The Katana: A Samurai's Sword

For thousands of years the sword, in all its variations, was the ultimate fighting and defense weapon in the world. From the East to the West, the sword has made its mark in every civilization. From the mythical Excalibur that King Arthur drew out of the stone, to the powerful sword that severed the ring from evil Sauron's hand in the famed Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien, to the massive broadsword supposedly wielded by William Wallace, swords have played a huge part of our history and our legend. But there is one sword whose remarkable abilities have achieved almost mythical status among sword enthusiasts, The Samurai Sword.

The katana is a type of Japanese sword most often referred to as The Samurai Sword. The Samurai were people of military nobility in pre-industrial Japan. Thanks to Hollywood and the media they've achieved status as legendary warriors with nearly mythical fighting abilities. More accurately the history of the samurai is less mythical. They began as mercenaries and clan warriors during the 8th and 9th centuries and developed into the aristocracy and nobility of the 12th century. By the Heian period in Japan, they had adopted certain styles of armor and weapons and had begun to develop their ethical code called Bushido or "Way of the Warrior."

The katana was the sword of the samurai. It was developed in the fourteenth century as a result of changing battle conditions that made weapons with faster response times a necessity. Its curved shape allowed the samurai to draw and cut their enemy in a single motion. Authentic Japanese swords of this type are made from a certain type of Japanese steel called tamahagane, which consists of combinations of high carbon steel and low carbon steel. The forging of a katana blade is a labor-intensive effort that requires careful skill and knowledge.

The two types of steel have different characteristics. High carbon steel holds a sharp edge but can be brittle. Low carbon steel is stronger and more malleable, but blunts more easily. The sword maker creates the optimal blend by folding, which is incredibly difficult. This usually creates a special pattern in the steel. Because of the difficulty and mastery, authentic Japanese swords are uncommon. There are only a few license sword makers in Japan who still craft these weapons in the original way.

By using this special method, a skilled sword maker can create one of the world's sharpest, most durable and effective swords, a sword which takes its place as one of the most legendary in the world.