The swords of the eastern empires from Arabia to Japan have been revered for centuries as some of the deadliest weapons ever conceived by man. The superb steal work of the Damascus blades and the Japanese Samurai swords have until recently baffled western smiths. The curved blades and differences in fighting styles have usually left western soldiers surprised or dead.

Eastern swords can come in a number of forms. First there is the Arabic sword, the epitome of which is the Damascus blade. These swords were lighter and shorter then the broadswords used by the crusaders, yet smaller men who were trained in their use could inflict serious damage on the larger armored European knights. This was due in part to the desert conditions that the knights were not prepared for, but also the exceptional strength of the Damascus swords and their curved blades. The curved blade, when used with a drawing cut instead of the thrust or falling cut used by the knights, can effectively increase the cutting ability of the weapon by a factor of four. The Samurai Sword is the next noteworthy weapon. The Japanese Samurai Sword is often considered one of the most elegant weapons. They were not as curved as the Arabic blades but the swordsmen still used the drawing cut and in combination with their own complex martial arts, they could be very deadly.

A Samurai Sword

An Eastern Monk performing martial arts

Movie Clip

This is a Movie clip of a eastern sword fighting style.