The Three Wise Monkeys is a popular symbol of the See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil proverb popular in many cultures around the world. The proverb itself is thought to have originated in China and was brought to Japan by a Buddhist monk, while the association with three monkeys appears to be a Japanese play on words. Our Three Monkey Katana (SH2329) and Wakizashi (SH2330) are built on traditional Shinogi Zukuri style blades with Bo-Hi to reduce weight and improve balance. The high-carbon blade is hand forged and differentially hardened. The blackened iron Tsuba features the Three Wise Monkeys in relief.
In Japan the traditional method of serving tea is a celebrated art form in itself. This highly ritualized ceremony is an involved process, the most elaborate of which can last hours and is reserved for the most distinguished of guests. Our Tea Culture Daisho (SH2331, SH2332) captures the essence of this important tradition. The Katana and Wakizashi are built upon a traditional Shinogi Zukuri style blade with Bo-Hi. The high-carbon blade is hand forged and differentially hardened using the traditional clay method. The Koshirae (furniture) feature the typical elements present in a Japanese tea ceremony. The handle is wrapped with suede leather in a Katati Make (battle wrap) style.
In Japan the traditional method of serving tea is a celebrated art form in itself. This highly ritualized ceremony is an involved process, the most elaborate of which can last hours and is reserved for the most distinguished of guests. Our Tea Culture Daisho (SH2331, SH2332) captures the essence of this important tradition. The Katana and Wakizashi are built upon a traditional Shinogi Zukuri style blade with Bo-Hi. The high-carbon blade is hand forged and differentially hardened using the traditional clay method. The Koshirae (furniture) feature the typical elements present in a Japanese tea ceremony. The handle is wrapped with suede leather in a Katati Make (battle wrap) style.
Our all new Practical Fencing Longsword (or Federschwert) is based on classical training pieces used in Renaissance Europe. This uniquely styled sword is featured in many period fencing manuals and is rapidly gaining popularity with modern practitioners of European martial arts. Designed in conjunction with the OCHS historic fencing organization in Germany, our Federschwert optimizes all of the balance and flexibility characteristics required for serious pursuit of this historic art.
Our Tang Sword is a Jian that exemplifies the artistry and symbolism in Chinese culture across many generations. The proportions and balance of the sword will appeal to the Taijiquan practitioner, while the unique fittings and decoration will establish its place in many collections. The lion-dog guard is fashioned after the shoulder guards of the Mingguang Armour, an important armour suit dating from the Tang dynasty, while the handle is wrapped in leather over ray skin in a traditional Chinese style for a superior grip. The diamond-section blade has both profile and distal tapers, making for a very quick sword, and is engraved with an ancient dragon pattern over most of its length,. The wooden scabbard is decorated in figured brass and is provided with a belt attachment. The throat of the scabbard fits snugly into the mouth of the lion-dog, an interesting and unique feature!
The deeply curved blade of the Scimitar recalls battles between the Saracen and Crusader. The hardwood grips and hawksbill pommel are typical of the originals and create the perfect balance that makes this piece essential equipment for Eastern dance practitioners. Made by Hanwei. Blade length: 31� Handle length: 4 �� Overall length: 38� Weight: 3lb 2oz
Price: 163.00
The Praying Mantis is a symbol of cunning and power in Japanese culture and is consequently a highly respected theme in Samurai swords. Built on our new L6/Bainite blade (detailed below) in the Shobu Zukuri style with Bo-Hi, and featuring superb koshirae, the Praying Mantis is a very desirable and functional piece. The subdued green silk ito and deep brown of the lacquered saya provide handsome contrast to the dark copper and golden accents of the tsuba, fuchi and kashira. The stalking mantis lies in wait for his next prey, mirroring the power and grace in this exceptional katana. Bainite is a structure of high-carbon steel that combines great strength with excellent flexibility and shock absorption characteristics. It has been known as an exemplary Katana blade component for a number of years but its use has been restricted to a few top-class master smiths, due to the difficulties involved in performing the exacting heat treatment procedures necessary for the production of a Bainite blade body in combination with the very hard Martensite Yakiba (edge section) required for Katana blades. Hanwei has now mastered this difficult process, using billets of L-6 tool steel (a very tough high-carbon low-alloy steel) as a starting point. Blades are forged and shaped in the normal way, then carefully heat treated to achieve the required Bainite and Martensite structures before final polishing. Key Features: * L6/Bainite Shobu Zukuri Blade * Traditional Construction * High Quality Koshirae Specifications: Blade length: 29� Handle length: 11� Overall length: 41� Weight: 2lb 8oz Specs will vary slightly from piece to piece.
