We hope that you no longer see a Japanese sword as a piece of metal but rather appreciate the artistic nature of the folding pattern of the iron, the balance of the blade, the shape, the temper line, and the most of all, the craftsmanship. This short introduction to Japanese swords was created to demonstrate how much technical skill is required to create such a beautiful object. The blade length was shortened for control, and the blade became thicker for endurance. In the feudal period of Japan, Samurais used to wear them as a protection as well. It was easier to wield a sword with a slight curvature for cutting and thrusting. Katana () is the most well known of the traditionally made Japanese swords. Changes to the design of the blade were needed in order to accommodate thrusts and multiple parries. This was partly due to the changing in location from battle fields to castle invasion, as the land had already been captured and castles were built. In the 16 th century, there was a transition in design of the Japanese sword. This meant slashing actions were more affective. This was primarily because during this period a lot of battles took place on large open fields and the warriors fought from horseback. Prior to the 16 th century, Japanese swords were shaped in the style of tachi, a long slender sword with a large curvature. If they go over this quota, their products would be deemed as weapons as opposed to art pieces. At which point, the modern sword smiths are only allowed to produce 3 katana a month, using traditional techniques and materials. Japanese swords are seen as an art form in recent years. In the Edo Period (1603-1868), laws were established to restrict sword ownership by. To become Japanese sword smiths, they need to pass an exam which can take an average of 7 years to gain. The uchigatana is what we generally think of nowadays as the Japanese sword. Nowadays there are still Japanese sword smiths producing with the use of traditional techniques and methods from those schools. They are Yamashiro-den, Yamato-den, Soshu-den, Mino-den and Mizen-den. It has a curved, single-edged blade that is slender and a square or circular guard. From 900 AD, not only do we see the development of sword making, but also gokaden (), five schools of Japanese sword smithing, were established. The katana is a Japanese sword used by Samurai, an aristocratic warrior class in feudal Japan.
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