Katana is generally known as the traditional sword of Japan.
It is a slightly curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared long grip enough to be able to hold with 2 hands simultaneously.
Samurais from ancient and feudal japan used katana for military purposes.
The reason why katana is famous:
The popularity of katana was raised among the samurais during the introduction of close-combat warfare. As these type of combat heavily dependent on short time response, katanas were well suited because samurais could draw the sword and strike the enemy in a single motion. It was easier and quicker to draw out the katana because it was worn cutting edge up.
Accessories alongside katana:
Katana was often worn together with “Wakizashi” or “Tanto” which was called “Daisho”.
Katanas length is approximately from 70 to 73 cm.
Whereas Tanto is about 32.5 cm and Wakizashi is about 62 cm.
Military history:
During pre-world war 2, every Japanese officer was required to wear a katana. This type of military katana was called “Gunto”.To supply a large scale of katanas, swordsmiths used a quick method of making katanas by using power hammer and quenching in oil rather than hand forging and watering.
Because of this reason, they are not called “True katana”. these mass-produced non-traditional katanas are called “Showato”.
Forging:
To forge a katana traditionally, swordsmiths used special Japanese steel called “Tamahagane”. Which is created from a traditional smelting process that results in several, layered plates of steel with different carbon concentrations smith coats the blade with several layers of a wet clay slurry, generally composed of clay, water and any or none of the ash, grinding stone powder, or rust. The slurry causes only the blade’s edge to be hardened and also causes the blade to curve due to the difference in densities of the micro-structures in the steel. Different smiths use different methods to produce a katana. Most common is Honsanmai method.
Uses in a martial art:
Martial arts like taijutsu, battōjutsu, iaidō, kenjutsu, kendō, ninjutsu and Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū include katana practises.
Maintenance:
Maintenance of katana is to be considered a vital task. The blade should be stored horizontally in its sheath, curve down and edge facing upward to maintain the edge. The blade must remain well-oiled, powdered and polished, as the natural moisture residue from the hands of the user will rapidly cause the blade to rust if not cleaned off. The traditional oil used is choji oil(99% mineral oil and 1% clove oil for fragrance)
Why it is considered one of the strongest swords in history:
Through the ages, different types of katanas were made. It is indeed considered one of the strongest swords in history because of its proper length, how it is worn(cutting edge up), strong edge and proper composition of metals.
