Reinventing the sword: a cultural comparison of the development of the sword in response to the advent of firearms in Spain and Japan

Swords have been used throughout history as weapons of war, as symbols of power and wealth and as national and religious icons. Unlike other weapons however, the sword did not simply fade into the background as technological improvements caused the martial value to lessen. The primary purpose of this paper is to look at the development of the sword as an object of art, specifically in the countries of Spain and Japan, after the invention of the firearm. A brief history of the development of the sword from the earliest manifestations through the Iron Age is provided as way of introducing the subject. The researcher then delves into the specifics of the development of the sword in Spain and Japan. Areas of focus include the martial uses, aesthetic values and cultural influences affecting the overall formation of sword cultures in both countries. The transformation of the sword from a weapon of war to a showpiece of craftsmanship and artistic expression after the introduction of the firearms is then discussed in detail. This discussion includes not only Spain and Japan, but neighboring regions as well. Why this transformation took place and who or what were the primary reasons for it are specific topics of interest in this section. The researcher concludes that the sword, the weapon upon which empires rose and fell for centuries, has moved into the realm of cultural icon. Increased sale values at auction, the infusion into popular media, such as books, movies and video games, and the growing number of collectors and aficionados all serve as indicators of a thriving global sword society

A Double-Edged Sword: Ballistic-Missile Defense and U.S. Alliances

While U.S. defense policy contends that BMD strengthens alliances, the historical record is mixed; sometimes BMD has bolstered alliances, but other times it has exacerbated allies’ doubts about U.S. commitment. When determining BMD policy and investments, U.S. leaders should consider not only expected defensive benefits but also how their decisions might affect allies’ perceptions of alliance cohesion and credibility

The Historical and Archaeological Analysis of the Swords of La Belle

ABSTRACT This research involves the conservation, historical and archaeological analysis of a cache of swords recovered from the 17th-century French shipwreck La Belle. The central premise of my research model is the incorporation of the theories and methodologies of several convergent disciplines; concentrating on the material and cultural aspect of these weapons, and the technical processes involved with their conservation. The integration of the conservation process and research results with the archaeological evidence, both objects and context, can lead to new methods of archaeological inquiry. The details of materials composition and structure, sequence of processing, properties, performance, or use should define the way modern material culture research is conducted. This research approach seeks to answer such relevant questions as what is the past and current history of the sword types recovered from La Belle? What materials, technology or skilled craft aided in the production of these swords and their individual components? What was the practical and symbolic function of these edged weapons? Subsequently, the data lead to interpretations of the finds and their broader meaning within the context of the shipwreck itself. I am convinced that the research presented in this dissertation will help to facilitate a wider dialogue about swords and other edged weapons among weapons historians and archaeologists. The conservator is dedicated to maintaining the long-term preservation of cultural artifacts through examination, documentation, treatment, and preventive care and research. Conservation is an interdisciplinary field involving knowledge and skills acquired from a number of diverse disciplines in the arts and sciences. As a result, conservators must have a working knowledge of materials technology, chemistry, biology, physics, art history, and archaeology. The results of the case studies discussed in chapter six, though limited in scope, proved most promising, indicating that there are always viable alternatives to the methods and materials used by artifact conservation and preservation. The collaboration between conservators and experts in other related fields, such as conservation science, computer science, radiography, digital imaging, and rapid-prototyping technology is critical to the successful practice of artifact conservation and interpretation

Securing the emperor, securitising the guns : the strangely delayed dissemination of Ottoman military technology in the late Ming empire

