Top 5 Sharpest Katana in History / History of Japanese Swords

Japanese swords are renowned worldwide for their sharpness. Among them, there are several famous swords known for their cutting edge. In this video, we will introduce the top 5 sharpest swords in history.

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00:00 Opening
00:37 "Honebami Toushirou"
03:44 "Kotetsu"
05:57 "Tonbokiri"
09:08 "Heshikiri Hasebe"
11:52 "Dojikiri Yasutsuna"

[thetoneknob]

this is an interesting topic! its a balance thing see almost any quality nihonto can be polished and honed to past razor sharp but that edge would never hold up under the stresses of combat. on the other hand a dull edge dose its owner no favors but is not likely to chip out or roll over or crack. the best blades have an even balance between sharp and durable. i have a kanbun shinto era hizen-to an O-wakizashi that due to its profile can be sharp as you need and durable at the same time. i have noticed that older blades tend to be thinner lighter blades have a springy feel and hold a fine edge, these for me are in their own category and are almost impossible to reproduce. its super interesting to me!

[drdepena]

It is not just the hardness of the sharpness, nor the metals used to forge the sword, but the mastery of the cutter and the swiftness of his moves.

[garygarner]

Way back in early 1980's, i watched a national geographic episode about Japan. There was one segment on that show, that showed the crafting of the Japanese sword, and i was so mesmerized by it that i immediately started forging swords out of any kind of metal that i could find as a young kid, it was my goal as a child too create edged weapons, and as the years progressed and as i got older, i got better, we didn't have the Internet back then, so finding any information about bladesmithing, was very difficult. So it was mostly accomplished by trial and error, but eventually, I learned throughout hard work and alot of disappointments, and alot of years. Now that im 52, and old an old man, i hope that what little i wrote, can be an inspiration for the next young bladesmith with a dream in his or her heart.never give up on anything in life that you want too become, life is a journey, make it yours, sincerely " Gary E Garner.

[mastopakya]

Brilliant video! Thank you for sharing this wonderful history.

[ルドーレイジ]

As a Japanese person, I have never seen a video that explains the katana so accurately. wonderful. Even for Japanese katana enthusiasts, there is a lot to learn from this. In Japan, the kotetsu is said to be the sharpest katana. The reason Kondow didn't get injured was because his technique was excellent. It is considered wrong to use the katana to defend against attacks. Although this was not possible for many samurai, kondow was faster than his enemy's attacks and used his katana accurately, so he did not need to defend. In fact, many Japanese swordsmanship schools do not teach defense. Teach to avoid. The katana was not damaged because he attacked with the part called "monouchi". Normally, no matter how much you practice, it is impossible to perform the same attack as him🤔

[freyatilly]

This is a fabulous documentation and insight. Thank you.

[jimholliman]

Truly remarkable. Thanks for the video.

[charliesierra]

Great informative vid! I remember hearing of two blades thrust into a stream to test for sharpness. One blade easily cut the leaves that the current guided to the blade. But the other was deemed more powerful as the leaves avoided the blade completely.

[TridentNorthBroadcast]

I cannot believe that Hatori Hanzo swords did not make this list.

[CabinOnTheWater]

Those swords are so sharp I pointed at one on my laptop screen to show my wife and lost a finger. I now call the sword "Nomofingafome"

[JCOwens-zqfd]

European swords do not "focus on weight to cut". I have trained with both & they weigh about the same. The euro swords have what is called distal taper which makes them lively even in one hand. They also get plenty hard enough to be sharp & cut well. Yes a katanas edge is harder but it is also easier to damage when cutting hard targets. While the european sword is only slightly less sharp/hard at the edge it is far more durable b/c of its spring temper as opposed to the differental temper that the Katana has.

[chadechevalric]

Testing swords on prisoners. Ancient Japan was no joke. Amazing historical artifacts, thanks for sharing history.

[나홀로할베-fd]

One traditional Japanese knife was given to each naval cadet upon graduation, but there were so many of them that some were manufactured by traditional steel makers and some by modern steel companies. Students who knew that traditional swords were brittle had more orders for modern swords.

[WilliamMitchell-scfe]

Samurai swords may not look like they're sharp, but boy they are most certainly sharp! The Japanese make the samurai sword blades in such a way to where you can't even tell that there's an edge, but it the light feather touch. You've pretty much cut your skin. That's how sharp they are!

[notme]

I'm impressed with the lost techniques that could make swords that cut cut through 3 dragons, 2 demons, and a boulder by just looking at them.

[BackEdina]

Dear Sir/Ma'am, thank you very much indeed! This video helped to find the sword I am looking for. Love you! Edina

[isaaa]

Anything that cuts through 6 bodies, and into the wooden post beneath, is strong as it is sharp, i am a blacksmith by trade, the amount of resilience and durability a thin blade needs to have for acomplishing such a task, is immense, also, you can never fight in an enclosed space such as an inn, without blocking or deflecting someone hurling at you, every sword user knows how much a blade that can withstand a battle and remain your life saver is worth, especially the blades that served for decades or centuries, even though if they are used once in a year, thise are centuries of battles, such a composition of metal internal arrangement is pure art, remember, the opponents wore armour, there were thousands of them, nobody who is not yoshitsune minamoto, could evade enemies, or precisely hit unarmored parts on them every time, so, lets appreciate the skill of those ancient artisans..thank you..

[raymondoreilly]

It's fantastic to know the craftsmanship, it's very valuable to me as a knife maker, bless you 🙏

[HoneyHyewolf]

Such a fine, beautiful japanese swords! 🌻🫶

[sysop]

I thought this would be about the Tameshigiri cutting test swords. Missed an opportunity there