You are forgetting the highlanders of Clan MacLeod that used katanas from the late middle ages through the late 1990s.

"fetishization, basically...." - /slides hand up and down grip

Anime over exaggerates things like swords?!? Next you’ll tell me ninjas can’t run straight up trees.

I absolutely love these long form educational weapons history videos. It's like I get to go to college again for just one class :D

I very much enjoy the evolving discourse on the katana. It’s gone from disproving the myths idolizing the thing to disproving the myths denigrating it and now we’re safely in the valley of nuance 😁

Most katana we have now were either produced in the Edo period, or shortened to official Edo period standards, in which swords allowed to be worn for dress in cities and at court were restricted to a length of two shaku three sun and under. We might view this as being in line with the Tokugawa Shogunate's general trend towards restricting and limiting weapons of war. It should also be remembered that the Edo period was a time of peace without pitched battles, and that the sword had become an important status symbol of the Samurai caste; perhaps more then ever. Given how the Daisho set is worn (fairly horizontal lengthwise), a conservatives size would have been desirable for their enhanced role as dress swords. Moreover, while comfort and regulation are likely the main reasons for this decrease in blade length; there were more combat oriented, utilitarian reasons why we might imagine shorter blades becoming more prevalent during the Edo bakufu. The sort of street fighting, duels and other altercations that did occur often took place in tighter and more enclosed spaces. Beyond this, more and more emphasis was placed on quickness of the draw, which we can imagine might prove extremely useful in the context of the sort of combat and ambushes that a Samurai would be primarily concerned about during the Edo period, rather then on the battlefield. Of course, when everyone is forced to use the same length of sword, concerns regarding the advantages and disadvantages of a longer blade become moot.

I'm a weeb and a katana fanboy, but I know they weren't the best. I just love them because I think they're the most beautiful without being gaudy. As far as the media thing goes, growing up as a 90's kid, before anime became real popular, I remember most shows and movies primarily having straight, double edge, Euro style swords. Then when anime started coming around, starting with shows like Ronin Warriors, Inuyasha, and Rurouni Kenshin, they showed these Japanese styled swords and at the time they were so different from what has been shown before, that they sparked an immense interest in not only these blades, but the Japanese culture as whole.

First quote of the year Matt Easton is a big fan of tip penetration

In the Wehrgeschichtliches Museum ( museum of military history) in Rastatt/ Germany, you can see the saber of a german imperial Admiral, which has a katana blade.

So glad you did this video. Ive noticed in the last 5/6 years there’s been a growing online “counter cult” against the katana. To the point where the claims of European swords being vastly superior have become similar to claims of the “mystical” katana. I love the katana but also the long sword, bastard sword and many others, but they are all long sharp pieces of steel. They’re all going to hurt you.

"He speaks fluent Japanese." "What does Katana mean?" "It means Japanese Sword."

Everyone talks about the Katana, but nobody cares about the Tachi. And that upsets me.

I think the katana might be the size it is because it tends to be a walking around weapon that needs to be comfortable to keep on your belt all day. also it needs to be short enough to perform a draw cut with 1 hand. More of a civilian style gentlemans sword kind of idea, less than a battlefield primary weapon.

Happy New Year Matt, all the very best to you and yours

Weapons (and defenses) evolve for the situations, tactics, and context they live within. Taking them out of context can expose deficiencies that may not be relevant.

"The katana is a super sword." "The katana is a bad sword for weebs." "The katana is a katana." It's probably a great thing that expectations of perfection, or even perfect knowledge, are falling away, especially on KZfaq of all places.

I've been watching videso from 藁斬り抜刀斎 channel and I'd like to point out that even swords under the "uchigatana" category, the infantry katana, comes in various forms as well. The owner of that channel uses their equivalent of a falchion and actually spark a few discussions before. If anyone is interested in Japanese swords, you can watch his videos. They do a lot of cutting forms and practices.

I noticed how you stroked the hilt suggestively when you said Japanese swords get a sort of fetishization, over exaggeration.

one thing to keep in mind about the Katana's short length is that during the Edo period, Japan was at peace. the blades were only used in an urban self defense context and the occasional duel. they were also part of the samurai class "uniform" I'm sure they appreciated the swords being short for convenience and the previously mentioned self defense. also the government during the Edo era enforced standardized blade sizes for the Katana so everyone realistically had similarly sized blades

I've lost count in how many times he said penetration.

