The katana was the Japanese sword of legendary craftsmanship and rich lore. It was the primary sword weapon of the Japanese
feudal knights, the Samurai. The crafting of these weapons was considered an art form; each weapon was meticulously forged,
shaped, tempered, and honed. The average katana consisted of 27 different pieces, including the scabbard; each piece was
specially designed to fit perfectly with the others. The katana blade ran the length of the weapon and the handles were attached
with pegs to the outside of the blade’s tang (the portion of the blade opposite the tip, normally fitted into the weapon hilt). Unlike
swords where the blade is fitted into the hilt, thus allowing the blade to be broken off the handle, the katana, being essentially a
single piece of steel, had to be broken literally in half before it was rendered useless. Katanas were single edged with a stunted,
sharpened tip for thrusts. While the blades were rarely longer than three feet, the handles were always long enough to allow the
Samurai a two handed grip. Great rites governed the use, display, and carry of the katana. The Samurai recognized 16 separate
attack forms with the katana, from a diagonal slash across the chest to the a horizontal slash across the hips (easiest to most
difficult). The katana was always carried with a shorter blade, the wakizashi. Together the pair was called a daisho (Japanese
meaning “large-small”). Samurai carried the daisho through the girdle of their clothing with the weapon edges facing up. Katanas
were passed down unmodified through generations in a family but the scabbards (lacquered and enameled wood, usually
decorated) were often changed as new styles became popular. Rarely would a Samurai display his katana to anyone except
during combat; it was considered unprofessional to fully remove the blade from its scabbard outside of combat.