There are many living and
true stories about the
samurai. It filled us with awe when we held the
John Lee "Last Samurai" katana in our hands. Above all, the story behind this samurai sword affects the warrior, the warrior.
Saigo Takamori (January 23, 1828, † September 24, 1877) was advisor, general and leader of the imperial troops in the Boshin Warrior, in which he commanded over 50,000 samurai. He was an opponent of the modernization of Japan and spoke out against opening trade with the West. In October 1873, Saigo Takamori finally broke with the government and returned to Satsuma, where he led a secluded and contemplative life for some time. With the rebellion of the samurai of the south against the government in Tokyo, the "country life for Saigo ended. The samurai were deprived of all privileges and lost the right to carry swords. Saigo Takamori was raised by the rebels to their leader. The rebellion should be against judge "the bad advisors".
The
new imperial army with 40,000 men - equipped with the most modern weapons, faced
20,000 samurai with their traditional weapons, which the imperial army successfully engaged in many battles over several months. After many unsuccessful sieges and retreat skirmishes with many losses, the number of samurai had shrunk to 400 men after 7 months of fighting and battle. On September 23, 1877, the samurai prepared for the final battle against the imperial arms. The samurai danced and wrote farewell poems: "How beautiful to die like colorful leaves that fall in Tasuya". The samurai fell at a brutal speed. They had no chance against the hail of fire from modern weapons - from the West. Saigo Takamori was also badly wounded and asked a comrade to behead him to prevent his capture and thus dishonor. The popularity of the last Samura Saigo Takamori soon increased among the population, so that the government could not avoid pardoning him posthumously. His tomb in Kagoshima is still a place of pilgrimage to this day. Saigo's last stand against the Meiji government formed the basis for the 2003 US feature film "
Last Samurai".
- Shinogi-zukuri-style blade with fuller (Bo-Hi), hand-forged from 1045 carbon steel.
- The blade is blunted with an integrated Hamon line for a particularly authentic look.
- Handle wrapped in black cotton in the classic Hineri-Maki style.
- Black, high-gloss lacquered scabbard (Kuroro style) made of wood.
- With a long tang, which is fixed in the handle with 2 bamboo pins (Mekugi). The sword can thus be fully dismantled.
- No plastic is used, only high-quality, authentic materials are used.
- Blade clamp (Habaki) and washers (Seppa) are made of brass.
- The traditional handle wrapping is underlaid with real ray skin.
- All ornaments (tsuba, fuchi, menuki, kashira) are made of metal.
- Supplied with a protective cover made of fabric and in an attractive collector's box including a high-gloss lacquered wooden stand lined with velvet and a care set.
- Every original John Lee sword comes with a seal and a certificate.
Please note: The John Lee "Last Samurai" katana is extra blunted!
Characteristics:
Handle length 28 cm | Blade length 73 cm | Total length (without scabbard) 101 cm | Weight (without scabbard) 1000 g | Weight with scabbard 1250 g
