What is Koshirae style?
Han-dachi (Han-tachi) koshirae It is half and half between tachi and katana. The primary style of it is put into the waist sash cutting edge downward. It looks like a tachi that replace hangers with kurikata. This style rarely appears in sword history.
What were Tantos used for?
The tanto is essentially a dagger-like sword that was used primarily for stabbing — but also for slashing — attacks throughout feudal Japan.
What is a katana without a tsuba called?
There are indeed styles of sword without tsuba called aikuchi. It was usually confined to tanto and the occasional wakizashi, but a few examples of full size katana in aikuchi mounts do exist.
What is Saya Japanese?
Saya (鞘) is the Japanese term for a scabbard, and specifically refers to the scabbard for a sword or knife. The saya of a koshirae (scabbards for practical use) are normally manufactured from very lightweight wood, with a coat of lacquer on the exterior.
Do katanas have a guard?
The Katana have such small guards, because that’s about how big a guard a sword needs for its basic purpose.
How long is a wakizashi sword?
between 30 and 60 cm long
A wakizashi is a short sword with a blade between 30 and 60 cm long, usually worn in tandem with a full-length sword (katana). Wakizashi were fashionable in the Muromachi period (1392–1573) and later.
What is a 2 handed Katana called?
The Odachi is a very large two-handed Japanese sword. The word Odachi roughly translated to ‘field sword’. Odachi look in many ways similar to a Tachi, however, they are significantly larger and longer. It is thought that that Odachi were carried by foot soldiers and were used primarily against mounted cavalry.
What is a scabbard on a sword?
: a protective case or sheath for the blade of a sword or dagger. More from Merriam-Webster on scabbard.
What is the difference between han-dachi and aikuchi koshirae?
The han-dachi koshirae was worn katana -style but included some tachi related fittings such as a kabuto-gane instead of a kashira . The aikuchi ( 合口 or 匕首) is a form of koshirae for small swords in which the hilt and the scabbard meet without a crossguard between them.
What is aikuchi mounting?
Aikuchi (literally “fitting mouth”) is a form of koshirae mounting for Japanese tanto blades (up to 30cm) in which the handle and the scabbard meet without a guard in between. Here is a good example of one such tanto in Aikuchi mounting.
What does the Japanese word “koshirae” mean?
Koshirae derives from the verb “koshirareru”, which is no longer in use nowadays. Usually “tsukuru” is used instead; both mean “make, create, manufacture”. More accurate is actually “Toso”, which means sword-furniture: “Tosogu” are the parts of the mounting in general, and “Kanagu” stands for those made of metal.
What is the difference between aikuchi and hamidashi?
Aikuchi: The aikuchi is a tantō koshirae where the fuchi is flush with the mouth of the sheath. There is no handguard. Aikuchi normally have plain wooden hilts, and many forms of aikuchi have kashira that are made from animal horns. Hamidashi: The hamidashi is a tantō koshirae that features a small handguard.