“Buy mochi from a mochi master; for rice cakes - go to the cake ”
(Japanese proverb)

We can endlessly "delve" into the details of the Japanese sword and ... it will all be also interesting. In general, this is a real "Pandora's box", not without reason there are so many fans of Japanese swords. But this is not surprising. Every detail in them is not only functional, but also beautiful. But this is not easy to achieve. For this century of reflection on the beautiful, comprehension of the measure of things, the ability to feel the material and work with it.

Let's look at this one more time - the line on the tip called the barefoot. How beautiful these waves are on polished steel! This kind of hardening line also has its own name - Midari-Komi, that is, “wavy”. Although, it would seem, before us is a completely utilitarian thing. By the way, here we see the naginata blade, not the tati or katana.

But this photo shows Kissaki - actually the tip, the hardened part of the blade (yakiba), and the hardening line - barefoot, separating the hardened blade ha (or ha-saki) from the blade itself - ji-tsu. It is darker, but the hardened part is lighter and the Japanese naturally distinguish between them. The light part is called ha-tsu and it is almost the same as the yakiba. In any case, we will not be mistaken in calling this part of the blade both this and that. But there is also the yokote line - separating the tip and blade. As you can see, everything is very, very complicated in a Japanese sword. The mass of terms describing the width of the blade (mihaba), its surface pattern (jihad), the name of the butt of the blade at the tip (mune-saki) and so on.

Hada pattern. According to him, an experienced master could recognize the author of the sword without even reading his signature on the shank of the nakago.

Naturally, the shank of the nakado blade in nihonto was not a utilitarian part either. In the photo you see such a shank from the wakizashi blade with the signature of mei. Notches on the surface of the shank are noteworthy. They also had a special name - yasuri-me. There are 13 types of them and they are all not alike. And they were made not just like that, but in order to provide more durable contact of the wooden handle with the shank. The name of the blacksmith - kao, “name with the title” (zuryo-mei) could be knocked out on the shank, if the blacksmith worked at the court, the age of the blacksmith, his nickname, the name of the assistant (dai-mei), verses (!), The name of the temple, which the blade was dedicated, and the result of the test was how many corpses and how many blows this sword was cut through. It’s good that all together this was never written on one shank. With a dozen hieroglyphs - this is already a big text!

This photo shows a beautiful Hamidashi dagger 25.1 cm long with the emblem of the Tokugawa clan. Very similar to tanto ... but not tanto. The difference is the lack of a tsuba. Instead, a small roller and all. A co-gotan with an engraved metal handle is inserted into the sheath. Noteworthy is his blade with a dol (chi). There were eight species of valleys running along the entire blade and four valleys at the shank.

The tanto dagger from the collections of the British Museum in disassembled form. Blade with a long valley - kuitigai-hee. From left to right: tsuba, seppa, khabaki, kari-kogai - a kogai divided in the middle (about it was in the previous material), and a “knife” of kogotan.

It also seems to be an inconspicuous detail on the blade of a Japanese sword or dagger, but which is of great importance - khabaki - the fastener of the blade. Here we see the mekugi-ano - a hole for the mounting pin.

And here this detail (khabaki) is clearly visible, firmly securing the tsuba.

This is how the khabaki looks when this part is removed. But interestingly, it is not quite smooth. Embossed stripes are made on it. What for? For some reason ...

The khabaki clutch least of all has artistic merit, but it is absolutely necessary, and it is on every Japanese sword, dagger and even spears. It is a thick sleeve made of metal, which is arranged in such a way that its inner side is tightly attached to the last few centimeters of the blade of the sword or dagger and also its shank (nakago). It has several functions: first of all, it eliminates the friction of the blade and, first of all, its hardened part on the surface of the scabbard. The blade of the sword under the hubs should be lightly oiled to protect this place from corrosion. But main function Khabaki is that it is it that allows you to transfer the recoil from a blow through the guard of the tsuba to the entire hilt, and not to the peg of the mekugi made of bamboo or horn.

Khabaki was customary to make of copper, to cover with silver or gilding, or gold or silver foil, as well as shakudo alloy foil. Its surface is either polished or covered with oblique strokes of neko-gaki (“cat scrapers”). The foil can be decorated with a stamped pattern. Khabaki with the family coat of arms of mon usually belong to good swords.

