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

Probably in no corner of the world do not like thatweapons, as in Japan. In the land of the rising sun, the blade is a jewel and a family heirloom. The Japanese sword is a philosophy, an art. There are many varieties of these national weapons, and among them can be identified katana - "long sword". Although now the Japanese are the name of any Japanese sword.

If you describe the Japanese katana sword, it looks like itlike a saber. The only difference is in the shape of the handle and the way of use. The handle of it, unlike the saber, is not curved, and it requires a two-handed grip. Basically, these weapons were worn in a belt with wakizashi. The total length of the sword - 1000-1100 mm. In everyday life, he entered from the XVI century.

Perfect Cold Steel - Japanese Sword

Collectors consider the samurai sword the mostimmaculate weapon in the world. For them, katana is a materialized philosophy, a reflection of the world, frozen in metal. For the manufacture of this sword used a special iron ore with tungsten and molybdenum impurities. To remove weak spots, metal rods were buried in a bog for 8 years, and only after this period the metal was sent to the forge for further processing. During this period, rust ate up weak points.

Japanese sword - manufacturing process

The manufacture of a katana blade is often compared tothe process of making puff pastry. The rods were first flattened into thin foil with a hammer. The result was a multi-layered stack, which was flattened out again. This procedure was repeated once again. In this way, it was possible to obtain numerous layers of the katana blade, which are admired by modern experts in cold weapons. Hardened steel blade in liquid clay. After quenching, a straight or bent line (Hamon) was formed along the blade, which distinguishes a real Japanese sword from a fake.

Then the blade was polished in nine circles of differentgrit. The blade of the master was processed by hand, with finger pads, using charcoal as an abrasive. The famous master left his sign or name on the shank of the sword. Such weapons are extremely valuable, as a rule, they were inherited and marked by a separate item in the will. It is not known how much a katana costs, but very often it is much more than the entire property of a samurai.

The value of the Japanese blade

A katana sword and a wakizashi made in pairsvalued more than one japanese sword. Of course, if we are not talking about the old and unique katana, which can cost up to a million dollars. Wakidzasi is a small sword for ritual suicide. A real samurai must have a katana and a wakizashi.

Real Japanese katanas have a number of uniquecharacteristics. For example, the number of metal layers can reach up to 50 thousand, and some antique swords are made from 200 thousand layers. The katana sword is a self-sharpening weapon due to the orderly movement of molecules in the metal. Therefore, you can hang a sword with a blunt blade on the wall and after a while remove the blade, which is absolutely sharp as a razor.