Page 62 - History of War - Issue 25-16

FORGING THE ULTIMATE BLADE

THE KATAN

HOW THE LEGENDARY SAMURAI SWORD GAINED ITS EDGE

Extraordinary stories have been (hamon). A perfect hamon was
attached to these single-edged, – and is – a sign of an excellent
curved blades, from the blood blade, acting as a mark of quality.
thirst of Muramasa’s swords to the The forged sword was then
holy swords of master bladesmith passed to the polisher who
Masamune, which would only harm cleaned and polished the blades
that which was evil. using decreasingly abrasive water
As the pattern-welded blade stones. This polishing could take
was rising to prominence and then weeks and is itself still a ine art
being replaced by mass-produced to master.
inferior blades in Europe, a similar The inished blade was then
technique was rising in Japan. The sent for a inely decorated handle
technology was startlingly similar, and scabbard. The inest Japanese
yet very different. The tatara, a swords were made by a group of
form of industrial smelting, was skilled craftsmen – the bladesmith Katanas were
traditionally worn with
used to extract tamahagane steel was a master and directed a
the sharpened edge
and iron from the iron sands that group of apprentices. The master facing up, making it
are the main ore source in Japan. did little of the heavy work, but possible to draw the
Tamahagane is high-quality directed exactly. Often, he would sword and strike the
enemy in a single motion
steel, but the carbon content is tap the metal with a light hammer
variable. The bladesmith separated and the weight and location of Left: The distinct hamon
can be seen down the
the steel into highest and lower the strike was duplicated by an
side of the blade
carbon. The low-carbon steel apprentice with a larger hammer.
(shingane) was forged into a core The master was there for his
and the higher-carbon steel was skill, not his strength. Japanese
forged into layers that were then master bladesmiths achieved
sandwiched together around this mythological status and there
forged core into a blade shape. are many folk tales that describe
The outer blade could be folded smiths meeting each other and
many times to form a laminated holding forging competitions.
sword in which the impurities For instance, Muramasa was
were spread evenly throughout supposed to have challenged
the blade, much like they are in Masamune to see who could make
pattern-welded swords. the better sword. Blades made,
Between each forging, the blade the two masters hung their swords
was coated in clay mixed with ash. in a stream. Muramasa’s sword
This helped to draw out impurities sliced everything: ish, leaves,
from the steel as it was heated the air itself. But Masamune’s
and burned off in the intense blade touched nothing. Thinking
temperature of the forge. he had won, Muramasa jibed his
The skill in forging a katana lay master, until a watching monk
in making certain that the soft explained that, while the irst
core and laminated outer skin were sword cut everything, the second,
correctly aligned and positioned in Masamune’s blade, was superior,
the inished blade. Like a pattern- since it discriminated, leaving
welded blade, this skill took a untouched that which did not
lifetime to master. deserve to be harmed. Sadly, this
The katana was not heat-treated wonderful tale is apocryphal –
in the same way as a European Muramasa and Masamune were
sword. The softness of the back separated by generations and
of the blade was maintained by never met.
coating it in a thick layer of clay,
which was thinned towards the
that hardened the blade conined “APERFECTHAMON
blade edge. This kept the high heat
to the cutting edge, thus allowing WAS–ANDIS–A
the other parts of the blade to
Using clay could produce a blade SIGNOFANEXCELLENT
remain soft and springy.
light temper was needed to reduce BLADE,ACTINGASA
without tempering, but usually a
beautiful wavy line down the blade MARKOFQUALITY” This engraving shows Japanese Images: Getty Images; Thinkstock
brittleness. The clay also created a
Blacksmith Munechika being
helped to forge by a fox spirit
Far left: Inscriptions on the
katana’s tang can help identify it

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