Often
depicted as a straight bladed weapon
with a square guard, ninja swords
are an area of historical
controversy.
Historically, straight single-edged
blades existed, and these were known
as choku-to ("straight swords"). As
the Japanese sword originally
evolved from the Chinese
straight-bladed jian, the Japanese
sword was straight prior to the use
of clay, which insulated the body
and exposed the edge in the final
heat treatment and water quenching -
the result of which was a naturally
formed curve due to metallurgical
differences in the harder edge and
softer body.
The essence of ninjutsu is
deception. A shorter blade is far
more quickly drawn than a longer
blade, and much of classical samurai
swordsmanship predicated distancing
based on standard blade lengths.
Thus a ninja would have the element
of surprise in drawing his sword
much quicker and at a closer
distance than his opponent with a
regular-length blade. This
split-second advantage may be the
turning point in a conflict.
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