The Japanese Sword
Posted: Monday, November 16, 2009
by Robert Miller
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The Japanese Sword came in varying lengths and, depending on the swordsmith that created the blade, had various degrees of curvature to the blade itself. The Katana is the name most commonly used by people to describe the Japanese sword. However, in truth they were called: Katana (a single edged curved long sword favored by the Samurai starting around the 1400's, the Wakizashi is the shorter single edged sword that was usually paired with the Katana, the Tsurugi was a double edged long sword, the Nodachi or Otachi were older and longer singe edged swords. And due to the similar methods of the way they were forged the pole-mounted weapons called Naginata and Yari were part of the same family. and that is called the Nihonto family.
There is an old saying that goes "you get what you pay for". And in the case of the Japanese Swords it is very true. You can buy a full set for $40, but it is a cheap quickly forged sword set. Now the price can go to over $100,000.00 for a single sword, it really does depend on what kind of quality and or history you are looking for.
How The Blade is Made
The hardening of steel involves altering the microstructure or crystalline structure of that material through quenching it from a heat above 1,472 F (bright red glow), ideally no higher than yellow hot. If cooled slowly, the material will break back down into iron and carbon and the molecular structure will return to its previous state. However, if cooled quickly, the steel's molecular structure is permanently altered. The reason for the formation of the curve in a properly hardened Japanese blade is that iron carbide, formed during heating and retained through quenching, has a lesser density than its root materials have separately. The katana gets its gentle curve from quenching during forging, as it is straight prior to quenching. A process of differential tempering causes martensite to form predominantly in the edge of the blade rather than the back; as the spine has lower retained lattice strain, it cools and contracts, and the blade takes on a gently curved shape.
A coating of clay mixed with ashes and a small portion of rust is applied to every surface but the edge of the blade during hardening. This provides heat insulation so that only the blade's edge will be hardened with quenching. This process also creates the distinct swerving line down the center of the blade called the hamon which can only be seen after it is polished, a katana forger's signature.
After the blade is forged it is then sent to be polished. The polishing takes between one and three weeks. The polisher uses finer and finer grains of polishing stones until the blade has a mirror finish in a process called glazing. This makes the blade extremely sharp and reduces drag making it easier with which to cut. The blade curvature also adds to the cutting power.
The katana is characterized by its distinctive appearance: a curved, slender, single edged blade, circular or squared guard, and long grip to accommodate two hands. It has historically been associated with the samurai of feudal Japan and is also known as the "Soul of the Samurai", and has become renowned for its sharpness and cutting ability, to the point that its purported cutting capabilities have reached almost mythical status.
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