A is a type of traditionally made

Japanese sword A is one of several types of traditionally made swords from Japan. Bronze swords were made as early as the Yayoi period (1000 BC – 300 AD), though most people generally refer to the curved blades made from the Heian period (794 – 1185) to ...

(''nihonto'') worn by the

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

class of feudal Japan. ''Tachi'' and ''

katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the '' tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge f ...

'' generally differ in length, degree of curvature, and how they were worn when sheathed, the latter depending on the location of the ''mei'' (銘), or signature, on the

tang Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...

. The ''tachi'' style of swords preceded the development of the ''katana'', which was not mentioned by name until near the end of the twelfth century. ''Tachi'' were the mainstream Japanese swords of the Kotō period between 900 and 1596. Even after the

Muromachi period The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by t ...

(1336–1573), when ''katana'' became the mainstream, ''tachi'' were often worn by high-ranking samurai.

History

The production of swords in Japan is divided into specific time periods: * ''Jōkotō'' (ancient swords, until around 900) * ''Kotō'' (old swords from around 900–1596) * ''Shintō'' (new swords 1596–1780) * ''Shinshintō'' (new new swords 1781–1876) * ''Gendaitō'' (modern or contemporary swords 1876–present) The predecessor of the Japanese sword has been called ''warabitetō ( :ja:蕨手刀)''.Kazuhiko Inada (2020), ''Encyclopedia of the Japanese Swords''. p33. In the middle of the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

(794–1185), samurai improved on the ''warabitetō'' to develop ''kenukigata-tachi ( :ja:毛抜形太刀)'' -early Japanese sword-. To be more precise, it is thought that the ''

Emishi The (also called Ebisu and Ezo), written with Chinese characters that literally mean "shrimp barbarians," constituted an ancient ethnic group of people who lived in parts of Honshū, especially in the Tōhoku region, referred to as in contemp ...

'' improved the ''warabitetō'' and developed ''Kenukigata-warabitetō ( :ja:毛抜形蕨手刀)'' with a hole in the hilt and ''kenukigatatō ( :ja:毛抜形刀)'' without decorations on the tip of the hilt, and the samurai developed ''kenukigata-tachi'' based on these swords. ''Kenukigata-tachi'', which was developed in the first half of the 10th century, has a three-dimensional cross-sectional shape of an elongated pentagonal or hexagonal blade called ''shinogi-zukuri'' and a gently curved single-edged blade, typical features of Japanese swords. There is no wooden hilt attached to ''kenukigata-tachi'', and the

(''nakago''), integrated with the blade, is directly gripped and used. The term ''kenukigata'' is derived from the fact the central part of tang is hollowed in the shape of an ancient Japanese tweezers (''kenuki'').Kazuhiko Inada (2020), ''Encyclopedia of the Japanese Swords''. pp32-33. In the ''tachi'' developed after ''kenukigata-tachi'', a structure in which the hilt is fixed to the

(''nakago'') with a pin called ''mekugi'' was adopted. As a result, a sword with three basic external elements of Japanese swords, the cross-sectional shape of ''shinogi-zukuri'', a gently curved single-edged blade, and the structure of ''nakago'', was completed.''歴史人'' September 2020. pp.36–37. Its shape may reflect the changing form of warfare in Japan. Cavalry were now the dominant fighting unit, and the older straight '' chokutō'' were unsuitable for fighting from horseback. The curved sword is a far more efficient weapon wielded by a warrior on horseback; the curve of the blade adds considerably to the downward force of a cutting action. According to historian

Karl Friday Karl F. Friday (born 1957) is an American Japanologist. Friday earned a bachelor's degree in Japanese at the University of Kansas in 1979, followed by a master's degree in East Asian languages and culture from the same institution in 1983. He th ...

