. It was though that the Hito-rei edict of 1876, banning the wearing of japanese sword by Samurai, would have stopped the production of japanese swords. But, through the Hito-rei edict and the ban of sword production by us forces during WWII the japanese sword still lives today. Though this was true very few swordsmiths could earn a solid living on just making swords. But those few, for example Miyamoto Kane nori, were considered living national treasures.
In the 20 th century poor quality swords were mass-produced as weapons for the Japanese army and navy to inspire the troops with a sense of bushido, but as always with mass-produced swords quality was fist to go. These swords had little to no artistic quality and were regularly stamped with either a ‘sho’ or ‘seki’ kanji. These blades have a ‘hamon’ or hardened edge. However on Showa-to it is produced by quenching the hot blade in oil rather than water meaning that the quenching process can be carried out at a much lower temperature thus avoiding blemishes such as edge cracks or even nie. The ‘hamon’ produced is then an imitation and not quite the real thing. These are only collected by such collectors interested in Japanese military.
When us forces came to the homeland in 1945 to democratize Japan they banned the production of Japanese swords as well as the practice of martial arts. No distinction was made between those with artistic and historical merit and Showa-to. The result was that many valuable and historic swords were destroyed out of pure ignorance. It wasn’t until a few years later that there was any easing of the ban and this was for a special dedication to the Ise Grand Shrine which takes place every twenty-five years and had done so for the proceeding one thousand years. The selected swordsmiths for the occasion were honored greatly.
The Essay on Japanese Internment Camps
The first recorded Japanese immigration to Canada was in 1877. By 1901 the population grew to 4,138, mostly single men that came to Canada searching for jobs. As the immigration so did the discrimination against the Japanese. In the two following decades following the arrival of the first immigrants, the Japanese in British Columbia who established themselves in mining, railroading, lumbering and ...
