The Katana, or samurai sword, is probably the most recognizable sword in the world. It can be seen on display in museums, hung on the walls of weapon collectors or cutting off the heads of the undead on Sunday night TV. Although these swords were forged by some of the most talented blacksmiths and were wielded by some of the most disciplined warriors they are probably not the best sword and shouldn’t be your first choice in an apocalyptic scenario.
In feudal Japan the main weapon for the Military Nobility known as Samurai was the Katana. The katana was a two handed single edged sword that would typically be 23 to 29 inches long and weigh around 2.5 lbs. The long curve of the blade made it ideal as a slashing weapon and could be wielded with deadly purpose by the samurai. So why shouldn’t you use it to defend yourself from zombies? It’s simple, you are not a Samurai. Samurai were highly trained and would dedicate their life to fighting. They not only knew how to use the sword properly but knew how to maintain it. If you do not sharpen the blade correctly with a whetstone or clean it with oil it is going to become dull, rust, chip and potentially break. This leads to you getting eaten.
But weren’t the swords crafted by master blacksmiths who would fold the steel thousands of times and spend months on a single blade? Well yes but there was a reason they needed to be so skilled, their metal sucked. The quality of iron used is Japan was much poorer than you would find during the same time period throughout the rest of the world. So yes these were highly skilled craftsmen who created amazing techniques but this is because they had to make the best with the materials they had.
All of this is not to say that the Katana is an inferior weapon because it’s not. With the proper care and training it is an extremely deadly weapon. I’m just saying if someone is trying to eat you there are some better options out there.
Forged Through History 