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How Much is a Real Katana?
An authentic Katana that is handmade in Japan is called nihonto. Often, these would usually cost around $12,000 to $25,000 and higher.
In general, swords are entirely on the expensive side, and when it comes to an authentic Samurai Katana, things get even more pricey.
If you compare it with Chinese-made productions, these are usually around $1,000 to $4,500 for something considered as “reasonably traditional”.
Now, what makes a real Katana expensive? Technically, these classic, traditionally forged Katana swords feature unique processes of production.
These include folding, laminating, and differential hardening, which are challenging tasks that require thorough and proper craftsmanship to create a perfect Katana.
Do take note that the method of folding a Katana does not take a thousand times. It only and rarely goes over fifteen. Yet despite the drop in the number of folds, it’s still able to create impressive numbers of layers, often reaching over 32,000.
In ancient Japan, quality of iron ore wasn’t that good. But due to the innovative skill of swordsmiths, they utilized various slabs of impure iron then purified them using flame.
It took 72 hours to complete the purification technique, and they did this in a specially-made furnace, the Tatara. This process produced the Tamahagane or jewel steel.
Lamination contributes to the vital physical aspects of a Katana, and there are different ways of doing it. These include the most simple form, Kobuse, Sanmai, and Shoshu Kitae for the most complicated. All these have one thing in common, and that’s taking steel billets of different hardness then fusing them.
The melding produces a blade for holding a sharp edge without it snapping.
With that, the general principle of the procedure is to produce a blade with a hard edge. An additionally flexible jacket should also surround it.
Clay and differential hardening is where the concept of a soft spine and hard edge enters. It also produces Japanese Hamon. The practice consists of covering the blade in a layer of clay.
You’d need thick layers on the spine and thin layers on its cutting edge. It will then be heated to about 750-degrees Celsius then quenched in water to cool the edge faster. The result of this procedure produces a blade with a serious edge while the entire blade is kept flexible.
Is the Katana the Sharpest Sword?
The Katana is not the sharpest sword, but it is indeed an efficient cutting weapon. However, it is one of the most popular weapons in the world and is considered very powerful. It has a uniquely curve shaped blade and a sharp cutting edge as well.
Like the other blades, it has both its advantages and disadvantages. It’s a great cutting weapon, and due to the hardness of its edge, the Katana maintains a fine edge.
It’s good to note that there’s a certain degree allowed by its molecular structure to sharpen steel. Japanese sword makers ensure that their Katana are sharpened to the greatest degree possible.
Technically, claims state that the Obsidian still has the sharpest edge.
However, swordsmiths used specific materials to ensure the sharpness of the Katana. Tamahagane is the type of steel that Japanese swordsmiths used to create swords.
They utilized two kinds of Tamahagane; one was high in carbon, which had a high level of hardness. This high-carbon steel allowed swordsmiths to give the blade a razor-sharp edge.
Like forging a sword, sharpening the Japanese Katana took a lot of time. Aside from forging the blade with the Tamahagane, the swordsmith passed the sword to the sword polisher. This person sharpened and polished the blade.
Since feudal Japan, the process of sharpening the Katana blade has not changed. The sword polisher utilized grinding stones, which slightly shed off the blade’s edge to achieve a high level of sharpness. Today, the value of these grinding stones are as high as the sword.
The sword polisher started the process of sharpening the blade with low-grit grinding stones. After using low-grit stones, they switched to using finer stones with higher grit to complete the process.
Another type of polishing stone that sword polishers used were Japanese water stones. Today, swordsmiths still utilize the same method of sharpening for any blade.
To conclude, Katana’s sharpness depends on the swordsmith and polisher’s skill. Masamune, Japan’s greatest swordsmith, had ten famous students; one of them was Kanemitsu. He created some of the sharpest swords and was rated at Sai-jo O-wazamono or grandmaster of excellent sharpness.
Some of his famous works are the Ishikiri (Stone Cutter), Kabutowari (Helmet Cutter), and the Teppokiri (Gun Cutter).
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