The polish on that blade is almost distracting its so nice lol!

"...Deeper Penetration, which as you all know, I'm a massive fan of..." we ain't your wife Matt :S joking aside, great video and the joke (intended or not) made me lol

My respect for Mr. Matt Easton continues to increase. The continued refinement in how perspectives are contextualized prior to being presented, as well as "deep penetration" of knowledge itself and of course, just as importantly placing the onus of potentially misconstrued content on himself and addressing them in a sincere manner show notable growth, and is why I love to learn from Mr. Easton. Kudos to you, and hope you have a good start to this new year.

Well there is a record of a samurai stabbing someone in mexico but it was either with a yari or a tanto

Done a lot of Kendo and Iaido over the years - two big concerns to keep in mind with katana size: (1) there were serious shortages of iron available to swordmakers in Japan (depending on the date); and more importantly (2) these are sidearms, it would have been rare for them to be your main weapon on the battlefield. Most samurai would have gone into battle with a spear (yari), spear/polearm (naginata), maybe a no-dachi (big katana) or a bow as their main weapon.

As a proud owner of 3 sharp katana. The mysticism fades exceedingly fast. They are a high quality Audi. You want performance and engineering. You get a long term maintenance project. You love it, no doubt you love it. But needy as fuck. Would I give them up? Nope. Would I buy them again? Nope.

Thanks Matt, this video popped up in my queue today, and i learned a lot. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

Happy New Year!! Always love your analysis and insight - cheers! All the best in 2021.

After passing through the stages of fetishization,deconstruction and reconstruction,i can say... I like katana,they are a very nice equilibrium, i am past considering them " the mythical blade capable of cutting the fabric of reality",but also past considering them a poorly made decorative cutting implement either. They are a one handed sword blade lenght weapon,with a two handed grip,slightly curved, heavier feel,very good both at cutting and thrusting,while not necessarily being the best at both. This combination of elements make a very good close quarter sword, powerful,agile,and capable of complex and varied movements,the one i would take and learn to use in a realistic world situation. The fact that they have a very estethically pleasing shape is also a plus.

The one dislike is Hollywood

dude, gotta congratulate you for how straight down the middle you were with this! just saying stuff as it is, no putting loads of bias on it in either direction. cheers mate!

Blimey I think that everyone should see this video of yours. It really is an eye opener. Tip Top young man, knowledge of the way history unfolds itself is truly an asset.

Instead of having to give in to the "longsword vs. katana" conundrum, I simply decided to go with the best of both worlds... Getting one longsword and one katana :D

I remember being shocked as a teen opening up a book on samurai and having it describing the favorite weapon for the longest time being... the bow. They were known as bowmen for a long time.

Happy New Year and thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the balanced coverage of the pluses and minuses of tempering & hardening, distal taper, ... context, ...

Gotta say I love this kind of format Matt. Especially since my knowledge of Asian and especially Chinese an Japanese blades is lackluster to say the least especially compare to Islamic, European or even Indian ones. Learned a lot. Half-an-hour for a quick look, that's why we love you Matt! Happy new year!

