Japanese Sword Mountings

25 Years of Fantasy Swords in the Movies: a Retrospective

The movie Conan, with Arnold Schwarzenegger, was released in 1982 and The Sword called “The Atlantean” was specifically designed for the movie and for the actor. It was given a major role in the movie because it played a major role in the Conan stories and novels written by Robert E. Howard. The sword itself proved to be very popular and replicas were created for sale on the mass market. Twenty-five years later replicas of the Atlantean are still made and sold. This sword started a whole trend in movie making and today fantasy moviemakers take great care to design, create, and market unique swords as part of the movie and as part of their marketing. This can be seen in the recently released movie 300, which has caused a resurgence in the gladiator type sword. And the new Harry Potter movie will spotlight a sword wielded by Harry himself. This sword replica has already been released and is available in currently limited quantities on the mass market.

The Highlander movies, (First installment released in 1986) are another good example of the sword as a centerpiece of the movie. The swords play a major role in the film plot in that the sword must be used to dispatch a foe, and consequently, to gain the foe’s powers. In the first film a Scottish Claymore was used and as the Highlander moves through time into the present he switches to a highly stylized version of Japanes katanas. This use of the Japanes katana is one of the earliest examples of mass marketing of Japanese Swords and this has been very successfully followed in the Kill Bill movies.

Braveheart (released in 1995) is a good example of using replica swords that stay true to the flavor of the time period they portray. Mel Gibson wields a number of different Weapons that stay accurate to the time of the movie. These weapons include a warhammer and a flail. The most famous of the weapons that he wields is A Flamberge which is a two-handed sword with a leather wrapping around a portion of the blade which allows the user to choke up on the weapon and use it in close combat situations.

Blade (1996-2004) is a series of vampire movies that use a variety of weapons including flailing, and whipping weapons. The primary weapon of the main character (Wesley Snipes) is a Japanese Katana that has the added effect of a booby trap. If a person picks up the weapon they have a few seconds to press a secret button. If they don’t, secret blades pop out of the handle damaging the hand that is holding it. This series of movies are another good example of how the Japanese katana has become very popular in the movies.

Gladiator (2000) is a good example of how the weapons of the high Roman era have made their mark on movies and on the collecting of swords. The Roman Gladius wielded by Maximus (Russell Crowe) is a good example of the weapon that was wielded at the time and it is still a popular choice of weapon collectors.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy of movies (2001 – 2003) have had an impact on the collecting of Movie Swords that goes beyond all other movies. This movie returned the collector to the art of the pure fantasy sword much like the Conan sword. While the trend in movies was to create period accurate replicas this series of movies moved the whole trend toward the creation of fantastic blades that represented the wielders personality. Each major character in the movies has his own or her own weapon. Each weapon is unique, and easily available on the mass market for collectors.

Eragon (2006) continues the tradition of unique fantasy sword in that the main character wields a beautiful sword called Zar’roc. This sword has a blue Sapphire mounted at the base of the hilt and the sword itself has significant power and symbolism. It plays an important role in the movie and an important role in the replica collection world.

The past twenty-five years of filmmaking has given us a wonderful selection of fantasy swords that are both accurate reproductions from the Real Swords of the past and exciting creations of fantasy that never existed except in the minds of writers and blacksmiths. This trend was first started with Conan and over the next twenty-five years we are sure to get an even more incredible selection of weapons and swords in the movies.

About the Author

Want to learn more about Medieval Weapons, Armor, and Castles? Visit the authors website at Medieval – The Medieval Armory

To Learn more about medieval knights, their weapons and how they lived visit his site at The Knight Medieval website

Old footage of WWII German and Japanese swords #4

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J.A. Henckels International Classic Forged 5-Inch Santoku Knife, Hollow Edge $44.94 Henckels Cutlery – Classic Series – Classic Santoku with Black POM Handles. Model: HK20509. 5″ hollow edge blade. European one-piece precision forged design. High quality, no-stain German X50CrMoV15 steel blade with hand honed edge for high initial sharpness and longer cutting edge retention. Black POM handles tightly bonded to the full tang for hygienic, effortless cutting. Also features full bol…

Calphalon Katana Stainless-Steel 10-Inch Diamond Steel $29.99 Named for the sacred sword carried by Japan’s Samurai warriors, Calphalon Katana Series cutlery has its roots in a centuries-old tradition of superior cutlery craftsmanship. Like the awe-inspiring swords wielded by the Samurai, Calphalon Katana Series cutlery is crafted using a time-honored layering process that creates a Damascus style blade, clad with 33 stainless steel layers. This unique serie…

