>>716368334Japanese iron sands were incredibly pure iron. "Muh folding" is not some secret Japanese technique. It is how swords everywhere in the entire world were made. It is considered quaint today because the Japs still do it, when modern steels do not require or benefit from it. You can have one steel of chemically assured perfect composition for any task you require. That was not the case in the middle ages.
>IRL katanas are shit lol.Katanas were praised heavily by all Europeans who encountered them, and they seemed quite impressed with Japanese swordsmanship in firsthand accounts. Due to its differential hardening, katanas generally have a much harder and sharper edge than other swords. Their incredible sharpness was again a thing Europeans praised.
That doesn't mean they're perfect, but a skilled kendoka would disembowel any moron with a "good" sword and poor training.