, before the 13th century, there are no written references or drawings showing swords of any kind were used from horseback. However, According to Yoshikazu Kondo, bow and arrows were certainly the main weapons used in cavalry battles, but from around the

Genpei War The was a national civil war between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yoritomo, who appointed himself ...

in the 12th century, the use of ''tachi'' on horseback increased. Early models had uneven curves with the deepest part of the curve at the hilt. As eras changed, the center of the curve tended to move up the blade.''歴史人'' September 2020. pp. 6, 36-37. By the 11th century during the Heian period, ''tachi'' were exported to neighboring countries in Asia. For example, in the poem "The Song of Japanese Swords" Ouyang Xiu, a statesman of the

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

in China, described Japanese swords as "It is a treasured sword with a scabbard made of fragrant wood covered with fish skin, decorated with brass and copper, and capable of exorcising evil spirits. It is imported at a great cost.".Takeo Tanaka. (2012) ''Wokou'' p.104.

Kodansha is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...

. From the Heian period (794–1185), ordinary samurai wore swords of the style called ''kurourusi tachi (kokushitsu no tachi, 黒漆太刀)'', which meant black lacquer ''tachi''. The hilt of a ''tachi'' is wrapped in leather or ray skin, and it is wrapped with black thread or leather cord, and the scabbard is coated with black lacquer. On the other hand, court nobles wore ''tachi'' decorated with precisely carved metal and jewels for ceremonial purposes. High-ranking court nobles wore swords of the style called ''kazari tachi'' or ''kaza tachi'' (飾太刀, 飾剣), which meant decorative ''tachi'', and lower-ranking court nobles wore simplified ''kazatachi'' swords of the style called ''hosodachi'' (細太刀), which meant thin ''tachi''. The ''kazatachi'' and ''hosodachi'' worn by nobles were initially straight like a ''chokutō'', but since the Kamakura period they have had a gentle curve under the influence of ''tachi''. Since ''tachi'' worn by court nobles were for ceremonial use, they generally had an iron plate instead of a blade.Kazuhiko Inada (2020), ''Encyclopedia of the Japanese Swords''. pp.36-44. ''歴史人'' September 2020. pp.37-41. In the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

(1185–1333), high-ranking samurai wore ''hyogo gusari tachi (hyogo kusari no tachi, 兵庫鎖太刀)'', which meant a sword with chains in the arsenal. The scabbard of the ''tachi'' was covered with a gilt copper plate and hung by chains at the waist. At the end of the Kamakura period, simplified ''hyogo gusari tachi'' came to be made as an offering to the ''

kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...

'' of

Shinto shrines A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion. Overview Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings. The '' honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...

and fell out of use as weapons. On the other hand, in the Kamakura period, there was a type of ''tachi'' called ''hirumaki tachi'' (蛭巻太刀) with a scabbard covered with metal, which was used as a weapon until the Muromachi period. The meaning was a sword wrapped around a leech, and its feature was that a thin metal plate was spirally wrapped around the scabbard, so it was both sturdy and decorative, and chains were not used to hang the scabbard around the waist. File:Kazari-tachi Style Sword Mounting, Heian period.jpg, ''Kazari tachi''. 12th century,

National Treasure The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the funda ...

. Tokyo National Museum. File:Tachi koshirae 1.jpg, ''Kurourusi tachi'', ''Shishio''. 13th century,

. Important Cultural Property. Tokyo National Museum. File:Tachi - "Hyougokusan"style sword mounting.jpg, ''Hyogo gusari tachi''. 13th century, Kamakura period. Important Cultural Property. Tokyo National Museum. File:黒漆銀銅蛭巻太刀, Hirumaki tachi koshirae.jpg, ''Hirumaki tachi''. 14th century,

Nanboku-chō period The Nanboku-chō period (南北朝時代, ''Nanboku-chō jidai'', "North and South court period", also known as the Northern and Southern Courts period), spanning from 1336 to 1392, was a period that occurred during the formative years of the Mur ...

