Katanas

The katana (japanese nihontō, which literally means "japanese sword") is a sable japanese, though in the West this word is used generically to encompass all the swords japanese.

Refers to a particular type of sword single edge, curved, traditionally used by the samurai. Its most common size is around one metre and the kilogram of mass. The type of katana the most widespread at present is the one known as "Oda Nobunaga", in allusion to the daimyō creator of this model, curved blade and is about a meter total length.

The origin of the katana japanese dates back to X-XII centuries, when the chinese of the Song dynasty introduced in the country and a curved sword called "The ripper of horses" (zhǎnmǎdāo in chinese and zanbatō in japanese), the name given by be a weapon used in combat against heavy cavalry to gut the belly or attack the fore quarters of the horse. This curved sword, later known as sable, is simply evolved up to the later katana japanese.