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Cold Steel Recon 1 Tactical Knife with G-10 Handle Tanto Point with Black Blade, ComboEdge $119.99 4 in. Combo tanto blade made from Japanese AUS 8A stainless steel with black Tuff-Ex coating. 5 3/8 in. G-10 handle with Tri-Ad lock ambidextrious pocket clip and thumb stud. Overall length is 9 3/8 in. ATTRIBUTES Blade Detail: ComboEdge Tanto Blade Length (inches): 4.00 Blade Material: AUS8A Black Carry System: Pocket Clip Handle Material: G-10&nb…

Swords $8.33 The ultimate record of swords through the ages, in e-book format From knives and daggers to bayonets and axes, a cutting-edge guide to over 300 of the most important edged weapons from the last 5,000 years. Discover revealing features on twenty iconic’ swords from the short gladius of the Roman Legionary to the North American Bowie knife. You’ll learn all about legendary warriors and witness the cut-and-thrust of deadly sword duels. Find out about how weapons were made and where, plus admire ceremonial weapons, made for display, not war. Meet famous warriors through history and the weapons they used, from the finely crafted swords of the Japanese samurai to the brutal bayonet of the World War I infantryman. It’s the essential visual history of swords.

The Connoisseurs Book of Japanese Swords $65.08 Recently Japanese swords have gained enormous popularity as art objects with collectors and enthusiasts around the world, but until now much of the most detailed information on the subject has been available only in Japanese. This comprehensive guide to the appreciation and appraisal of the blades of Japanese swords provides, at last, all the background that readers need to become true connoisseurs. The book is organized along historical lines for the sake of clarity and convenience, and its approach is always practical. Broad discussions of each tradition within the Gokaden focus on the features that distinguish specific schools and smiths-the various kinds of jihada, hamon, boshi, and hataraki favored in different periods and regions-making this an invaluable reference tool for all enthusiasts, especially those who wish to take part in kantei-kai, or sword appreciation meetings. Each section closes with an easy reference chart summarizing the distinctive features of the work of various schools and smiths. The chapter on terminology gives advice on what to look for when examining the different parts of a blade, again making reference to the unique features of particularly significant smiths. The chapter on care and appraisal of blades tells precisely how to handle blades and what to expect at a sword appraisal meeting, including an explanation of all the various responses that a judge may give in response to a bid. Richly illustrated throughout with more than 550 of the author’s own painstaking oshigata illustrations-sword tracings onto which details are penciled in by hand-The Connoisseur’s Book of Japanese Swords is easily the most informative and comprehensive guide to the blades of Japanese swords ever to appear in English. Kokan Nagayama, who is widely recognized as one of the foremost living sword polishers, compiled the notes for this book over the course of many years spent teaching the arts of polishing and appraisal. Nagayama-sensei is widely recognized as one of the foremost living sword polishers and is a veteran teacher of both polishing and appraisal. Here in one accessible volume he distills the store of knowledge he has gained over a lifetime of intensive research. "Nagayama-sensei and his senior pupils have for many years now taken an enlightened approach to study of Japanese swords outside of Japan. They have been of great assistance to collectors here in Great Britain and in other countries, traveling and living abroad, organizing exhibitions, teaching us and polishing our swords, always in an altruistic spirit. This translation is another example of this same approach. In the past we have often struggled on our own or in small groups to gain an understanding of this peculiarly Japanese cultural asset, and with many of the definitive books on the subject still untranslated, a wealth of information has in the past been inaccessible to the non-Japanese reader. The Connoisseur’s Book of Japanese Swords will

Chinese Swords $68.51 High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles Chinese swords have a long history in China. Stone swords were used in prehistoric times. Bronze swords have been traced back to the bronze daggers of the Western Zhou period, but did not come into common use until the Eastern Zhou period. Bronze long swords suddenly appeared during the midthird century BC. Later swords were made of iron or steel. These metals were wrought, never cast. Swords commonly reached a length of 70100 cm, although longer swords have been found. Chinese iron swords were used in Japan from the third to sixth century AD, but were replaced with Korean and native Japanese swords by the middle of the Heian era. Author: Miller, Frederic P./ Vandome, Agnes F./ McBrewster, John Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 88 Publication Date: 2010/07/10 Language: English Dimensions: 5.98 x 9.01 x 0.21 inches

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