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January 27th, 2007, 01:12 PM
| | Venerable Student | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: colne lancashire england Style(s): wing chun Year(s): 25
Posts: 127
Rep Power: 5 | | | better get professional help if you are going to purchase a old blade made in japan its a mine field,this subject would need a site to its self |
May 31st, 2007, 05:21 PM
|  | D-list King of Kings!!!  | | Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Hollyhood Style(s): Primary is Hap Ki Do Year(s): long time
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Rep Power: 90 | | | A Katana was usually custom made for its user. This dictated its size, but ones that are larger than normal were O-Katana.
Katana
(刀:かたな, Katana?) is a type of Japanese backsword or longsword (大刀:だいとう, daitō?). In use after the 1400s, the Katana is a curved, single-edged sword traditionally used by the samurai. Pronounced [kah-tah-nah] in the kun'yomi (Japanese reading) of the kanji 刀, the word has been adopted as a loan word by the English language; as Japanese does not have separate plural and singular forms, both "katanas" and "katana" are considered acceptable plural forms in English. The katana was typically paired with the wakizashi or shōtō, a similarly made but shorter sword, both worn by the members of the warrior class. It could also be worn with the tantō, an even smaller similarly shaped blade. The two weapons together were called the daishō, and represented the social power and personal honour of the samurai. The long blade was used for open combat, while the shorter blade was considered a side arm, more suited for stabbing, close quarters combat, decapitating beaten opponents when taking heads on the battlefield, and seppuku, a form of ritual suicide.
Japanese swords are fairly common today, antique and even modern forged swords can still be found and purchased. Modern nihontō or Japanese-made swords are only made by a few hundred smiths in Japan today at contests hosted by the All Japan Swordsmiths Association.
Def.
An O-Katana (太刀) is a katana slightly longer than a regular katana (O meaning great or long in Japanese). These are not to be confused with the great Nodachi, which were significantly longer than katana. O-katana were most often katana made for a person of great stature. These blades were somewhat common during the Old Sword/Koto period (900 to 1530) and less common during the New Sword/Shinto period (1531 to 1867). Blades of this type were difficult to forge equally from tip to base, due to the great length. Often tachi made during the Koto period were of this length.
O-Tanto
Def.
This was a little longer than the standard Tanto.. (Simple)
Then there was the nodachi.
A nodachi (野太刀:のだち, nodachi?) is a large two-handed Japanese sword. Nodachi approximately translates to "field sword". However, some have suggested that the meaning of "nodachi" is roughly the same as ōdachi meaning "large/great sword".[citation needed] A confusion between the terms has nearly synonymized "nodachi" with the very large "ōdachi". Thus, while the original use of the term may have been to refer to any type of long battlefield sword (daitō), including the tachi, it is frequently misapplied to any type of oversized Japanese sword.
Nodachi have the same general appearance and design of a tachi though they are significantly longer. The nodachi was carried by foot soldiers and was designed as a weapon for war versus cavalry and open field engagements. Nodachi were generally used on open battlefields as their length made their use indoors or close quarters difficult. They were an effective weapon against cavalry, though they were not commonly used. Nodachi were infrequently used for several reasons:
The blade was more difficult to forge compared to a normal-sized sword
The nodachi required greater strength to properly wield
Weapons such as the naginata or nagamaki were arguably more effective for the same role on the battlefield.
During times of peace the sword was worn slung across the back as a symbol of status.[citation needed] This is distinctive because most Japanese swords such as the katana, wakizashi, and tachi were worn at the waist or belt; however it was not "drawn" from the back. The nodachi was more difficult to wield due to its abnormal size and weight, but like any weapon, could be extremely deadly if the warrior wielding it was skilled. The size of the blade made the nodachi a fearsome weapon when wielded by a skilled warrior. The length of the nodachi's hilt varied between twelve to thirteen inches (30 to 33 centimeters). Its cutting capability and range exceeded that of a katana, due to its weight and size.
In some Chinese martial arts, Pa Kua Chang being perhaps the best known example, oversized weapons are used for training purposes in order to condition the martial artist to handle a normal-sized weapon more efficiently (as is the case in Japanese martial arts with the suburitō, a heavy wooden sword).
The Kage-ryū is one of the very rare schools of Japanese martial arts remaining that trains in the use of the Japanese long-sword (which they call choken).
This sword was also used by Sasaki Kojiro, a very skilled warrior and deadly with the nodachi. He is some what famous for losing to Musashi Miyamoto(who some say was the greatest swordsmen that ever lived).
And there is the ōdachi.
An ōdachi (大太刀, ōdachi?), meaning "big/thick sword", was a type of long Japanese sword. The term nodachi, or "field sword", which refers to a different type of sword, is often mistakenly used in place of ōdachi. It is historically known as ōtachi.
The character for ō (大) means "big" or "great". The characters for da (太) and chi (刀) are the same as tachi (太刀), the older style of sword/mounts that predate the katana. The chi is also the same character as katana (刀) and the tō in nihontō (日本刀 "Japanese sword"), originally from the Chinese character for a knife, dāo.
To qualify as an ōdachi, the sword in question must have a blade length of 3 shaku (90.9 cm) or more. However, as with most terms in Japanese sword arts, there is no exact definition of the size of an ōdachi. |
May 31st, 2007, 05:24 PM
| | D-list King of Kings!!! | | Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Hollyhood Style(s): Primary is Hap Ki Do Year(s): long time
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May 31st, 2007, 05:26 PM
| | D-list King of Kings!!! | | Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Hollyhood Style(s): Primary is Hap Ki Do Year(s): long time
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Rep Power: 90 | | | They would go great with your own samurai armor. |
May 31st, 2007, 10:17 PM
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Don't know if you saw these or not/or even if you struck a deal elsewhere. This is only a couple of many.
Bamboo Katana (SH1002B)
In 1867, the Samurai were banned from carrying swords. This attempt to end a thousand year tradition was not received lightly by this proud warrior class and the Bamboo katana was born. Innocuous walking canes now concealed the revered blades of the katana; the "Soul of the Samurai," lived on.This sword is hand forged and tempered in the style of the Japanese masters. Crafted in the waribagitae style, the blade is tempered using the traditional clay process dating back to 700 AD. The blade's cutting edge is a 60 RC, while the body of the blade is 20 RC. This provides one of the hardest edges available while maintaining resilience and shock absorption.
Muromachi Katana (1208-IK)
During the Muromachi period, bloody wars were the norm. While many good swords were made during this time, the vast need caused smiths to switch to production line methods. Furthermore, the ferocity of the fighting caused the highly artistic techniques of the Kamakura period to be abandoned in favor of more utilitarian weapons. The Muromachi Katana was inspired by this period. Although the design is simple, the sword is fully functional. The full tang blade is hand-forged from 1064 high-carbon steel and is differentially tempered using a chemical process. This creates a prominent hamon line and makes the blade incredibly sharp and durable. The handle features simulated ray skin and imported Japanese cotton sageo. The tsuba is crafted from a specially formulated zinc aluminum alloy and features a custom spiral pattern that beautifully accents this unique sword. This katana is perfect for cutting and combat demonstrations. This sword comes with a free sword bag and display box. |
June 26th, 2007, 04:01 PM
| | Venerable Student | | Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Cathedral City, CA Style(s): Fushan White Eyebrow Fist Year(s): A while
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Rep Power: 5 | | | Well, if you are still looking try swordforum.com. They are pretty good at classifying types ans quality of blades. Kinda stuck up though. | |
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