Types of Katana Blade

You may have seen many different katanas, but you might have overlooked that katana blades also come in many types. The most common blade shape today is shinogi-zukuri—this is what you’ll usually see on the market, unless it’s a custom piece. Throughout Japanese history, the katana evolved into many blade forms, like hira-zukuri, shobu-zukuri, and chokuto. Below, we’ll go through each type along with cross-section diagrams.

Shinogi-zukuri

This is the most common katana blade shape. It has a ridge line called the shinogi running along the blade. Near the tip, there’s a clear line that separates the tip from the main body. In cross-section, the shinogi is the thickest part of the blade.

Hira-zukuri

This blade is flat on both sides. It has no ridge line and no clear line between the tip and the blade. The tip and body form one smooth shape. This type is very sharp but not good at handling impact.

Katakiriha-zukuri

One side of the blade is flat like a hira-zukuri, and the other side looks like a single-edged straight blade. The cross-section shows it’s not symmetrical. This is a rare blade shape.

Shobu-zukuri

This type has no clear tip line, but it does have a ridge line like the shinogi-zukuri. The ridge goes all the way to the tip. It looks like a mix of shinogi-zukuri and hira-zukuri. The name comes from the shobu plant, as the blade shape looks like its leaf.

Chokuto

This is the oldest type of Japanese sword blade. It came from China. As the name suggests, it’s straight. The ridge is very close to the edge. It doesn’t curve like modern katanas. The tip is small and geometric. The whole blade is straight without any curve.

Nagamaki-zukuri

This is a special type of shinogi-zukuri. It has two grooves. Above the ridge, toward the back of the blade, there is a large groove. Below the ridge, near the edge, there’s a small groove called soe-bi.