Force-imbued blade

A Force-imbued blade was a bladed weapon used circa 36,453 BBY by the ancient followers of the Ashla and Bogan of the ancient Je'daii Order.

History
The Force-imbued blade was first conceived on Tython in the forges of Vur Tepe by the ancient Je'daii Order, and would become the orders signature weapon until the introduction of the forcesaber circa 36,453 BBY by the Force Hound Xesh. From the forcesaber, the Je'daii Order would take basic principles of forcesaber technology and eventually develop the Protosaber, which would become the new standard weapon for the order circa 5,000 BBY. Nevertheless, the force-imbued blade saw widespread use throughout the Despot War, the Force Wars between the followers of the Ashla and Bogan, and up until the First Great Schism circa 24,500 BBY.

Originally, the force-imbued blade was named the Jedi Katana as it served as the primary weapon and symbol of authority used by the Je'daii. Typically, each blade was created by a Je'daii after advancing past the rank of Padawan and becoming a Je'daii Journeyer or Je'daii Ranger of the Order ; this being so, force-imbued blades were almost completely used by the followers of Ashla, hence it's affiliation to the Jedi. This name is something of a misnomer however, as the blades were used extensively by the followers of the Bogan during the Force Wars, as well as by the Legions of Lettow.

Characteristics
The practices and techniques that the Tythonian Je'daii used to create force-imbued blades were carried down and practiced by the Legions of Lettow at the Chatos Academy. Initiates forged high-carbon steel in the furnaces of the academy in an extremely challenging ritual that melded the blade's molecular lattice with that of an energy crystal, making the blade and the crystal one-in-the-same, allowing the blade to be imbued with the force.

Force-imbued blades were solid metal blades that required no power source, and that glowed with the power of the Force coursing through them; this glow could manifest itself in multiple ways, ranging from lightning like striations, a discoloration of the blade, a fire like manifestation, or not at all. Imbued with the force, the blades were preternaturally strong and sharp, being capable of cutting effortlessly through most materials, with the exception of reinforced metals such as durasteel, which took more effort.

Behind the scenes
The katana, often called a "samurai sword," is used in a form of Japanese martial arts called kenjutsu.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi 1: Force Storm, Part 1
 * Tales of the Jedi: Redemption
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic