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A tachi is a type of sabre-like traditionally made Japanese sword worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. Tachi and uchigatana generally differ in length, degree of curvature, and how they were worn when sheathed, the latter depending on the location of the mei (銘), or signature, on the tang.
Generally, samurai (wakatō) could take family names, while some ashigaru could, and only samurai (wakatō) were considered samurai class. [ 26 ] [ 27 ] Wakatō , like samurai, had different definitions in different periods, meaning a young bushi in the Muromachi period and a rank below kachi ( 徒士 ) and above ashigaru in the Edo period.
Their definition as tachi (大刀) is specifically chronological, as it refers solely to ancient pre- Heian swords, unlike tachi (太刀) which refers to later swords. These ancient Japanese swords are also known as jokotō ( 上古刀 , ancient sword) .
Since tachi worn by court nobles were for ceremonial use, they generally had an iron plate instead of a blade. [56] [57] In the Kamakura period (1185–1333), high-ranking samurai wore hyogo gusari tachi (hyogo kusari no tachi, 兵庫鎖太刀), which meant a sword with chains in the arsenal.
A diagram of a katana and koshirae with components identified. Fuchi (縁): The fuchi is a hilt collar between the tsuka and the tsuba.; Habaki (鎺): The habaki is a wedge-shaped metal collar used to keep the sword from falling out of the saya and to support the fittings below; fitted at the ha-machi and mune-machi which precede the nakago.
Visual glossary of Japanese sword terms. Japanese swordsmithing is the labour-intensive bladesmithing process developed in Japan beginning in the sixth century for forging traditionally made bladed weapons [1] [2] including katana, wakizashi, tantō, yari, naginata, nagamaki, tachi, nodachi, ōdachi, kodachi, and ya.
On the battlefield in Japan, guns and spears became main weapons in addition to bows. Due to the changes in fighting styles in these wars, the tachi and naginata became obsolete among samurai, and the katana, which was easy to carry, became the mainstream. The dazzling looking tachi gradually became a symbol of the authority of high-ranking ...
The wakizashi (Japanese: 脇差, 'side inserted sword' [1]) is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords [2] [3] worn by the samurai in feudal Japan.Its name refers to the practice of wearing it inserted through one's obi or sash at one's side, whereas the larger tachi sword was worn slung from a cord.