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Samurai Swords

by Kevin Stith

Of all the Japanese swords, the Samurai Sword is considered the most deadly Japanese weaponry. Samurai swords, known as ‘nihonto' in Japanese, were regarded as symbols of samurai warriors. Samurai swords have been widely regarded as Japanese antique art.

Samurai Swords are mainly of three types - the Katana, the Wakizashi, and the Tanto. Katana, mainly used for outdoor combat, is the longest type of samurai sword and is over 24 inches in length. Wakizashi, around a third shorter than the Katana, was used mainly for indoor activities due to its better maneuverability indoors. Tanto is a small knife and is used similar like a Wakizashi. The Shogun samurai warriors usually carried two samurai swords - the Wakizashi and the Katana - with them.

The earlier samurai swords were actually straight-bladed, single-edged weapons imported from China and Korea, known as ‘chokuto.' During the end of the 8th century, the curved blade swords known as ‘Tachi' replaced the straight bladed swords. The main reason for the transformation was that the samurais' realized that a curved sword could be easily drawn from the scabbard and provided a far more effective cutting angle.

A typical samurai sword is made of Japanese steel known as ‘tamahagane.' The point of samurai sword is known as a Kissaki. It is the hardest part of the sword to forge and polish. To make a quality sword one would require an exceptionally expert artisan. The value of a samurai sword is mainly determined by the quality of the point.

If you are looking to buy a samurai sword then you need to consider several things. First is to check the type and quality of the blade. Choosing a full tang blade (that is the blade and the portion under the handle is a single piece of steel) will be an ideal option. The katana sword is the most popular among martial art students as well as collectors.

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