Why a Single Bamboo Pin Holds the Whole Katana Blade #Shorts

*There are some katana with 2 MEKUGI pins too!

Surprisingly, the blade of the Japanese katana sword is connected to the handle with only one pin called “目釘 Mekugi” that is made from bamboo.

Why didn’t they use stronger material like metal or just fully connect the blade and handle?

Here are the 3 main reasons why:

1. Softer pins have shock reducing effects
2. There was an abundant supply of bamboo in Japan
3. To make it easier to remove the blade for maintenance

Interestingly, there actually was a time when metal pins were used in ancient times. However, they soon realized that a strong impact would cause the blade to deform or the pin to become stuck.

Bamboo which is hard, flexible, and very easy to obtain in Japan, was the best material for it. During the sengoku era, it is believed that samurai always carried a few extra mekugi pins that they made themselves just in case.

But why didn't they just stick the blade to the handle permanently?

It is because when you perform maintenance on the katana, you must remove the handle and all the ornaments to do so. The katana were originally items dedicated to god, and carrying them with you meant that you are a noble warrior. From the centuries old katana swords still in beautiful condition, you can understand how important the katana were for the Japanese people.

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