Different Then Your Mothers Carving Knife

Civilization is made of steel. We live in a world of hardened metal. Autos are built out of steel. We work in steel buildings, ride steel elevators, hide our valuables behind a steel roll up door, or in a steel lock box. Our National defense uses steel weapons and gear. Tanks, missiles, and planes all have steel components. We cook with steel pots and steel ovens. Steel and its uses have helped make us a civilization. There are a lot of great traditions in the manufacturing of steel. One ancient tradition is the art of the Samurai sword.

The ancient art of making the infamous slightly curved sword is ancient and a beloved craft for many of the practitioners. The blade was a samurais status symbol. A warrior cared for his sword like a lover, taking great care, keeping it safe and depending on it in times of crisis. A warrior didnt take a samurai sword lightly. He would find a master craftsman and hope the artisan would honor him with his finest sword.

The sword needed to have many qualities. It needed to be light and strong, agile and resilient . It needs to be balanced and cut through the air with the grace of a lethal dancer. The craftsman would know that he needed to combine several types of alloys to create the perfect mix. The master craftsman would fold the light steel over the heavier steel to provide it strength and the finest edge. An abundance of one could make the sword brittle and susceptible to fracture in battle. An abundance of the other could make the sword heavy and dull. The steel would be folded over many times, with each artisan determining the perfect number as their trade secret. The sword would be heated, cooled and worked into the sharp weapon of legend. The elegant arc of the blade was made when the finest steel contracted bending around the heavier element. The fine ridge down the blade was like the trademark of the craftsman. A connoisseur of ancient weapons would be able to tell the artist by the bend and ridge of the blade.

Stories abound about samurais and their blades. Like stories from the west, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Bonnie and Clyde, the Lone Ranger and Tonto, many of the legends of the east had pairs with names. One name would be for the warrior, the other for his sword. These Blades were often like Stradivarius violins, loved and handed down from generation to generation to those shown worthy of the instrument. Make no mistake, these blades were weapons that could sing through the air and slice through flesh and bone like a razor through butter.

The art and craft of making a samurai sword from steel is a national treasure of Japan. The finest craftsmen are considered artists and are sought out for their work. To ask a craftsman of such skill to make a sword is like asking Picasso to paint your portrait . It can be done, but only with the proper respect, honor and compensation.

Connor R. Sullivan has noticed an increase of steel buildings being used as warehouse space. He decided to use a roll up door in the steel building he is erecting.