This reminds me Hybrid Ambassador - if you had the chance for some up close sword study in Japan you will have come across swords with ''cutting test'' inscriptions on the nakago (tang). As you know, the traditional testing of a katana is ''tamashigiri'' - cutting of rolled up tatami mats (from the Japanese point of view these most closely approximate the consistency of human flesh and bone - for cutting purposes). Of course in the old days the Japanese didn't believe in ''wasting anything'' - so if they had a few convicted criminals who were ready for execution they would be used for the cutting test instead. I have seen blades with inscriptions to show that with a *single* cut they have cut through one, two or three bodies - ONE cut... In the old days the swordsmiths themselves were ranked on various criteria - one of those being sharpness of their blades - I have had swords ranked ''wazamono'' and ''o-wazamono'' (basically *scary* sharp lol) before - but one sword I saw in Japan absolutely blew me away - the inscription (from memory) claimed that it had cut through SEVEN bodies in a single stroke... Well, as we both know, false advertising is not just a 21st century thing - its been going on for centuries - and I still really don't know - but wow, if ANY sword can be made *that* sharp - well its simply mind blowing... Naturally, a master samurai would have wielded the blade and he would have had the most perfect of cutting techniques - but really, just incredible... There are days when I look at my 350 year old masterpiece and I am truly in awe. Although it is an ''antique weapon'' nowadays at the time it truly was the ''atomic bomb'' of its time... The traditionally made katana is a thing of incredible beauty and is a sublime art form - but it is also the most insanely lethal killing weapon in the hands of one who knows how to use it... What these traditional Japanese smiths achieved totally *by hand* - their art - their craftsmanship - I believe there is nothing in the modern world today that compares with it... Not even close...