When we retrieve of samurai , what is the symbol that comes to listen ? For many conjury thoughts of the warriors of premodern Japan , it ’s thesamuraisword called a katana , a curved weapon with a unmarried edge that can slice with unforgiving preciseness .
grasp for the katana has become fabled . It cuts across cultures and genres , and slices into the hearts of account buffs , Japanophiles , mirthful book buff and more . But what ’s so special about the sword itself ? In theStuff to Blow Your Mindpodcast episode " Sword of the Samurai , " hosts Robert Lamb and Christian Sager talk over the katana ’s importance in the Japanese acculturation , the science of this skillful blade and the grisly path katanas were tested for sharpness .
The katana first appeared around the year 1400 C.E. , and featured a curved blade devised from skillful engineering . It can take more than a 12 people to make a katana over the trend of several months , with the intent that it becomes a lifelong companion for one person to wield and , eventually , be buried with . Although the katana can be viewed as nothing more than a simple prick , the finish surrounding it places a high and often mystical value on the brand . Some believe the soul of the katana ’s owner is take a hop in the sword .
Traditional katana swords are made from a metal calledtamahagane , also known as " precious stone sword . " To createtamahagane , swordsmiths fold and pound layers of iron ore for three Clarence Shepard Day Jr. and three nights at temperatures of up to 2,500 degrees F ( 1371 degrees C ) . The ore never reaches a liquified DoS , but is immix and refine until the percentage of C reaches between 0.5 and 1.5 percent . This leave in a low - carbon copy magnetic core that ’s soft but unbreakable . The core is spread over by high - atomic number 6 harder metals , creating the katana ’s natural and distinctive curve . In the death , tamahaganesteel can costup to 50 timesmore than ordinary steel , making mellow - quality katanas worth hundreds of M of dollars .
So how did swordmakers test the efficaciousness of a samurai sword?Tameshigiri , which mean " test cut , " is the ancient nontextual matter variety of testing a katana on targets . And it was n’t good newsworthiness for convicted criminals or street dog , both of which were sometimes used for praxis . They would be beheaded , then used for make practice cuts , particularly to the midsection , with the blade .
Today , caricature katanas can be found everywhere from comic book conventions to oddness and pawn shops . However , these swords wo n’t farm the same upshot as an unquestionable katana , which could reportedly disembowel an enemy with ease .
The spirit of thesamuraicasts a long shadow over the civilisation and story of Japan . Throughout the nation ’s account , the personal characteristics and attitudes of a samurai differed from that of an ordinary soldier . The samurai operated with a strict and noble codification of morals , and wielded weapons that are consider to be as honorable and trustworthy as they were . An entire culture calledkendobases its worldview around these weapon , extending an expectation and philosophical system beyond combat and into general life history — and the katana is insure as a perfect extension of its owner .
