Editor’s note: This blog post was contributed by Kathleen Havens, HMNS Assistant Director of Youth Education.
Feudal Japan’s government depended on a warrior class, called Samurai, for over 600 years.
Individual samurai warriors served a daimyo, powerful warlords that governed individual regions throughout Japan. At the pinnacle of this loyal and highly trained group of warriors was the shogun, to which each daimyo was subject. The shogun paid ceremonial reverence to the emperor of Japan, but, in reality, wielded ultimate political power over all of Japan.
One of the few, most prized, and iconic, possessions of a samurai was his sword, known as the katana. This sword, sometimes referred to as the soul of the samurai, was often a family heirloom, passed down, from father to son, for generations. These swords were special, made by highly-skilled artisans, they were highly versatile and could be used to slash and to stab, which made them unique for their time.
Check out this video from National Geographic about the katana:
Make a Model Katana
Materials:
Cardboard
Foil
Ribbon
Markers
Scissors
Glue
Stapler
Tape
Procedure:
- Using the picture provided as a reference, sketch out a curved-shaped blade on a piece of cardboard and carefully cut it out.
- Next, create a hand guard, known as a tsuba, by drawing a circle or square shape on a piece of thick paper and cutting it out. Make a slit, using your scissors, in the middle of the tsuba, large enough to slide the bottom of the sword through.
- Decorate your tsuba using markers or crayons. You can find examples here for inspiration.
- Using the remaining stiff paper, cut a rectangle that is approximately 7’’ x 4’’; this will be the hilt of the sword. Fold the rectangle so that the end of the sword can fit in the middle.
- Slide the tsuba on and then the hilt; staple the hilt in place.
- Use markers and ribbon to decorate the hilt of the sword.