Khabaki close-up.

Two seppa and tsuba. Khabaki rested on the seppu and thus pressed it to the handle of the tsuke. But not directly to the handle ...

Sometimes a mon - coat of arms was knocked out on khabaki.

Smooth polished khabaki.

Directly behind the seppa, facing the handle, was another clutch - the foot. Futi encompasses the handle where it contacts the seppa. This part is easy to remove. But despite all its utilitarian purpose - to strengthen the end of the handle, it is a small work of art. She gets off paired with another part, which is called - kasira (yap. "Head"). (Walters Art Museum, Baltimore)

Slot for the shank of the blade in the foot. Since the futi was made by a separate master (along with the cashier), she signed them on the outside adjacent to the sepp coupling. (Walters Art Museum, Baltimore)

Hole in the handle for the cashier’s head.

Cashier - "Sparrow and the Orchid." (Walters Art Museum, Baltimore)

And futi, and kashira, and tsuba should be made out in a uniform style. But this rule was not always observed. Tsuba "Hares". (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

A very important thing is the Mekugi fixing pin. It was on him that the whole frame of the Japanese sword rested! He keeps the blade from falling out of the handle. The material is usually wood (!), Bamboo, but is sometimes made from a rhino horn. On one side of the handle is hidden by a winding, on the other is visible.

Menuki, on the contrary, is a decorative part, but it seems to help to more tightly grasp the handle. Again, a sign of good taste of the owner of the sword is the uniform design style of kogaya, kogotana and menuka itself. Daiso sorimono - that's what this name was called full set for two swords. Menuki is attached not only to the braid, but simply to the skin of the handle.

Tsuka dagger tanto. And there are menuki on it. All the above details of the rim of the blade are also clearly visible.

Manuki is large. Samurai loved to give them to each other (it is clear that complete with other details). As the saying goes, a trifle - but nice.

A very original tanto-yari dagger is the “lance dagger” of the Edo era. Shown all the details of the koshirae - frames: scabbard, hilt, braid, varigogai, go-gotana.

Jutte is, in fact, not a dagger, nor a knife, since it has a cylindrical or multifaceted blade without a blade and without a point. Jutte was a special Japanese police officer of the Edo era. With a blade with a side hook, they caught the enemy’s sword and thus could tear it out of their hands or then break it with a blow with a second blade. A lanyard with a colored brush, the color of which testified to the rank of a policeman, was attached to the ring on the handle.

Tanto-dagger dzjutte dagger.

The Japanese adored covers and cases. Here is the case for the sword in which it was stored during the trip. It was called katana zutsu.

Yes, the Japanese sword is the whole, which you can dive into for a long time and ... very deeply. But we will finish our “immersion” on this for now.

Any story about historical edged weapons would be incomplete without a story about medieval Japanese swords. it unique weapon For many centuries, faithfully served its masters - ferocious samurai warriors. In recent decades, the katana sword, as if experiencing a rebirth, interest in it is huge. The Japanese sword has already become an element of popular culture, Hollywood directors, creators of anime and computer games "love" the katana.

It was believed that in the sword live the spirits of all its former owners, and the samurai is just the keeper of the blade, and he is obliged to pass it on to future generations. In the will of the samurai there was always a point at which his swords were distributed among the sons. If good sword was an unworthy or inept owner, then in this case they said: "The sword is crying."

No less interesting today is the history of this weapon, the secrets of its manufacture and fencing equipment used by medieval Japanese warriors. However, before moving on to our story, a few words should be said about the very definition of a samurai sword and its classification.

Katana is a long Japanese sword, with a blade length of 61 to 73 cm, with a slight curvature of the blade and one-sided sharpening. There are other types of Japanese swords, mostly they differ in their size and purpose. Moreover, the word "katana" in modern Japanese means any sword. If we talk about the European classification of knives, the katana is not a sword at all, it is a typical saber with one-sided sharpening and a curved blade. The shape of the Japanese sword is very similar to a checker. However, in the tradition of the Land of the Rising Sun, a sword refers to any type (well, or almost any) of cold steel that has a blade. Even a naginata, similar to a European medieval glaive, with a two-meter hilt and a blade at the end, is still called a sword in Japan.

