The is one of the 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 t ...

s (''

nihontō 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 t ...

'') 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 ...

feudal Japan The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millennium BC when new inven ...

History and use

The production of swords in Japan is divided into specific time periods:Transition of kotō, shintō, shinshintō, and gendaitō.
Nagoya Japanese Sword Museum Touken World * ''Jokotō'' (ancient swords, until around A.D. 900) * ''Kotō'' (old swords from around 900–1596) * ''Shintō'' (new swords 1596–1780) * ''Shinshintō'' (newer swords 1781–1876) * ''Gendaitō'' (modern or contemporary swords 1876–present) The ''wakizashi'' has a blade between in length. ''Wakizashi'' close to the length of a ''

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 ...

'' are called ''ō-wakizashi'' and ''wakizashi'' closer to ''

tantō A is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (Commons:Nihonto, ''nihonto'') that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The tantō dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the year ...

'' length are called ''ko-wakizashi''. ''Wakizashi'' are not necessarily just a smaller version of the ''katana''; they could be forged differently and have a different cross section. ''Wakizashi'' have been in use as far back as the 15th or 16th century. The ''wakizashi'' was used as a backup or auxiliary sword; it was also used for close quarters fighting, to behead a defeated opponent and sometimes to commit

seppuku , sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese people ...

. The ''wakizashi'' was one of several short swords available for use by samurai including the '' yoroi tōshi'', and the ''chisa-katana''. The term ''wakizashi'' did not originally specify swords of any official blade length and was an abbreviation of ''wakizashi no katana'' ("sword thrust at one's side"); the term was applied to companion swords of all sizes. Long Sword and Scabbard LACMA AC1999

During 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 character ...

, the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

required samurai to wear ''Katana'' and shorter swords in pairs. These short swords were ''wakizashi'' and ''tanto'', and ''wakizashi'' were mainly selected.''歴史人'' September 2020. pp.42-43. The ''wakizashi'' being worn together with the ''katana'' was the official sign that the wearer was a samurai. When worn together the pair of swords were called '' daishō'', which translates literally as "big-little". Only ''samurai'' could wear the ''daishō'': it represented their social power and personal

honour Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...

. During this period, commoners were allowed to wear one legal-length ''ko-wakizashi'', which made it popular for the general public to wear wakizashi. This was common when traveling because of the risk of encountering bandits. ''Wakizashi'' were worn on the left side, secured to the waist sash ('' Uwa-obi or himo'').''歴史人'' September 2020. pp.42-43. It was not until the Edo period in 1638 when the rulers of Japan tried to regulate the types of swords and the social groups which were allowed to wear them that the lengths of ''katana'' and ''wakizashi'' were officially set. Wakizashi Soshu Akihiro

Kanzan Satō, in his book titled ''The Japanese Sword'', notes that there did not seem to be any particular need for the ''wakizashi'' and suggests that the ''wakizashi'' may have become more popular than the ''tantō'' because it was more suited for indoor fighting. He mentions the custom of leaving the ''katana'' at the door of a castle or palace when entering while continuing to wear the ''wakizashi'' inside.''The Japanese sword'', Kanzan Satō, Kodansha International, 1983 P.68
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Gallery

Popular culture

* ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after It ...

'' features a wakizashi being used by Karai in the 2012 version. Some also used by

Miyamoto Usagi is a fictional character, who appears in the American comic book '' Usagi Yojimbo'', a Dark Horse Comics book created by Stan Sakai. Usagi is an anthropomorphic rabbit (''Usagi'' is Japanese for "rabbit") and a ronin now walking the '' musha s ...

, a

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit sp ...

samurai who occasionally teamed up with the turtlesy Murakami Gennosuke, a rhino

bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for bail bonds who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as bail enforcement agent, or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated outsid ...

from his world. * A wakizashi was among many weapons used by the samurai in ''

Deadliest Warrior ''Deadliest Warrior'' is an American television program in which information on historical or modern warriors and their weapons are used to determine which of them is the "deadliest" based upon tests performed during each episode. The show was c ...

''. * '' Power Rangers Samurai'' features the Gold Ranger Antonio Garcia wield the Barracuda Blade themed on a wakizashi. * Kasumi's main weapon in ''

Dead or Alive (franchise) (''DOA'') is a media franchise based on a fighting video game series produced by Tecmo and developed by Team Ninja. It is primarily composed of fast-paced 3D fighting games that begun with the original '' Dead or Alive'' in 1996. The series recei ...

'' and '' Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge'' is a wakizashi type sword called the Shrouded Moon.

References

External links

Richard Stein's Japanese sword guide

Wakizashi Japanese Sword
{{Swords by region Japanese sword types Japanese swords Samurai swords Samurai weapons and equipment

History and use

Gallery

Popular culture

See also

References

External links