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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.
Typical features of Japanese swords represented by katana and tachi are a three-dimensional cross-sectional shape of an elongated pentagonal to hexagonal blade called shinogi-zukuri, a style in which the blade and the tang (nakago) are integrated and fixed to the hilt (tsuka) with a pin called mekugi, and a gentle curve.
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) .
Typical features of Japanese swords represented by katana and tachi are a three-dimensional cross-sectional shape of an elongated pentagonal or hexagonal blade called shinogi-zukuri, a style in which the blade and the tang (nakago) are integrated and fixed to the hilt (tsuka) with a pin called mekugi, and a gentle curve.
Both the student and teacher use bokken (木剣), except in some demonstrations which use blunted katana. [3] The first seven kata use tachi, a long bokken, for both student and teacher. [1] The last three kata use tachi for the teacher and kodachi, a shorter bokken, for the student. [1]
from left to right: naginata, tsurugi, tantō, katana and tachi (not to scale) The term "National Treasure" has been used in Japan to denote cultural properties since 1897, [1] [2] although the definition and the criteria have changed since the introduction of the term.
In general, katana has a cross-sectional shape of shinogizukuri, similar to tachi, but it is shorter than tachi and its blade curve is gentle. Wakizashi and tantō are shorter swords than tachi and katana, and these swords are often forged in the cross-sectional shape of hira-zukuri or kiriha-zukuri. [27]
Many of his forged tachi were later made into katana by cutting the tang (nakago). For this reason, his only existing works are katana, tantō, and wakizashi. [3] [4] Thus, cutting the tang of an old tachi and making it into a katana according to the popularity of the katana was called suriage, which was common in Japanese history. [14]