As far as length goes, it may be potentially complicated. "In Shoho 2, (1645 a.C.) "The Order Regarding Dai-Sho Katana and Hair Style" fixed the maximum length of Katana to be 2 shaku and 8 to 9 sun (84.84 cm - 87.87 cm), and Wakizashi to be 1 shaku and 8 to 9 sun (54.54 cm - 57.57 cm)." -wiki.samurai-archives.com/index.php?title=Japanese_Swords At this time, many older longer swords were shortened, and obviously after this time swords were made complying to the length requirements. Taichi were also shortened to comply with this length requirements (as well as many being given katana style fittings to wear blade up though the side the signature would still reveal that it was originally a taichi). Furthermore, once you enter the long peace of the Edo period, samurai were required by the Tokugawa shogunate to reside in the domain capital with only once exception (Satsuma basically just deliberately defied this order and their samurai continued to live wherever). Thus Samurai became an entirely urban and also non-battlefield existence. This basically lessened the importance of length since they were not really fighting anyone anymore, and anyone they would be fighting would be in a more confined setting of city streets and alleys. Also, I would guess due to universal human laziness, they would try to carry lower amounts of weight so thus extra length was further discouraged. Also, as far as taichi vs katana lengths, they had different roles. Taichi were from the era of samurai fighting (and pre-samurai even) where the warriors were cavalry. They were primarily archers. The extra length of taichi facilitates striking someone from horseback. Uchigatana were created to be a cheap sidearm for non-samurai footsoldiers during the Ashikaga shogunate (Muromachi period). They were 23-27 inches long in blade and thus very short. Army size grew to the point that mounting most of your warriors was less practical, and samurai more and more became dismounted infantry. Mass armies of polearm users were common this era. Thus even the samurai started adopting the uchigatana as it turned into katana, since it was more convenient in the method of wear for fighting with polearms. The length of the sword gradually grew until they were getting close to the old taichi lengths (that being said taichi never went away completely either).

Beautifully-made katana! Very distinguished hamon.. Very professorial lecture on a complex subject.. while you were waving your hand about was waiting to see you impale your hand! Thanks for posting another excellent video...

You cleared up some misconceptions but have perpetuated some in this video. 1. The length of Japanese swords we have now are what we have left AFTER the passing of the Josun laws by the 3rd Tokugawa shogun. This is a big deal because these laws regulated what lengths of swords were allowed. Katana could no longer legally be longer than 27.4" and as a result most swords were shortened to comply with the new law. When we look at the lengths of the swords that were documented that the 47 ronin used many if not most were over 30" long. The lengths that defined the different lengths of Japanese swords were really defined by the Josun laws. You nor any other channel ever talk about this when regarding length. 2. You talk about blade thickness and weight as if there is only 1 shape to Japanese swords. There were many blade shapes to Japanese swords some of which were thinner at the spine to reduce weight such as unokubi zukuri and kanmuri otoshi zukuri. 3. You talk about point length as if there was only 1 length of tip and again this is not the case. There were short points, medium length points and long points sometimes extremely long. Combined with the blade shape we could talk about shobu zukuri blades which have a thicker tapered point designed to piece softer armors like leather armor or to be able to go through mail easier. Also there are ways to stab with Japanese swords to be able to actually do things like going under the throat guard by stabbing in an arch of sorts. 4. Sorry but that's wrong about lack of blade to blade contact. I have studied numerous styles of Japanese swordsmanship and most if not all of them dealt with blade to blade contact and binds especially in Muso Jikiden Eishin ryu. If you would ever be interested in collaborating on a video to dispel of misconceptions with Japanese swords I'd be more than willing to do so.

All swords have a fetishization in movies in the sense that they were usually a side arm in reality.

