p { margin-bottom: 0.25cm; line-height: 120%; }a:link { }
There are a lot of cultures around the world which started developing sword right from the 1st century. Out of these, Japanese & Korean swords have managed to gain massive popularity. In this post, we will be specifically talking about these swords.
1. Swordsmithing started in the 1st century: Both Japanese & Korean swords were first manufactured around the 1st century. Korean swords were manufactured first in 1st century and were known as Hwandudaedo. These swords lasted till the 6th century. As these were considered very rare, they were just reserved for the royalty. However, during the 5th century, they became more accessible to the higher class.
2. Different type of swords: When you’re speaking about the Korean swords, it does not just incorporate a single type of swords. There are plenty of them, some of which are as follows:
– Geom sword, which had short blades with a double edge.
– The To sword, which was a military sword.
– The ssangsudo, which was manufactured in the 17th century as a double-edged sword.
These are just a few of the multiple types of Korean swords. Over the rich Korean history more than 15 different type of swords were produced which varied in their architecture as well as the usage. Many of these swords can now be found in the museums, as very few specimens of such swords are available all over the world. Most people think that Japanese & Korean swords are one and the same, but it is not true at all, as Koreans had their own art of swordsmithing which was starkly different as compared to the Japanese art of swordsmithing.The Korean history has numerous mentions of the rich swordsmithing heritage which it utilized to build swords for centuries.
3. Rank of swords: When you’re looking at the Korean history, you would realize that the quality and workmanship reached its peak in the Joseon era. During this time-period, even swords had ranks. The highest ranking sword was known as Byeol-ungeom which meant the sword which could split clouds. Only 2 such swords were manufactured and these were reserved only for the personal bodyguards of the king.
Most of the swords had varied ranks, which further depended upon the people for whom they were manufactured. So if you’re not familiar with the Korean sword history, these attributes would have surely surprised you.