The Japanese samurai sword - the apogee of medieval weapon metallurgy - still shakes the hearts of many with its magnificence and some almost magical power. More and more people are turning their attention to this ancient formidable weapon. Nowadays, it can be both a gift to the director, for example, or just take its rightful place in your home collection. Razor sharp, relatively light, perfectly balanced - it remained deadly at all times.
Conventionally, all swords in Japan are divided into two types - long (O-tachi, blade length more than 60 cm) and short (Ko-tachi, less than 60 cm).
The most famous type of samurai sword, thanks in large part to Hollywood, is the katana. This sword prevailed mainly among the samurai of low rank and was used mainly for combat by foot soldiers. Well-to-do townspeople could also afford katana, often using them as gifts to various officials. The length of the katana blade is approximately 73-75 cm. The handle (tsuka) reaches a length of up to 30 cm. It was worn according to the rules of etiquette behind the belt, the blade had to be directed upwards behind the back.
Tachi - a long sword with a narrow blade - was used by military commanders and high-ranking samurai. The dimensions of such swords fluctuate, which suggests that some of them could be used in foot combat, others in equestrian combat. On average, the blade length of these swords was about a meter, the handle was 30 cm or more. If the katana, due to its lightness, was perfect for waging combat without armor, then the tachi, due to its rather impressive weight, was most often used to chop opponents in heavy leather armor.
Wakizashi is a short auxiliary sword that has no more than half a meter in length. He occupied a niche between the katana and tan-to (long dagger).
Speaking of Japanese melee weapons, one cannot fail to mention the weapons of the legendary ninjas. The main ninja sword was ninja-to (ninja-gatana) This is a short knife, with a straight blade, which is not very common for samurai knives. The length of the blade was on average less than half a meter, but the handle reached 40 cm. The main advantages of such a sword-dagger were compactness and ease of use.
Thus, it is quite wrong, following the lead of the Western film industry, to limit the concept of "Japanese sword" to only one katana. In general, the arsenal of medieval Japan was much more diverse and colorful than the weapons of the countries of Western Europe of that time.
