What is a Katana?
Katana is a kind of japanese longsword. Almost every culture has come up with their own kind of sword. These swords all have different attributes. Some are short and some are long while others are extremely long!
A long sword as the name suggests is a sword that is about 2 ft in length. These are not exact measurements, but are simply a relative measure compared to other knifing tools such as daggers.
Long swords have been seen in many races throughout history. What comes to mind immediately are the scots. They had long swords that were straight, and rigid. This is not to be mistaken with a broadsword which is much heavier than a longsword and is (as the name suggests) broader as well.
The signature of a Katana on the other hand is that it is curved. This is due to the process through which it is made... which I shall elaborate on in one of the following posts as and when I get to complete the write up.
A katana is traditionally the weapon of the warrior class of people. It is sometimes worn along with another shorter sword called the wakizashi. Together these two swords are called daisho. There is also the option of carrying a much smaller knifing tool, imitating a dagger. This "sword" is called the Tanto. Together, these three implements form the complete sword set that a warrior carries around.
As can be guessed, the long sword is the one used for open combat, while the shorter swords are used for a variety of other close combat manouvers, stabbing moves and the highly honoured but much resented Seppuku (ritual suicide).
Here are some pics of longswords:
Notice that the sword is straight and elongated in the picture above
Notice the thin and long blade with the long hilt for balance.
On the other hand, the Katana is slightly curved and not straight. Here are a few pictures:
Here is another one
