History

The katana originated in the Muromachi period (1392–1573) as a result of changing battle conditions requiring faster response times. The katana facilitated this by being worn with the blade facing up, which allowed the samurai to draw and cut their enemy in a single motion. Previously, the curved sword of the samurai was worn with the blade facing down. The ability to draw and cut in one motion also became increasingly useful in the daily life of the samurai.^[3]

The length of the katana's blade varied considerably during the course of its history. In the late 14th and early 15th centuries, katana blades tended to be between 70 and 73 cm (27.6 and 28.7 inches) in length. During the early 16th century, average length was much closer to 60 cm (23.6 inches), but late in the 16th century, it was again approximately 73 cm (28.7 in).^[3]

The katana was paired most often 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 dagger. The katana and wakizashi when paired with each other were called the daishō and they represented the social power and personal honor of the samurai.^{[citation needed]}

The katana originated from the Tang blade, which as its name suggests, originated from Tang Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, it was popular for Japanese scholars to go to China to study. It is no surprise the katana originated from one of the most popular weapons during that time period. The Tang blade looks exactly like a katana, except the edges are not curved. Such new form of curvature is actually most likely attributed to blades from the Arabian Empire at that time, though the shape may have evolved independantly due to the natural hardening of the metal used. The Tang Dynasty was the world center during its time, and it would not be uncommon for traders from all over the world, including those from that area to sell their wares. Curvature in blades had existed in Asia a long time ago, but this new kind was of interest at that time. It can be said that the katana is a combination of the Tang blade with Arabian style curvature.^{[citations needed]} Katanaes where tested on cindemed prisoners. It was constered an honor to die from that level of a weapon. They would start with an arm or a lang. Then they would slice one man in half. Then they would stand to men side by side and then slice both of them in half. They would continue with this prosess until the sword stoped in one of the men. Then that sword would be labeled as a one body sword, two body sword, three body sword....