Tachi
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Tachi forged by Bishu Osafune Sukesada, 12th year of the Eishô era, a day in February (1515, Muromachi). Saya in aogai-nashiji laquer, golden decorations. Mounting from 1907, latest polish in 1987. |
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Tachi forged in 1997 by Matsuda Tsuguyasu, mounting koshirae type made in 1999 by Takeyama. Copy of a sabre of the end of the Heian era (11th century). |
The
tachi (太刀) is a
Japanese
sword, often said to be more curved and slightly longer than the
katana. However, many reliable sources such as Gilbertson, Oscar Ratti, and Adele Westbrook, state that a sword is called a tachi when hung from the obi with the edge down, and the same sword becomes a katana when hung edge up thrust through the girdle. The Tachi style was eventually discarded in favor of the Katana. The
daito (long swords) that pre-date the
katana average about 78cm in blade length, next to the
katana average of around 70cm. As opposed to the traditional manner of wearing the
katana, the
tachi was worn hung from the belt with the cutting-edge down, and usually used by
cavalry. Deviations from the average length of
tachi have the prefixes
ko- for "short" and
o- for "great" attached. For instance, tachi that were
shoto and closer in size to a
wakizashi were called "
kodachi". The longest
tachi (considered a 15th century
odachi) in existence is more than 3.7 meters in total length (2.2m blade) but believed to be ceremonial. During the year 1600, many old tachi were cut down into Katana. The majority of surviving tachi blades now are o-suriage, so it is rare to see an original signed ubu tachi.
The tachi was used primarily on horseback, where it was able to be drawn efficiently for cutting down enemy footsoldiers. However, on the ground it was still an effective weapon, but awkward to use. This is why its companion, the
uchigatana (the predecessor of the katana) was developed.
It was the predecessor to the
katana as the battle-blade of
feudal Japan's
bushi warrior class, and as it evolved into the later design, the two were often differentiated from each other only by how they were worn and by the fittings for the blades. In later Japanese feudal history, during the
Sengoku and
Edo periods, certain high-ranking warriors of what became the ruling class would wear their sword tachi-style (edge-downward), rather than with the
saya (
scabbard) thrust through the
obi (belt) with the edge upward.
*
uchigatana*
tsurugi*
wakizashi*
kodachi*
katana*
nodachi*
odachi*
daito*
jintachi
