katana sword

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Katana Sword History

There is a lot of rich history that surrounds the Katana sword. The Katana is a traditionally made Japanese sword used during the feudal period in Japan. Samurai Katana is characterized by a single edged curved blade with either a circular or square guard.

This Katana sword has a long grip and can accommodate both hands of the Samurai. There are actually six different periods when the production of swords in Japan took place. Katana is also known as uchigatana which describes a long sword to differentiate this sword from that of the Tachi. However, Tachi was the inspiration for the Katana.

Katanas were traditionally made from Japanese steel using different folded layered steel with various carbon concentrations.  This process actually removes the impurities. Older steel has higher oxygen concentrations and can be easily stretched to remove the impurities.

This process is made during the hammering phase where a stronger Katana is forged. The edge of the blade is coated with a thinner layer of clay. Because of the process of hardening and quenching this causes the blade to harden and curved.  This is because of the difference in densities applied to the steel.

After the forging process, the Katana blade is sent to be polished. This produces a mirror finish which improves the aesthetics of the sword. A matte finish is given to the blunt edge of the sword to emphasize the hamon.

Samurai warriors preferred using Katana swords. During combat, it was essential that the fighter needs to quickly draw his sword. It was this quick response time that saved the lives of the owner hence the preference for Samurai Katana.

This sword was convenient to use because it can be worn with the help of a belt like sash or obi. The warriors wore the sharp edges facing up. The Katana has evolved throughout the course of Japanese history. During the early 16th century the average length of this sword was only 60 cm however, by the late 16th century this had been changed to 73 cm.

Katana was often paired with a wakizashi or a smaller sword. Wearing both the Katana with the wakizashi was symbolic because only those who have social power and deeply revered fighters were given the honor to wear the daisho.

Daisho is another term given for the wakizashi when worn by Samurais. Gradually, the samurai class was disbanded and the privilege of carrying these swords in public was prohibited during the Meiji period. It was the Haitorei Edict of 1876 that only allowed the carrying of these swords only to the Samurai lords or daimyo, police and those who are in the military.

Everything you need to know about the Katana Sword

Before wars were fought by satellites and drones. Before semi-automatic rifles made holes in walls. Before airplanes sailed through the skies with their deafening buzz like furious swarms of metal bees. Before the red flashes that illuminated the world as never before, and then darkened it.

Long before that. When men were still riding the paths of the land of the rising sun, with bows at their backs and swords hanging from their waists.

Then the Katana sword was king.

Get ready to learn the history of the Katana from beginning to end, to then see what makes this extraordinary sword so special, what uses it has today, how important the style of the Katana is, and how you can create a completely unique Katana sword online.

The Historical Significance of the Katana Sword

The Katana, being the most important weapon for Japanese culture, both medieval and contemporary, is the one that has occupied more space in its history. From legendary warriors to blacksmiths capable of making swords of unsurpassed quality.

In this section we will take a look at the history of the Katana, from its glorious beginnings, through its dark ages, to its resurgence.

How it All Started?

Some of the oldest examples of Japanese swords are the chokuto, which were straight swords presumably derived from Chinese swords. This is logical if we bear in mind that at that time China was the most advanced nation in the East, and an example for all other neighboring civilizations.

The first predecessors of the traditional Japanese swords are the Waritabe sword – a weapon created by the Emishi, who were considered barbarians for the Japanese – and the Kenukigatatati, which was a more advanced version of the previous one.

Later, in the middle of the Heian period, the demands of a growing military class would lead Japanese blacksmiths to create tachi. Its curved shape implied the need to adapt to the new combat modes of the Japanese warriors, who had discovered the efficiency of cavalry.

The chokuto, being a straight sword, was inefficient for mounted warriors. The tachi, on the other hand, was able to make much better use of the horse’s speed, diverting all the impact force to the curved part of the blade in order to deliver powerful blows.

While tachi was terribly effective, its use was diminished by the change in society and the appearance of enemies who were not only on the battlefield, but also in towns and cities. Thus, a new type of curved sword emerged, considerably shorter than the tachi; the uchigatana. And this, in turn, would be replaced with a sword with the same design, but made with higher quality materials: the Katana.

Creation of the Katana Sword

The Mongol invasions were a key point for the creation of the Katana. These took place between 1185 and 1333, and became a turning point for the Japanese, as they discovered that their weapons were not capable of piercing the boiled leather armor of the Mongols.

