Katana

: This article is about the Japanese sword. For the motorcycle, see Suzuki Katana..

Comparisons with European swords

It is a commonly-encountered article of faith that katanas are intrinsically superior to European swords. This belief is frequently bolstered by roleplaying games that assign superior statistics to katanas, and also by many movies. However, these claims are largely based on misunderstandings about the manufacture and role of European swords, and comparing the schools on their worst examples instead of their best.

Related Topics:
Roleplaying games - Movies

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Because Japan was an iron-poor society, making a sword was an intrinsically expensive undertaking; the supply of swords was limited, and so it was in the smiths' interest to make the most of the materials they could afford. Europe also had superlative swordsmiths; Toledo steel swords from Spain are one example of legendary quality swords from outside Japan. However, the greater availability of iron made it practical to produce cheap, low-quality weapons in large quantities. Where Europeans had the choice between expensive good swords and cheap bad swords, Japanese had the choice between expensive swords, somewhat less expensive swords, or none at all.

Related Topics:
Toledo - Spain

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European swords were also designed for different modes of combat. The katana's sharpness makes it an excellent cutting weapon, suitable for use against lightly-armoured opponents, but easily damaged when used against heavier armour. In this light, the relative bluntness of a good European sword is due less to the limitations of its maker than to the requirements of its use. Attempting to establish the superiority of the one over the other is ultimately meaningless without first defining the circumstances in which they are to be compared. Late European swords were often designed for the same combat modes as Japanese ones, horseback or unhorsed against lightly-armored or unarmored infantry, and because of this shared a similar design: curved, with a single sharp edge (e.g. the sabre). Into the 19th and 20th centuries, swords were all but abandoned in Europe as firearms took center stage, and they evolved into the ceremonial weapons carried by forces such as today's United States Marine Corps.

Related Topics:
Sabre - United States Marine Corps

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