![]() ![]() Three of them are national treasures, one a holy relic of Nichiren Buddhism, and the last one an imperial property. The five greatest katanas ever to be made. The Tenka Goken, also known as “Five Swords Under Heaven.” These are the creme-de-la-creme of samurai swords. Tenka Goken: The 5 Sacred Samurai Swords of Japan Because of this, notable katana are often passed down through family generations or even kept in museums, temples, and the emperor’s home. Today, only licensed craftsmen can forge them, and the art of forging katanas has slowly been dying for the last 200 years or so. This means, of course, that samurai swordsmiths were some of the best swordsmiths on earth. Known as the best swords on earth, katana’s were so sharp that they’re said to have been able to slice right through the bones of a samurai’s unlucky enemy.Ī colorized image of a samurai with a katana. Since we’re talking about samurai, let’s not forget about the swords they used to use, known as katana as, after all, a samurai and his sword are a dual package. In fact, samurai and especially their swords are an integral part of Japan’s rich history and have continued to have a huge cultural impact on Japanese values and the nation’s image to this day. Ninjas and especially samurai aren’t just things that are cool to foreigners or tourists, they’re considered cool in Japan just like everywhere else. While Japan of course has much, much more to offer than the aforementioned things, let’s be honest, ninjas and samurais are pretty darn cool. The Tenka Goken are the five sacred swords of Japan, three of which are national treasuresĪpart from sushi, beautiful temples, and neon-lit cites, what do people who’ve never been to Japan think of when Japan is mentioned? Probably ninjas and samurais.Katana are an integral part of Japanese history, culture, and image.Samurai swords known in Japanese as katana are considered to be the best swords on earth.This led to the development of tamahagane steel - a high-carbon steel that was used to make traditional Japanese swords like the katana. However, swordsmiths discovered that adding carbon to their swords resulted in a stronger blade. ![]() In the early days of Japan's bladesmithing craft, swords and bladed weapons were produced with basic, low-carbon steel. This involves heating and cooling the katana's spine and edge at different rates, thereby creating a stronger edge and a more flexible spine.įinally, the traditional Japanese katana had the perfect composition of metals. Considering that tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands were produced throughout Japan's history, that's a pretty astounding number.Īnother reason the traditional Japanese katana is regarded as being the world's best sword is that they were forged using differential heat treatment. In fact, one report found that, on average, it took six months to forge a single katana. While some cheap, mass-produced swords today are rolled out of the factory in just hours, it took months to create a traditional Japanese katana. Producing a traditional Japanese katana was a painstakingly difficult and methodical process. Samurai warriors found that wearing the katana with the cutting edge up made drawing and unsheathing the sword easier. The katana is unique because it was the only Japanese sword worn with the cutting edge up. The moderate length of the katana allowed samurai warriors to easily wield and use it in a variety of scenarios.Ī key difference between the katana and other traditional Japanese swords lies in the way in which they were worn. ![]() With an average length of 23 5/8 to 28 3/4 inches (60 to 73 cm), it wasn't too long nor to short. The katana, however, featured the perfect blade length. ![]() Some feature blades just 1 to 2 inches long, whereas others feature blades longer than 50 inches. Swords have been designed in a variety of sizes over the years. So, why is the katana still regarded as being the best sword in history? And in that time, it's only become more popular - even though countless other swords have emerged. Originating in feudal Japan, it's been around for centuries. The katana is known throughout the world as being a superior sword with an unparalleled level of strength and versatility. ![]()
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