A real Japanese sword, as good as the old ones...

[Philip]

Wootz is mighty strange stuff. From my polishing experience, I've noticed quite a variation in surface hardness and resilience (springiness) depending on where they were made. Most Persian and Turkish steel can be shaped with a file, even the cutting edge (although the file will dull eventually because the part that "gives" is the softer matrix in which the harder carbide dendrites or networks are suspended, but those carbides are harder than file steel). Indian wootz varies up to almost "glass-hard". Some blades can be easily massaged back to straightness if they are bent or kinked, others are very stubborn and you don't want to push your luck knowing that there is a tendency for the material to be brittle. If a bent blade does not respond to controlled pressure it's best to leave it as is -- bent is preferable to broke.

I think that it's the sudden shock of impact, especially that causing rapid lateral displacement of the blade, that is most conducive to breakage. Perhaps it is why Indian and Near Eastern swordsmanship seems to steer clear of parrying with the blade (even using the slide or spine for the purpose) and relying on the use of bucklers and other shields for that purpose instead.

[Aleksey G.]

Philip, Alex, thank you guys for sharing your experiences and your answers.