. Important Cultural Property. Tokyo National Museum. The

Mongol invasions of Japan Major military efforts were taken by Kublai Khan of the Yuan dynasty in 1274 and 1281 to conquer the Japanese archipelago after the submission of the Korean kingdom of Goryeo to vassaldom. Ultimately a failure, the invasion attempts are of m ...

in the 13th century during the Kamakura period facilitated a change in the designs of Japanese swords. The swordsmiths of the Sōshū school represented by

Masamune , was a medieval Japanese blacksmith widely acclaimed as Japan's greatest swordsmith. He created swords and daggers, known in Japanese as ''tachi'' and ''tantō'', in the ''Sōshū'' school. However, many of his forged ''tachi'' were made into ...

studied ruined ''tachi'' -- broken or bent in battle -- to develop new production methods, and create innovative Japanese swords. They forged the blade using a combination of soft and hard steel to optimize the temperature and timing of the heating and cooling of the blade, resulting in a lighter and very robust blade. They also made the curve of the blade gentle, lengthened the tip linearly, widened the width from the cutting edge to the opposite side of the blade, and thinned the cross section to improve the penetration and cutting ability of the blade. Historically in Japan, the ideal blade of a Japanese sword is considered to be the ''kotō'' in the Kamakura period, and the swordsmiths from the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

to the present day after the ''Shintō'' period focused on reproducing the blade of a Japanese sword in the Kamakura period. There are more than 100 Japanese swords designated as National Treasures in Japan, of which the ''Kotō'' of the Kamakura period account for 80% and the ''tachi'' account for 70%.日本刀の格付けと歴史.
Touken World

Sankei Shimbun The (short for ) is a daily newspaper in Japan published by the It has the seventh-highest circulation for regional newspapers in Japan. Among Japanese newspapers, the circulation is second only to ''Yomiuri Shimbun'', Seikyo Shimbun, ''Asa ...

. July 2, 2017 File:Tachi Sword - Nagamitsu.JPG, By Nagamitsu. Bizen ''Osafune'' school. File:Tachi, Fukuoka Ichimonji "Okadagiri" Yoshifusa.jpg, ''Okadagiri Yoshifusa'', by Yoshifusa. Bizen ''Fukuoka-Ichimonji'' school. The name comes from the fact

Oda Nobuo was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi–Momoyama period. He was the second son of Oda Nobunaga. He survived the decline of the Oda clan from political prominence, becoming a ''daimyō'' in the early Edo period. Though often described as an inc ...

killed his vassal Okada with this sword. File:Tachi Sword - Sukezane(Nikko) 01.jpg, ''Nikkō Sukezane'', by Sukezane. Bizen ''Fukuoka-Ichimonji'' school. This sword was owned by

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

. File:Tachi Sword - Sukezane.jpg, By Sukezane. This sword was owned by

Kishū Tokugawa family The is a branch of the Tokugawa clan based in Abe, Shizuoka. The family was founded in 1619, when Tokugawa Yorinobu, 10th son of Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan ...

. File:Tachi Sword - Kagemitsu.jpg, ''Koryū Kagemitsu'', by Kagemitsu. Bizen ''Osafune'' school. This sword was owned by

Kusunoki Masashige was a Japanese samurai of the Kamakura period remembered as the ideal of samurai loyalty. Kusunoki fought for Emperor Go-Daigo in the Genkō War to overthrow the Kamakura shogunate and restore power in Japan to the Imperial Court. Kusunoki ...

From the end of the Kamakura period to the end of the

(1333–1573), ''kawatsutsumi tachi'' (革包太刀), which means a ''tachi'' wrapped in leather, was popular. The ''kawatsutsumi tachi'' was stronger than the ''kurourushi tachi'' because its hilt was wrapped in leather or ray skin, lacquer was painted on top of it, leather straps and cords were wrapped around it, and the scabbard and sometimes the ''tsuba'' (hand guard) were also wrapped in leather. By the 15th century, Japanese swords, including ''tachi'', had already gained international fame by being exported to China and Korea.Takeo Tanaka (1982) ''対外関係と文化交流''. p.348. Shibunkaku. For example, Korea learned how to make Japanese swords by sending swordsmiths to Japan and inviting Japanese swordsmiths to Korea. According to the record of June 1, 1430 in the ''

Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty The ''Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty'' (also known as the ''Annals of the Joseon Dynasty'' or the ''True Record of the Joseon Dynasty''; ko, 조선왕조실록 and ) are the annual records of Joseon, the last royal house to rule K ...

