Katana Info

What is Yoroi-dōshi Tanto 鎧通? "Yoroidōshi", literally translated to Armour Piercer, is a type of short katana, a tantō. It also known as "Metesashi" 馬手差し. Tanto was used as an auxiliary weapon when samurai fought with full armor on, and Yoroidōshi has a more specific purpose, is to stab into the gaps of the armor.  Antique Yoroidoshi is rare, but they are widely recognized and popular as hidden...

What is Uchigatana Uchigatana is the Katana we all familiar with, literally translated to "Striking sword" 打刀. We talk about Katana all the time, but the meaning of "Katana" is slightly different in English and Japanese. We will explain to you in details: Katana, means "Single edged blade" in Japanese, and it refers to all types of Japanese swords.  Katana in English, according Oxford Dictionaries, means "a long,...

What is Chokuto 直刀? Chokuto in Japanese literally translated to "Straight Sword" , The character 直 (choku) means "straight", and 刀 (tō) means "sword". These straight sword were widely used from the Kofun period to the middle of the Heian period. Swords made in this time are known as the "Jokoto 上古刀", which means "ancient swords" in Japanese. The chokuto was made before the curved swords,...

What is Tachi 太刀? Tachi is a long, curved Japanese sword. Compare with Katana (Uchigatana), Tachi is usually longer, more curved, and the shape is more like a saber. Tachi was mainly used as weapons for horseback combat for samurai, there are many types of tachi and comes with various fittings. We will introduce what is Tachi, History of Tachi, types of Tachi and bring you some...

Katana (Uchigatana) VS Tachi Those new to the world of Japanese swords may find themselves often confused about two swords: the katana and the Tachi. It's interesting to note that actually all Japanese swords are called 'Katana 刀', the type we often refer to is actually the Uchigatana 打刀. So, a more precise comparison would be between the Uchigatana and the Tachi 太刀.Uchigatana and Tachi...