Katana; Japan, late 18th century.

Katana; Japan, late 18th century.
With carved bone hilt and scabbard.
With marks of use.
Measurements: 80.5 (total length).
Japanese Katana from the 18th century, with hilt and scabbard in carved bone in relief, with figurative representations. The katana is a traditional Japanese sword, single-edged, generally curved, traditionally used by the samurai. It is fundamentally oriented to cutting rather than thrusting. Its curvature arises from the need to obtain an effective cut when handled from the horse's saddle; the straight blade tends to remain immobilized after the cut, while the curved blade always obtains a tangential cut to the trajectory of the weapon and thus prevents the katana from being blocked. The handle, or "tsuka", is straight and is usually strung. The "tsuba", guard or buckler, is usually decorated with embossed motifs, and does not protrude excessively from the profile of the handle.