'', a Korean swordsmith who went to Japan and mastered the method of making Japanese swords presented a Japanese sword to the King of Korea and was rewarded for the excellent work which was no different from the swords made by the Japanese. Traditionally, ''yumi'' (bows) were the main weapon of war in Japan, and ''tachi'' and ''

naginata The ''naginata'' (, ) is a pole weapon and one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades (''nihontō''). ''Naginata'' were originally used by the samurai class of feudal Japan, as well as by ashigaru (foot soldiers) and sōhei ( ...

'' were for close combat. The

Ōnin War The , also known as the Upheaval of Ōnin and Ōnin-Bunmei war, was a civil war that lasted from 1467 to 1477, during the Muromachi period in Japan. '' Ōnin'' refers to the Japanese era during which the war started; the war ended during the Bun ...

in the late 15th century in the Muromachi period expanded into a large-scale domestic war, in which employed farmers called ''

ashigaru were infantry employed by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The first known reference to ''ashigaru'' was in the 14th century, but it was during the Ashikaga shogunate (Muromachi period) that the use of ''ashigaru'' became prevalent by various ...

'' were mobilized in large numbers. They fought on foot using ''

'' shorter than ''tachi''. In the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

(period of warring states) in the late Muromachi period, the war became bigger; ''ashigaru'' fought in a close formation using ''yari'' (spears) lent to them. Furthermore, in the late 16th century, ''tanegashima'' (muskets) were introduced from Portugal, and Japanese swordsmiths mass-produced improved products, with ''ashigaru'' fighting with leased guns. On the battlefield in Japan, guns and spears became main weapons in addition to bows. Due to the changes in fighting styles in these wars, the ''tachi'' and ''naginata'' became obsolete among samurai, and the ''katana'', which was easy to carry, became the mainstream. The dazzling-looking ''tachi'' gradually became a symbol of the authority of high-ranking samurai.''歴史人'' September 2020. p40. From the 15th century, low-quality swords were mass-produced under the influence of the large-scale war. These swords, along with spears, were lent to recruited farmers called ''ashigaru'', while swords were exported. Such mass-produced swords are called ''kazuuchimono'', and swordsmiths of the Bisen school and Mino school produced them by division of labor.''歴史人'' September 2020. p40. ''歴史人'' September 2020. pp.70–71. The export of Japanese sword reached its height during the

—at least 200,000 swords were shipped to

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

China in official trade in an attempt to soak-up the production of Japanese weapons and make it harder for

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

in the area to arm. In the Ming Dynasty of China, Japanese swords and their tactics were studied to repel pirates, and ''

wodao The ''wodao'' () is a Chinese sword from the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty. It is typically long and slender, but heavy, with a curved back and sharp blade. It bears a strong resemblance to the Tang sword, zhanmadao, Tachi or Odachi in form. Ext ...

'' and ''

miaodao The ''miaodao'' (苗刀) is a Chinese two-handed dao or saber of the Republican Era, with a narrow blade, long hilt, and an overall length of or more. The name means "sprout saber", presumably referring to a likeness between the weapon and a ...

'' were developed based on Japanese swords.Takeo Tanaka. (2012) ''Wokou'' p.104.

. From this period, the

(''nakago'') of many old ''tachi'' were cut and shortened into ''katana''. This modification is called ''suriage''. For example, many of the ''tachi'' Masamune forged during the Kamakura period were converted into ''katana'', so his only existing works are ''katana'' and ''tantō''.相州伝の名工「正宗」.
Nagoya Japanese Sword Museum Touken World. From around the 16th century, many Japanese swords, including ''tachi'', were exported to

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, where ''katana''-style swords were made and prized for battle and art work, and some of them are in the collections of the Thai royal family. In the Sengoku period (1467–1615) or the

Azuchi–Momoyama period The was the final phase of the in Japanese history from 1568 to 1600. After the outbreak of the Ōnin War in 1467, the power of the Ashikaga Shogunate effectively collapsed, marking the start of the chaotic Sengoku period. In 1568, Oda Nobuna ...

