Photo Taken from http://llbbl.com/data/RPG-motivational/target49.html. These Demotivators are hilarious!
In my opinion, the katana is the best sword type ever made. Its professional design makes me drool. Its silvery sheen makes want to feel its length with my fingers, savoring an almost metallic tang that forms in my tongue. Its history makes me want to clasp its handle tight as I picture battles and intrigue from ages past. It’s just so mysterious that I wish I had one with me.
Judging from the cost of an original, traditionally manufactured katana, which is also called a nihonto; it would be quite a long time before I could get my own self bought katana. A minimum of $8000 or approximately P400,000 isn’t cheap! Now I’m not even suggesting about the multi million dollar types. These stuff could could cause weakening of knees and passing out from their mere presence.
So I have to content myself with learning how these are made. Thanks to the National Geographic Channel, I got a grasp of the techniques used in katana manufacturing. One person is not enough for one blade. One week is not even enough for one blade. So that means one dollar is not enough for one blade*.
About nine days are required for forming the alloy. The blacksmith typically loses a lot sleep the entire time. He has to make sure his apprentices are not horsing around. One mistake could could mean the difference between steel that the gods would be proud of and steel fit only for commoners. That statement, however, is another way of saying that low quality steel usually ends up as spoons and forks.
Steel that passes the test is sent to another smith. This guy doesn’t get the easy work all to himself even though he has apprentices in his employ. In fact, he is endowed with perhaps the greatest responsibility. One mistake and he nullifies the work of the blacksmith before him.
His job, basically, is to form two materials in one blade from one steel. Martensite for toughness and brittleness, and pearlite for softness and flexibility. The marriage of these two materials produces a sword with an edge tough enough to slice through bone, but flexible enough not to break during combat.
Then the blade is sent to another specialist, the polisher. This guy, as the name implies, polishes the sword to perfection. He typically works alone. Nothing should break his concentration as he reveals the cutting edge of the blade. Whetstones of various types, shapes, and cost** are scrubbed lovingly on the blade. His is the most dangerous job. One mistake and he could nick his fingers or various other anatomical parts. If he’s not careful, he gets a bloody mess to contend with.
Now I don’t have to mention the casing and handle manufacturing. Suffice it to say, they receive the same excellent and perfect treatment Zen Japanese are known for. There are thousands of katana around, but very few of them are made in the traditional manner. One of these traditional blades, by the way, is waiting for me.
Now if only I could shell out a few thousand dollars…
*Forgive me for the lame remark. I needed something that has a “one” ring to it, not LOTR mind you.
** Some of these stones cost thousands of dollars each.
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August 1st, 2008 at 10:10 pm
I can guarantee you that if you like Japanese swords, you’d love Europeans ones.
Japanese sword craftship is not superior to European one.
And sorry for my poor English.
March 18th, 2009 at 3:03 am
your logic fails. I can tell from your FIRST SENTENCE. You are just a Japanese tard who is a fanboy for katanas. European Swords are better. They can pierce through metal armor and kill with thrusting. KATANAS JUST ARE GOOD FOR CUTTING. wow I rather have a pocket knife. BASICALLY THE KATANA IS A GIANT KNIFE. woo-hoo look at me i am so cool i can chop tomatoes with a katana. SERIOUSLY THAT WEAPON IS OVERHYPED. longswords, are much more effective, and contrary to your opinions they arent large and cumbersome. almost all katanas weight just as much if not more than european swords.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:05 am
To the guys above me… Seriously now… EUROPEAN craftsmanship is inferior to ASIAN one… especially when it comes to swords.. if that isn’t true then why did the Spanish and French use the Arabian way to craft their famous longsword and not the typical crafting method that was passed down to them… simply cause they saw it was better… As for the Katana it is the pinnacle of sword crafting since it took 300 years to perfect the shape and method of creation…. and one more thing for PWNER… if you knew well about Katanas you would see that they are both used for thrusting and cutting but mainly CUTTING
after all most Kendo-Kenjutsu moves are slashes and not thrusts cause simply thrusting in the middle of combat when in close range is fatal unless you know how to move…
Plus the longsword, broadsword and claymore had 1 great dissadvantage that was used against the crusaders and templars during the Jerusalem Crusade… when 2 of them clash there is a high chance that the sword will receive great amount of damage and in the situation of the Greatsword or claymore a chance that the impact will break the user’s arm… So pretty much parrying is risky… Guess what, Nihonto in general don’t have this problem cause simply the 2 alloys of steel are used… while pearlite allows the sword to bend slightly so as to reduce the impact and martensite absorbs the rest not letting any pressure to reach the wielder…
As for the weight… I bet you haven’t wielded a traditionally made Katana so f course you can’t see the difference… Try it you’ll see that your remark about being like a knife best suites it’s weight not it’s effectiveness…
And for the effectiveness i believe history has proved it as well… The Japanese defeated the invading forces of Mongols and Huns not only by sea but also in land combat… the European Kingdoms were wiped out and had to use treachery and diplomacy to defeat them.. I wonder why….
