Samurai Swords

Samurai Swords are the main weapons of Japanese samurai used widely in the feudal Japan. Out of all weapons, samurai swords probably one of the most popular and famous due its razor-cutting qualities, orient-related mysteries, cold elegance and steel beauty. The popularisation of samurai swords started in the middle of 1950s with the Akira Kurasawa's "Seven Samurai" movie and still raising to the point that almost any movie that has a sword fight, would feature a Japanese sword, regardless of time, space, and quantum of the plot.

Samurai swords can be categorized by their size, the way of forging, and type of the blade (single-edged or double-edged). Even though Japanese samurai had used double-edged swords, singe-edged swords dominated completely the use of swords starting from the 14th century onward. The only place you likely see a double-edged Japanese sword (Tsuguri) would be a museum or a computer game.

There're four different size categories for samurai swords. The length of the blade for Japanese swords is measured in shaku, which is about a foot long or 30.3 cm. The shortest, long knives, are one shaku and less and called Tanto. Longer than one shaku but less than two are short swords, including Wakizashi and less common Kodachi. Samurai swords longer than two shaku but less than three are most common Japanese swords, such as Katana and less usual Tachi. Swords of a greater length than three shaku are field swords, such as Nodachi, and again not as common as Katana or Wakizashi.

Samurai usually used and worn a pair of swords, one long sword and one short sword. Such a pair of samurai swords is called Daisho, literally meaning "big and small". Originally, Tachi and Kodachi were used as a Daisho, but later (around the time of Mongol invasion in 13th century) were replaced by Katana and Wakizashi. Sometimes on the battlefield, Tanto replaced Wakizashi as a more practical weapon in a close combat.

Authenticated samurai swords are forged using a special technique that just a handful of craftsmen knows nowadays and using special Japanese steel called "Tamahage". The steel is folded in on itself multiple times during the forging process, improving the strength and creating a fine, distinctive grain unique to each sword and impossible for models stamped from a mould. Differential heating and hardening is applied while forging samurai swords, which forms a unique crystalline pattern, called "Hamon" – a signature of authenticated forged Japanese swords.

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