(1568–1600), the ''itomaki tachi'' (''itomaki no tachi'', 糸巻太刀), which means a ''tachi'' wound with thread, appeared and became the mainstream of ''tachi'' after that. ''itomaki tachi'' was decorated with gorgeous lacquer decorations with lots of ''

maki-e is a Japanese lacquer decoration technique in which pictures, patterns, and letters are drawn with lacquer on the surface of lacquerware, and then metal powder such as gold or silver is sprinkled and fixed on the surface of the lacquerware. The ...

'' and flashy colored threads, and was used as a gift, a ceremony, or an offering to the ''kami'' of Shinto shrines. In later Japanese feudal history, during the Sengoku and

s, certain high-ranking warriors of the ruling class wore their sword ''tachi''-style (edge-downward), rather than with the scabbard thrust through the belt with the edge upward. This style of swords is called ''handachi'', "half ''tachi''". In ''handachi'', styles were often mixed, for example, fastening to the ''obi'' was ''katana'' style, but metalworking of the scabbard was ''tachi'' style. With the rising of statism in Shōwa Japan, the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

and the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

implemented swords called ''shin guntō'', worn ''tachi'' style (cutting-edge down). In the Shintō period from around 1596 in the Azuchi-Momoyama period, the traditional techniques of the Kotō period were lost, and no smith was able to reproduce the ''tachi'' of the Kamakura period. However, in 2014, Kunihira Kawachi succeeded in reproducing a ''tachi'' from the Kamakura period. He received the Masamune Prize, the highest honor as a swordsmith. On the ''tachi'' he forged, ''midare-utsuri'' (a pattern of hazy white shadows between '' hamon'' and ''shinogi''), characteristic of the Bizen school in the Kamakura period. Nobody could win the Masamune Prize without extraordinary achievements, and in the field of ''tachi'' and ''katana'', no one won until Kawauchi for 18 years.日本刀鑑賞のポイント「日本刀の映りとは」.
Nagoya Japanese Sword Museum Touken World File:Katana, Sōshū Masamune (Ishida Masamune).jpg, A ''katana'' modified from a ''tachi'' forged by

. Sōshū school. 14th century, Kamakura period. Important Cultural Property. Tokyo National Museum. While it was owned by Ishida Mitsunari, it was commonly called Ishida Masamune. File:金梨子地家紋散糸巻太刀拵 Tachi koshirae 2.jpg, Mounting for a sword of the ''itomaki no tachi'' type with design of '' mon'' (family crests). 1600s.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...

. File:青漆銀流水文半太刀大小, "Daisho" Style "Handachi" Sword Mounting, Silver stream design on green lacquer ground.jpg, ''

Daishō The —literally "big-little"—is a Japanese term for a matched pair of traditionally made Japanese swords (''nihonto'') worn by the samurai class in feudal Japan. Description The etymology of the word ''daishō'' becomes apparent when the ...

'' style ''handachi'' sword mounting. 16th–17th century, Azuchi–Momoyama or

Features

With a few exceptions, ''katana'' and ''tachi'' can be distinguished from each other, if signed, by the location of the signature (''mei'') on the

. In general, the signature should be carved into the side of the tang facing outward as the sword is worn on the wielder's left waist. Since a ''tachi'' was worn cutting edge down, and the ''katana'' was worn cutting edge up, the ''mei'' would be in opposite locations on the tang of both types of swords. An authentic ''tachi'' had an average cutting edge length () of 70–80 cm (– in), and compared to a katana, was generally lighter in proportion to its length, had a greater taper from hilt to point, was more curved and had a smaller point area for penetrating heavy clothing. Unlike the traditional manner of wearing the ''katana'', the ''tachi'' was worn hung from the belt with the cutting-edge down, and was most effective used by

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

. Deviations from the average length of ''tachi'' have the prefixes ''ko-'' for "short" and ''ō-'' for "great, large" attached. For instance, ''tachi'' ''shōtō'' and closer in size to a ''

wakizashi The is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (''nihontō'') worn by the samurai in feudal Japan. History and use The production of swords in Japan is divided into specific time periods:

'' were called ''

kodachi A , literally translating into "small or short ''tachi'' (sword)", is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (''nihontō'') used by the samurai class of feudal Japan. Kodachi are from the early Kamakura period (1185–1333) and are in the ...

