The katana (hiragana: かたな) is a traditional Japanese sword with a blade length greater than 23.8 inches (60.6 centimeters). Its blade is moderately curved, slender, and single-edged with a circular or squared guard and a long grip to accommodate two hands. The term "katana" originally described any sort of a single-edged sword, Japanese or otherwise. However, its modern-day usage refers to a specific curved sword carried by samurai in a set called daishō. Katana are traditionally made from a specialized Japanese steel called tamahagane (kanji: 玉鋼). Traditional Japanese swordsmanship with an unsheathed sword is called kenjutsu (kanji: 剣術, "sword technique").
The katana is a common weapon of characters within Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. The katana is most often mistaken for Leonardo's weapon from the 2007 TMNT film, the ninjaken. Most of the swords deemed "katana" within TMNT media are not curved, are light enough to be used with one hand, and more closely resemble the ninjaken. Karai has also wielded a katana in the 2007 film and the video game, TMNT Smash-Up.
Gallery[]
Leonardo's katanas in their scabbards in a behind-the-scenes photo of the original movie.
