Basic handling and technique of the katana

[Michael]

There seems to be a lot of people on here who know a thing or two about martial arts and Japanese weaponry. I've taken only Korean martial arts and know very little about Japanese combat so bear with this basic FAQ about a katana.

(I won't get into the history of it, suffice it to say it's frome Japan)
The katana
It's a sword. It's long, thin, curved (more like an arch), and really sharp on one edge. One edge is dull (The concave edge) and the other is razor sharp. It has a long hilt and no finger guard to speak of. It weighs quite a lot more than fencing swords, about 5-6 lb. Traditional katana's are usually beautifully decorated.

My view
It's a giant skinny meat-cleaver.

Use in combat
Offense or defense:
You can tell whether a sword is offensive or defensive from the size of it's finger guard, the larger and more protective, the more defensive. The katana doesn't hardly have a finger guard.

Stabbing:
Stabbing's not it's forte. You have to stab like Saito's Gotetsu from Rurouni Kenshin; turn it on it's side and put all your power behind the hilt. Because of it's arch and length a lot of your power doesn't get fed all the way through sword. You also have to stab pretty deep, which isn't good considering it's weight.

Slashing/cutting:
This's what it's good at. One razor sharp=won gud kut. In 'Tommorrow never Dies' James and the bad guy are fencing, the bad guy grabs a katana and slashes James's blade off. That's how it supposed to be used, one good cut and there down. You have to take a wide stance and constantly switch your weight around to get power behind the slash.
Sweet if you nail 'em.

Pros
It's sharp and areodynamic. Good range. One good slash'll drop most guys. Stabbing not to bad if you can get it in at the right time. It's weight is both a pro and a con really.

Cons
It's heavy. I mean, I'm not small, but this is tough for me to get around quickly. The guides I read say to, 'Pull your katana out in a beautiful arch-like slash and gracefully flick the blood from your blade before returning it to the sheeth'. If you can 'gracefully flick' that thing I'll give you $10. Also, it's bad at close range combat; no finger guard. I like my finger guard.

Questions or comments?

[Michael]

Trust me, it's heavy.

EDIT: Like the Ash pic? There supposed to be making a 'Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash'

[Danyasaur]

*gracefully flicks blade and holds out hand* ^_^. . . I agree with Cephas. . . if your arm's made out of sugar crystal, can I eat it? ^_^

[Retten]

If you want to know allot about, how to use, and strategy concerning Japanese weapons including the Katana I recomende you read: A Book of Five Rings Written by Miyamoto Musashi its a really good read and if you want you can read it on the net at http://www.samurai.com/5rings/

It even helped my fencing a bit there are some really nice moves in it!

[Michael]

Uh, Cephas, are you ok?

EDIT: Has anyone here actually held a katana?

[Razgriz]

I have, but it's a replica and is probably the closest you can get without going to japan and spending $10,000 USD. You could get a katana locally that's hand forged, a really good one costs 2-5k, but they typically don't use the traditional steel, and might cut some corners so it isn't "real" authentic. Weight is 2-3lbs (this is the correct weight, the one you said Michael is closer to a 2 handed sword of some kind, and no swords weighs beyond 8 lbs that's practical for battle) I've taken Kendo before, and it's actually not that easy to get your fingers smashed than your forearm, besides, a fingerguard (which I think you meant by basket hilt, because the katana has a handguard) would be counterproductive to a two handed sword (it could be used 1 handed, but it's a lot harder and slower).

Also, it can't break through steel or something like that without suffering a lot of chipping or getting itself broke, lol, but it can cut better than most swords, think of it as a giant 3ft or so razor blade.

EDIT: Kendo is not a true combat martial arts, it's the "safer" version of Kenjutsu, which is the "true" combat art of the sword.

[FireStarter2003]

Konbanwa fellow kenjutsu-ka (either in real-life or in your minds),

I have a Paul Chen Practical Katana, which is the economy katana that Paul Chen makes. I got mine for close to $150, and it's definitely worth the money. The blade is carbon steel, and the tang extends through the full length of the tsuka (handle), unlike most of the cheap 440-stainless steel swords, which are half-tang, and held by a screw within the plastic handle. It also has a round tsuba (handguard). This sword is perfect if you want to practice tameshigiri (test-cutting), and it has a good weight to it. Paul Chen makes other katanas, like the Golden Oriole, The Miyamoto Musashi, or their Shinto katanas, which have leather-bound tsuka with same (pronounced "sah-meh": rayskin) under the wrapping, and custom tsuba and fittings for the sword. Those can go into the hundreds of dollars. Another good source for excellent katana is the Bugei Trading Company (http://www.bugei.com).

One thing to remember about the Japanese sword: it was not designed for blade-to-blade contact, with blades banging against each other. Such a clash of swords would more likely have resulted in broken blades. Since the samurai were taught iaijutsu (quick-drawing art), they endeavored to slay their opponent with the very first cut. Rather than trying to block their opponents' swords, evasion and dodging techniques were preferred. Just my two cents' worth.

[FireStarter2003]

Some further thoughts on kenjutsu from a ninjutsu viewpoint:

Ninja kenjutsu is different from samurai kenjutsu in certain regards. For instance, the ninja-to, or shinobigatana (ninja sword) was shorter than the traditional samurai katana. It was a two-handed sword, yet the blade was likely either equal in length, or a few inches longer, than the blade of a wakizashi (short sword). Being that the ninja's sword blade was shorter than the samurai katana, it served the ninja well for close-quarter combat, as well as dispatching enemies or pursuers in tight spaces. Contrary to most popular 80's ninja movies (and some martial arts literature), there was no standardized straight-blade ninja sword, with a square tsuba, that all ninja used. Most swords ninja had were slightly curved, as they were often taken from their dead opponents, or sometimes they forged rather non-elegant swords, which served as a multipurpose tool, not just a killing weapon.

In terms of actual combat use, as mentioned above, the ninja sword is designed for close-quarter fighting. The ninja method, unlike the samurai method, did not rely on sweeping, flowing slashes and cuts with the arms. Rather, when the ninja attacked, he generated power by putting his body into the technique, following through with the blade. Ninja also relied on stabbing and thrusting techniques, as opposed to the beautiful slashes of the samurai. Also, since the ninja sword was shorter than the samurai katana, he would sheathe the sword in a regular katana-length sheath, the bottom of which would contain metsubushi (blinding powder), which the ninja could sweep at his opponent's eyes from the sheath. The sageo (cord) on the sheath could also serve to bind and entangle an opponent.

I hope this info helps anybody curious about the distinctions between samurai and ninja kenjutsu. Mata ne!

[Fsiphskilm]

There's a sword shop in the mall up where i live

[kaibrightwing]

hello if you what to know i have all three sword from my grandfather they are in fine shape and base off of one its history it is about two hundred and twenty-seven years old that is what i can find in it history. To me it is a honor to have them and to learn how to use them.

[Michael]

Right, I know a lot more than I did. I have a Bokken and have used my friends katana before.