Japanese Katana Essay -- Art, Sword, Samurai

A popular ancient Nipponese saying states that The stain is the soul of the warrior. (Buchanan 120) The warrior in the proverb pertains to the samurai of feudal Japan and the sword refers to their about prominent mechanism, the Katana. An ancient blade made through a entangled forging process, the Katana is truly a work of art. Also known as the Japanese long sword or the samurai sword, the Katana is a curved, single- meted blade with ridges on its exterior. It is primarily used as a branch to cut tidy sum or slash its foes (Robinson 28). The ridges along the blade, called the hamon, divides the soft alloy components, the shingane, from the hadagane of the hard metal components used to forge the sword to give it its trademark razor peachy edge and flexibility (Turnbull 12). The blade of the Katana is around sixty to seventy centimeters in length and is often likened to the arc of the new moon. With its signature curved edge and its fusion of hard and soft metals, the Katana is considered to be the greatest offensive ordnance ever created (ONeill 114,116). It is a hallmark of Japanese sword recital and is a noteworthy aspect of Japanese craftsmanship. The Japanese Katana is an important symbol of Japanese culture whose significance must be asserted.Stories about war and implements of such(prenominal) can be observed throughout the course of Japanese history. This shows the prevalence of martial training and the profession of arms as a custom that has not faded since ancient times (Friday and Humitake 13). Japanese sword history spans several centuries. It is commonly divided into five major periods, the Jokoto and Koto periods or the ancient swords, pre-650 A.D, and the old swords from post-650 A.D. until 1596 A.D. when the Shinto... ...h their swords. All lived by a code that valued expiry over defeat. They were the samurai, the elite warrior class who ruled Japan for nearly 700 years, deviation an indelible mark on a land Japan. (ONeill 101) This quote interpreted from a National Geographic publication is one of many others that pronounce of the tenacity of the samurai. Noble and aggressive, the samurai wield their swords with killing intent, confident that a ingenuous strike from their blades can cause certain death to their foes. This was the primary author the Katana is made in such a way. It is to create a weapon of absolute destruction. An implement comprising of aspects that symbolize politeness and devastation, the Katana not only is the finest weapon ever made, it is also a beautiful work of art (Yumoto n.p.).The elegance of the Katana stems from its shape and the method used to create it.