Such was the weapon that was to become the sword of legend. Now the samurai could deliver a deadly swordstroke as part of the action of drawing his weapon, rather than having to execute a two-handed movement of unsheathing and preparation. Changes in swordsmanship meant that the sword, sometimes in a shortened form, would be thrust into the belt with its cutting edge uppermost, rather than suspended from the belt. However, the transformation of the tachi into the katana had less to do with shape and construction than with mode of use. Tachi would be slung from the belts of the early samurai – the members of Japan’s knightly class. The origins of the katana lay in the straight-bladed swords of ancient Japan, and from these straight swords the tachi evolved, which was the first type of Japanese sword to have a curved blade. The Japanese word ‘katana’ is that used most commonly to identify the deadly curved sword of the samurai: the final evolutionary stage of what is probably the finest edged weapon in world military history. He also has a shorter sword, conventionally called a wakizashi. The scabbard thrust into his belt in the classic katana style allows the weapon to be drawn rapidly. Standing with one foot on the plinth of a Buddhist statue, he holds his sword in the raised position. OPPOSITE This modern reworking of an old woodblock print shows a samurai with a katana. STEPHEN TURNBULL Series Editor Martin Pegler KATANA: THE SAMURAI SWORD STEPHEN TURNBULL
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