One-Handed Sword

The iconic curved sword of the Japanese samurai

The katana is the representative single-edged curved sword of Japan, regarded as the symbol of the samurai class and a weapon in which the soul dwells. With a gently curved blade of about 60 to 80 cm, it is made by a distinctive forging in which tamahagane, jade steel, is folded and hammered again and again. The spine of the blade, the mune, is soft steel and the edge, the ha, hard steel, so it has flexibility and cutting power together. The hamon, the temper line, produced by yaki-ire, hardening different parts differently with clay applied, is unique to each blade. Its present form took hold in the Muromachi period (1336 to 1573), and worn edge-up in the belt, the obi, it makes possible the fast draw, iai, that cuts in the very act of drawing the sword.

The curved cavalry saber of Persia

The shamshir is a deeply curved single-edged cavalry sword developed in Persia, with a blade about 80 to 90 cm long. Its defining feature is the pronounced, continuous curve running from hilt to tip, which makes possible the drawing cut: slicing a foe in passing while riding at full gallop. The blade was often forged from wootz steel, the crucible steel the West called Damascus, giving it a beautiful watered surface pattern, and it is light and well balanced for fast, repeated cuts. The point is rounded or blunt and was rarely used for thrusting, while the hilt is typically a downturned pistol grip dressed with ivory, horn, or precious metal. From the Safavid era onward it was the emblematic weapon of Persia between the 16th and 19th centuries, spreading across the Ottoman Empire, Mughal India, and Central Asia.

The curved cavalry sword for slashing

The sabre is the standard sword of European cavalry from the 17th to the 19th century, marked by a gently curved single-edged blade about 80–90 cm long and a D-shaped knuckle guard that encloses the whole hand. The curve of the blade is optimized for the slash — the draw cut delivered while riding at full gallop — leaving a deep wound in the instant of the charge. Descended from the curved swords of 17th-century Eastern European and Hungarian cavalry, it spread across Western Europe and, in the Napoleonic era, became the main weapon of the cavalry of France, Britain, Prussia, and every major power. About 900 g–1.1 kg and wielded in one hand, it symbolizes the 'age of cavalry' alongside the gaudy uniforms of the light horse. The sabre event of modern fencing descends from it.

The double-edged short sword of ancient Greek hoplites

The xiphos is the short double-edged sword that the ancient Greek hoplite wore at his hip, with a blade only about 45 to 60 cm long. Its defining feature is the leaf-shaped blade: it widens gradually from the hilt, reaches its broadest point about two-thirds of the way along, then tapers sharply to the tip. This shape sets the center of mass toward the point to strengthen the cut, while the sharp tip also allows a thrust. First made in bronze and later in iron, it is light, around 500 to 700 g. The hoplite hung it on his left hip from a baldric and drew it with the right hand only when his main weapon, the long spear called the dory, broke or the enemy pressed in too close behind the shields.

A thrust-oriented slender sword of Renaissance Europe

The rapier is a thrust-specialized sword born in Renaissance Europe, marked by a long, slender, double-edged blade of about 100 to 130 cm. The blade is narrow, stiff, and sharply pointed, optimized for the thrust. Its most striking trait is the complex swept hilt that encloses the hand, in which several rings, a knuckle-bow, and quillons guard the whole hand like a cage. It was the self-defense weapon of the European noble and citizen and the standard weapon of the duel of honor from the 16th to the 18th century. Though it looks slender, its long blade and large guard bring the total weight to about 1 to 1.4 kg. The foil and the epee of modern fencing developed from this weapon, and it was also the weapon that led to the birth of systematic schools of swordsmanship.

A single-edged medieval European chopping sword

The falchion is a single-edged one-handed cutting sword of medieval Europe, marked by a blade that broadens toward the tip. With a blade of about 60 to 80 cm, the cleaver-like design that widens at the end sets the center of mass toward the front of the blade, making it strong for a heavy, axe-like chopping cut. Single-edged with a straight back, it is thought to have developed from butchering knives and agricultural tools. It appeared around the 11th century and was used across Europe into the 16th, and being simpler and cheaper to make than the costly knightly sword with its cruciform hilt, it was mass-issued to common infantry. Authentic surviving examples are very rare, however, so much of what we know of the falchion comes through medieval manuscript illustrations and sculpture.

The standard short sword of the Roman legionnaire

The gladius is the standard infantry short sword of the ancient Roman legions. A short, broad, double-edged blade of about 45 to 68 cm with a sharp point, it is optimized for the thrust. It changed over time from the early leaf-shaped hispaniensis, through the waisted Mainz type, to the Pompeii type with parallel edges. The blade was forged of high-carbon steel and hard, and the hilt was made of wood or bone to prevent slipping, with a round pommel to balance it. The Roman legionary, sheltering behind the great shield, the scutum, thrust the short blade swiftly through the gaps between the shields at the enemy's exposed body: this combination of the short sword, the great shield, and the disciplined formation was the heart of Rome's conquest of the Mediterranean.

The iconic single-edged Chinese saber

The dao is the representative single-edged saber of China, called the marshal of all weapons (bai bing zhi shuai). Its emblematic traits are a gently curved single edge of about 70 to 85 cm and, in its early form, a ring pommel (the huandao) at the end of the grip. Unlike the straight, double-edged jian, the dao has its edge on one side only, with a thick back, or spine, that braces the blade and makes it strong for the downward chop. It developed in earnest in the Han dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD) and was used as the standard weapon of the Chinese army for some two thousand years, down to the Qing, branching by era into many forms such as the liuyedao (willow leaf), the dadao (great saber), and the niuweidao (oxtail). Simple and sturdy, it was easy to mass-produce, and it was carried by all, from common infantry to generals.