Search Results: Sword

Modern reproduction of a medieval sword.

Although the bow and crossbow were the weapons of choice for much of China's history, the sword played its part, especially when warriors were forced to dismount and face the enemy at close quarters. Widely used from around 500 BCE, swords...

Swords used by Japanese samurai were renowned for the craftsmanship which produced strong yet flexible curved steel blades with a single, super-sharp cutting edge. Produced from the 8th century CE onwards and symbolic of the samurai's elevated...

Excalibur is the sword of King Arthur in Sir Thomas Malory's iconic work Le Morte D'Arthur published in in 1485 CE. The sword was originally introduced in Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain (1136 CE) as Caliburnus (or...

The gladius Hispaniensis or Spanish sword was first used by tribes in the Iberian peninsula and, following the Punic Wars, became the standard sword of Roman legionaries from the 2nd century BCE as its relatively short and double-edged blade...

The samurai (also bushi) were a class of warriors that arose in the 10th century in Japan and which performed military service until the 19th century. Elite and highly-trained soldiers adept at using both the bow and sword, the samurai were...

Take-haya-Susa-no-wo or Susanoo is the storm god of the Shinto religion. He is the younger brother of the sun goddess Amaterasu and infamous for his mischievous and sometimes destructive behaviour. Consequently, Susanoo has a reputation for...

The weapons of an English medieval knight in combat included the long sword, wooden lance with an iron tip, metal-headed mace, battle-axe, and dagger. Trained since childhood and practised at tournaments, the skilled knight could inflict...

Two steel-bladed Japanese samurai swords: the longer katana and shorter wakizashi. 18-19th century CE. (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)

Japanese steel katana and scabbard. Decorated with cord, iron, silver, gold, and shibuichi alloy. c. 1596–1615 CE. Yamato, Japan. (Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum)