Weaponry Wednesday: The Katana

Made popular to the Western mainstream audiences by its appearance in The Highlander (also responsible for the popularity of trench coats), the katana has fascinated sword-lovers for years. Easily one of the most recognizable and popular swords in existence, it has set firm roots down in the fantasy literature community. In fact, the popularity of the weapon is so great that criticism of it is often met with anger. Hopefully I do not offend anybody with this piece, but I don’t think I’ll lose any sleep if I do. If you think that my analysis of the katana is incorrect or you have something to add, please comment below and let me know!

Rare is the sword that can surpass the katana in terms of history, so steeped is the katana in tradition and mythology. First used around 800 A.D. in Feudal Japan, a passing glance suggests that this weapon is like unto a shark among swords; it has not evolved since conception because it hasn’t needed to. This is not quite true. Japanese sword smithing is absolutely amazing, especially given the limited resources available on an island, and has subtly but distinctly changed the katana over time. These limited resources are actually what necessitated the elaborate sword smithing process and have led to the traditional katana’s single greatest flaw.

The ore commonly used by smiths in Japan was usually of a lesser quality, requiring an unparalleled

dedication to the craft in order to overcome this. Folding the steel over and over again helped to reinforce the structural integrity of the weapon and a single mistake could undo all of the smith’s efforts. Modern katana’s are
far more durable than their ancient counterparts because smiths are no longer limited to Japanese ore, to say nothing of the advances in smithing.

Moving on from the construction process, let’s take a look at the weapon’s actual use.

Cutting power. Holy cow do these weapons have that in spades. Not enough to chop through other swords like Hollywood likes to portray but dang, the combination of curvature, weight distribution, and keen edge all come together in lethal synergy. Because of the aforementioned issues with local ore, Japan did not develop armor in the same way as the rest of the world, and a thrusting sword was not as critical on the battlefield. With the full power of a two handed swing behind it, very little could stand up to these monsters.

Unfortunately this is also one of the katana’s greatest weaknesses. The edge is filed so keen that it is very brittle. Combine that with the aforementioned ore problems and you’ve got a weapon that will kill whoever you strike with it, but will more often than not be in need of serious maintenance afterwards, if it hasn’t been completely ruined. Miyamoto Musashi, one of the greatest swordmasters in history, was fond of saying that the best sword to use in battle was your enemies. Philosophical implications aside, he is literally correct. The swords were delicate, so he liked to disarm his enemies and kill them with their own weapon so he wouldn’t ruin his own. 

As an aside, Christopher Paolini’s characters discuss this issue in the third book of his Inheritance Cycle, Brisingr. While they’re not talking specifically about the katana, the principles brought up are essentially the same: a sword with a razor’s edge is delicate. With the Katana, the folding techniques used in the weapon’s smithing mitigate this, but do not eliminate it.

Another advantage of the katana was that it could be wielded in one or two hands, though using this

sword in one hand is actually much more difficult than in two given its weight. While there are few warriors who would consider the katana heavy in and of itself, in sword terms it’s no featherweight. Moreover, the weapon loses much of its cutting power when wielded one handed, forcing the wielder to rely more heavily upon the blade’s edge. The extended handle is excellent for maneuverability and leverage with two hands but can be a hindrance when wielding the sword one-handed. This is one of the primary reasons that shields were not common in Japan. Given the rarity of ore and the sheer cutting power of the katana, very few shields could withstand a two handed strike full on. And why limit your options with a weapon this potentially versatile? Especially since katanas came paired with a smaller version of itself, called the wakizashi. (side note: one day I will have to give this often overlooked short blade its own article).

To summarize, the katana is a lot like the lightsaber in a lot of ways. Tremendous cutting power, rich history, and careful construction. The blade will likely stop whatever it hits, but will need work right after if it isn’t ruined due to the keen edge and, in older swords, weaker steel. Great for a one on one honor duel, not so much for fighting off hordes of zombies. Or an entire gang of yakuza. The golden rule for the katana: There can only be one.