Time to blab a bit. In western stories, myth, and folklore, there are tales of weapons being able to fly to strike its foe unerring, cut mountain tops off, and have crafting lineages linked to gods and fairies who get to decide which leader will rule your country based on who can pull it out of an unusual sheath such as a tree, rock, or lake. The modern myths behind Katana's cutting through anything isn't really all that surprising, people like tall tales. They love them more from cultures that have continued blade traditions. Katana is to the modern Japanese language [if I'm not mistaken] as the word Sword is a general term for swords in English. It can mean a specific type of blade of course, which is thus generalized under certain specs/appearance expectations, but may just as well be used by a layman to mean something that looks close enough to one. In the historical context, the blade that has become the modern conception of the Katana came about as munitions grade weapons were getting stamped out during decades of war and soldiers found themselves in combat in tighter urban environments and thus came a preference for a weapon that was shorter, as a backup weapon that wouldn't get in the way as much as its predecessor, a significantly longer field/calvary sword [Tachi] . Ultimately it is a back up weapon, a final resort after your primary weapons were lost, and the only thing after it would have been the equivalent of a utility knife or dagger or head hunting or suicide. Ironic how within their own culture, a few bits of literature retroactively made the weapon the symbol of the Samurai, when prior to that it was really the bow. Even with a shorter blade in context to a Tachi, the overall length of a typical Katana is going to being linked to the intended original user's height; those result in blade lengths which average in the 28~30 in range. That is the just the blade part itself. If you think about it. 28~30 in of blade alone is comparable to a lot of western swords such as gladius and viking era migration blades. Add a two handed handle which is typically another 11 in, and the over all length of the blade as a whole isn't all that 'short'. A Katana can be seen as a thicker saber. In fact, mounting it as one isn't so out of line. The Japanese military did so after the Meiji era when nationalism and traditionalism created a fusion of traditional blades with western mounts like saber grips with hand guards. In the few rare cases I've seen in museum collections, the handle mount is for one hand, bringing it back to some tachi designs which occasionally had shorter handles despite having longer blades as they were meant to be used like a saber from horseback. History sometimes goes in full circles. A Katana may not typically be tempered as a spring steel blade, but it isn't a rigid piece of rebar. It can flex, and in fact it has to be able to flex due to how traditional stone based sharpening is done for the blades where the blade is bowed slightly during the sharpening and polishing process. It just won't bend to the degrees that we often see people valuing in western spring steel flex blades then snap back. Modern manufacturers have made plenty of spring steel style blades, so if you want something less traditional it isn't like the design of the blade [thickness, angle, curve, tip, etc] is going to stop you. With or without the ability to bend 45 degrees and return true, the flex isn't going to change the fact that it won't be cutting through a tank. If its sharp enough and you swing right you'll cut through most unarmored things just fine. Circular disk guards offer plenty of protection for a hand properly sized for it. If your hand isn't covered properly then order a guard that is properly fitted to your hand size. If you have something like a talwar that is too small for your hand, then perhaps it was meant for someone with a smaller hand. A circle disk guard isn't so different from a nagel / nail or a side ring - if anything it's more protective than either when properly fitted to your hand size. Neighboring cultures will influence each other. It's part of being a neighbor whether peaceful or not. Cultural exchange is a neat thing. If you look at sword designs in the China, Korea, and Japan triangle, you can sometimes find examples of such exchanges with parts that didn't transfer properly [as in they didn't keep some parts or kept a part, but didn't understand what it was for so it isn't functional]. You can see how weapons were valued or not, and how the local region viewed them during manufacturing. Nationalism and misplaced mysticism can make defining historical elements frustrating. A sword, like any tool, has a lot of thought put in its design.

Happy New Years Matt. Informative as ever.

Felt pretty cool to give this the 888th thumbs up, given the context of the video! Happy New Year, Matt!

Something to keep in mind about tales of shaprness is that it' seems to be a fairly common trope in travellers accounts that swords are not only sharp but amazingly super-sharp. Matt mentioned British accounts of sharp Indian swords, there are also accounts from medieval Arabic sources about both Indian and European swords. Egyptian scholar Nasir al-Din al-Tusi wrote that swords of the Franks were so sharp that they could cut iron and Abraham ben Jacob that theyw ere sharper than Indian ones.

Aside from the topic, I do know about anime culture, movies and video games that might have over-exaggerated the image of the katana for a period of time. However, this "Bollywood" misconception already became an outdated thing long ago (or at least within this community). I can no longer see any "katana fanboiz" so-called mall ninja/weaboo/etc in any comment section. Yet somehow lots of people still keep complaining about them and keep underappreciating the katana with ignorant arguments (katana is inferior to bla bla bla). I guess this is what happen when people combine hatred with biases (which is sadly happening in pretty much every aspect in life). Thank you, Matt, for sharing your intellectual view points. Anyways, there is one more thing about the katana that you could take in consideration. As you said, the Tachi was used in battle field as samurai's secondary weapon, not the katana. The katana was mainly designed for self-defense during the peaceful Edo period. This is why the Japanese cut down the length of the blade (from Tachi to Katana) so that it could be more compact/less bulky to carry around, not to mention the quick-draw capability (which also relate to the "small" guard design). In this case, shorter blade is a huge advantage. As you can see, the Wakizashi (a shorter version of the Katana) was obviously designed afterward for indoor usage. Sorry, I just can't bare the people's mindset of "longer is always better bla bla" when comparing weapons.

Great vid! Awesome way to start 2021!

