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Razor-sharp that's how it should be, the legendary Samurai sword from Japan.
A German blacksmith shows us how to make such a blade and if it's really able to crush steel.
Now in the "Welt der Wunder" report
The Samurai, Japan's elite warriors
More than thousand years, they lead a legendary weapon into battle
the samurai sword
The Japanese call it Ka-ta-na
A weapon with a soul
Forged by survived traditions
a blade, sharper than any known material
It's said that the force of the blade can easily chop a human body in half
Stefan Roth, one of the best blacksmith of europe, leads us into the secrets of Japanese blacksmithing
If this man makes a samurai sword, he does it with heart and soul
I'm trying to forge it as if the life of it's owner would depend on it
Absolute precision, experience and above all a lot of patience is needed to resurrect this wonder weapon.
The Japanese sword has a legendary reputation worldwide
But is it really true that the long swords of the Teutonic Knights are inferior to the razor sharp weapons of the samurai?
In a battle man against man the blacksmith Stefan Roth would not want to rely just on the sharpness of a Ka-ta-na but much more on the strength of the German blade
In a battle of life and death, I would always choose the German Longsword
In an unprecedented experiment "Welt der Wunder" checks whether the Japanese Super blade is actually better than the German Longsword or not
The origins of the samurai warriors go back to the 8th Century. Their life was marked by a code of honor. The Bushido. The way of the warrior
Honesty, courage, respect and honor are important virtues of a samurai
To respond to these facilities, a warrior must live a life of discipline
In times of peace, the freedom fighters train constantly their martial arts. A samurai begins his rigorous training as a child. He needs to learn to defend himself so he exercises constantly with his father
The training always takes place outdoors. Even in winter, to harden the young samurai even more. With 5 years the young warrior gets his soul. The first own sword
The Hollywood movie "Kill Bill" shows that a hopeless fight can still be won through proper handling of the sword. The Ka-ta-na should be so sharp that it can smash other blades effortlessly
But what makes the samurai sword to the pretended best sword in the world? We reveal the secret of Japanese blacksmithing
Stefan Roth is a blacksmith from passion. For over 14 years he works according to the traditional methods of Japanese blacksmithing. His handmade Katanas are coveted weapons even in Japan.
I work with a very specific attitude on a sword. I assume that the life of it's owner could depend on it
which of course is at the present time not necessary and will probably never happen but this is my basic attitude. The sword is not only a work of art but also a functional weapon. It's not made for decoration
For the blade Stefan Roth takes very high-quality metal. He particularly imported this raw steel nugget from japan
In the heat of the furnace, the nugget is first heated for 5 minutes. At a temparature of about 1000°C
Stefan Roth only uses charcoal for his furnace because his experience showed that only this type of coal allows optimal production of swords
To forge a samurai sword is not just elaborate but also exhausting. Until the sword is finished, a blacksmith working about 2 weeks without a break
Once the crude lumps glows, the assistants must hammer down it gradually. In this case, absolute precision is required. No strike may go wrong
Again and again the blacksmith puts the chunks back into the fire to make them glow again so it can be deformed optimally
In the end, Roth throbs the flat disk with a special hammer. Then it must be cooled in a water bath
Afterwards Stefan Roth breaks the several steel plates into pieces. These fragments are stacked to a package.
The blacksmith wrappes the package with a water-soaked, highly tear-resistant paper and sprinkles it with a yellow liquid clay, sand and water.
This procedure is necessary to prevent internal oxygen during melting between the individual steel plates. Only then the steel can weld perfectly.
In the end, Roth covers the package with the rice straw ash and puts it into the oven. It takes 30 minutes for the yellow liquid to seep in. Then it is heated to about 1200°C
The subsequent hammering welds the individual metal layers together. In this step, the men forge the package to double the length.
Then he notches the steel and folds it.
