The Japanese sword of Katana - the most perfect cold steel in the world

Probably, in one corner of the world weapons are not so revered as in Japan. In the country of the rising sun, the blade is a jewel and a family relic. The Japanese sword is a philosophy, an art. There are many varieties of this national weapon, and among them one can distinguish a katana - "long sword". Although now the Japanese call it any Japanese sword.

If you describe the Japanese sword katana, then outwardly it resembles a saber. The difference is only in the form of a hilt and in the way of use. His handle, unlike the saber, is not bent, and it requires a two-handed grip. Basically, these weapons were worn at the waist along with wakidzashi. The total length of the sword is 1000-1100 mm. In use it entered from the XVI century.

Perfect Cold Steel - Japanese Sword

Collectors consider the Samurai sword to be the most flawless weapon in the world. For them, the katana is an embodied philosophy, a reflection of the world, frozen in metal. To produce this sword used a special iron ore with impurities of tungsten and molybdenum. To remove weaknesses, metal rods for 8 years buried in the swamp, and only after this period, the metal was sent to the smithy for further processing. During this period, rust was eating up weak spots.

Japanese sword - the process of making

The manufacture of a katana blade is often compared with the process of preparing a puff pastry. The rods were first flattened into a thin foil with a hammer. As a result, a multilayered stack was obtained, which was again flattened. This procedure was repeated again. In this way, it was possible to obtain the numerous layers of the katana blade admired by modern experts in cold weapons. The steel of the blade was hardened in liquid clay. After hardening along the blade a straight or bent line (jamon) was formed, which distinguishes the real Japanese sword from forgery.

Then the blade was polished on nine circles of different granularity. The master's blade was hand-worked, with the pads of the fingers, using charcoal as an abrasive. The famous master left his mark or name on the tail of his sword. Such weapons are extremely valuable, as a rule, it was inherited and celebrated as a separate item in the will. It is not known how much a katana costs, but very often much more than all samurai property.

The value of the Japanese blade

Sword katana and wakizashi, made in a pair, are valued more than one Japanese sword. Of course, if it is not about old and unique katana, the cost of which can reach a million dollars. Vakidzashi is a small sword for ritual suicide. A real samurai must have both katana and wakidzasi.

The real Japanese katana has a number of unique characteristics. For example, the number of metal layers can reach up to 50 thousand, and some ancient swords are made with 200 thousand layers. The katana sword is a self-sharpening weapon, due to the ordered movement of molecules in the metal. Therefore, you can hang a sword with a blunt blade on the wall and after a while remove a blade that is sharp as a razor.