" a quick look" 32 minute look lol! Love the long format Matt

this video is much appreciated coming from a predominantly European sword affectionato...All swords are a large part of our history in every part of the world and every culture...The Katana for me presents an achievement in a functional piece of art as deadly as it is beautiful...and the historical aspect of the importance if this sword to a large group of people is amazing...well spoken video

3:36 "This is going to be a quick look"......video time is 32 minutes and 55 seconds.

Always good to see someone who can sensibly and with dignity correct themselves down the line.

Thank you for a very neutral and informed description. As a Japanese who practice Japanese swordplay and researched on Japanese sword, I appreciate your clip. You mentioned many critical points on myths, and also gave me new insight on Japanese sword. And Happy new year

Musashi famously was not a big advocate of continually using a two-handed grip.

One note on the last point concerning the development of Japanese swords. Chinese and especially Korean swordmakers laid the foundation of Japanese swordmaking as we know it today, but they aren't as closely related as one might think. It's also hard to make analogies as the development of Japanese sword is rather peculiar within its interaction with the Chinese sphere of influence. One thing that should be clear is that a katana is not a direct development of Japanese copies of Tang and Sui dynasty daos. It should be noted that while it is linked to the Tachi, a uchigatana has its roots in the swords developed by the Emishi people in north east Japan while the Yamato people hadn't unified the island yet. The 立鼓柄刀 developed by the Emishi around the 7th and 9th century strikingly resemble eaerly uchigatana as the ones depicted in the Ban Dainagon Ekotoba (伴大納言絵詞) , in terms of cross section, size and fittings. Back in the heian period, uchigatana were shorter one handed swords used ad back up weapon by the lower nobility. pbs.twimg.com/media/EEG0a45UEAEKdK9.jpg Furthermore, the late Heian period Tachi associated with the Samurai class own its feature to the interaction of regional variants of Chinese and Koreans swords and Warabiteto and Kenukigata swords developed by the Emishi people. One should see the distinctive curvature and shape of the blade present in kenukigata tachi and warabiteto to but absent in straight Tang dao.

Totally awesome for yourself to expand your knowledge of equipment 😃👌 I'm sure that the knowledge that you give to others shall have great value 💯%👍

Happy new year matt easton ❤❤

If we blindfolded you, could you tell what type of sword it is by swinging it around a bit? (no touching of the Blade) Might be an interesting video idea

Everywhere is renowned for sharpness. And everyone has the best cavalry or horses too.

Happy new year! Thank you so much for all these videos! They're always so educational and it's fun having an accessible way of learning what we're all passionate about! Just because you've been doing a lot on east asian weaponry, I was wondering if youd like to look into korean swords? Joseon dynasty/era martial arts is coming back into fashion and interest and it's a huge blend of chinese and japanese martial tech with all 3 influencing each other! Thank you!

Hey Matt, A happy New Year to you and your family.

Matt 'It's a simple matter of friction' Easton

Matt Easton will never get tired of talking about tip penetration

It's worth pointing out that there are also examples of larger, more robust tsuba than what is typically depicted; ones which actually would give a nice amount of cover for the lead hand in many of the common kenjutsu postures.

Thank you Matt. It is a nice practical katana in your hands.

Bro my Nippon steal was folded a million times and can slice through battleship armor like warm butter -some weeb on MySpace circa 2006

What I find funny as a Korean is that katana is just a sword to us. Sort of like a longsword is to a European. For me things like Ulfberht, falchion and claymores are the fantasy swords.

This was a very good video. Thanks Matt.

Another great video mate

Great to hear about the 17th/18th century European perspective of Japanese swords as it's not one that's often discussed 👍 I've had a lifelong interest in katana & other Japanese weaponry from a scientific, engineering, artistic & cultural perspective (not so much an efficacy one!) and I can see why the whole 'mystical properties of katana' idea started in the west. A big part of the problem is that it's impossible to evaluate Japanese swords when you try to shoehorn them into a European context. The katana is an embodiment of the Japanese culture (unlike anything in European culture today) and many of the differences between it & western blades make perfect sense when you understand the context in which they were produced & used.

Nice vid Matt! Finally is clear that Katana will not cut trough reality 😀 Only one correction. Karate was born in Okinawa, in a time it was still an independent reign, or at least formally independent, by a mix of original Ryukyu’s self defence art and Chinese kempo (Shaolin Kung-fu mostly), but at the time it became a Japanese thing (around 1920), it was so developed to be considered original MA and that its relations to China were lost in the mist of legend.