Up to 15 times he needs to flat the steel plate to the double length and fold it again. This creates several 10.000 layers of steel
The starting material before forging is still relatively contaminated and you have to clean it up by folding. It's like you squeeze the contamination out of the steel. Similarly, as if you kneading bread dough until it's perfect
Now Roth forges the blade about 4 hours. This is how the blade gets it's later length
Stefan Roth's samurai sword is not only solid, but at the same time razor-sharp. On the one hand this requires a soft blade back, on the other hand, an extremely hard cutting edge
The blacksmith has to manage this challange with the hardening of the sword. It is the most difficult step of all
First, he smears a paste of clay and sand on the blade. Much to the back of the blade, just a little on the edge. Later the edge can completely harden in the fire while the back remains soft and flexible
Now the sword is born. That means we now harden the sword. Therefore, it must be dark. So I can exactly see the glow phase of 820°C
To recognize the right temparature just by the color of the glowing steel requires lot of experience
But in assessing the glow color, the light of our camera disturbs the blacksmith
I have to interrupt again. It is too bright I can't see anything
Our camera reaches it's technical limits
Still too bright...
Yes. I see nothing at all
Yes that's good
The temperature in the forge now resembles a sauna. In these minutes nothing can distracted Roth's concentration. One mistake can destroy the blade
The time has come. The blade reached exactly 820°C. In the water it cools down quickly. This creates it's characteristic curve
Perfect. A samurai sword is born.
Stefan Roth is now working out the rough shape of the blade. Then he grinds it up to 8 days until the sword has its Worldwide known sharpness. The extremely hard cutting edge remains longer than any other sword.
Such a samurai sword costs between € 10,000 and € 15,000. For for antique swords Collectors pay even up to € 300,000
The finished sword is not a toy but a deadly weapon
We ask Stafan Roth whether European knight in the Middle Ages would have ever had a chance against the Japanese swordsman. His answer surprised us
If European and Japanese knights would have come into conflict, purely speculative, then the Japanese would have had very very bad cards
The europeans resp. the Germans would have crushed the Japanese with their superior weaponry. Cannons, longbows, catapults etc.
Later we want to test, whether also the swords of the knights exceed the Japanese samurai swords. Now we are interested in how to fight with a Ka-ta-na
Stefan Roth can show us how to do. He's not only an experienced blacksmith but also a very good swordsman.
For more than 37 years, he trains Kin-Jitsu the original Japanese sword fighting
To set the mood Roth and his partner show us how to fight with a "BOKUTO" a Japanese wooden sword
The BOKUTO allows a realistic Practice of the Samurai martial art without hurting himself and others
This technique is a one motion technique, the block and the cut are executed in one motion. I woul cut the opponend in the forehead so that his blood would flow into the eyes
The focus of the Japanese swordfight is not the strength and endurance but speed and precision. For Stafan Roth, it is important that he masters the martial art himself
A good smith should also know how to handle the sword. That would be comparable to a car designer who can not drive a car. How can he build reasonable cars? With swords it's exactly the same
The fight with the Ka-ta-na can be over in a blink
Part of this technique is "Battojutsu" to draw the sword quickly. I block with the back of the blade, then cut into the armpit and turn myself so I can cut into his back
The Samurai sword is an absolutely lethal weapon. Like Tarantino's "Kill Bill" shows. The enemy can be defeated in seconds
But swordsman Roth also studied European weapons fighting techniques. He obviously trust a German sword
In the battle of life and death I would always choose the German Longsword
The German Longsword is in contrast to the Japanese Ka-ta-na little longer and has two sharp blades sides
Therefore with a longsword other techniques are possible, which does not work with the Samurai sword. Stefan Roth and fighting partner Colin Richards show it the european sword fighting school
With this technique we get into the close combat. I grap into the blade, what you can do very well with European swords because they are not really sharp in this area, set on a lever and disarm the opponent
The German Longsword, additionally, has a cross bar over the handle. The so-called guard. This can be used in combat in different ways.
you can hit the opponent in the face during the close combat. You can crush the larynx. You can pull it down and you can use it like a hammer
While the samurai sword is admired worldwide for it's skills, the German- and many other European swords are considered imprecise, rough-hewn and heavy
Stefan Roth is convinced that European Blacksmithing is underestimated. Because archaeological finds show that European swords were very early of excellent quality
There are Roman finds from the 1st Century of blades from the Gladius. This has been the normal short sword of the Legionnaire. These swords were made to hundreds of thousands and there are some specimens that are of excellent quality even though it was mass-produced
Not before the Middle Ages, the Japanese have begun to produce good steel
We now want to find out how the German sword is compared to the Japanese Ka-Ta-na
First, in the test, the sharpness of the swords. How good are the perilous weapons in combat?