Historians are much easier to learn the Japanese sword than the European or Middle Eastern historical edged weapons. And there are several reasons:

• The Japanese sword was used in the relatively recent past. Katana (this weapon had a special name guno) was massively used as far back as World War II;
• Unlike Europe, a large number of ancient Japanese swords have survived to this day. Weapons, which are several centuries old, are often in excellent condition;
• The production of swords using traditional medieval technologies continues in Japan today. Today, about 300 blacksmiths are engaged in the manufacture of these weapons, all of them have special state licenses;
• The Japanese carefully preserved the basic techniques of the art of sword fighting.

History

The Iron Age began in Japan relatively late, only by the 7th century did Japanese blacksmiths master the technology of manufacturing weapons from multilayer steel. Up to this point, iron swords were imported into the country from China and Korea. The most ancient Japanese swords were most often straight and had double-edged sharpening.

Heian period (IX-XII century). During this period, the Japanese sword receives its traditional bend. At this time, the central government weakened, and the country plunged into a series of endless internecine wars and entered a long period of self-isolation. A caste of samurai - professional warriors began to form. At the same time, the skill of Japanese blacksmiths-gunsmiths grew significantly.

Most fights took place in an equestrian system, so a long saber gradually took the place of a direct sword. Initially, it had a bend near the handle, later it shifted to an area spaced 1/3 from the end of the shank. It was during the Heian period that the appearance of the Japanese sword was finally formed, and the technology for its manufacture was worked out.

The Kamakura period (XII-XIV century).The significant improvement in armor that occurred during this period led to changes in the shape of the sword. They were aimed at increasing the striking power of weapons. Its top became more massive, the mass of blades increased. Fencing with such a sword with one hand has become much more difficult, so they were mainly used in foot fights. This historical period is considered the "golden age" for the traditional Japanese sword, later many of the blade manufacturing techniques were lost. Today the blacksmiths are trying to restore them.

Muromachi period (XIV-XVI century). Very long swords began to appear in this historical period, the dimensions of some of them exceeding two meters. Such giants are, rather, the exception than the rule, but the general trend was on the face. A long period of constant wars required a large number of knives, often due to a decrease in their quality. In addition, the general impoverishment of the population led to the fact that few could afford a truly high-quality and expensive sword. At this time, Tatars became widespread, which allows to increase the total amount of steel smelted. The tactics of fights are changing, now it’s important for a fighter to get ahead of an opponent in delivering the first blow, so katana swords are becoming more and more popular. By the end of this period, the first appears in Japan. firearmsthat changes the tactics of battles.

Momoyama period (XVI century).During this period, the Japanese sword becomes shorter, a pair of daiso comes into use, which later became classic: the long katana sword and the short wakizashi sword.

All of the above periods refer to the so-called Age of Old Swords. At the beginning of the XVII century begins the era of new swords (shinto). At this time, many years of feuds ceased in Japan, and peace reigned. Therefore, the sword somewhat loses its combat significance. The Japanese sword becomes an element of the costume, a symbol of status. Weapons begin to be richly decorated, much more attention is paid to it appearance. However, at the same time, its combat qualities are reduced.

After 1868, the Age of Modern Swords begins. A weapon forged after this year is called a gendai. In 1876, the wearing of swords was prohibited. This decision dealt a serious blow to the caste of samurai warriors. A large number of blacksmiths engaged in the manufacture of blades lost their jobs or were forced to retrain. Only at the beginning of the last century does the campaign for a return to traditional values \u200b\u200bbegin.

The highest part for a samurai was to die in battle with a sword in his hands. In 1943, a plane was shot down with the Japanese admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (the one that led the attack on Pearl Harbor). When the admiral's charred body was pulled out from under the wreckage of the plane, they found a katana in the hands of the dead man, with whom he met his death.

At the same time, swords began to be manufactured industrially for the armed forces. And although they looked like a fighting samurai sword, these weapons no longer had anything to do with traditional blades made in earlier periods.

