Historically, katana (刀 or かたな) were one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (日本刀, nihontō) that were used by the samurai of ancient and feudal Japan. The katana is characterized by its distinctive appearance: a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands.
Etymology and loanwords
" Katana " is the term now used to describe the family of swords known as nihontō that are 2 shaku, approximately 60 cm (24 in) in length, or longer.
Katana can also be known as dai or daitō among Western sword enthusiasts although daitō is a generic name for any Japanese long sword, literally meaning "big sword ".As Japanese does not have separate plural and singular forms, both katanas and katana are considered acceptable forms in English.Pronounced [ katana ], the kun' yomi (Japanese reading) of the kanji 刀, originally meaning dao or knife/ saber in Chinese, the word has been adopted as a loanword by the Portuguese language. In Portuguese the designation (spelled catana) means "large knife" or machete.
Description
The katana is generally defined as the standard sized, moderately curved (as opposed to the older tachi featuring more curvature) Japanese sword with a blade length greater than 60 cm (23 1⁄2 inches). It is characterized by its distinctive appearance: a curved, slender, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard (tsuba) and long grip to accommodate two hands.With a few exceptions, katana and tachi can be distinguished from each other, if signed, by the location of the signature (mei) on the tang (nakago). In general, the mei should be carved into the side of the nakago which would face outward when the sword was worn. Since a tachi was worn with the cutting edge down, and the katana was worn with the cutting edge up, the mei would be in opposite locations on the tang.Western historians have said that katana were among the finest cutting weapons in world military history.
History
The production of swords in Japan is divided into specific time periods:
Jōkotō (ancient swords, until around 900 CE)
Kotō (old swords from around 900–1596)
Shintō (new swords 1596–1780)
Shinshintō (newer swords 1781–1876)
Gendaitō (modern swords 1876–1945)
Shinsakutō (newly made swords 1953–present)The first use of katana as a word to describe a long sword that was different from a tachi occurs as early as the Kamakura Period (1185–1333).