Price: 1649.99
The Story of the 47 Ronin is one of the most celebrated and influential tales of the Samurai from the Edo period. Lord Asano was a powerful Daimyo ordered by the Shogun to entertain guests of the Imperial Family. The highest ranking master of protocol, Kira, was given the task of teaching Asano, among others, proper matters of etiquette in this task. Lord Asano and Kira quickly grew to dislike each other and the teacher insulted his student at every opportunity. No longer able to contain himself, Asano drew his sword upon Kira, wounding him in the attack. This act led to Asano�s ordered suicide (seppuku) and the confiscation of his property. On December 14, 1702, nearly one year after Asano�s death, 47 of Asano�s men (now Ronin), descended upon the mansion of Kira to exact their revenge. After a fierce battle, the Ronin demanded that Kira commit seppuku for his transgressions against their former master. When he refused he was beheaded. For their actions the Ronin were themselves sentenced to death by seppuku. They are buried together at the Sengakuji, offering a true testament to the loyalty inherent in the Samurai. Our Ronin Koshirae Katana captures the spirit of Lord Asano�s 47 Ronin. The blackened iron Tsuba depicts Asano�s followers on their vengeful march. The blade is hand forged & folded Swedish powder steel with Hi in a traditional Shinogi Zukuri style. Key Features: * Folded High-Carbon Blade * Authentically constructed * Quality fittings Specifications: Blade length: 28 �� Handle length: 11� Overall length: 40 �� Weight: 2lb 7oz Specs will vary slightly from piece to piece.
Price: 1349.99
This new cutting Katana, available as a limited edition from Hanwei is designed specifically for the martial artist that needs a sword for the demands of rigorous cutting. The Wind and Thunder by Hanwei features heavier and thicker blades with traditional furniture and fittings. KEY FEATURES: Thick & Heavy Blade Hand-forged High Carbon Steel Blade Great for Tameshigiri MEASUREMENTS: Blade length: 29 1/2� Handle length: 11 3/4� Product width: 1.41 Overall length: 42� Weight: 3lb 5oz Thickness: .310
Price: 776.99
Each piece in the Tsunami Series (SH5004, SH5002, & SH5022) is stylized with the renowned Tomoe motif. The tsuba, fuchi, & kashira are made of black iron and marked with the Tomoe crest (mon). The blades are hand-forged from T10 high-carbon steel and are differentially tempered using traditional claying methods. The temper line (hamon) is evident and prominent. Each piece has a deeply lacquered black saya with a one-piece brass habaki construction. Real ray skin (same) is used on the tsuka, and the tsuka-ito and sageo are made of premium woven Japanese black cotton. The katana and wakizashi are constructed with a large o-kissaki and are ideal for cutting exercises (tameshigiri). The handle on the tanto is an attractive ribbed buffalo horn. KEY FEATURES: * High-carbon steel * Deeply lacquered black saya * Ideal for cutting exercises MEASUREMENTS: HANDLE LENGTH: 6 1/2 inches OVERALL LENGTH: 26 1/2 inches WEIGHT: 1lb 11oz THICKNESS: .29 inches
Price: 527.99
Each piece in the Wind & Thunder Set (SH5001 & SH5003) has a hand-forged 1065 high-carbon steel blade (nagasa) and is differentially tempered using a traditional claying method. The blades in the set feature a large o-kissaki. The Wind & Thunder Set is fitted with the black iron Raiden tsuba and Tomoe mon motif fuchi and kashira. The handle is wrapped in genuine ray skin (same) and the tsuka-ito and sageo are premium Japanese black cotton. The saya is done in a deep black lacquer and the sageo is black Japanese cotton. CAS/Hanwei have designed a cutting katana with thicker and heavier blades specifically for the martial artist that needs a sword for the demands of cutting the larger goza (tameshigiri). This set is ideal for those looking for a katana for the rigors of Battojutsu. KEY FEATURES: * High-carbon steel blade * Deep black lacquer saya * Genuine ray skin MEASUREMENTS: HANDLE LENGTH: 5 1/2 inches OVERALL LENGTH: 15 1/2 inches WEIGHT: 11oz THICKNESS: .24 inches
Price: 436.99
Each piece in the Tsunami Series (SH5004, SH5002, & SH5022) is stylized with the renowned Tomoe motif. The tsuba, fuchi, & kashira are made of black iron and marked with the Tomoe crest (mon). The blades are hand-forged from T10 high-carbon steel and are differentially tempered using traditional claying methods. The temper line (hamon) is evident and prominent. Each piece has a deeply lacquered black saya with a one-piece brass habaki construction. Real ray skin (same) is used on the tsuka, and the tsuka-ito and sageo are made of premium woven Japanese black cotton. The katana and wakizashi are constructed with a large o-kissaki and are ideal for cutting exercises (tameshigiri). The handle on the tanto is an attractive ribbed buffalo horn. KEY FEATURES: * High-carbon steel * Deeply lacquered black saya * Ideal for cutting exercises MEASUREMENTS: HANDLE LENGTH: 11 1/2 inches OVERALL LENGTH: 40 1/2 inches WEIGHT: 2lbs 10 oz THICKNESS: .30 inches
Price: 742.99
War is the reciprocal and violent application
of force between hostile political entities aimed at
bringing about a desired political end-state via armed
conflict. In his seminal work,
On War,
Carl Von Clausewitz calls war the "continuation of
political intercourse, carried on with other means."[1]
War is an interaction in which two or more militaries
have a “struggle of wills”.[2]
When qualified as a
civil war, it is a dispute inherent to a given
society, and its nature is in the conflict over modes of
governance rather than
sovereignty. War is not considered to be the same as
mere
occupation,
murder or
genocide because of the reciprocal nature of the
violent struggle, and the
organized nature of the units involved.
