Similar Japanese swords
- Tachi/Nodachi/Ōdachi, often called by the pseudo-Japanese term daikatana and mistakenly labeled as a katana.
- Kodachi, often called by the pseudo-Japanese term chisakatana or kogatana and mistakenly labeled as a katana.
- Wakizashi, the short blade usually worn along with the katana.
Myths and Fiction
Due to their long history and mystique, Katanas are often depicted as weapons of unparalleled power, often bordering on the physically impossible. Katanas are often depicted as being inherently "superior" to all other weapons possessing such qualities as being impossibly light, nigh-unbreakable and able to cut through nearly anything. By contrast, traditional European weapons are often depicted as clumsy, crude and unweildly by comparison despite all historical and modern evidence to the contrary.
Further reading
- Kapp, Leon (1987). The Craft of the Japanese Sword. Kodansha Intl. Ltd..
- Perrin, Noel (1979). Giving Up the Gun: Japan's Reversion to the Sword, 1543-1879. Boston: David R. Godine.
- Robinson, H. Russell (1969). Japanese Arms and Armor. New York: Crown Publishers Inc..
- Sinclaire, Clive. Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior.
- Takeuchi, S. Alexander (September, 2005). "Common Length of Tsuka on Nihon-to from a Socio-Historical Perspective". http://www2.una.edu/Takeuchi/DrT_Jpn_Culture_files/Nihon_to_files/tsuka_length.htm. Retrieved on 2008-02-20.
- Yumoto, John M (1958). The Samurai Sword: A Handbook. Boston: Tuttle Publishing.
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