Katana
Japanese sword, that was used by samurai
打刀 · 刀 · 가타나
- Type
- Japanese sword, sword
- Place of origin
- Japan
A katana (刀, かたな; lit. 'one-sided blade') is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the tachi, it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge facing upward. Since the Muromachi period, many old tachi were cut from the root and shortened, and the blade at the root was crushed and converted into a katana. The specific term for katana in Japan is uchigatana (打刀, うちがたな; lit. 'striking sword') and the term katana (刀) often refers to single-edged swords from around the world.
Martial arts that use it
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q172736 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.