Origin

• The katana in its present form arose from modified versions of the tachi, the longer and more curved sword that was used from horseback. After the Mongol invasions of 1274 and 1281, the samurai had to alter their fighting strategy. Where formerly they had been mounted arches, they shifted to a more infantry-based strategy, wielding naginata polearms, spears and bows, saving the katana as a sidearm for close combat.
  
  

Dimensions and Appearance

• The katana has approximately one inch of sori or curvature. The measurement varies between swordsmiths and by the specifications of the user. The sword typically measures 3 feet total from hilt to tip, with the hilt taking approximately a quarter of the sword's length. The exact length of the blade and length of the hilt coulc vary between schools of swordsmanship. For example, the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu school required a longer and thinner sword blade; Tamiya-ryu students used a sword with a longer hilt.
  
  

Other Samurai Swords

• Other swords used by the samurai include the wakizashi, tanto, tachi and uchigatana. The wakizashi was the shorter companion sword worn by Muromachi and Sengoku period (1333-1603) samurai. Sometimes the wakizashi, the 24-inch sword worn sideways through the belt, was used for seppuku, or ritual suicide by disembowelment. The tanto, a shorter, thicker dagger, sometimes served this purpose. The tachi was a longer and more curved sword worn edge-down and suspended from the belt. It was used by mounted archers during close combat. The uchigatana was a low-quality version of the present-day katana, used by lower-ranking troops. The uchigatana and present-day katana arose when the tips broke off longer tachi. The classifications of different Japanese swords by length were not legally fixed until the Edo period (1603-1867.)
  
  

Use and Etiquette

• The katana was worn outdoors only, partially because its length made it difficult to assume jodan-gamae, the high stance used in kenjutsu, in rooms with low ceilings. The samurai always handed the katana to a retainer or servant when entering a building. For indoor fighting, the wakizashi was used. The katana was a samurai's symbol of status as well as a weapon; brushing against it, asking to view it or touching it was considered a serious breach of etiquette.