After the final defeat of the Japanese in World War II, the victors issued an order to destroy all traditional Japanese swords, but thanks to the intervention of historians, it was soon canceled. The production of swords using traditional technologies was resumed in 1954. A special organization, the Society for the Preservation of Artistic Japanese Swords, was created, its main task was to preserve the traditions of making katanas as part of the cultural heritage of the Japanese nation. Currently, there is a multi-stage system for assessing the historical and cultural value of Japanese swords.

Japanese classification of swords

What other swords besides the famous katana exist (or existed in the past) in Japan. The classification of swords is quite complicated, in the Land of the Rising Sun it belongs to the scientific disciplines. What will be described below is just a brief overview, which gives only a general idea of \u200b\u200bthe issue. Currently, the following varieties of Japanese swords are distinguished:

• Katana The most famous kind of Japanese sword. It has a blade length of 61 to 73 cm, with a rather wide and thick curved blade. Outwardly, she is very similar to another Japanese sword - Tati, but differs from it in a smaller curvature of the blade, the way it is worn, and also (but not always) in length. Katana was not just a weapon, but also an invariable attribute of a samurai, part of his costume. Without this sword, the warrior simply did not leave home. Katana could be worn behind a belt or in special ties. It was stored on a special horizontal stand, which was placed at night at the head of the warrior;
• Tati. This is a long Japanese sword. It has a greater bend than a katana. The length of the tachi blade starts at 70 cm. In the past, this sword was commonly used for equestrian combat and during parades. It is stored on a vertical stand with the handle down in peacetime and the handle up during the war. Sometimes from this kind of Japanese sword another one stands out - O-Dati. These blades were significant in size (up to 2.25 m);
• Wakizashi. A short sword (blade 30-60 cm), which, together with a katana, forms the standard weapon of a samurai. Wakizashi could be used to fight in tight spaces, and it was also used in conjunction with a long sword in some fencing techniques. This weapon could be worn not only by samurai, but also by representatives of other classes;
• Tanto. A dagger or knife with a blade length of up to 30 cm. Used for cutting heads, as well as for making hara-kiri, and for other, more peaceful purposes;
• Tsurugi. A double-edged straight sword that was used in Japan until the 10th century. Often, this name refers to any ancient swords;
• Ninja or Shinobi Gatana. This is the sword used by the famous Japanese medieval spies - the ninja. In its appearance, it practically did not differ from a katana, but was shorter. The scabbard of this sword was thicker, the elusive sinobi hid a whole espionage arsenal in them. By the way, the ninja was not worn behind his back, because it was extremely inconvenient. The exception was when a warrior needed free hands, for example, if he decided to climb the wall;
• Naginata. This is a type of edged weapon, which was a slightly curved blade, planted on a long wooden pole. It reminded me of a medieval glaive, but the Japanese also attribute naginata to swords. Fights on naginatas are carried out to this day;
• Gong something. Army sword of the last century. These weapons were manufactured industrially and sent in huge quantities to the army and navy;
• Bokken. Wooden training sword. The Japanese treat him with no less respect than real combat weapons.

Making a japanese sword

There are legends about the hardness and sharpness of Japanese swords, as, indeed, about the blacksmith's art of the Land of the Rising Sun.

Gunsmiths held a high place in the social hierarchy of medieval Japan. Making a sword was considered a spiritual, almost mystical act, so they prepared for it accordingly.

Before the process began, the master spent a lot of time in meditation, he prayed and held fast. Often, blacksmiths put on the clothing of a Shinto priest or a court ceremonial costume for the duration of their work. Before the forging process began, the forge was carefully cleaned; amulets were hung at its entrance, designed to scare away evil spirits and attract good ones. For a while, the forge became a sacred place; only the blacksmith himself and his assistant could enter it. Family members (except women) during this period were not allowed to enter the workshop, while women were not allowed to enter the forge at all, being afraid of their evil eyes.

During the manufacture of the sword, the blacksmith ate food cooked on the sacred fire, and tough taboos were imposed on animal food, strong drinks, as well as sexual contacts.

The Japanese received the metal for the manufacture of edged weapons in the furnaces of the Tatars, which can be called the local variety of ordinary domnica.

