The Katana sword is the iconic weapon of Feudal Japan, used by samurai warriors in battle. These swords were prized for their strength, durability, and razor-sharp edge.
The smiths who made these swords created them using a time-honored process that took on average three months to complete. The process is called tamahagane, and it involves heating iron sand and charcoal in a clay furnace to create crude steel. The raw steel is then hammered, folded and welded many times to remove impurities and give it its layered structure. The swordsmith also heats the steel in a way that allows for a high carbon content, which makes it hard and allows for an extremely sharp edge.
Once the swordsmith has a solid block of tamahagane, he or she starts to shape it into the form of a blade. This is done by striking the red-hot block with a hammer, or Tsuchi. This process is repeated many times, and this folding has become the origin of the term “Muko-zuchi” which means repeatedly striking and folding the blade in a single piece.
Next, the smith hammers away any slag left over from the forging and starts to fold the steel in half, so the harder, high-carbon steel is wrapped around a tougher low-carbon steel core. The result is a sword that has the best of both worlds – the hard steel gives the katana its deadly edge and durability, while the soft core helps absorb shock stress and prevent breakage. buy demon slayer katana online
