Anyone know about blessing swords?

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[Josh Astridge]

I just bought a hand crafted katana, fully sharpened and everything.
My friend who does Kyokushin-kai and Kendo told me that I should get it blessed.

Anyone know what this means?

[Walker]

It can be performed at a shinto shrine or by someone who knows the correct procedure. It's a shinto thing.

[Allen Beebe]

Sword making also often includes Shinto rights of purification and in some cases an "empowerment/blessing" is imbedded in the sword during the process of its creation:

http://www.wmhawley.com/products/monographs/buddhist.php

So, in that sense, sword blessing isn't the exclusive domain of Shinto. (Mikkyo and "sword magick" go way back!) And of course other cultures bless their swords and other weapons as well.

Allen
(I know you know that Doug, but I thought I'd mention it.)

As an aside: Which is the longer tradition I wonder: Swords into plowshares or Farm implements into weapons of war? History is depressingly predictable.