The Katana is the sword of Japan. Its forging technique aimed at achieving three highly sought after qualities: not to break, not to bend and a razor sharp cutting edge. Creating a Katana required great expertise as well as the right equipment and tools. In the past, a swordsmith would pray to Buddha before beginning work and the entire forging process had an important spiritual component. This forging process is called ‘Tatara-buki method’ and was unique in its time. It used black iron sand from the beach as raw material and was cast at low temperature to achieve quick reduction, which created high-quality steel.
The result was a hard, razor sharp blade that was also flexible enough to absorb shock during combat. This is thanks to ‘hamon’, the transition line between the hardened edge and softer body of the blade. The shape and structure of the hamon was characteristic of the period, smith, school or place of manufacture and was an intrinsic part of the sword.
The Katana was made in a ‘Daisho set’, consisting of a katana and wakizashi (short sword). A Daisho is the set that includes the Katana, Saya, Tsukahaiba and kurigata (frog mouthpiece). This set of weapons was designed to draw as quickly as possible. The katana and wakizashi were not only meant for cutting but to be used as a weapon of honor, symbolizing the integrity and bravery of the Japanese warrior. After the surrender of Japan in World War II, GHQ conducted a sword hunt and many valuable Katana were destroyed. Mini katana for sale