Sakabatō (逆 刃 刀, '' Sakabatō '') is a type of katana (Japanese sword), mentioned in the Japanese series Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki. This is the main weapon used by the protagonist of the story, Himura Kenshin.
At first glance this sword may appear identical to a common katana, however, when using it does not cause a cut by killing the victim, it simply causes a blow to the opponent. The reason is that the outer curved side is not sharpened, unlike the common katana that it is; however, the true edge of the sakabatō sword is on the inner side, so if you use the sword in lethal form, it must be reversed. In any case, Himura does not use the edge of his sword, since in the development of the history he has promised not to assassinate more people, instead uses a special style of attack called Hiten Mitsurugi Ryū. The sakabatō replicas are interesting to some sword collectors, even though there is no evidence that these swords were used in the war history of Japan, nor used by any particular Kenjutsu school. However, in October 2013 an intact sample of a small sakabato was found, which was kept for centuries inside a family warehouse. It corresponds to the Edo period, and it is estimated that this is proof that these types of swords not only exist in fiction but are part of the real history of Japan.
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