Aftermath of the East Asian War of 1592-1598 ProjectAjuts: Research and writing for this article were done while the author was a part of the European Research Council-funded Aftermath of the East Asian War of 1592-1598 project hosted by the Autonomous University of Barcelona. It is a European Research Council Starting Grant project (2018-2024) run by ICREA professor Rebekah ClementsThis article analyses the reasons behind the delayed appropriation and adoption of Ottoman harquebuses by the Ming army. Although these weapons had reached the empire by the mid-16th century, their existence was only acknowledged at the end of the century. Through the lens of securitisation, I will argue that this delay was a result of the context of Luso-Ottoman geopolitical rivalries in which these weapons were possibly leveraged as an incentive to form a Sino-Ottoman alliance against the Portuguese. I will argue that a civil bureaucracy averse to assertive activist rulership could have prevented the emperor from participating in the resulting military diplomacy. By comparing this event with a later Dutch East India Company embassy with similar geopolitical intentions, I will argue that the Ming civil officials achieved their goal by controlling the emperor's perception of Ottoman intentions. In terms of securitisation, this meant that the emperor himself was the main audience and his officials the securitising agents in matters of foreign relations

The Historical and Archaeological Analysis of the Swords of La Belle

ABSTRACT This research involves the conservation, historical and archaeological analysis of a cache of swords recovered from the 17th-century French shipwreck La Belle. The central premise of my research model is the incorporation of the theories and methodologies of several convergent disciplines; concentrating on the material and cultural aspect of these weapons, and the technical processes involved with their conservation. The integration of the conservation process and research results with the archaeological evidence, both objects and context, can lead to new methods of archaeological inquiry. The details of materials composition and structure, sequence of processing, properties, performance, or use should define the way modern material culture research is conducted. This research approach seeks to answer such relevant questions as what is the past and current history of the sword types recovered from La Belle? What materials, technology or skilled craft aided in the production of these swords and their individual components? What was the practical and symbolic function of these edged weapons? Subsequently, the data lead to interpretations of the finds and their broader meaning within the context of the shipwreck itself. I am convinced that the research presented in this dissertation will help to facilitate a wider dialogue about swords and other edged weapons among weapons historians and archaeologists. The conservator is dedicated to maintaining the long-term preservation of cultural artifacts through examination, documentation, treatment, and preventive care and research. Conservation is an interdisciplinary field involving knowledge and skills acquired from a number of diverse disciplines in the arts and sciences. As a result, conservators must have a working knowledge of materials technology, chemistry, biology, physics, art history, and archaeology. The results of the case studies discussed in chapter six, though limited in scope, proved most promising, indicating that there are always viable alternatives to the methods and materials used by artifact conservation and preservation. The collaboration between conservators and experts in other related fields, such as conservation science, computer science, radiography, digital imaging, and rapid-prototyping technology is critical to the successful practice of artifact conservation and interpretation

The Decline of the Virginia (and American) Death Penalty

The American death penalty is disappearing. Death sentences and executions have reached the lowest levels seen in three decades. Even the states formerly most aggressive in pursuit of death sentences have seen death sentences steadily decline. Take Virginia, which has the highest rate of executions of any death penalty state, and which has executed the third highest number of prisoners since the 1970s. How times have changed. There has not been a new death sentence in Virginia since 2011. Only seven counties have imposed death sentences in the past decade in Virginia. There are now two or fewer trials a year at which a judge or jury considers imposing the death penalty. Still more surprising, at over one half of those trials the judge or jury chooses a sentence of life without parole (eleven of twenty-one cases from 2005 to 2015 at which there was a capital sentencing hearing resulted in a life sentence). Why is this happening-and in Virginia of all places? In this study, I examine every capital trial from 2005 to 2015-twenty-one trials-and I compare a group of twenty capital trials from 1996 to 2004. The law on the books has not meaningfully changed. However in 2004, the legislature created regional defense resource centers to handle capital cases. From 1996 to 2004, the crucial sentencing phase, at which the judge or jury decided whether to impose the death penalty, was typically cursory, averaging less than two days long. In the more recent trials, the average was twice that-four days-and still more striking was the increase in the numbers of defense witnesses called, the greater use of expert witnesses, and the added complexity of sentencing proceedings. Improved capital defense resources may explain this sharp and sudden decline in death sentences. North Carolina, which created a similar state capital defense resource office, experienced a decline that tracks Virginia\u27s, and yet in states like Florida, lacking statewide defense resources, the rate with which death sentences are imposed has remained fairly stable. This evidence: (1) raises heightened Eighth Amendment arbitrariness concerns with the scattered state of the American death penalty, including that death sentences may result from local failures to provide adequate defense resources; (2) demonstrates that those same failures implicate Sixth Amendment ineffective assistance of counsel claims in individual cases and in systematic challenges in states that fail to provide adequate resources; and (3) strongly supports the establishment of statewide capital-and non-capital-public defender offices

