The Ninjato is the most common name for the sword that the ninja of feudal Japan are portrayed as having carried. The Ninjato is typically depicted as being a short sword, often portrayed as having a straight blade with a square guard. Suffering from a lack of excavated relics or surviving antiques the description relies on written testimony which contrasts it against the katana as 'shorter and straighter than usual' - most likely for the ease and convenience of stealth operations. Experts speculate the shorter blade made it easier for stabbing, as opposed to slicing.