Traditional Japanese Samurai Swords

History

• The samurai sword was developed during the Muromachi period, which lasted from 1392 to 1573. Battle styles were changing and faster responses were needed. The traditional Japanese sword had a straight blade, but the katana&'s curved blade made it possible to quickly draw and cut with the weapon in a single motion. The Japanese katana was regarded as a sacred samurai weapon until the Edo period, when only police and military personnel carried swords and samurai soldiers were eradicated by the Haitore edict.

Technique

• Kenjutsu describes the martial art of using the samurai sword nihonto in combat. This blade was primarily used for slicing and cutting, though its moderate curve makes it effective for thrusting as well. One- and two-handed techniques were used, though the hilt of the sword is traditionally held with both hands. Martial arts have been developed from kenjutsu that teach drawing the katana and attacking in a single motion: iaijutsu and battojutsu. These techniques differ in methods and training, though are superficially similar.

Identification

• Japanese samurai swords are single-edged swords with a distinctive curve. The sword&'s handle is long enough to accommodate both hands because it is best wielded with both hands. The average samurai sword blade has varied throughout history. The original samurai sword blade was 27-1/2 to 28 inches, though the blade was shortened during the beginning of the 16th century to 23 inches before returning to its original length by the end of the century. Today&'s samurai swords vary between these two measurements.

Blade Characteristics

• The profile of each blade is distinguished by the construction method and the swordsmith behind its forging. The middle ridge of the sword (shinogi) is the most prominent aspect of the blade. Most swords are flat to this ridge before slowly narrowing or tapering to the blade. Some blades expand out to the middle ridge, and then shrink to form a trapezoidal shape. Flat blades are known as shinogi-hikushi and fat blades are called shinogi-takushi.

Tip Characteristics

• The tip of a traditional Japanese samurai sword can be short (kokissaki), medium (chukissaki) or long (okissaki), or they can hook backward (ikuri-okissaki). In these instances, kissaki is the translation of "point." Another important characteristic regarding samurai sword tips is whether the tip is relatively straight, called fukura-kareru, or somewhat curved, which is known as fukura-tsuku.