Jedi and Samurai : an Analysis on the Influence of Japanese Culture in "Star Wars" Media

L'objectiu d'aquest treball és entendre com la cultura japonesa ha influenciat el món de Star Wars, enfoncant-se principalment en les diferències i similituds entre l'Ordre Jedi i els samurais, a partir dels quals George Lucas es va inspirar mentre creà l'univers de Star Wars. A través de l'anàlisi de diversos mitjans de Star Wars (llibres, sèries de televisió, pel·lícules, còmics, videojocs, etc), espero comparar-ho i contrastar-ho amb fonts històriques sobre els samurais, arribant doncs a un millor enteniment d'on ambdues faccions coincideixen o no en àmbits com la filosofia, valors i inclòs l'estèticaEl objetivo de este trabajo es entender cómo la cultura japonesa ha influenciado el mundo de Star Wars, enfocándose principalmente en las diferencias y similitudes entre el Orden de los Jedi y los samuráis, a partir de quiénes George Lucas se inspiró mientras creaba el universo de Star Wars. A través del análisis de diversos medios de Star Wars (libros, series de televisión, películas, cómics, videojuegos, etc), espero compararlo y contrastarlo con fuentes históricas sobre los samuráis, llegando entonces a un mejor entendimiento en donde ambas facciones coinciden y se dividen en ámbitos como la filosofía, valores e incluso la estética.The objective of this thesis is to understand how Japanese culture has influenced the world of Star Wars; especially focusing on the differences and similarities between the Jedi Order and the real-life samurai, from whom George Lucas drew significant inspiration when creating the world of Star Wars. Through the analysis of several Star Wars media (books, TV shows, films, comics, video games, etc), I aim to compare and contrast it with historical sources on the samurai, thus reaching a better understanding on where these two factions converge and diverge in philosophy, values and even other aspects such as aesthetics

Blood sports: violence and the performance of masculinity in early modern drama

This dissertation explores the construction of masculine identity at the intersection between early modern English drama and competitively violent entertainment. It argues that early modern Englishmen navigated a complex system of dangers and rewards associated with violent self-assertion, and that the playhouse represented a space uniquely suited to the embodying and interrogating of that system. Spaces used for performing plays frequently doubled as venues for cockfights, animal baitings, and fencing exhibitions, and the violence of such entertainments often appeared, either physically or rhetorically, in the period's drama. The project of the dissertation will be to provide a historicizing lens through which to view this violence "in play" in order to understand how early modern English drama refracted and participated in shaping the period's highly contested norms of violent self-assertion in the performance of male identity. Chapter One maps the cultural disruptions precipitated by the importation of the Italian rapier into late-sixteenth century England. It argues that the secretive exclusivity of rapier culture rendered its novel form of violent masculinity fundamentally "untheatrical" in comparison to more traditional male identities, leading playwrights to caricature the duelist as either a cowardly braggart or a treacherous assassin. Chapter Two examines Shakespeare's plays in light of the discourses described in Chapter One. Shakespeare's work consistently associates traditional weaponry with a threatened male honor culture while associating rapiers with the undermining of male identity through cowardice or treachery. Chapter Three considers the English hunt as a means of asserting a capacity for violence, focusing on attempts to use the wild boar as a means of restoring the hunt's fading masculine associations. The chapter ends with an extended reading of Thomas Heywood's Age plays, the English Renaissance theater's richest staging of hunting culture. Chapter Four offers an historically informed understanding of the interconnections between bearbaiting and theater by addressing the early modern image of the bear as both a terrifying representative of a threatening natural world and a figure of courageous self-defense in the face of overwhelming odds.2016-11-18T00:00:00