June 25th, 2009 at 10:50 am
agree with oops …
you really give good opinion bout that
and for PWNER, learn first before you talk
you just flaming here, and your logic doesn’t make any sense, you just hate katana and asian sword, thats why you blabbing here
hello PWNER … your logic have a big fails !
August 11th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
I’m just going to add a few things.. Katana is not a warfare weapon.
They were made as a display of status during peacetimes.
But at war, the samurai would carry a longer and slightly heavier sword(sorry, i cant recall what they are called atm), made in the same way, but for a different purpose.
And if you really look into it, it’s not hard to realize that European swordsmanship IS inferior to Japanese. Design, sharpening, details, composition not to mention the work required just to wield it properly.
September 29th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
I’m sorry, but the extreme difficulty in making a katana came from the quality of iron ore in Japan being the worst in the world. That is why tamahagane, or “jewel steel,” was created. Also the katana was typically only folded around 10-20 times, creating many layers that would become smaller than the molecules they were made from if there were more folds than 20 (about 1,48,576 layers). so stories of a katana being folded over a million times are not exactly true. and as for how long it took the Japanese to learn to make the katana, actually you can thank the Chinese for that: the folding method used to make Japanese steel viable for weapons was stolen from the Chinese. All in all a katana is actually heavier and has a shorter blade than a European arming sword (katana 4-5lbs, arming sword 2.5-3.5lbs). Also, Japanese sword styles like kendo, kenjutsu, & battojutsu are very much form over function where as all sword styles from the middle east onward towards Brittan were all about effectiveness, with no flashy impractical moves that make asian styles favorites in movies. Again I apologize to anyone who thought otherwise, but you should seriously take a long look at how the world really is.
September 29th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
As for European craftsmanship, it is widely believed that katanas are better made because more of them have withstood the test of time far better than any western sword. At first glance this logic seems good enough, but if you look harder at the reality of the situation the truth will become clear. Samurai were primarily mounted archers. Yes that’s right archers, go cry about it. When they did get into melee it was usually with a long spear called a yari. Only after their opponent got to close melee range would the samurai use his sword. Also, the katana was highly ornamental (why put so much work into something that is barely a weapon without making it at least aesthetically valuable?) so the care taken with the sword dramatically exceeded what was shown to western weapons. Why? Because it was hard to get another. Why was it hard to get another? Because the iron ore in Japan is CRAP. So a belief was started that since your sword was probably the only one you would get you should make it a part of yourself. That is why the samurai considered their sword their honor, and the wakizashi their soul. Does this make the samurai any more honorable than their western counterpart? No. It just means that they cared for their sword more.
October 9th, 2009 at 7:48 am
First to what the first two said… I believe they make a bit of confusion , they say European swords, but actually mean Damascus swords http://www.realarmorofgod.com/damascus-sword-making.html
They are comparable to the katanas at streight , flexibility and ability to cut.
But there is one more thing the Katana has and this thing is unique to it, and actually is the reason I put my vote on the katana: the shape of the Katana is much more aerodinamic , means it allows you to cut more precise, and apply blow after blow with almost no time between them. Compared to that the Damascus sword is rather bulky. To compare a Katana with a Damascus sword at this chapter is comparing a surgeons scalpen to a butcher’s knife. When fighting a lot of people in a crowded place the Damascus sword is better, but for anything else Katana alll the way.
