Katanagatari

Katanagatari
Cover of volume 1 of Katanagatari, published by Kodansha
刀語
Genre	Chanbara, Comedy, Tragedy, drama, action, Romance
Light novel
Written by	Nisio Isin
Illustrated by	Take
Published by	Kodansha
Original run	January 2007 – February 2008
Volumes	12 + 1 spinoff (List of volumes)
Anime television series
Directed by	Keitaro Motonaga
Written by	Makoto Uezu
Music by	Taku Iwasaki
Studio	White Fox
Licensed by	NA NIS America
Original network	Fuji TV (Noitamina), MBS, BS Fuji, Animax
Original run	January 26, 2010 – December 11, 2010
Episodes	12 (List of episodes)

Katanagatari (刀語^?, Sword Story) is a Japanese light novel series written by Nisio Isin and illustrated by Take. The series is published by Kodansha under the Kodansha Box imprint. An anime adaptation by White Fox began airing on January 26, 2010, and consisted of 12 episodes. The story revolves around a "sword hunt" (katanagari) for 12 weapons that were created by a fictional swordsmith. A single episode of the series was aired each month. NIS America have licensed the series and released the first part on a Blu-ray/DVD combo set in July 2011. Part two was released on September 20, 2011. The anime series aired once more on Fuji TV's noitamina between April and November 2013 as the block's first rerun, with a new opening and a new ending song.

Katanagatari is the story of Yasuri Shichika, a swordsman who fights without a sword, and Togame, an ambitious strategist who seeks to collect 12 legendary swords for the shogunate. The son of an exiled war hero, Shichika is the seventh head of the Kyotouryuu school of fighting and lives on isolated Fushou Island with his elder sister, Nanami. At the request of Togame, Shichika sets out on a journey across Edo-era Japan to locate the Deviant Blades, all wielded by formidable opponents. But in order to prove his loyalty to Togame, who has been betrayed before and relies on neither money nor honor, Shichika must fall in love.

Katanagatari was released one volume a month throughout 2007. A spin-off novel, Maniwagatari, was released a few months later.

The anime is composed of a dozen 50-minute episodes and follows the two main characters while they are searching for the katanas, except for one episode that is centered on Nanami Yasuri. In each episode, Shichika and Togame collect a katana or a new one will be introduced. The length of the episodes is unusual since most anime have 24-minute episodes and run weekly instead of monthly. On a monthly basis, a new episode would be released every month, beginning on January 26, 2010 and finishing on December 11, 2010.