The sword was the most important weapon of the samurai. The samurai would never be without it, but it was rude to take it out for others to see. The samurai would never show the sword to an ordinary person. If a high-ranking official asked to see the sword, the samurai would remove the sword from its sheath only a few inches.
The samurai sword, called KatanaIt was an engineering marvel. It could take a master craftsman more than a month to make a samurai katana. The craftsman would begin by melting metal, even pots and pans. Heat from a specially made fireplace created molten metal, burning the impurities. Then the craftsman poured the metal in the shape of a sword. While the metal was still hot, he struck the sword with a hammer, flattening it. He folded the metal back on itself and then cooled it in water. Then he reheated the sword, struck it again, and bent it. This cycle of hammering and bending, heating and cooling was repeated dozens of times. It is what gave the samurai katana its legendary toughness and sharp edge.
When the craftsman was satisfied with the samurai sword, the polishing process began. He first polished the samurai katana with a material similar to pumice, which softened the sword. Then he polished it with a different material, which would remove the scratches left by the pumice stone. Twelve different materials were used to polish the sword, each finer than the last. Each one removed the scratch left by the previous material. The twelfth material had the consistency of flour, leaving the sword shiny and gleaming.
Finally, the craftsman would sign his name on the samurai katana, under the handle. Then he added the wooden handle and a decorative hand guard.
The ritual surrounded the making of the samurai sword. It is said that there were certain foods that the craftsman did not eat during the sword making process and even certain activities that the craftsman did not do while making the sword as part of the ritual. The making of the sword was a religious experience for the craftsman. The sword also had a religious significance for samurai. The samurai called the sword “his soul” and never left his side.
Normally, the samurai would carry two swords. The samurai katana was generally a little over three feet (0.9 m) long. The second sword they carried was called wakizashi and it was about 2 feet (0.6 m) long. They would use the wakizashi if the katana were broken, for closer combat or for the grim ritual of seppuku (suicide to protect honor). Together, the two swords represented the high social status of the samurai.