Katana ‘Soul Of The Samurai’ – Most Famous Japanese Sword With Long Tradition

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Katana is the most famous Japanese Samurai sword. The Japanese Katana sword is considered "the soul of the Samurai" and one of the deadliest-edged weapons used in ancient and feudal Japan by the Samurai, the members of Japan's knightly class.

Its origin, however, is not entirely known. It represents a combination of both Chinese and Japanese craftsmanship, and in its early form, it may originate from China. It is said that the enigmatic katana sword was born in fire. Since ancient times, the blade has been a symbol of faith and authority. It played an essential role as a base for the concept of the "Japanese spirit."

In his book "Katana: The Samurai Sword" Stephen Turnbull writes:

"To a samurai, one's katana was both a weapon and a symbol. Never has the relationship between man and sword been better expressed than in the words of the great shogun (military dictator) of Japan, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542–1616), who advised his successors that 'the sword is the soul of the warrior.'

No samurai would ever be without his sword, whether he was wearing armor or everyday clothes, and a sword forged by a celebrated master was one of the most precious gifts a warrior could receive. The sword, in its rest position thrust into the belt, would tell the  world that its owner was a true samurai – a member of a social and military elite – since 4 members of the lower classes did not carry weapons (theoretically, at least)…."

Old katana next to the koshirae , shirasaya and tsunagi. Image credit: Samuraiantiqueworld  - CC BY-SA 3.0

It also carries the meaning of a protector between the birth and death of a person, protecting them from injury. When the Samurai turned on the sword to pull and chop in one and the same movement, it was undoubtedly awe-inspiring and deadly.

The Japanese word katana only means swords or single weapons, but it is also used as the designation of a particular sword that was used from the 17th century to the late 19th century. The Japanese history of edged weapon craftsmanship stretches back over 2,000 years.

Appearance Of Katana Weapon

In appearance, the katana is a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and a long grip to accommodate two hands.

The mythical weapon is made of three kinds of steel with different hardness such as soft (shigane), medium-haired (kawagane), and hard steel (hagane). The process was very complicated and time-consuming and included the treatment of iron ore, which was hammered to a rod, bent in the middle, whipped together, and then bent again (up to sixteen times to get hard steel).

A katana blade - approximately 60-80 cm tall and weighs 1.1-1.3 kg - does not differ much from its immediate predecessor, the tachin, which was usually slightly lighter concerning its length and had a more curved blade that narrowed towards the tip.

What distinguished the katana from the earlier tachin was a change in how the Samurai carried the sword.

Masamune forges a katana with an assistant (ukiyo-e). Image credit: Celestial Sentinel - Public Domain

Previously, the tachin sword was traditionally worn with the cutting edge down. However, during the Muromachi Period (1392–1573), the katana was worn with the cutting edge up by the Samurai.

Advantage Of Katana Over Other Weapons In Critical Situations

Using the katana, a skilled Samurai could draw and slice his opponent with a single motion in the blink of an eye. It was essential in close-combat warfare, where victory depended heavily on short response times.

The maneuver wasn't possible with the tachin, the ancient predecessor of the katana.

Samurai warriors did not exclusively wear the katana sword.  However, after 1588, only Samurai wore a katana in combination with another shorter weapon, known as "wakizashi," but this combination was legalized until 1871.

Ancient secrets of the traditional technique of Japanese swordsmithing are today known only to about 300 swordsmiths. The swordsmithing tradition has significantly declined in Japan.

However, at the beginning of the 15^th century, there were about 3,550 active swordsmiths, and swords had both outstanding quality and highly artistic appearance. To receive such a sword was a great honor.

Written by – A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer

Updated on September 5, 2022

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