War is also a cultural entity, and its practice is
not linked to any single type of political organisation
or society. Rather, as discussed by
John Keegan in his “History Of Warfare”, war is a
universal phenomenon whose form and scope is defined by
the society that wages it.
[3]
The conduct of war extends along a continuum, from the
almost universal
tribal warfare that began well before recorded human
history, to wars between
city states,
nations, or
empires. A group of combatants and their support is
called an
army on land, a
navy at sea, and
air force in the air. Wars may be prosecuted
simultaneously in one or more different
theatres. Within each theatre, there may be one or
more consecutive
military campaigns. A military campaign includes not
only fighting but also intelligence, troop movements,
supplies,
propaganda, and other components. Continuous
conflict is traditionally called a
battle, although this terminology is not always fed
to conflicts involving aircraft, missiles or bombs
alone, in the absence of ground troops or naval forces.
War is not limited to the
human species, as
ants engage in massive intra-species conflicts which
might be termed warfare. It is theorized that other
species also engage in similar behavior, although this
is not well documented.
[4][5][6]
Some believe war has always been with us; others
stress the lack of clear evidence that war is not in our
prehistoric past, and the fact that many peaceful,
non-military societies have and still do exist.
Originally, war likely consisted of small-scale raiding.
Since the rise of the state some 5000 years ago,
military activity has occurred over much of the globe.
The advent of gunpowder and the acceleration of
technological advances led to modern warfare.
Since the close of the
Vietnam War, the ideas expounded by the Prussian
military theorist Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) have
come to thoroughly permeate American military writing,
doctrinal, theoretical, and historical. His book
On War, first published (as
Vom Kriege) in 1832, was adopted as a key
text at the Naval War College in 1976, the Air War
College in 1978, the Army War College in 1981. It has
always been central at the U.S. Army's School for
Advanced Military Studies at Leavenworth (founded in
1983). The U.S. Marine Corps's brilliant little
philosophical field manual
FMFM 1: Warfighting (1989) is essentially a
distillation of On War, and the newer Marine
Corps Doctrinal Publications (MCDPs,
c.1997) are equally reflective of Clausewitz's basic
concepts.*1
This is not the first time Clausewitz has been in
fashion. Indeed, On War has been the bible of
many thoughtful soldiers ever since Field Marshal
Helmuth von Moltke attributed to its guidance his
stunning victories in the wars of German unification
(1864, 1866, 1870-71). Nor is it the first time that
individual American soldiers and military
thinkers have been attracted by his ideas: George
Patton, Albert Wedemeyer, and—especially—Dwight
Eisenhower were intensely interested in what he had to
say.
It is, however, the first time that the American
armed forces as institutions have turned to
Clausewitz. While the philosopher had insisted that war
was "simply the expression of politics by other means,"
the traditional attitude of American soldiers had been
that "politics and strategy are radically and
fundamentally things apart. Strategy begins where
politics end. All that soldiers ask is that once the
policy is settled, strategy and command shall be
regarded as being in a sphere apart from politics."*2
The sudden acceptability of Clausewitz in the wake of
Vietnam is not difficult to account for, for among the
major military theorists only Clausewitz seriously
struggled with the sort of dilemma that American
military leaders faced in the aftermath of their defeat.
Clearly, in what had come to be called in scathing terms
a "political war," the political and military components
of the American war effort had come unstuck. It ran
against the grain of America's military men to criticize
elected civilian leaders, but it was just as difficult
to take the blame upon themselves. Clausewitz's analysis
could not have been more relevant:
The more powerful and inspiring the motives for
war,... the more closely will the military aims and
the political objects of war coincide, and the more
military and less political will war appear to be.
On the other hand, the less intense the motives, the
less will the military element's natural tendency to
violence coincide with political directives. As a
result, war will be driven further from its natural
course, the political object will be more and more
at variance with the aim of ideal war, and the
conflict will seem increasingly political in
character.*3
When people talk, as they often do, about
harmful political influence on the management of
war, they are not really saying what they mean.
