simple questions for the experts

[bcjm]

1. What make a blade to be tachi, katana or wakizashi? Is it just the length? I see some blades described as long wakizashi or short katana. Do the length of the two overlap?

2. I know wakizashi is less expensive than a katana in general. How about tachi? Is it more expensive than katana in general?

 

Thanks

Bob Y.

[b.hennick]

Hello Bob Y.

Wakizashi are between 1 shaku and 2 shaku (about 1foot -->less than 2 feet)) katana/tachi are longer. greater than 2 feet.

Tachi are worn cutting edge down (towards Earth)/ katana cutting edge up. If signed usually on a katana the signature points away from the body as worn, tachi the signature also faces outward when worn. Many tachi were shortened and worn as katana. Some call those blades tachi, most call them katana.

I suggest that you check the FAQ and look for beginner books. You can also use the search feature on messageboard to look for past postst that might answer your questions.

WElcome to the board.

[bcjm]

So the answer to my first questions is length ONLY. Anything longer than 2 shaku is called katana or tachi.

If something has no signature, how do you tell it is katana or tachi?

[benatthelake]

Bob Y: as a fellow newbie.....simply do a Google search on katana versus tachi and you'll find a number of articles as well as common misperceptions on the difference...which includes length, shape, how worn/displayed, purpose, era, history, blade characteristics, etc. Buy a book for further research....if this is your focus. But Google works fine for starters. My 2 cents....

Ben

[Marius]

OK, let us make this as simple as possible (and I mean that this is a real simplification):

 

tachi - worn edge down, usually long

katana - worn edge up thrust through the sash, usually shorter than tachi

 

Until the 15th/16th c. most long swords were tachi. In the Sengoku period katana was widely used as the warfare changed. Old tachi were cut to make them shorter and more suitable for combat on foot. From the 17th c. tachi are ceremonial only (and katana have a regulated length). In the Edo period a sword made as katana would be used as tachi for ceremony, by mounting it in tachi koshirae.

 

If you have a long sword sword which might look like a tachi, you have the following options:

 

KOTO:

- it is an ubu signed tachi ( with tachi mei) - very rare and desirable

- it is an ubu unsigned (mumei) tachi (it will be long and have a nice curvature) - very rare but possible

- it is an old tachi cut down to katana size (hence it is a katana now)

- it is a long uchigatana (most likely from the 16th c.)- it will have a short nakago and is pretty common - you can't really confuse it with a tachi.

 

SHINTO/SHINSHINTO:

- it is a katana made to look like o-suriage/suriage tachi

- it is an ubu katana (with katana mei) - you can't really confuse it with a tachi

- it is an ubu mumei katana - usually hard to confuse with a tachi

- it is a katana with tachi mei (Hizen smiths) - only absolute newbies will confuse it with a tachi

- it is a tachi (with tachi mei) made for ceremonial use

 

I guess that wraps it up, but it is a great simplification. And I guess, you really want to read some books :-)

[SwordGuyJoe]

Gendaito:

The only real difference between katana and tachi during this time is whether the sword is signed katana mei or tachi mei. With the exception being specially made tachi.

[estcrh]

1. What make a blade to be tachi, katana or wakizashi? Is it just the length? I see some blades described as long wakizashi or short katana. Do the length of the two overlap?

2. I know wakizashi is less expensive than a katana in general. How about tachi? Is it more expensive than katana in general?

 

Thanks

Bob Y.

Bob, I would suggest that you read this entire post, it will explain a lot of your questions.

 

True tachi or katana mounted as a tachi?

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