Blade-smithing skills and comparing blade quality (across all cultures and periods)

Bob A · 10th June 2019, 11:29 PM

Fascinating topic.

It's not an easy subject to quantify. Determining quality of a blade might be best achieved through actual use as intended; however, not many of us are inclined toward physical combat, mano a mano, sensibly preferring verbal exchanges.

Then there's the question: can one compare battle tools with more carefully crafted exhibition-grade weaponry, in which the smith's talents would be more visible?

My immediate thought is that the best of both worlds might be found in high-quality Japanese swords - elegant, very artful, and deadly effective. I have no exposure other than pictures/museum-ogling to back this up, but certainly their reputation is top-drawer.

I've been impressed with some high-end Ottoman-area work, jambiya/khanjar examples artfully created with wootz steel, as well as an Albanian yatagan cored with 4 rows of rose Damascus with plain(?) steel at top and edge, in a silver niello'd hilt. A lovely sword, though not likely to find its way to a battlefield. This is not to discount the lovely Damascus blades found throughout the Mideast, of similar quality.

Indian workmanship has always impressed me. Treating steel as a plastic medium, gracefully working pattern and shape into tools of beautiful destructiveness, made my first encounters with the products of these ancient smiths full of awe.

The swords and daggers of the Malay Archipelago take quality perhaps a step further, with the utilisation of nickel to create innumerable varieties of pamor, and sculpting the blades to an extent beyond what I have seen from India, though there is certainly plenty of cross-cultural influence going on. Adding a metaphysical, symbolic dimension to these blades may have nothing to do with the quality under discussion, but it goes a certain distance toward illuminating the reasons why such apparently flagrant excess exists in the construction of the keris.

As I ramble on, it seems to me that I tend to equate quality more with elements of design and creative use of material, rather than sheer function and utility. I suppose it's basically adding another layer of skill and effort to the fundamental creation of a blade.

kai · 11th June 2019, 12:57 AM

Hello Bob,

You certainly have a point to emphasize that function may not be limited to mechanical function! Spiritual, talismanic, cultural, etc. functions will affect how quality is perceived in the originating culture and it is important to keep this in mind.

However, since interpretation of these additional functions will usually be limited to the originating culture, they are hard or next to impossible to compare between different periods - much less cultures worldwide. Thus, I'd suggest to keep these additional functions in mind but to concentrate on quality as resulting from blade-smithing craftsmanship and mechanical function for the purpose of this discussion; just a suggestion - keep responses flowing in if you believe something else needs to be discussed, too.

Regards,
Kai

10th June 2019, 11:29 PM	#1
Bob A Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 436	Fascinating topic. It's not an easy subject to quantify. Determining quality of a blade might be best achieved through actual use as intended; however, not many of us are inclined toward physical combat, mano a mano, sensibly preferring verbal exchanges. Then there's the question: can one compare battle tools with more carefully crafted exhibition-grade weaponry, in which the smith's talents would be more visible? My immediate thought is that the best of both worlds might be found in high-quality Japanese swords - elegant, very artful, and deadly effective. I have no exposure other than pictures/museum-ogling to back this up, but certainly their reputation is top-drawer. I've been impressed with some high-end Ottoman-area work, jambiya/khanjar examples artfully created with wootz steel, as well as an Albanian yatagan cored with 4 rows of rose Damascus with plain(?) steel at top and edge, in a silver niello'd hilt. A lovely sword, though not likely to find its way to a battlefield. This is not to discount the lovely Damascus blades found throughout the Mideast, of similar quality. Indian workmanship has always impressed me. Treating steel as a plastic medium, gracefully working pattern and shape into tools of beautiful destructiveness, made my first encounters with the products of these ancient smiths full of awe. The swords and daggers of the Malay Archipelago take quality perhaps a step further, with the utilisation of nickel to create innumerable varieties of pamor, and sculpting the blades to an extent beyond what I have seen from India, though there is certainly plenty of cross-cultural influence going on. Adding a metaphysical, symbolic dimension to these blades may have nothing to do with the quality under discussion, but it goes a certain distance toward illuminating the reasons why such apparently flagrant excess exists in the construction of the keris. As I ramble on, it seems to me that I tend to equate quality more with elements of design and creative use of material, rather than sheer function and utility. I suppose it's basically adding another layer of skill and effort to the fundamental creation of a blade.

11th June 2019, 12:57 AM	#2
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	Hello Bob, You certainly have a point to emphasize that function may not be limited to mechanical function! Spiritual, talismanic, cultural, etc. functions will affect how quality is perceived in the originating culture and it is important to keep this in mind. However, since interpretation of these additional functions will usually be limited to the originating culture, they are hard or next to impossible to compare between different periods - much less cultures worldwide. Thus, I'd suggest to keep these additional functions in mind but to concentrate on quality as resulting from blade-smithing craftsmanship and mechanical function for the purpose of this discussion; just a suggestion - keep responses flowing in if you believe something else needs to be discussed, too. Regards, Kai