December 25th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Having trained both (medieval and modern) European and Japanese swordsmanship. I would say the swords are about equal. However European swordsmanship is or was far more pragmatic, the Europeans didn’t worship their blades. Number of ocasions that ive had made a kill with the proponents own sword, something witch which i doubt a Japanese swordsman would have ever considered.
The reason Japanese are seen as better is as swordsmen is that Europeans had phased out the sword for a few hundred years. I would contend that Europeans were MUCH better than attributed for but much of the lore got lost. There are still a few schools of weird martial arts available in Europe, usually being carried onward by just one master. One of the pities is that the European tradition is almost all but lost because the sword became extinct in a real battlefield.
In any case a real sword fight is actually very booring to watch as uninitiated, theres a reason why gladiators were a special breed of fighters trained for molecularity over practicality. MOST sword fights end in a few seconds, usually the first one to move within range loosing the game.
But I wouldnt dismiss the quality of a katana, having wielded a real one i must say its a very fine piece of weaponry. European swords usually being a bit inferior in quality, but rest assured its enough. The end difference in combat is not significant, indeed the samurai wouldnt risk loosing their katana* in battle.
Besides for war I would pick a pole arm every time. So the samurai who used a Yari are indeed on to something (I would be happy to use a glaive the european counterpart, in combat against any of you wielding the best katana, you loose almost by default) A sword has its uses, but not the best thing to wield in war. Mainly better as a sidearm than a 6-12 foot pole.
PS. By the way a katana can be used for thrusting. The first time I saw that in real time directed at me I went, huh, what just happened and passed out.
January 16th, 2010 at 12:36 am
you should not forget that they were made for each of the swords
while the european swords were made to fracture and break, as well as “pass through” the reinforcement, which was quite heavy and thick, the katana and oriental weapons they had q be light, in the east, is light armor, made for flexible movements .
each sword was made for different purposes, in order to confront european heavy armor, the oriental, in this case the katana, to cross the light armor.
if it is true that the katana is the most honorable representation of a samurai, it is true that Rounin took them and attack them
the strength of the katana is the speed and precision of the cut, the strength of europe is the brute force as such.
sorry for my poor english
January 21st, 2010 at 12:18 pm
One thing i will say about all you flamers out there. The Katana didn’t truly come to its pinnacle and iconic shape and power untill the new sword period. This was the time that warfare changed and the Japanese came up with a design for a sword that will still have the killing power and strength of their contenders but were also faster and somewhat easier to use. The curve of the blade is to improve aerodynamics creating faster strikes and thus the style of Battojutsu which is the art of cutting and killing an enemy in ONE strike whilst unsheathing the blade came into play as this meant that warriors wielding the katana can conserve energy and fight for longer. The groove most commonly found on the katana is used so that any blood on the blade can easily be removed with a flick of the wrist (and then the warrior carries on killing) but the groove also means that the blade can cut through flesh easier as it allows the blood to flow out through the groove an the openings it creates thus resulting in a faster and easier wounding.
The european sword (Damascus, Broadsword, Claymore e.t.c.) was used primarily as a show of stength. The armour worn in combat against these swords weighed down the warrior and limited movement. In a fight it doesn’t matter how much power or srtrength you have if your opponent is too fast it is useless.
THIS is why the katana was considered and still is considered one of the greatest weapons used in armed combat.
January 30th, 2010 at 3:23 pm
I cant believe what half of you are saying, a katana bests any type of european sword by a long shot…… cutting power, weight, use, evertything is superior….. learn before you write stuff down
PS. I bet half of you who have commented havent even used a sword before
May 2nd, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Hallo sehr geilen Weblog betreust du. Ich selber habe auch schon länger eine eigene homepage gebastelt, nähmlich eine Suchmaschine. Momentan noch zu finden auf http://beta.jerome.de . Währe nett wenn du mir berichtest wie du sie findest und was noch schlecht daran ist. Ein Redesign kommt erst im laufe des Monats noch hinzu. Schönes Wochenende – 345zhf4
May 10th, 2010 at 9:41 pm
check this out: http://swordforum.com/forge/js-basicforging.html It shows how the samurai sword is superior to its european couterpart.