Blades are usually made of two main parts: the shell and the core. To make the shell of a sword, a package of iron and high carbon steel is welded together. It is repeatedly folded and forged. The main task of the blacksmith at this stage is to achieve the homogenization of steel and to clean it of impurities.

Mild steel is used for the core of the Japanese sword, it is also repeatedly forged.

As a result, for the manufacture of a sword blank, the master receives two bars, made of durable high-carbon and mild steel. In the manufacture of solid steel katanas, they form a profile in the form of the Latin letter V, into which a mild steel bar is inserted. It is slightly shorter than the total length of the sword and does not reach the tip a bit. There is a more sophisticated technology for the manufacture of katana, it consists in the formation of a blade of four bars of steel: the hardest steel is used to produce the point and cutting edges of the weapon, a slightly less hard metal goes to the sides, and the core is made of soft iron. Sometimes the butt of a Japanese sword is made from a separate piece of metal. After welding the parts of the blade, the master forms its cutting edges, as well as the point.

However, the "main feature" of Japanese blacksmiths-gunsmiths is considered to be hardening of the sword. It is a special heat treatment technique that gives a katana its incomparable properties. It differs significantly from similar technologies that were used by blacksmiths in Europe. It should be recognized that in this matter, Japanese masters have moved much further than their European counterparts.

Before hardening, the Japanese blade is covered with a special paste made of clay, ash, sand, stone dust. The exact composition of the paste was kept in strict confidence and was passed from father to son. An important nuance is that the paste is applied unevenly on the blade: a thin layer of substance was applied to the blade and tip, and much thicker on the side faces and butt. After that, the blade was heated to a certain temperature and quenched in water. The parts of the blade covered with a thicker layer of paste cooled more slowly and turned out softer, and the cutting surfaces received the greatest hardness during such hardening.

If everything is done correctly, then on the blade there is a clear boundary between the hardened area of \u200b\u200bthe blade and the rest. It is called jamon. Another indicator of the quality of the blacksmith's work was the whitish shade of the butt of the blade, it is called utsubi.

Further refinement of the blade (polishing and grinding) is usually carried out by a special master, whose work is also very much appreciated. In general, more than ten people can engage in the manufacture and decoration of the blade, the process is very specialized.

After this, the sword must pass the test, in ancient times, specially trained people were engaged in this. Tests were carried out on twisted mats, and sometimes on corpses. It was especially honorable to try a new sword on a living person: a criminal or a prisoner of war.

Only after testing the blacksmith knocks out his name on the shank, and the sword is considered ready. Work on mounting the handle and guard are considered auxiliary. The hilt of a katana was usually pasted over with a stingray skin and wrapped in a silk or leather cord.

The fighting qualities of Japanese swords and comparing them with European swords

Today, katana can be called the most popular sword in the world. It is difficult to name another type of knives, around which there are so many myths and frank tales. The Japanese sword is called the pinnacle of blacksmithing in the history of mankind. However, one can argue with this statement.

Studies conducted by experts using the latest methods have shown that European swords (including the ancient period) were not inferior to Japanese counterparts. The steel that the European blacksmiths used to make weapons turned out to be refined no worse than the material of Japanese blades. They were welded from many layers of steel, had selective hardening. In the study of European blades, modern Japanese masters were involved, and they confirmed the high quality of medieval weapons.

The problem is that very few European models have come to our time blade weapon. Those swords that are discovered during archaeological excavations are usually in poor condition. There are especially revered European swords that have survived centuries and are now in good condition in museums. But there are very few of them. In Japan, due to the special attitude to edged weapons, a huge number of ancient swords have survived to our time, and the state of most of them can be called perfect.

A few words should be said about the strength and cutting characteristics of Japanese swords. Undoubtedly, the traditional katana is an excellent weapon, the quintessence of the centuries-old experience of Japanese gunsmiths and warriors, but it is still not capable of cutting “iron like paper”. Scenes from films, games and anime, where a Japanese sword cuts stones with little effort, plate armor or other metal objects should be left to the conscience of scriptwriters and directors. Such abilities lie beyond the capabilities of steel and contradict the laws of physics.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

There are many legends about Japanese swords, often not justified. There are probably a lot of people who will answer the question about the name of the Japanese sword - Katana. Partly, this is correct, but only partly. The classification of Japanese swords is not easy. The simplest classification, in my opinion, is by length.