Both informative and honest perspective. I came in with 1 perspective, but this flexed my understanding.

Another fabulous video thank you, love these! My teacher suggests that later Katanas have characteristically shorter handle to blade length than would be typical of swords intended for martial application. He offers a rule of thumb with a ratio 1:2 handle to blade, e.g. a 66 cm blade with 33 cm handle. Keep in mind that the sword, while iconic, was not the primary Samurai weapon.

14:40 - So it's less "the Japanese kept their swords really sharp" and more "the Europeans were not sharpening their swords nearly as much as everyone else", LOL. You kind of touched on it near the end, but I do find that one of the misconceptions that keeps going on, not so much with "sword people" but with the Euro/American "layman" is that all Japanese swords are "katana".

Cycles of the Internet -> people praize Glorious Nippon Steel -> thay get annoying, and public starts calling anyone likeing Japanese Swords Weebs -> Weeb haters go more anoying than weebs themselves -> European Hema puritist gets called on their biggotry -> reapreciation for Japanese Swords - cycle begins anew ... -> Reapers come every 50 000 years to wipe out all advanced civilizations ....

Great video, as always my dude! I just want to make a few additions. About the tip and the length of the sword. It is basically a misconception on itself, but "katana" isn't a single design, but a collection of closely related designs (in Europe typologies they usually different enough to get a different name in spite of similarities, so imo the generalization under just "katana" is a bit telling). I am no expert, but some designs in some periods, which are also further classification of said swords, have longer blades (also more or less curved blades), and some have seemingly pointier more penetrating tips like the Momoyama period ones. In fact, you even have some that are double edged at the tip too (those are usually earlier blades though). A think that throws people off is the curve and assymetry. But honestly, most tips when you look just at it aren't that different from an arming sword or the like (the sword as whole doesn't distal taper as much, but the tip itself does taper a bunch down to a blade). About hand protection. I think Japanese swords has pretty excellent "Medieval" hand protections _in context._ In civilian life without armor, I think it is mostly a matter of taste. It is 360 degrees, vs a bit longer metal bar. In a real fight (i.e. not Hollywood sword clapping ballet), both have comparable chances to catch a blade, they just stop different attacks. But militarily, they wore armor (essentially a demi gauntlet). When you pair that with the way you hold the sword, the disc covers the exposed bits of your hands more than a regular cross guard would.

One technical tip: switch your mic left/right channels, so when you tilt your head to the left, viewers will hear your voice in left channel, not in the right one. Keep up the good work man!

I believe another reason for the length and the shortening of Tachis into Katanas was do to sword regulations made by the Toyotomi Shogunate after the unification of Japan.

I just have to comment on the "shortness" of a katana. These weapons were hand made to the owners specifications. I train in MJER and our blades are 3+ shaku in length. I am 5'10" and my tachi has a 34" blade length, it is 42" in total length. This is still considered short for our school, and this is iaijutsu. Also, tachi is the sword, katana is how it is worn, but that is another issue.

Good on you for posting this video... not that I ever cared too much about sorts, but I like that you openly admit to potentially having contributed to misconceptions circulating about Katanas.

Great information, thanks

The tachi was used primarily from horse back...hence the length...the uchi-katana was used on the ground ...cant remember what era that was...the changing tactics of warfare and the different periods made a difference.

My Grandad told me a tale about a Japanese officer who ran along the trenches cutting the machine gun barrels in half with his sword, he was only stopped by an English longbow which had to shoot through a Tank to hit him. Upon questioning as to the magik qualities of the blade the Japanese officer told his captors that the sword was made from Unicornium Unobtainium, and had to be mined on a full Moon by Fairy Virgins, they all nodded in wonder.

Matt adds additional context to earlier videos, even though they were the epitome of evenhanded, because, lets face it; there's no such thing as too much context. Lovely stuff :-)

Great video and well balanced. The continuity of Sword smithing knowledge being passed down from generation to generation both from teaching and from written sources means progression is more refinement until a major change in usage is called for. Horseback fighting to on foot in the case of the Tachi to Katana transformation.

