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Archaeological excavations dated the oldest sword in Japan from at least as early as second century B.C. [2]: 4 The Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) and the Nihon Shoki (History of Japan), ancient texts on early Japanese history and myth that were compiled in the eighth century A.D., describe iron swords and swordsmanship that pre-date recorded history, attributed to the mythological age of ...
The etymology of the word daishō becomes apparent when the terms daitō, meaning long sword, and shōtō, meaning short sword, are used; daitō + shōtō = daishō. [2] A daishō is typically depicted as a katana and wakizashi (or a tantō) mounted in matching koshirae, but originally the daishō was the wearing of any long and short katana ...
The term longsword has been used to refer to different kinds of sword depending on historical context: Zweihänder or two-hander, a late Renaissance sword of the 16th century Landsknechte, the longest sword of all; the long "side sword" or "rapier" [5] with a cutting edge (the Elizabethan long sword).
nagakatana (長刀, lit. long sword) – any sword with a blade longer than a tantō, particularly exceptionally large ones (e.g. nodachi). Also called chōtō. nagamaki (長巻, "long wrapping") – a large sword with a usually katana-sized blade and a very long handle of about equal length.
Greater than 2 shaku for daitō (大刀) (long sword, such as katana or tachi). A blade shorter than one shaku is considered a tantō (knife). A blade longer than one shaku but less than two is considered a shōtō (short sword). The wakizashi and kodachi are in this category.
The katana belongs to the nihontō family of swords, and is distinguished by a blade length (nagasa) of more than 2 shaku, approximately 60 cm (24 in). [9] Katana can also be known as dai or daitō among Western sword enthusiasts, although daitō is a generic name for any Japanese long sword, literally meaning "big sword". [10]
A longsword (also spelled as long sword or long-sword) is a type of European sword characterized as having a cruciform hilt with a grip for primarily two-handed use (around 15 to 30 cm or 6 to 12 in), a straight double-edged blade of around 80 to 110 cm (31 to 43 in), and weighing approximately 2 to 3 kg (4 lb 7 oz to 6 lb 10 oz).
It is a sword with two cutting edges, one on each side of its blade, unlike the tachi, katana, wakizashi, or odachi, which have only one cutting edge on one side of the blade. The oldest bronze sword excavated in Japan is a Chinese style dagger from around 800 BC in the Yayoi period (1000 BC – 300 AD). [ 3 ]