History of Tanto Blades
Tanto Blades
Tanto blades; what are they and where did they come from? I thought I would share a little history on this specialized blade. It may be true or it may not. This is legend and lore that I am sure has some smatterings of the truth.
During the ancient Chinese dynasties, swords would be broken in battle. Swords were an expensive commodity, they required precious resources and took a lot of effort to produce. After battles it became custom for warriors to take these broken parts of their swords and forge them into custom knives and short swords. This is how tanto blades were born.
The tanto knives have a designed that gives them both strength and a sharp point. The tanto can out perform the sheepsfoot and the drop point end in a fight and on the battlefield. Cutting surface area is sacrificed to gain tip strength. The tanto point is thin enough to puncture and stab with the thickness to withstand the toughest use. The tanto point is hollow ground with a spine that narrows down to a very thin cutting edge.
Sharpening can be a little difficult due to it's shape. With some practice and care it can be done. There are two angles to sharpening this blade. The long straight cutting edge needs a different angle than the smaller part of the blade that curves up. The junction of these two angles is where you have to be careful. If you use the straight cutting edge angle on the upward curve angle you will ruin the edge on the upward curve. Be cautious. If you don't feel confident you can always find a professional to sharpen it for you. Hardware stores and knife shows are good place to look for the professionals.
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