![]() Yari ( 槍, "spear"): A spear, or spear-like polearm.Naginata mounts consist of a long wooden pole, different from a nagamaki mount, which is shorter and wrapped. Naginata ( なぎなた, 薙刀): A polearm with a curved single-edged blade.There are bladed weapons made in the same traditional manner as Japanese swords, which are not swords, but which are still Japanese swords ( nihontō) (as "tō" means "blade", rather than specifically "sword"): Usually one-edged, but some were double-edged, though asymmetrical. Tantō is generally classified as a sword, but its usage is the same as that of a knife. Tantō ( 短刀, "short blade"): A sword with a blade shorter than 30 cm.The name derives from the way the sword would be stuck at one's side through the obi (sash/belt). Generally it is the short blade that accompanies a katana in the traditional samurai daisho pairing of swords, but may be worn by classes other than the samurai as a single blade, also worn edge up as the katana. Wakizashi ( 脇差, "side inserted "): A general term for a sword between one and two shaku long (30 cm and 60 cm in modern measurement), predominantly made after 1600.It was developed from sasuga, a kind of tantō, around the 14th century, and became the mainstream replacing tachi from the 15th century. Uchigatana ( 打刀, "striking sword"): A sword with a curved blade longer than 60 cm (there is no upper length limit but generally they are shorter than 90 cm), worn with the edge upwards in the sash.The name refers to the length of the handle wrapping. Nagamaki ( 長巻, "long wrapping"): A sword with an exceptionally long handle, usually about as long as the blade.Ōdachi ( 大太刀, "big Tachi")/ Nodachi ( 野太刀, "field Tachi"): Very large tachi, some in excess of 90 cm, and usually a blade of the late 14th century.Kodachi ( 小太刀, "small Tachi"): A shorter version of the tachi, but with similar mounts and intended use, mostly found in the 13th century or earlier. ![]() The tachi was in vogue before the 15th century. Tachi were worn suspended, with the edge downward. Tachi ( 太刀, "long sword"): A sword that is generally longer and more curved than the later katana, with curvature often centered from the middle or towards the tang, and often including the tang.Since the 10th century, they disappeared as weapons and came to be made only as offerings to Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Chokutō ( 直刀, "straight sword"): A straight single edged sword that was mainly produced prior to the 10th century.After the 10th century, they completely disappeared as weapons and came to be made only as offerings to Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Tsurugi/Ken ( 剣, "sword"): A straight two edged sword that was mainly produced prior to the 10th century.The following are types of Japanese swords: ![]() In this way, a blade formally attributed as a wakizashi due to length may be informally discussed between individuals as a tanto because the blade was made during an age where tanto were popular and the wakizashi as a companion sword to katana did not yet exist. When the mounts are taken out of the equation, a tanto and wakizashi will be determined by length under or over 30 cm, unless their intended use can be absolutely determined or the speaker is rendering an opinion on the intended use of the blade. A long tanto may be classified as a wakizashi due to its length being over 30 cm, however it may have originally been mounted and used as a tanto making the length distinction somewhat arbitrary but necessary when referring to unmounted short blades. It is properly distinguished, then, by the style of mount it currently inhabits. An unsigned and shortened blade that was once made and intended for use as a tachi may be alternately mounted in tachi koshirae and katana koshirae. ![]() The type classifications for Japanese swords indicate the combination of a blade and its mounts as this, then, determines the style of use of the blade. Naginata and yari, despite being polearms, are still considered to be swords, which is a common misconception naginata, yari and even odachi are in reality not swords. ![]() Other types of Japanese swords include: tsurugi or ken, which is a double-edged sword ōdachi, tachi, which are older styles of a very long single-edged sword wakizashi, a medium-sized sword and tantō, which is an even smaller knife-sized sword. Western historians have said that Japanese katana were among the finest cutting weapons in world military history, for their intended use. In modern times the most commonly known type of Japanese sword is the Shinogi-Zukuri katana, which is a single-edged and usually curved longsword traditionally worn by samurai from the 15th century onwards. Complete aikuchi style koshirae (mountings) and bare blade. Tantō with signature ( Mei) of Shintōgo Kunimitsu. ![]()
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