a b Sinclaire, Clive (1 November 2004). Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior. Lyons Press. pp.58–59. ISBN 978-1-59228-720-8. Shobu-Zukuri is a variation of shinogi-zukuri without a yokote, the distinct angle between the long cutting edge and the point section. Instead, the edge curves smoothly and uninterrupted into the point. From this period, the tang ( nakago) of many old tachi were cut and shortened into katana. This kind of remake is called suriage (磨上げ). [4] For example, many of the tachi that Masamune forged during the Kamakura period were converted into katana, so his only existing works are katana and tantō. [33] Traditionally, yumi (bows) were the main weapon of war in Japan, and tachi and naginata were used only for close combat. The Ōnin War in the late 15th century in the Muromachi period expanded into a large-scale domestic war, in which employed farmers called ashigaru were mobilized in large numbers. They fought on foot using katana shorter than tachi. In the Sengoku period (period of warring states) in the late Muromachi period, the war became bigger and ashigaru fought in a close formation using yari (spears) lent to them. Furthermore, in the late 16th century, tanegashima (muskets) were introduced from Portugal, and Japanese swordsmiths mass-produced improved products, with ashigaru fighting with leased guns. On the battlefield in Japan, guns and spears became main weapons in addition to bows. Due to the changes in fighting styles in these wars, the tachi and naginata became obsolete among samurai, and the katana, which was easy to carry, became the mainstream. The dazzling looking tachi gradually became a symbol of the authority of high-ranking samurai. [22] [20] [19] The katana is generally defined as the standard sized, moderately curved (as opposed to the older tachi featuring more curvature) Japanese sword with a blade length greater than 60.6cm (23.86inches) (over 2 shaku). [13] It is characterized by its distinctive appearance: a curved, slender, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard ( tsuba) and long grip to accommodate two hands. [13]

The first use of katana as a word to describe a long sword that was different from a tachi, occurs as early as the Kamakura period. [13] These references to " uchigatana" and " tsubagatana" seem to indicate a different style of sword, possibly a less costly sword for lower-ranking warriors. Starting around the year 1400, long swords signed with the katana-style mei were made. This was in response to samurai wearing their tachi in what is now called " katana style" (cutting edge up). Japanese swords are traditionally worn with the mei facing away from the wearer. When a tachi was worn in the style of a katana, with the cutting edge up, the tachi's signature would be facing the wrong way. The fact that swordsmiths started signing swords with a katana signature shows that some samurai of that time period had started wearing their swords in a different manner. [25] [26] Kapp, Leon; Hiroko Kapp; Yoshindo Yoshihara (January 2002). Modern Japanese Swords and Swordsmiths: From 1868 to the Present. Kodansha International. pp.58–70. ISBN 978-4-7700-1962-2. Many swordsmiths after the Edo period have tried to reproduce the sword of the Kamakura period which is considered as the best sword in the history of Japanese swords, but they have failed. Then, in 2014, Kunihira Kawachi succeeded in reproducing it and won the Masamune Prize, the highest honor as a swordsmith. No one could win the Masamune Prize unless he made an extraordinary achievement, and in the section of tachi and katana, no one had won for 18 years before Kawauchi. [37] Types [ edit ]Nanboku-chō period (1336－1392) which corresponds to the early Muromachi period (1336–1573) [1] to present

Kōkan Nagayama (1997). The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords. Kodansha International. p.28. ISBN 978-4-7700-2071-0. Between 1945 and 1953, sword manufacture and sword-related martial arts were banned in Japan. Many swords were confiscated and destroyed, and swordsmiths were not able to make a living. Since 1953, Japanese swordsmiths have been allowed to work, but with severe restrictions: swordsmiths must be licensed and serve a five-year apprenticeship, and only licensed swordsmiths are allowed to produce Japanese swords ( nihonto), only two longswords per month are allowed to be produced by each swordsmith, and all swords must be registered with the Japanese Government. [55] Roger Ford (2006). Weapon: A Visual History of Arms and Armor. DK Publishing. pp.66, 120. ISBN 9780756622107. The arrival of Matthew Perry in 1853 and the subsequent Convention of Kanagawa caused chaos in Japanese society. Conflicts began to occur frequently between the forces of sonnō jōi (尊王攘夷派), who wanted to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate and rule by the Emperor, and the forces of sabaku (佐幕派), who wanted the Tokugawa Shogunate to continue. These political activists, called the shishi (志士), fought using a practical katana, called the kinnōtō (勤皇刀) or the bakumatsutō (幕末刀). Their katana were often longer than 90cm (35.43in) in blade length, less curved, and had a big and sharp point, which was advantageous for stabbing in indoor battles. [42] Gendaitō (modern or contemporary swords) [ edit ] Meiji – World War II [ edit ] Katana mountings decorated with maki-e lacquer in the 1800s. Although the number of forged swords decreased in the Meiji period, many artistically excellent mountings were made. Authentic Katana Feel. The handle and grip is exactly the same feel and weight of a true katana blade, making you ready to take on the day.Rekishi Gunzo (2 July 2011). Complete Works on Strategic and Tactical Weapons. From Ancient China to Modern China. Gakken. ISBN 9784056063448 Most martial arts sword cuts in one minute (rice straw)". Guinness World Records. 25 June 2016. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. From the late Muromachi period (Sengoku period) to the early Edo period, samurai were sometimes equipped with a katana blade pointing downwards like a tachi. This style of sword is called handachi, "half tachi". In handachi, both styles were often mixed, for example, fastening to the obi was katana style, but metalworking of the scabbard was tachi style. [35]

From around the 16th century, many Japanese swords were exported to Thailand, where katana-style swords were made and prized for battle and art work, and some of them are in the collections of the Thai royal family. [34] Daishō style handachi sword mounting. 16th–17th century, Azuchi–Momoyama or Edo period. Oscar Ratti; Adele Westbrook (1991). Secrets of the Samurai: The Martial Arts of Feudal Japan. Tuttle Publishing. p.484. ISBN 978-0-8048-1684-7. Yumoto, John (13 December 2013). The Samurai Sword: A Handbook. Tuttle Publishing. pp.6, 70. ISBN 978-1-4629-0706-9. a b c d e f Leon Kapp; Hiroko Kapp; Yoshindo Yoshihara (1987). The Craft of the Japanese Sword. Japan: Kodansha International. p.167. ISBN 978-0-87011-798-5. Stephen Turnbull (8 February 2011). Katana: The Samurai Sword. Osprey Publishing. pp.22–. ISBN 978-1-84908-658-5.Sinclaire, Clive (1 November 2004). Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior. Lyons Press. p.60. ISBN 978-1-59228-720-8. As Japanese does not have separate plural and singular forms, both katanas and katana are considered acceptable forms in English. [11] Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, ISBN 4-09-501211-0, 刀 ( katana) entry available online here