The Japanese sword, more commonly know as the Samurai
sword, was a superb weapon. Its unique edge-tempering
(compared to the full-blade tempering of the famous Toledo
and Damascus swords of Europe) allowed a degree of hardness
and razor-sharpness impossible to attain in European swords
without danger of brittleness and breakage. The fear and
respect which the Japanese warrior and his sword inspired
among Oriental foes is recorded in many contemporary
accounts. But beyond its quality as a w eapon, the Japanese
sword is important as one of history's finest expressions
of the meatalworker's art.