my favourite is the good old Katana.
The katana is the longer of the daisho. It is not just a weapon, but the soul of Bushi.
It is the most sophisticated form of the beauty of killing. The more beautiful it is, the more deadly sharpness it has.
The katana is distinguished from other swords from their extremely sharp edge and the slightly curved blade.
The beauty of a katana appears on its blade and edge. Its grace, form and grim beauty has been fascinating many warriors.
Muramasa ( swordmaker ) or Katanakaji ( swordsmiths ) are the craftsmen who forge swords ( not only katana but also wakizashi and other edged weapons
).
Forging katana is art rather than manufacture. They heat and hammer iron repeatedly with extreme keen sense.
A finished katana has stratified structure which makes extreme beauty when it is wetted.
The quality of a finished katana depends on various factors, such as a bit of impurities within raw iron, temperature of fire, water, etc.
Even a master swordsmith cannot maintain the good quality all the time.
Today, Japanese law prohibited people to have edged weapon, including the katana.
All edged katana must be registered with the government. However, Yakuza members still possess edged katana.
There are also replicas of katana, which has no edge. Such replicas are popular as interiors
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