The story goes that Amakuni, an important Japanese military blacksmith, was shocked to see how the Japanese soldiers returned from the fight against the Mongols with broken or ruined swords. He collected all the evidence he could of the fractures and defects of the swords, and charged himself with creating a weapon capable of dealing with the invaders.

He locked himself in his blacksmith’s shop for weeks, experimenting with different consistencies, different metals, different shapes. And when he emerged, he did so with a sword of exceptional quality; curved, with a resplendent finish, created only with the best materials. What he had in his hands would be the sword capable of turning the winds of war; the one that would face the invaders.

The main advantage of the Katana in relation to other swords was that it allowed the novel technique of drawing and striking in a single movement. This made it a weapon to be relied upon, thanks to which the Samurai could defend himself even when taken by surprise. In combats in which the response time was a determining factor, the Katana rose victorious over the rest of the swords.

It was only a matter of time before it began to be paired with a secondary weapon, usually a Wakizashi or Tanto. This combination was known as daisho, and it was something only high-status Samurai could afford.

Thanks to its adaptability, the Katana became the weapon of choice for Japanese warriors. Samurai took them wherever they went, on a mission, or walked through the village, for they knew that, if the situation warranted it, they could defend themselves in a fraction of a second —as fast as those cowboys in the movies.

How is the Katana forged?

In the old days, Katana swords were only made from a special steel called Tamahagane. These swords are created from a forging process that results in several, layered steels with varied carbon concentrations. These processes used to have the benefit of removing the impurities of the steel. Today, this is not longer a requirement to make a good, functional sword.

It is important to emphasize that this is a steel full of impurities, but also unique to Japan. Its name can be translated as “jewel steel”, and it is so called because of the particular color it leaves in the blades of the Katana forged with it.

The age of the steel is a very important factor when it comes to removing impurities. Older steels have a higher oxygen concentration, so they can be more easily stretched, and they rid of impurities more effectively during hammering, resulting in a stronger blade. The smith starts the process with expertise: folding several times the steel with the aim of giving it a more homogeneous structure, working out most of the differences in the steel.

Okay, so now the blacksmith has a piece of steel. It can be slightly curved, or it can even have no curve at all. So, how does he give it that characteristic form of the Japanese sword?What gives the Katana its curve form is a process called differential hardening (or differential quenching). During this stage, the smith partially covers the blade with layers of wet clay slurry. This is a special mix of ingredients made specially by the sword maker, and it varies a lot depending on the one who carries out this process. Generally, it is composed of clay, water, and some ingredients such as grinding stone powder or rust.

The edge of the blade is barely coated with this mix. Unlike the spine and the sides, which receive a much thicker coverage. Then, the sword is heated. Here, steel with high carbon content (0.7% at least), enters in an austenite phase.

Later, it is quenched in water (or oil, depending on the sword maker). And at this part, the structure changes from austenite to martensite. Don’t worry, it sounds complicated but it isn’t that much. The important thing about the martensite is that it is a very hard form of steel, so we can say the blade, literally, is getting stronger.

This changes if the blade isn’t suddenly cooled (quenching it), and it is left to cool slowly. In that situation, the austenite wouldn’t become martensite. Instead, it would change into a softer metal, which is a mixture of ferrite and pearlite.

But let’s return to the normal process. This quenching doesn’t just strengthen the blade, but it also creates the well-known patterns along the edge known as hamon, which becomes visible after the polishing. Each hamon is unique, and it’s the result of the artistic skills of the bladesmith.

Once the blade has been forged, it can be sent to a polisher. There, he uses a series of techniques and different types of stones to give the blade crystalline looking, which can reflect as a mirror. The blunt edge of the sword, on the other hand, receives matte finish to make it look tougher and emphasize the hamon.  This polishing process can take from one to three weeks.

Katana Sword as weapon

The Katana is a unique weapon in the history of mankind. While in other parts of the world the swords were pieces of sharp metal in which the hand guard and the form hardly varied, in Japan they already possessed a sword of an enormous complexity for the time. A sword optimized to be as efficient as possible.

The Katana is just moderately curved. Unlike the tachi, which is a saber from end to end, the Katana has a rather slight curve. This may decrease its effectiveness if used over a horse, but it gives it a lot of benefits that we’ll explore in some minutes.

Its blade length varies from 60 cm (24 inches) to 80cm (29.5 inches). It has a distinctive slender, curved design that makes it recognizable by almost anyone, anywhere in the world. It’s also one of the few swords whose handguard can be considered an art form; with many details and designs made by artists.

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