@agentj3627pretty sure katanas are more hand and a half swords
@@zXPeterz14 A katana is intended to be used most effectively with two hands, its your left hand that's supposed to pull the blade through the target and your right hand controlling the movement. I trained in kenjutsu some years ago and only a few were one-handed strikes, everything else was two-handed.
More episodes on swords please
A Crusaders sword next please - really enjoying these episodes
Thanks Scot (and team), that was really interesting. Carrying a 600 year old heirloom with them when going away on military service sounds very unlike anything that UK landed gentry would have done.
In german Wehrgeschichtliches Museum ( Museum of military history) at Rastatt, there is a saber of an Imperial german Admiral. German hilt, japanese blade. Of course, the tang is to long for a one hand hilt/ grip, the distance between guard and blade is filled with a piece of copper or perhaps bronce.
With how you described that bit of 19th century history, I wonder how much the decline of Japanese sword making contributed to a feeling of outright superiority of "traditional" historical japanese blades which has then kind of snowballed out of its context. I imagine even people at the time some people would have been trying to equate the poor quality of many of the "new" japanese swords with "western ways" as well. I could easily see that being the start of the mythologising
I would love to know if these type of swords were continued in WW2? We know that the Japanese also made swords out of cheaper materials too during the war but I'm truly wondering if these 19th century European styled types were also handed down, too? Such a wonderful piece . 😮
Well, their antique swords were already pretty bad quality materials.
At any rate, what they did was to re-purpose antique pre-Meji swords after new Gunto style, as well as building new Gunto style swords using powerhammers rather than their traditional blacksmiths.
This particular sword, if somehow returned to Japan, would likely be returned to pre-Meji specifications and put on display or some such.
In short : yes. The Japanese military continued to specify officers and NCO's have swords. The models and materials changed some as WWII depleted supplies. But officers still carried and used swords, till the very end ( along with using them in some pretty gruesome atrocities along the way ( see : Nanking 1937 i.e. )).
Oh, god, Royal Armouries, please fix your sound levels. I have both RUclips and my Windows volume cranked to the max and I can't hear the video over the sound of my keyboard as I type this comment.
On point, this sword is fascinating! Placing this weapon between a traditional katana and a WW2 NCO's sword, one can really see the shift from traditional to Westernisation and then the backlash that resulted.
Second some of the other comments. Would love to find out where this came from and how it ended up at the museum.
Any link to Thomas Blake Glover, for example?
Beautiful sword. Thank you to Scot Hurst and The Royal Armouries for showing this !
I wonder if any of the weapons from famous British archeological sites are shown in the Royal Armouries collection? ( like Sutton Hoo, "bog men" sites, etc.)
☺
Is that a vintage Casio watch you're wearing? (Or a rival.) I half-recognize it. What model is it?
Volume is absolutely scuffed but otherwise interesting.
Conner's Highlander blade! There can be only one!
Nice!
Those are Sakura, the cherry blossom, NOT lotus flowers
Lotus flowers are traditional imagery of Japan, from Buddhism's 'Lotus Sutra', but I also thought it was Sakura.
It probably is a chrysanthemum, it is the marking that they use to indicate that it is property of the Imperial Army. Having said that, it is visually dissimilar from what you find on WW2 rifles.
@@tonkatsu72 chrysanthemum typically have a lot more petals. Five would be too few, I would think.
@@tonkatsu72 No, the flower on Japanese military swords, both kyugunto and the shingunto are sakura. The double-flowered yaezakura with 10 petals vs 5 is the specific flower used on earlier sword fittings however the simpler 5 petal version started to be used in late WWII production fittings.
The chrysanthemum, in particular, the 16 petaled imperial chrysanthemum is part of Japanese iconography and was used on the Arisaka rifle as well as it's accompanying bayonet, but the military sword fittings were all cherry blossom.
@@Flying0Dismount My mistake. I did some poking around too. It looks like you can tell the different areas of operation the sword was from based on the symbol on the hilt. A ten petal sakura was Imperial Army, the Taiwan occupation force was two hollow triangles connected at the base and Korea is a plant symbol I don't recognize. All these weird rabbit holes the internet will take you when you should be doing something else with your time.
The ancestors are now sad being stored in a museum backrooms
It's better than being rusted away in an unknown river in Egypt
The audio was really low. I could barely hear what he was saying.
It'd be nice to watch if I could hear whats going on. I guess the city I live in is too loud. 😅
Very soft audio. Hard to tell what's going on sometimes.
Agreed. Had to turn my RUclips volume all the way up.
Fascinating video, thank you. Have you ever received requests to return family heirlooms to original owners' descendents? And how would you assess or address such requests, are there common policies for that situation?
@@acacac557 Judge Bert Röling, who represented the Netherlands at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, noted that "many of the commanders and guards in POW camps were Koreans - the Japanese apparently did not trust them as soldiers - and it is said that they were sometimes far more cruel than the Japanese."
sound level is too low
Weird hybrid blade
guns are fun but I hope we get a lot more blades
The psycho in me likes the weapons and the cultured person in me likes a British voice talking History
The flowers are cherry flowers
Nathan Algren's sword
The swiss sabers
cool
I had no idea people would replace the blades on swords like this. I'd seen something similar to this in a game and I figured it was just artistic license. I wonder if it was just coincidence or if they based it on the idea that some officers would replace their sword blades like this.
Swordhilt sets are generally always removable in some way or another, in order to be repaired, redecorated, symbology changed and so on.
The classic bare wood set that's sometimes seen for Katana is the set up when the blade is to be stored
Obviously a heirloom, whether or not anyone is left to claim it is another issue entirely.
With no marks on it, have you tried analyzing/x-raying the tang? Could be they were ground off during the Gunto-conversion, either way I'm sure someone in Japan really wants it lol.
If it was made as a Gunto out of a bar of steel on a powerhammer however, different story, Japan actually destroys those when returned, regardless of their legacy.
It's a British museum, you think they're just gonna start giving shit back?
@@none-ofthat7997 I know what you're getting at "Gun beats spear" 😆
Japanese Sword makers now spinning in their graves.
That thing is HIDEOUS! I really think the museum could enhance the value of its purchase if they re-mounted this fine blade in a nicely made, traditional 14th century Japanese hilt.
Feeding algorithm.
All the Jedi.
how did they get that swords? typical royals
sooooo who's was it? how'd you get it? Why do you still have it? etc..... Ya know the history of the sword instead of just weeb loves katanas
bet you could trace that sword
defo would have to go back too its japanese family better than royal mint
ancestors deserve it back
That blade has a lot of flaws within it, a students blade perhaps.
:)
Second 😂
Why is this not where it belongs?
Another fun video, and whilst I enjoy videos featuring Johnathon, its nice to see other. Unfortunately there is still a persistant issue of sound quality/volume in these videos.
That would be the environmental controls to preserve the collection. There’s not a lot they can do about it, without risking some of the older items
@@LiveDonkeyDeadLionthat's nothing to do with proper microphone setup and settings or normalizing volume in the edit.
@@scottwatrous Normalizing volume generally doesn't get you very far, because people don't speak at a constant volume. You also need to add compression, and that can be challenging and/or expensive. Same thing goes for a "proper microphone setup," as they need to have the camera far from the presenter in order to show the object. As a non-profit, they probably have neither the budget to buy the necessary software/equipment nor the personnel with the expertise and time to set up and use it.
I wonder if any of the people that run this channel wish our firearms laws weren't so restrictive or if they too peddle the notion the general public shouldn't have access to these relics of freedom.
I wonder if Japanese swords are relics of oppression...