Katana: The Soul of Japan
The word katana was originally derived from the kanji on the left, which has been translated in different ways but is best described as blade. A knife is a blade. A sword is also a blade. By using the word blade, we cover ground occupied by both knives and swords. This kanji is also read as to in the compound 日本刀 (nihonto), which is usually read as Japanese Swords, but which I might render as Japanese Blades.
Notwithstanding the original meaning, by the time legendary duelist Miyamoto Musashi wrote The Book of Five Rings, the word katana had come to describe the longer sword of the pair that the samurai wore when on foot. The other sword, the wakizashi (literally "sidearm"), was replaced by a tanto (short sword) when a samurai was mounted.
The term katana was applied to the weapon that replaced the earlier tachi ("long sword") which, while curved, was worn with the edge downward, making it slow to draw. Experience in the Mongol invasion of Japan led to demand for a sword with the blade worn up, with a slight curve, that could be drawn quickly, that was strong enough to cut fiercely, flexible enough to resist breakage, and possessing a tip that permitted thrusting to defeat, or attempt to defeat, armor at close range. What we now know as "the katana" is the result.
The katana is not designed to do the same job as a Western longsword. While its sides and back can be used to swat away spears and blades to the side, it is designed as the finest of offensive weapons against exposed flesh, not for sustaining heavy blows. The extremely hard edge will chip if it strikes a similar edge head-on. The blade's strength is greatest edgewise or against its springy spine, and weakest to the sides.
Nonetheless, the katana was the closest thing a samurai had to a lightning bolt in his hand, more than capable of severing a man in two with a single stroke.
In addition to its practical battlefield role, the civilized and aesthetically inclined samurai, never crude warriors, were drawn to blades that were also works of art. These masterfully designed, highly specialized and efficient weapons are, in many ways, beautiful on the inside and the outside.
I am working on a short book about this inner beauty to bring a concise, yet comprehensive picture of the katana to a Western audience. I believe this is a worthy subject, for the katana truly is a manifestation of the living spirit of Japan.
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