C.1100
GOLDEN AGE OF JAPANESE SWORD-MAKING
The middle Kamakura period is considered the golden age of Japanese sword-making as well as that of the samurai. The retired emperor Go-Toba is said to have taken an interest in the art, perhaps even producing blades himself. Bizen becomes the prominent sword-making area, with as many as 4,000 smiths working from 1200 to 1595.
1500 RAPIER
During the 16th and 17th centuries the rapier becomes the civilians’ sidearm