The Tachi Sword

The Tachi is a traditionallymade Japanese nihonto carried by the Samurai warriors of Feudal Japan.

Swords before the Tachi The first nihonto were single-edged, straight-bladed weapons based on Chinese and Korean swords called the Chokuto. These were eventually replaced by curved blades at the end of the eighth century, Those curved blades were called the Tachi.

why the chokuto was replaced The Tachi replaced the chokuto because the Samurai found that curved swords could be easily and swiftly drawn from the scabbard.

This gave an effective and better cutting angle.

wearing the tachi Compared to the traditional way of carrying the katana, the Tachi was hung from the belt with its cutting edge facing down; the curved Tachi was more effective when utilized by cavalry.

The Kodachi and Odachi The differences in the length of each Tachi have the following prefixes: o- for large / great and ko- for short. For instance, the Tachi that were short and closer to the wakizashi size were referred to as the kodachi.

Longest Tachi A fifteenth-century odachi which is said to be the longest Tachi is over twelve feet in length and its blade measures about seven feet in total. Due to its length, it is believed to be a ceremonial piece.

Tachi Style Swords To carry a sword in the Tachi style, it should be mounted in the Tachi koshirae which features two ashis that lets the sword be carried in a horizontal manner with the cutting edge facing down.

The Koshiate Swords that aren’t mounted in the Tachi koshirae can be carried in the Tachi style using a koshiate – a leathermade item that lets the wielder carry any sword in the Tachi style.

Usage of the Tachi

Claims state that samurai made the smallest moves with their Tachi when killing their enemies; when both swords clash, both samurai would turn their swords to make the mune hit each other. The cutting edge is used for slashing the enemy’s body.

Tachi during the Koto Period The classic Tachi were created during the Koto era and before the year 1596, these measured around seventy to eighty centimeters in nagasa (cutting edge length).

Compared to the katana, it was more arched, and had a better taper from its hilt to point.

The Common Tachi Swords The most common Tachi swords in history were the kogarasumaru and the kenukigataTachi.

A Favored Weapon of the Samurai Warrior For centuries, the Tachi remained as the favoured weapon of the samurai but as time passed, the Katana replaced it. The katana was a more refined version with perfect features that made it the ultimate weapon.

Tachi during the Rise of Katana When the samurai started to use the Katana as a primary weapon, the Tachi became a sword specifically for ceremonies.

It developed into a rich and finely decorated piece with classic cord wraps and a beautifully crafted handle.

The Tachi after the Mongol Invasion The invasion of the Mongols in Japan led to the changes in how the Tachi was crafted. The Mongols usually wore leather armor that was boiled which was a great defense against the weapons of Japanese samurai warriors at that time. As a result, swordsmiths started creating Tachi with wider and thicker blades.

Advantages of the Tachi’s Curved Blade

The Tachi has a curved blade to improve its versatility and efficiency during battles. It was mainly favoured by Samurai on horseback, they could easily draw and attack with the Tachi arched blade.

Tachi Sword Measurements The average blade length for the Tachi sword cutting edge is about 27.9-31.5 inch although longer and shorter versions are available.

Signatures – A Distinguishable feature of the Tachi In Feudal Japan, swordsmiths usually included their signatures to the side of a weapon’s tang and would face outwards when the samurai carried this. For the Tachi, its cutting edge would face down so the signature of the Tachi was set on the Tang on the opposite side than a Katana.

The Tachi in Today’s Museums Numerous Tachi can be found in different museums and these have a couple of chips along the sword’s back; as for the cutting edge of the weapon, these appear mirror polished and completely untouched.

Efficiency of the Tachi The Tachi’s efficiency can be seen when used in an open battle field since its long blade requires a lot of space to be used effectively, it was mostly effective by the use of cavalry.

Where to Buy

Tachi

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