Security Pie

So in an effort to better understand the future by reading about the past, and out of respect for Uma, I am reading a famous handbook for Samurai swords by John M. Yumoto.

In the book, Mr. Yumoto discusses the issue of counterfeiting, which apparantly rampant througout Japan at the time the swords were made. “Smiths often used friends’ names; apprentices used masters’ names and sons would use their fathers’ names.”

He quotes a legend from the smiths of Bizen Province:

The village in Osafune, in Bizen province, was known for its swordsmiths. One day Kanemitsu (金光), one of the town’s leading smiths, was enjoying a moment of rest in his shop. He suddenly found himself listening intently to the sound of the chisel of his neighbor in the shop next door.

Angrily he arose, dashed next door, and seized the sword on which the other smith had been chiseling a name.
“You were putting my name on that sword,” said Kanemitsu.

The other smith admitted that he had been doing so and apologized. “How did you know?” The guilty one asked. “Were you watching?”

“No” answered Konemitsu, “but I was listening. You used a greater number of strokes than was necessary if you had been writing your own name”.

Real Samurai use real Kanemitsu swords

A few weeks ago I gave a talk at an ISSA webcast about the importance of monitoring for data security. The Bizen province legend is a great example of monitoring data usage. Somehow, it is oddly comforting to know that data monitoring would have been as important to 14th century swordmakers as to modern day business owners.

/al