Using real world weapon names

[Mindfire]

Then I wasn't all that far off with my earlier description, even if it's not really wicked-looking.
And I still wouldn't call it a katana if my story was based on on a culture of Polish bojars. Or golden elves from the mountains of P'hara

It might feel out of place then, yes.

 

[Anders Ämting]

Ok so as i think of my characters and the types of weapons they will use and a few of the ones i wish to choose come from obvious cultures. My question is do you see a problem with using that weapons original name? Example having a character use a katana(not really going to happen in my book just an example). I am using alot of real world names for specific cultures. Like one character is Arashi. Its japanese and he is an elf though he is apart of one culture of elves that i have use japanese names.

Sounds like you are doing something highly stylized here, so from an outside perspective it's hard to say what fits your concept and what doesn't.

Realistically, though, if there is no Japan in your world, then the should be no katana either. What there might is is swords that resemble the katana due to having been developed in similar circumstances. So, you would describe it as a katana but not call it that.

Anyway, old-timey people didn't actually give their swords fancy special designations or even categorize different swords much at all - for the most part, a sword was just a sword.

Robert Jordan's Heron Mark swords are essentially katanas judging by the art and licensed reproduction, but he never calls them that AFAIK because it would feel out of place.

I vehemently disagree - the WoT swords are not katana. This is absolutely not a katana.

A katana is a very specific kind of sword - you can't just say "every two-handed saber is essentially a katana," just because it looks similar and does the same thing. Or rather, you can't use "katana" as the default.

Example: Would you call this sword or this sword a "katana"?

If you do, you are wrong, because they are both late period Chinese dao that have little or nothing at all to do with Japanese swords.

Likewise, this is a European kriegsmesser, and this is a Burmese dha.

You kinda need to take the context into consideration, is what I'm basically saying. So, calling the WoT heron swords "katana" doesn't really make sense.

I wouldn't use a word from a language that doesn't exist in my world (not only katana, but something like claymore, too). They often convey the wrong mood.

This, pretty much.

Besides, many readers wouldn't really know how a katana looked, so you have to describe it in a few words anyhow ('He drew his sword, a slender, slightly curved blade that exuded wickedness') to set the mood.

Finally, I'm sure most readers wouldn't care what type of sword it is, as long as there's fighting, blood spattering and danger. But they could stumble over a name that's out of context and you don't want that in an action scene.

This as well.

Actually, if you say it's a curved, two-handed and deadly sharp sword, most people will think "katana" anyway. If you want to be really sure they get it, just mentioned the beautiful wave pattern on the edge at some point, or research traditional Japanese sword care and have your characters do the same thing.

Personally, I think I would find having "Look! It's a katana!" showed in my face would just be kinda annoying. Especially since the type of sword probably isn't important to begin with - we are basically talking about fluff here, details we put into our stories because we think they are cool and not because they matter to the plot.