''. The longest tachi'' (considered a 15th-century ''

ōdachi The (large/great sword) or ''nodachi'' (野太刀, field sword) is a type of traditionally made Japanese sword (日本刀, nihontō) used by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The Chinese equivalent of this type of sword in terms of weight a ...

'') in existence is in total length with a blade, but is believed to be ceremonial. In the late 1500s and early 1600s, many ''tachi'' blades were modified into ''katana''; their cut tangs (''o-suriage''), removing the smith signatures from the swords. For a sword to be worn in ''tachi'' style, it needed to be mounted in a ''tachi koshirae''. The ''tachi koshirae'' has two hangers (ashi) so the sword can be worn in a horizontal position with the cutting edge down. A sword not mounted in a ''tachi'' koshirae could be worn ''tachi'' style by use of a ''koshiate'', a leather device allowing any sword to be worn in the ''tachi'' style.

Gallery

Generally, the blade and the sword mounting of Japanese swords are displayed separately in museums, and this tendency is remarkable in Japan. For example, the Nagoya Japanese Sword Museum "Nagoya Touken World", one of Japan's largest sword museums, posts separate videos of the blade and the sword mounting on its official website and YouTube.Touken World YouTube videos on koshirae (sword mountings)
/ref> File:三日月宗近, Tachi Mikazuki Munechika.jpg, ''Mikazuki Munechika'', by Sanjō Munechika. A Yamashiro ''Sanjō'' school. Late 10th century,

. Tokyo National Museum. This sword is one of the "

Five Swords under Heaven The are a group of five Japanese swords. Three are National Treasures of Japan, one an Imperial Property, and one a holy relic of Nichiren Buddhism. Among the five, some regard Dōjigiri as "the yokozuna of all Japanese swords" along with Ōkanehir ...

". (''天下五剣 Tenka Goken'') File:Tachi Sword - Dojikiri Yasutsuna.jpg, ''

Dōjigiri Dōjigiri (童子切, "Slayer of Shuten-dōji") is a ''tachi''-type Japanese sword that has been identified as a National Treasure of Japan. This sword is one of the "Five Swords Under Heaven" (天下五剣 Tenka-Goken). Dōjigiri is sometim ...

'', by Yasutsuna. ''Ko-

Hōki was a after '' Jingo-keiun'' and before ''Ten'ō''. This period spanned the years from October 770 through January 781. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 770 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. The p ...

'' (old ''Hōki'') school. 12th century, Heian period, National Treasure, Tokyo National Museum. This sword is one of the "Five Swords Under Heaven". (''天下五剣 Tenka Goken'')　　 File:Tachi Rai Kunitoshi 2.jpg, A ''tachi'' forged by Rai Kunitoshi. Late

. (top) ''Katana'' style mounting, Early Meiji period. (bottom) File:Tachi Osafune Kanemitsu 2.jpg, A ''tachi'' forged by Osafune Kanemitsu.

. (top) ''Tachi'' mounting, Late Edo period. (bottom) File:Tachi-p1000620.jpg, ''Tachi'' forged by Bizen Osafune Sukesada, 1515. Scabbard in aogai-nashiji lacquer, gold decorations. Tokyo National Museum. File:Tachi koshirae (Tachi mountings), Edo period. 太刀拵, 江戸時代 2.jpg, ''Tachi'' mountings decorated with ''

''. ''Itomaki-no-tachi'' style sword mountings. (top and bottom)

, 1800s. Tokyo National Museum File:Tachi koshirae 3.jpg, ''Tachi'' mounting. Mid-Edo period. File:Tachi koshirae 2.jpg, ''Tachi'' mounting. Late Edo period. File:Koshiate (Sword Hangers).png, Various types of sword ''koshirae'', a device used to carry a sword in the ''tachi'' style (cutting edge down). File:Katana-Garbutt01.jpg, Line drawing showing the correct method of wearing a ''tachi'' while in armour.

References

External links

Richard Stein's Japanese sword guide
{{Swords by region Japanese sword types Samurai swords Samurai weapons and equipment Japanese swords

History

Features

Gallery

See also

References

External links