Katana

Historically, katana (刀) were one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (日本刀, nihontō) that were used by the samurai of feudal Japan. Modern versions of the katana are sometimes made using non-traditional materials and methods. The katana is characterized by its distinctive appearance: a curved, slender, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands.

History

The production of swords in Japan is divided into specific time periods:

The first use of "katana" (gatana) as a word to describe a long sword that was different from a tachi occurs as early as the Kamakura Period (1185–1333). These references to "uchigatana" and "tsubagatana" seem to indicate a different style of sword, possibly a less costly sword for lower-ranking warriors. The evolution of the tachi into the katana seems to have started during the early Muromachi period (1337 to 1573). Starting around the year 1400, long swords signed with the "katana" signature were made. This was in response to samurai wearing their tachi in what is now called "katana style" (cutting edge up). Japanese swords are traditionally worn with the signature facing away from the wearer. When a tachi was worn in the style of a katana, with the cutting edge up, the tachi's signature would be facing the wrong way. The fact that swordsmiths started signing swords with a katana signature shows that some samurai of that time period had started wearing their swords in a different manner.

Katana (disambiguation)

Katana is Japanese for backsword and often refers to uchigatana, especially in English. For a list of fictional katana, see Katanas in fiction. Katana may also refer to:

Dreamcast

The Dreamcast (Japanese: ドリームキャスト, Hepburn: Dorīmukyasuto) is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998 in Japan, September 9, 1999 in North America, and October 14, 1999 in Europe. It was the first in the sixth generation of video game consoles, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Nintendo's GameCube and Microsoft's Xbox. The Dreamcast is Sega's final home console, marking the end of the company's 18 years in the console market.

In contrast to the expensive hardware of the unsuccessful Sega Saturn, the Dreamcast was designed to reduce costs with "off-the-shelf" components, including a Hitachi SH-4 CPU and an NEC PowerVR2 GPU. Released in Japan to a subdued reception, the Dreamcast enjoyed a successful U.S. launch backed by a large marketing campaign, but interest in the system steadily declined as Sony built hype for the upcoming PlayStation 2. Sales did not meet Sega's expectations despite several price cuts, and the company continued to incur significant financial losses. After a change in leadership, Sega discontinued the Dreamcast on March 31, 2001, withdrawing from the console business and restructuring itself as a third-party publisher. 9.13 million Dreamcast units were sold worldwide.

Vicious

Vicious may also refer to:

In music:

In television:

In literature:

Other uses:

To Make a Killing

To Make a Killing is a 1988 Australian film that was also known as Vicious.

Plot

At a resort, a high school student stumbles on a series of murders.

Production

Producers Tom Broadbridge and David Hannay had decided to make a package of four exploitation films all shot on 35mm for the world video market which were all shot in late 1987. This was one of them - Broadbridge wanted Zwicky to make another script but he wanted to make his own and the producers agreed. The script was written in fit weeks and the movie was shot in four 6-day weeks in the northern suburbs of Sydney.

Release

The film was not released theatrically and went straight to video.

References

External links

Vicious (rapper)

Quame Riley, better known as Vicious or Li'l Vicious, is a Jamaican-American rapper and reggae artist. He is perhaps best known for his single "Nika," which peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles.

Discovered by Donavon Thomas and Doug E. Fresh at a talent show at the age of 14, "Freaks", a Dancehall tune beat-boxed entirely by Doug E. and vocalized mainly by his protégé, a Brooklyn-born Jamaican teenage newcomer named Vicious. The song received major radio and club play, followed by video play when the video was finally produced a few months into 1994. The latter would soon ink a deal with Sony Music's Epic Records for three years. His debut album, Destination Brooklyn, was released on November 1, 1994. The album charted on three Billboard charts, peaking at number one on the Reggae charts. Its lead single was "Nika," which became his only charting single, reaching number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 and nine on the Hot Rap Singles chart.

As Li'l Vicious, he also got the distinction of being featured on the "Reggae Soul Mix" of Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby" in 1996.