Katanas have long been considered powerful symbols of Japanese history and culture, famed for their sharp edges, flawless balance, and refined aesthetics. They have earned worldwide respect as global status symbols.
Finding the ideal katana can be a difficult and subjective decision that depends on both personal taste and intended usage. There are however certain essential considerations which need to be kept in mind before making your choice.
The Curvature of the Blade
Sword smiths master the art of shaping steel by hand to craft elegant, beautiful soujiyi blades – creating them using traditional methods for optimal results. Their handiwork yields stunning weapons whose designs reflect both their dedication and patience in crafting it.
Curved blades allow samurai to draw and strike in one motion by dispersing force across a smaller surface area, inflicting more damage than with straight swords. Unfortunately, most tests conducted on such weapons involved completely rectangular objects so it’s hard to know whether curved swords would work against humans more effectively than straight ones.
The curved shape makes the Katana easier to use. Its long handle, designed for two hands to grip at once, allowed samurai warriors to perform sword fighting moves known as Kenjutsu. Moreover, they could grip tightly when in combat with one another.
The Hamon
The hamon is a tempering line that separates the harder edge of a Japanese sword from the softer spine. This is due to a technique called differential hardening, in which the edges of the blade cool more quickly than the spine, giving them a harder crystalline structure. The hamon is highly regarded for its aesthetic beauty, as well as its function: it helps identify a sword’s style, school, and region. It also adds strength to the blade, and allows it to bend more easily than a mono-tempered sword.
There are many different hamon styles, including suguha, which is a straight pattern that can be divided into hoso-suguha (narrow), chu-suguha (medium), and hiro-suguha (wide). Other popular hamon designs include toran-ba, which looks like surging waves; midare, which has a continuous zig-zag gunome pattern; and notare, which features gentle curves. Although a swordmaker’s choice of hamon may seem subjective, it is actually very important. For example, a hamon that contains islands, trees, rat’s feet, or other shapes might indicate an uneven distribution of clay and therefore damage the sword.
The Kissaki-Moroha-Zukuri
Kissaki-moroha-zukari, commonly referred to as kogarasu zukuri, is an innovative bridge between old double-edged Japanese ken modeled on Chinese jian and traditional tachi and katana blades. It can be recognized by its characteristic round tip shape with a koshi-hi groove running along its length from tang to transition point for shinogizukuri transition point; commonly found on short tachis from Heian and Kamakura periods as well as medium length Chu Kissaki and O kissaki which appear throughout all periods.
These distinctive blade facets allow katanas to cut with exceptional strength and precision, as well as contribute to its beauty and distinct hamon look. Sword masters such as Masamune became known for their masterpieces; unfortunately many have since disappeared over time but their legacy lives on in museums across Japan that preserve katanas that remain.
The Koshirae
Custom Koshiraes take 6-18 months to build, and should be treated as an investment both in terms of antique fittings and lacquer work. When selecting one for yourself, choose kashira, tsuba and menuki that reflect both your personal style while complementing each other seamlessly.
The Aikuchi Koshirae style of sword shirae can be defined as any configuration whereby the tsuka and saya meet directly, without being separated by any tsuba or other element. This technique was commonly seen on Tachi and Tanto blades to allow warriors to keep their weapon close while wearing armored vestments.
Higo Koshirae of NTHK-NPO Conservation Certified Higo Koshirae offers this set of antique katana and wakizashi in the form of a daisho (matched set).