Blade for a Straight Single-Edged Sword (Chokutō)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

A black and white photograph of a straight single-edged sword blade, the blade for a Chokutō, by an unknown artist. Three long, thin, dark gray metal sword blades with rough texture and visible imperfections are arranged vertically. The top blade is the longest and straightest. The middle blade is slightly shorter and has more imperfections. The bottom blade is the shortest and has a more pronounced imperfection near the middle. The background is a plain light grey color.