The japanese katana sword is an essential part of samurai culture, both as a weapon and as a symbol of the samurai’s strength and discipline. The katana’s elegance, beauty and functionality made it more than just a mere tool of warfare. The katana’s design and construction is based on a combination of different steels to create a unique and effective blade that combines sharp cutting edge with the ability to absorb shock. This combination of materials is known as a “hybrid steel”, and it is the key to the sword’s superior performance.
To produce a blade, the swordsmith must first create the raw material, tamahagane, from iron sand and charcoal in a traditional Japanese smelting furnace, called a tatara. It is a meticulous process, usually conducted over three days and nights without interruption. After the tamahagane is forged, it is heated and hammered section by section to form the basic shape of the blade, with many of the distinctive characteristics of a katana already established; a thicker back (mune), thinner edge (ha) and curved tip (kissaki). The smith must also skillfully control the forming process so that the ha naturally curves upward, a characteristic that differentiates the katana from other swords.
Once the blade is formed, it is heated again and hammered to smooth out the rough edges. The smith may use a metal plane for this step to ensure the straightness of both the Mune and blade. At this point the smith is also able to add details such as the ‘Shiogichi’ or ridge line along the back of the blade and the ‘Hirachi’ or edge notch. The smith then drills holes into the Nakago, called ‘Mekugi’, to fix the handle to the body of the sword with pin fasteners. Manga katana sword