What Are The Similarities Between Vikings And Katana

Historical accounts give swords the status of legendary, mystical, impervious, and empowering. Swords were seen as giving the wieldier power, and the wieldier seen as being of high social standing, according to the quality of the sword. Both the Viking sword and Katana were masterfully designed according to the environment and materials available in both demographics. The Vikings were not one specific organized group of people. They started out as multiple smaller unorganized tribes. The Vikings were Norsemen originating from Scandinavia in norther Europe. They are known for fighting, steeling, and pillaging other lands to expand their wealth, influence, and power. The Vikings were, however, not as savage as they were made out to be. In trying …show more content…
The tamahagane is then broken into smaller pieces and tested for cardoon content. As the content is tested there are multiple stacks made one for high carbon tamahagane and one for low carbon tamahagane, sometimes there is also one made for medium carbon tamahagane. These stacks of tamahagane are each forged into bars of material by repeatedly heating, hammering, and folding them. They are folded multiple times creating over one-thousand layers, in some historical examples over one-million layers, this is to limit the amount of impurities in the tamahagane; because unlike with Vikings there were fewer places to get high quality raw materials. Two high-carbon bars would then be forge-welded to the low/medium carbon bar. Then the blade would be forged. The blade is then differentially heat-treated, unlike Viking swords where the blade is heat-treated evenly, were the edge fully hardens while the spine is still flexible and true. Allowing for a flexible blade that will bend, not break, and maintain a strong sharp …show more content…
Samurai are elegant and refined warriors who have practiced tranquil martial arts their whole life. The katana was based on the tachi, which was slightly longer than the katana and with a greater curve. The tachi was designed and implemented for horseback riders. They would draw the sword and strike with one move cutting the enemy down with ease. The katana was adapted from the tachi for use in combat on foot. The main use of the katana is for cutting; however, unlike the Viking sword, the katana can also be used to thrust. The katana is meant for elegant, fast, and precise attacks. To compensate for this the katana was made shorter with a less extreme curve to allow for faster and shorter draws on foot. Since the ideology of the katana is quick and precise attacks it is not meant to be blocked or used to block blade on blade. The only way to block an attack with a katana is with the spine because the edge is more likely to chip or break than the spine. As such it is less likely to see blade on blade contact with katana. It is more of a waiting game between the opponents. One waits for the others attack to counter and might brush the other opponents sword astray mid swing to make an opening, though when he guides the sword away he is not striking it, like the Vikings, his is manipulating the path it