Japanese Swords

Japan has always been notorious for its incredibly genius innovations in the art of weapon-making. Bladed weapons, in particular, particularly swords, have always fascinated the world of weapon-crafting. The Japanese have developed numerous swords, most of which are no longer in practical use, due to the invention of guns. The famous samurai that have been noted in many stories, movies, games, and all other informational aspects of life, made several of these swords famous due to their use of them. The Japanese crafted every sort of sword, from ones under a foot in length, to swords over 7 feet long. I will cover the most important of these swords in the rest of my publication.

The katana is probably the most well known sword in Japanese history. Used by Samurai warriors, as well as the Japanese military, information on this sword is widespread. The Katana was crafted with simplicity in mind, but with a certain beauty to it. Wielded in various styles, the katana usually featured a simplistic, yet comfortable handle along with an extremely sharp, curved blade. Depending on the form the user of the katana employs, certain parts of the sword are used for attacking and blocking. For instance, in a certain style, only the first two inches of the sword from the top are used for attacking, and the rest for blocks and parries. Another artful style has the requirement that the katana remains sheathed until attacking, and then it must be returned once more to its sheath, as quickly as possible. Many of these styles are difficult to master, and take several years of practice, so simply gaining a real, sharp katana, and swinging it haphardzly in an attempt to learn is highly unrecommended.

The Wakizashi is a sword very similar to a katana. Basically, a Wakizashi is a shorter version of a traditional katana, and they usually have blades between 12 and 24 inches. In feudal japan, Samurai usually carried both a katana and a wakizashi in conjunction. This combination was called "daisho." In tradition, the wakizashi was not used for fighting, but for committing seppuku. Seppuku was the form of honorable suicide that was used by Samurai who wanted to die an honorable death. Usually, a cut was made across the stomach while the samurai was in a temple, and in summary the act "released the soul." Wakizashis can be considered as a dagger form of katanas, as shown in the picture above.

Bokkens are commonly found Japanese training swords that resemble katanas. Instead of being made out of metal, however, they are made up of wood. Used for training students in the art of swordsmanship, Bokken can be found in numerous places around the world, and are still in use today. During the Jokoto period (before 800 AD), Bokken were actually used in real combat. Even the military employed Bokken into its ranks, until the invention of the Tachi (another curved Japanese sword) and eventually, the Katana. The Bokken's initial creation also led to the invention of the Kenjutsu style (attacking with your sword already drawn). The opposite of Kenjutsu, the Batto-jutsu style (drawing and simultaneously attacking with your sword), was developed after the invention of the katana.

The Tachi, the predeccessor of the katana, was a Japanese sword developed to not only provide effective defense and power, but to symbolize a person's status as well. Developed in the "Koto" era, Tachis were worn with the cutting-edge down, and the blunt-edge up. This style was in complete opposite of katanas. The Tachi shown above is known as a Ito Maki tachi and was carried by high ranking Samurai and feudal lords.

The Tachi shown above is known as a Kazari Tachi. These Tachis were carried by nobles of the Imperial Court. Only if you possessed a sword such as the Kazari Tachi would you have any proof of your existence as an Imperial Court member. The Kazari Tachi possesses a kiri-ha zukuri blade, which was designed to be almost completely straight. This particular style of Tachi was used in the Koto era, the Nara era, and the Heian era.

The Tachi shown above, known as the Efu Tachi, was extremely prominent throughout several eras of Japanese history. The Efu Tachi was fitted with a shitogi tsuba (tsuba is the guard at the hilt of the blade to prevent the user's hands from sliding onto the blade). This particular tsuba was a ceremonial mounting, instead of a combat mountain, and so the Efu Tachi was used for more ceremonial purposes than anything else.

Several different variations of the Efu Tachi were created, and the Bird's Head Tachi is a rather special one of those. Carried by court officials through many eras of Japanese history, the Bird's Head Tachi were still used as presentation/ceremonial swords all the way up through the Showa era. There were also hybrid mountings formed called "handachis" which employed katana-styled elements (such as wearing the blade upward), while being incorporated with the tachi-styled kabuto-gane (a pommel cap at the hilt of the blade), the sayajiri (a tachi-styled sheath), and a semegane (design incorporated into the handle of the sword).

The Tanto is a classical Japanese equivalent to "shortswords" in terms of Western medieval weaponry. The Tanto was used by Samurai in conjunction with the Tachi, which could be considered the Japanese equivalent of a longsword. The Tanto was to the Tachi what the Wakizashi was to the Katana. Although Tanto-jutsu, the general name given to the form using the Tanto, is not highly widespread anymore, it is still used in demonstrations, practices, and events. Ninja, the counterpart to Samurai, usually preferred Tantos as throwing weapons rather than close combat ones.

The No-Dachi is an enourmous Japanese sword designed for sheer power. Wielded with two hands, a Samurai who chose to wield a No-Dachi was brave indeed. Often, troops and Samurai who equipped the No-Dachi would use little or no armor to compensate for the extra weight brought on by the weapon itself. Masters of the No-Dachi were feared throughout the era for their skill. Japanese mythology often portrayed No-Dachis as the weapons that gods wielded. The No-Dachi was often strapped along a warrior's back or carried simply by hand, as it was impossible to sheathe due to its length and heft.

Japanese Swords have always played an important role in Japan's history and culture. Even today, Japanese swords represent the craftsmanship and ingenuity of the country. Swords are a part of the foundation of Japan's history. Ever since its creation, swords have played some role or another in Japan's culture. Japanese swords impacted history mostly through the Samurai, or warriors, of feudal Japan. They waged all of medieval Japan's wars, created Japan's folklore, and founded the basis of honor and justic that Japan's culture strongly embraces. All of Japan's noticeable features (except, perhaps, their technological might) can be traced back to the origins of Samurai and the events that occurred in Feudal Japan. Japanese swords also were the beginning of Japan's domination of technology. At the time, Western equivalents for melee weapons could not compare in the slightest to the beautiful craftsmanship and extreme precision created by Japanese swordsmiths. Even status and rank were determined by swords in Japan. Swords were used for ceremonies, battle, demonstrations, and honorable suicide. The sword itself was a key symbol in all of Japan's mythology. Even today, swords are displayed in Japanese museums for their historical significance. No matter how far technology progesses, the importance of ancient Japanese swords will never be forgotten.