Great presentation! Here is some more information for you about katanas. - In Japan, every single edge blade is a katana, whether it's a knife or a sword. This includes foreign weapons. That's why there are different types of katanas, like for instance the ko katana which is a shorter version of the standard size sword. - Japanese swords used to be signed on the tang by the smith who made them. The proper way to wear Japanese swords is so the smiths name is facing out. This is important. - Traditionally, a tachi is signed on the right side of the tang when the blade is pointed at the enemy, and that's why you wear a tachi blade down on the left side of your body. Tachi have always been a status symbol as much as a weapon and even though the signature is hidden it's a mark of respect to have the maker of a signed katana's signature facing your opponent... because Japan. - The katana was originally the weapon of foot soldiers, or ashigaru. As Japan's warring period raged professional soldiers and standing armies became more common. The shorter blades made for the ashigaru were not very good quality compared to the tachi and were simply called "katana" or "sword". Katanas are cheaper to make, straighter, and shorter than tachi because they were designed for foot soldiers. Around this time another word, "nihonto" replaced "katana" as the catch-all word for a single edged blade. The two words are still interchangeable in Japanese though. Anyway.... the ashigaru wore their katanas with the blade down even though they were often unsigned by the maker because it's simply easier to draw a sword that way while wearing armor. - After the warring period ended the tachi was all but abandoned except for ceremonial purposes and even samurai were using katana for their EDC. Their katanas were better than the katanas of the ashigari and the practice of signing fine swords on the right side of the tang was the norm, so at this time they were being worn blade down. This is the period when duals became commonplace among the samurai as a way to test their martial ability. One of the many techniques developed during this time was to wear the sword blade up in order to facilitate a faster drawing of the blade. A sword worn with the blade up is called an "uchigatana" which literally means "fast sword". The practice became the standard fashion and smiths making finer katanas began to sign katana blades on the left side of the blade. Because the "katana" was originally a low-quality ashigaru weapon they had a pretty bad reputation in the early years, so it is proper to call a higher quality sword an "ushigatana" when worn blade up as a mark of respect to the smith... because Japan. - Even during the peaceful years samurai still found reasons to go to war with each other, though. The tachi had been designed to be used on horseback. Part of the reason it's designed to be worn blade down is so the weapon can be drawn while riding. It turns out that it's easier to draw a katana on horseback with the blade down, too. So, it's still okay to wear a katana blade down if you're wearing armor regardless of where the blade is signed.

"... But what about Hanzo-swords ...?" A crosshilt is just as much protection against sliding your hand down your own sword.

Any sword is a balancing act between many factors and optimized for the combat environment it evolved in. Looking back at them today we often lack in period context to inform our modern perceptions. Kudos to you Matt for being well aware of this in your videos, and providing it to the viewing audience. I don't know if you've done anything in relation to 'modern-era' (post-Victorian) sword carry/use and given the view of 'blade-culture' in Britain as the legalities are you may want to avoid said topic, understandable.

Thanks Matt!

Matt, talking about Japanese katana influencing Chinese blades, take a look at the Miao Dao. I think you'll find that blade fascinating.

Another thing the Japanese took from other cultures, developed on their own and improved so much that even the original culture was impressed, is the apple. Apple trees are not native to Japan but the Fuji apple is one of the most popular types in the world. Same with Kobe Beef.

21:46 Not only is the tip broad and reinforced, the arch of the blade also supports the thrust. So you can deliver a more powerful thrust and have the tip strong enough to handle it

About 8years ago I was at a seminar of an aikido teacher from Linz/Austria. He also trained the Austrian Battle of the Nations team. He had of course japanese swords and also a pair of mediaval bastard swords, made in Prague, which we were allowed to try. It was the first time, that I could compare the two swordtypes and was surprised, how much more nimble the european sword was. Watching your videos are the most useful way spending time in the first 48hours of the year...

So it is confirmed then, Katanas can cut through time and space!

i find it hilarious that the misconceptions of the swords were made. Ask a Japanese, most know that their swords were expendable items, and not mystical hunks of steel. So many records were made by swordsmiths noting the poor quality of steel, and the need to customize the blade according to the needs of the wielder. Traditional swords were used as a last resort since they knew of the weaknessess of the blade - naginata's and yari's were the weapon of choice, followed by the bow/gun, and finally the sword.