It is known that the samurai wore two swords - long and short. Such a pair was called Daiso (lit. “bigger and smaller”) and consisted of Daito (“larger sword”), we will call it Katana, the main weapon of the samurai, and Seto (“smaller sword”), in the future Wakazashi, who served as a reserve or additional weapon, used in close combat to chop off heads or hara-kiri if the samurai did not have a specially designed dagger, Kusungobu or Tanto. If the carrying of the great Katan sword was permitted only to the wars of samurai and aristocrats, then Wakazashi had the right to wear both artisans and merchants.

Kusungobu - dagger for close combat

So the long sword was called Daito (Katana) - 95-120 cm, short - Seto (Wakazashi)- 50-70 cm. Katana hilt is usually designed for 3.5 fists, Wakazashi - for 1.5. The width of the blade for both swords is about 3 cm, the thickness of the back is 5 mm, while the blade has a razor sharpness. The handle is usually wrapped in shark skin or wrapped so that the handle does not slip in the hands. Katana weight is about 4 kg. The guard of both swords was small, only slightly covering the hand, had a round, petal or multifaceted shape. It was called a tsuba.

Katana and other Japanese swords were stored on a special stand - Katanakake.

Katana has several varieties, one of them is Ko-katana (kokatana) - a variant of a short katana, which is included with a katana in a regular samurai set of cold steel. The handle of a kokatan is straight without a handle, the blade is slightly curved. The specimen described in Russian literature has a length of 690 mm and a blade length of 520 mm.

Cocatana is a variety of katana

Katana was mounted on a belt or behind. Tied with a special Sageo cord, this cord could also be used to bind the opponent. Special sheaths were used to carry the katan behind the back (Watarimaki is the part of the sheath of the Japanese blade weapon that touches the back when worn). There is a coupling on the sheath - a ring covering the sheath, with the help of which it is fastened to the belt or belt.

Katana is the most modern and perfect type of Japanese edged weapons, its production has been perfected for centuries, the predecessors of katana were:

Tati - a sword, common in Japan from X to XVII century, equal in length to Katana. Although the Katan swords also have decent curvature of the blade, in general it is less than Tati's. Their exterior also differs. It is much simpler and stricter than Tati. Has a round tsuba. Tati was usually worn down with a kosigatana.

Tanto - small samurai sword.

Kozuka - Japanese combat knife used as a cold or throwing weapon. In everyday life, performed the role of a household knife.

Ta chi - a single-edged sword of small curvature, worn behind his back. Total length 710 mm.

In addition to Dyce, the samurai could also wear Nodati - The Field Sword with a blade longer than a meter and a total length of about 1.5 meters, sometimes its length reached three meters! Several samurai immediately wielded such a sword, and its only use was the defeat of horse troops.

Nodati

Katana - the strongest sword in the world

The technology for the production of katana is very complex - special steel processing, multi-layer (multiple) forging, hardening, etc. Katana are the strongest swords in the world, they can cut materials of almost any hardness, be it meat, bones, iron. Masters who knew the art of fighting a katana in a battle with a warrior armed with an ordinary European sword could cut this sword into two parts, the power of the samurai’s impact and the steel of the katana allowed it to be done (Monuchi is part of the blade of the blade of the Japanese blade weapon, which accounts for the main force hit).

It was equally easy to chop and chop with a katana. The long handle allows you to actively maneuver with your sword. In this case, the main grip is the position where the end of the handle rests in the middle of the palm, and the right hand holds it near the guard. The simultaneous movement of both hands allows you to describe a wide amplitude with a sword without much effort. Both the Katana and the direct European sword of a knight weigh a lot, but the principles for performing chopping blows by them are completely different. Most of strokes are applied in a vertical plane. Accepted in Europe, the division into a "block strike" is almost there. There are bouncing blows on the hands or arms of the enemy, dropping his weapons from the line of attack and making it possible in the next step to inflict a devastating blow to the enemy.

