Monday, September 15, 2014

Katana Sword


Historically, katana were one of the traditionally made Japanese swords that were used in feudal Japan, commonly referred to as a "samurai sword".
At the end of the 14th century due to the “Tokugawa shoguns regulations”, the katana was effectively standardized. However the 200 years of fighting before had seen a decline in the quality of the swords made as mass production was more important than the quality. As a result some of the old methods of sword making were lost. The katanas made in the years to come were never able to surpass the quality of the old swords.
The katana is characterized by its distinctive appearance: a curved, slender, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. It has historically been associated with the samurai of feudal Japan, and some historians have said that katana were among the finest cutting weapons in world military history.
The katana is generally defined as the standard sized, moderately curved Japanese sword with a blade length greater than 60 cm.

The relatively peaceful times which Japan entered was accompanied by the creation of a higher quality of the katana. They were called Shinto - “new sword”. During the 16th -17th centuries sword smiths tried to rediscover the old techniques as the Shinto blade was stayed inferior to the old Tachi (Koto) blades.

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