Test object 1: bamboo mats as thick as Human thigh
The Samurai sword opens the first cutting test
The original of this weapon is from the 15th Century. It weighs 1100g. It's length 105cm. It's used with two hands. The blade is single-edged.
For such a test the swordsman needs to master his weapon perfectly. You can see Stafan Roth's concentration. If he miss the target, it can cause life-threatening cuts
The cut test shows that the samurai sword is razor sharp. The Ka-ta-na glides through the mats like through butter
It is doubtful whether a European sword can be so sharp
The original of the German long sword is also from the 15th Century. It weighs 300g more and is 15cm longer than the Ka-ta-na. It is also held with 2 hands
Stefan Roth focuses on the test with the long sword
The result is that even the longsword cuts through the bamboo mats. It has a equally deadly sharpness as the Ka-ta-na
As we know today, the European swords were very early perfectly forged weapons based on the constant wars and the exchange of peoples. Nevertheless, the prejudice has always held that the knights were inferior with their swords and their fighting technique to the Japanese
In Japan, the martial arts and the sword forging has survived the centuries and in Europe, this tradition has been lost. Thus this Chiche has emerged that European swords and of course the Knights were very crudely and imprecisely and could not handle it correctly.
But if you take a look at the old sword fighting books, you realize that there was a very sophisticated sword fighting technique in Europe. This is just lost because there has been a weapon evolution. Japan joined the industrial age not before the 19th Century
Thus, the German long sword should not be inferior to the Japanese sword. We will now test the precision of the two arms
to visualize such a fast movements, we use in this test a high-speed camera. It's capable of 2000 frames per second. 80 times more than a normal television camera
Stefan Roth is going to halve a tomato in this test. It is small, soft and of low weight
Thus, the blade has almost no resistance. Can the Ka-ta-na live up to it's reputation again?
These images speak for themselves. Slow motion reveals the scalpel-like sharpness and precision of the blade
How will the German Longsword stand the test?
The surprising result. Also the German Longsword is able to surgically precise cuts
But there is an extreme range in which the samurai sword is considered unique. His outstanding hard edge
it should even be able to divide steel
We show Stefan Roth an excerpt from a Japanese TV show in which a swordsman chopping a metal tube with a samurai sword into two parts
The blacksmith is not impressed at all
The man knows what he's doing. He can handle the sword very good but this is no rocket science
I can show you what I mean
Stefan Roth has found a metal tube, which the right dimensions as in the video. And indeed, for the cutting this tube you don't need necessarily a samurai sword
This isn't art or magic. You can do it with many common objects as I do with the chopper. It just needs a hard edge.
But what about the myth of Tarantino's Kill Bill? The samurai sword can cut through a steel sword blade? Is that really possible?
We want to test it. The Japanese Ka-ta-na to cut a sword blade. The Legend says it can.
But the experiment is extremely dangerous. Shrapnels from the blade could jump out and hurt Stefan Roth. That's why he wears protective clothing
The sparks fly but the clamped sword remains in one piece
The samurai sword, is extremely bent and shows a notch in the blade
Apparently no one has previously tried what everyone says
How will the German Longsword stand this test? Can this blade smashes a sword?
The German longsword cuts the other blade, proving itself to be the true super sword
Stefan Roth feels vindicated. The longsword shows only a small notch
I did not expect otherwise. That's exactly what I suspected
You could immediately continue to fight not so with the Japanese sword
Obviously, it was a legend that s Samurai sword can cut a steel balde
quite the opposite the soft back of the blade can bend quickly in fights
And also the hard cutting edge shows notches like in this historical painting
Sword expert Stefan Roth knows more reasons why the Japanese blacksmiths were not clearly better than the European.
Im Europe people were 1000 years ahead in forging good quality swords
and there is evidence that the Japanese are quite aware of the European quality
From the end of the 16th Century, the Japanese have used European steel. They did that with fondness, because it was qualitatively better than their own
But even today, some Japanese and Europeans forge in the old tradition
The Japanese samurai sword is without doubt a masterpiece but not necessarily better than a German sword
Both cultures perfected their blacksmithing to create for centuries to create a very special weapon
Till this day we can only admire the craft of the old masters