Katana weaknesses

Speaking about the features of the manufacturing technology of the samurai sword, it is worth noting the weaknesses of this process, namely, gaining greater hardness and power along the axis of the blade, this type of sword is more vulnerable if it is hit on its flat side. With such a blow, you can even beat Katana with a short mace (or the Okinawan nunchucks, which were specially used to break samurai swords). And if the European sword usually breaks at the distance of the palm or in two fingers from the guard, then the Japanese sword - at a distance of 1/3 or 1/2 of the length of the blade from the guard.

Yes, those stories are true when Katana chopped metal. It is possible! Documented, when the master hits with such a blade, the speed of the tip of the sword (Kisaki) exceeded the speed of sound. And given the fact that the Katan swords are one of the most durable in the world, the conclusion suggests itself.

Tati - a sword equal in length to Katana

Japanese long sword tati. The wavy jamon pattern on the blade is clearly visible.

The most ancient katana self made (the sheath for katana, also handmade, was decorated with ornaments), are valued the most and passed from generation to generation as a family heirloom. Such katanas are very expensive, especially if you can see Mei on it - a stamp with the name of the master and the year of manufacture of the Japanese blade weapon on the shank - of any famous master.

Many gunsmiths from different countries they tried to copy the katana, as a result of this, such famous swords as: Three - a Tibetan sword copying a samurai; Taijinjian (Chinese sword of the great limit) is a kind of jiang; The sword is Korean, the Japanese name is katana in the 7th-13th centuries; and others. But, real katana can only be found in Japan, and if the katana is not made in Japan, it is not a katana!

Components of Katana:

• Adjacent to the tsuba decoration, ring, reinforcing handle (coupling) - Fuchi (Fuchi),
• Cord - Ito,
• Blade - Kami,
• The upper ring (head) of the handle - Kashira (Kashira),
• Sheath entrance - Koiguchi,
• Extremity of the scabbard - Kojiri,
• Eyelet Loop - Kurikata,
• Bamboo wedge for fixing the blade in the handle - Mekugi,
• Decoration on the handle under (or above) the braid - Menuki,
• Shank - Nakago,
• Ties - Sageo,
• Stingray leather on the handle - Same (Same),
• Scabbard - Saya (Saya),
• Gasket between the guard and the ring (washer) - Seppa (Seppa),
• The hammer for disassembling the sword - Tetsu,
• Blade - Tosin,
• Garda - Tsuba,
• Handle - Tsuka,
• Braid - Tsukamaki,
• Clutch for fixing the sword in the scabbard - Khabaki.

Japanese short sword wakizashi. The blade and sword in the scabbard.

Wakizashi is a short traditional Japanese sword.

Mostly used by samurai and worn on the belt. The length of the blade is from 30 cm to 61 cm. The total length is 50-80 cm. Wakizashi is similar in shape to a katana. He was worn in tandem with a katana, also plugging his belt upside down.

In a pair of daiso (two main swords of a samurai: long and short), wakizashi was used as short sword (net).

Samurai used wakizashi as a weapon when the katana was unavailable or inapplicable. In the early periods of Japanese history, the tanto small sword was worn instead of wakizashi. And also when the samurai was wearing armor, tati and tanto were usually used instead of katana and wakizashi. Entering the room, the warrior left the katana at the servant or on the katanakake. Wakizashi was always carried around with him and was removed only if the samurai remained for a long period of time. Busi often called this sword "guardian of their honor." Some fencing schools taught to use both katana and wakizashi at the same time.

Unlike a katana that only samurai could wear, wakizashi was allowed to merchants and artisans. They used this sword as a full-fledged weapon, because by status they did not have the right to carry a katana.

More correct classification: It is somewhat arbitrary to classify weapons according to the length of the blade. “Tanto” should have a blade no shorter than 30 cm and no longer than 40 cm, “Wakizashi” - from 41 to 60 cm, “Katana” - from 61 to 75 cm, “Tati” - from 75 to 90 cm. “Odati” from 3 shaku 90.9 cm. The largest odati preserved to this day has a length of 3 m 77 cm.