Archaeological evidence indicates that swords have existed in Japan for its entire historical period. Short straight swords imported from China and Korea are among the earliest weapons found in historical sites around Japan. After 2000 B.C., when these swords first appeared, the Japanese began making their own swords. Around 700 A.D., Japanese swordsmiths forged the first of what are now considered the finest swords ever made.
The person considered responsible for vastly improving Japanese sword design and manufacture was a smith named Amakuni. Like others in his profession, he was responding to the huge demand for weapons made by local, provincial, and national leaders. Regional conflicts over land rights and issues of power continuously erupted, and, when not warring among themselves, the early Japanese were invading the Korean peninsula or China, or defending themselves against Korean and Chinese For more photographs visit www.corbis.com - All photographs are copyright of their respective owner invaders. Any leader with a supply of superior weapons was at a great advantage, so a constant, long-term effort to find swordmakers improving the craft ensued. The most devoted smiths made the quest for the perfect blade into a lifetime pursuit, and men exist today who devote their lives to the art of swordmaking.