Their quarrel should be with the policy itself, not
with its influence.
Vom Kriege (IPA: [fɔm
ˈkʁiːgə]) is a book on
war and
military strategy by
Prussian general
Carl von Clausewitz, written mostly after the
Napoleonic wars, between 1816 and 1830, and
published posthumously by his wife in 1832. It has been
translated into
English several times as On War. On
War is actually an unfinished work; Clausewitz had
set about revising his accumulated manuscripts in 1827,
but did not live to finish the task. His wife eventually
compiled all the work and the final two chapters
Clausewitz never finished.
On War is one of the first books on modern
military strategy. This is mainly due to Clausewitz'
integration of politics and social and economic issues
as some of the most important factors in deciding the
outcomes of a war. It is one of the most important
treatises on strategy ever written, and is prescribed at
various
military academies to this day.
Carl von Clausewitz was a
Prussian officer among those baffled by how the
armies of the
French Revolution and
Napoleon had changed the nature of war through their
ability to motivate the populace and thus unleash war on
a greater scale than had previously been the case in
Europe. Clausewitz was well educated and had a strong
interest in art, science, and education, but he was a
professional soldier who spent a considerable part of
his life fighting against Napoleon. There is no doubt
that the insights he gained from his experiences,
combined with a solid grasp of European history,
provided much of the raw material for the book. On
War represents the compilation of his most cogent
observations.
Note: Clausewitz states that Napoleon's tactics were
not revolutionary at all and that Napoleonic Warfare did
not change anything greatly in military history. The
technology of weaponry for the most part remained
static, and new strategies weren't developed, but rather
Napoleon refurbished old ones, mixing them into one
grand strategy.
The book contains a wealth of historical examples
used to illustrate its various concepts.
Frederick II of Prussia (the Great) figures
prominently for having made very efficient use of the
limited forces at his disposal.
Napoleon also is a central figure.
Among many strands of thought, three stand out as
essential to Clausewitz' concept:
War must never be seen as a purpose to itself,
but as a means of physically forcing one's will on
an opponent ("War is not merely a political act, but
also a real political instrument, a continuation of
political commerce, a carrying out of the same by
other means."[1]).
The military objectives in war that support
one's political objectives fall into two broad
types: "war to achieve limited aims" and war to
"disarm” the enemy: “to render [him] politically
helpless or militarily impotent."
The course of war will tend to favor the party
employing more force and resources (a notion
extended by Germany's leaders in World War One into
"total war"—the pursuit of complete military victory
regardless of the political consequences).
Military strategy is a
national defence policy implemented by
military organisations to pursue desired
strategic goals.[1]
Derived from the
Greek
strategos, strategy when it appeared in use
during the 18th century[2],
was seen in its narrow sense as the "art of the
general"[3],
'the art of arrangement' of troops.[4]
Military strategy deals with the planning and conduct of
campaigns, the movement and disposition of forces, and
the
deception of the
enemy. The father of modern strategic study,
Carl von Clausewitz, defined military strategy as
"the employment of battles to gain the end of war."
Liddell Hart's definition put less emphasis on
battles, defining strategy as "the art of distributing
and applying military means to fulfil the ends of
policy" Hence, both gave the pre-eminence to political
aims over military goals, ensuring
civilian control of the military.
"You must not fight too often with one enemy,
or you will teach him all your art of war." –
Napoleon Bonaparte
Military strategy is the plan and execution of
the contest between very large groups of armed
adversaries. It involves each opponent's diplomatic,
informational, military, and economic resources wielded
against the other's resources to gain supremacy or
reduce the opponent's will to fight. It is a principle
tool to secure the
national interest. A contemporary military strategy
is developed via
military science.
[5]
It is as old as
society itself. It is a subdiscipline of
warfare and of
foreign policy. In comparison,
grand strategy is that strategy of the largest of
organizations which are currently the
nation state,
confederation, or international
alliances. Military strategy has its origins before
the
Battle of the Ten Kings and will endure through the
space age. It is larger in perspective than
military tactics which is the disposition and
maneuver of units on a particular sea or battlefield.[6]
Military strategy in the 19th century was still
viewed as one of a trivium of "arts" or "sciences" that
govern the conduct of warfare; the others being
tactics, the execution of plans and manœuvering of
forces in battle, and
logistics, the maintenance of an army. The view had
prevailed since the Roman times, and the borderline
between strategy and tactics at this time was blurred,
and sometimes categorization of a decision is a matter
of almost personal opinion.
Carnot, during the
French Revolutionary Wars thought it simply involved
concentration of troops.[7]
The Battle of Siffin, illustration from a
19th century manuscript by
Muhammad Rafi Bazil.
Strategy and
tactics are closely related and exist on the same
continuum.