The history of the evolution of swordmaking fascinates me. The intertwined journey of cultures and knowledge shapening the material.

Excellent video, as always! I remember when I was on High School and it was anime and manga time to me and my classmates. One of them always came with the idea that Katanas and other japanese blades are the best and I as a European Medieval Enthusiast always defended the European swords...At the end, swords are sharp metals and very little difference are between the types. Martial arts are different but on the point of effectiveness are the same. We need to learn to enjoy and respect all the art behind making and using of all kinds of blades.

Happy new year everybody. Stay well, and may this year be better as the last one. Greetings from Germany.

20:44 When it comes to reinforced tips in Naginata, it may well depend on the style and period, as the Edo period one I have is right relatively slim at around 5 mm thickness and is but one of many in similar form and size that I came across in auctions. I've seen much heftier and larger ones during that search for an antique to call my own, but I personally like the curves on the Edo style ones. Here's a bunch of pics via Dropbox alongside a yari from the same period: www.dropbox.com/sh/3th9xz0sr1mvree/AADcTgDL_vaOhMNHX2Aq8vKMa?dl=0 For those wondering: There's no katana style differential hardening or hamon there on the Naginata, aside from the corners that also took a brighter polish, but the difference in gloss between the edge and the rest of the blade is the result of a harder steel insert at the edge and hours of work on my part with hand polishing and final work with slurry forming finger stones to make that harder edge pop out from the softer back. Keeps a wicked sharp edge and I still have a small scar on my left index finger thanks to a slip while cleaning before changing to a finer grit polishing paper, much unlike some of the spring tempered blades I have that won't even take a proper edge. The yari does have a faint hamon, but it's also been dressed up with a hand polish that makes the edges appear milkier, rather than glossy. No maker's marks on either, which brought the prices to an affordable point, but likely first half of the 19th century.

Another excellent video, sir! I've trained in kenjutsu as a part of jujutsu for nearly 20 years (and "played" with katana longer than that ... foolishly). I've learned what I could and practiced quite a bit with European swords as well. While I love good katana and respect it (teach it in fact), I have to say, if I had to arm a group of people for Medieval European warfare, especially if I needed to get them capable if perfect as quickly as possible, I'd definitely chose an appropriate European blade. The katana are great swords IF the practitioner is well trained and highly skilled. To me the katana has a lot more peculiarities. I mean things such things as starting the draw with the left thumb and being sure to keep your left thumb on the outside of the saya on the draw because sooner or later you will pull up slightly whilst drawing, meaning you can cut through that soft wooden sheath and sever said thumb are quite important. For that matter, knowing how to turn the saya as you draw to set up the cut (and avoid cutting your left arm on the draw) is good to know as well. For all I know European swords may have similar requirements but again, the vast majority of my training and experience has been with the katana. The katana also was designed for the specific type of combat it saw in Japan. IMHO, would it work for European battle? Sure. After all, what were essentially farming implements worked well. Would it be the best choice? No, and ditto in the reverse. As for blade-on-blade, ideally when fighting with a katana you DON'T hit edge to edge. That gets you a nasty nick on the edge and nobody wants that. You MOVE out of the way of the strike (or you don't and someone gets to take your head home). I'm pretty sure some European fighting was similar. Anyway, IF you have to go blade to blade, you angle your blade so their edge slides off rather than strikes perpendicular. Even more ideally, you rotate your bade so the ha (sharp edge) is turned away and their edge contacts the spine of your blade or the bevel just below it. OBVIOUSLY that was the perfect notion and fights are never perfect and I'm sure a perusing of a collection of katana that saw much combat will find a few nicked edges.

As someone who trained with a bokken (a practice katana), when you're discussing how it "feels" to swing and that it's "clumpy" (at the end of the Length section), the reason that it feels weird to you is because you're holding it improperly. You also have to remember that one of the training purposes was literally chopping off arms, which is why you get people practicing on tatami mats wrapped around bamboo (i.e. flesh around bone). There's a very particular motion you need to get efficient cutting with a katana, but if you do it the "right way", limbs are butter.