arnisador
10-09-2007, 11:41 PM
The Science and Lore of a Sword for the Ages (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/arts/television/09genz.html?ref=television)
A young woman shoots an arrow directly at her father, a samurai grand master. He slices it in half in midair with his sword.
The program, an installment of the “Nova” series, could have used a few more bits of dazzle to enliven what is essentially a metallurgy clinic. But it’s always interesting, and a little humbling, to examine a preindustrial culture that managed to create something seemingly beyond its level of development.
The samurai warriors and their swords evolved in medieval Japan. The program gives a sketch of the warriors and their mythology but is mostly interested in the weapon: strong, slightly curved and able to hold a fine, lethal edge.
A young woman shoots an arrow directly at her father, a samurai grand master. He slices it in half in midair with his sword.
The program, an installment of the “Nova” series, could have used a few more bits of dazzle to enliven what is essentially a metallurgy clinic. But it’s always interesting, and a little humbling, to examine a preindustrial culture that managed to create something seemingly beyond its level of development.
The samurai warriors and their swords evolved in medieval Japan. The program gives a sketch of the warriors and their mythology but is mostly interested in the weapon: strong, slightly curved and able to hold a fine, lethal edge.