Quote:
Originally posted by Aragorn1:
The Katana was the sword of the Samurai. It was the strongest and sharpest blade known to the world at its time, bettering even the blades of the saracens, who also used the advanced metal working techniques. The unique strength of the blade was acheived by folding the metal many times and cooling it correctly, when at the right temperature, which removed the impurities that were seen in western swords of the time. This not only gave it the worlds best cutting edge but helped to prevent it being as brittle as other thin swords.
I think 'Longword' was a general term for a sword longer than the swords used by the general man-at-arms, the longsword was the sword of the nobility, but it is a general term rather than a fixed class. Generally though they are intended for use with a shield.
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Actually somewhat incorrect. The contemporary Western blades during the time of the Samurai didn't need extensive folding becuse they were made of superior metal. The raw materials available to Japanese craftsman were very poor quality, and there's no taking away from them the achievement in making blades as good as they were given their starting point... however the time consuming manufacturing technique was required not to make a blade superior to western ones... but simply to make one comparable. There's ample evidence that western craftsman had access to very advanced materials (wootz or Damascus steel for instance) when necessary, but good raw materials and processing rendered advanced processing unnecessary.