Long Japanese sword. Types of Japanese swords

The name "samurai" can be considered conditional. It is familiar to a European who understands this type of sword in the first place, but this form of the sword came to Japan itself from Korea, and in Japanese chronicles of the 7th-13th centuries. such a sword was called "Korean". — tsurugi- had a long handle and a straight double-edged blade. They carried it obliquely behind their backs and exposed it, grabbing the handle with both hands at once. Starting from the 3rd century AD. becomes sharpened only on one side, and some of its types have a massive counterweight on the handle. The curved blade in Japan is beginning to be made (the first serious mention of them dates back to 710), that is, almost simultaneously with the appearance of the classic saber in the Middle East. By the 12th century, with the growth of power and the strengthening of the samurai class, the curved blade, which is a standard blade, completely replaces the straight blade in Japan.

Both in European and in our literature there is sufficient confusion in the names of samurai swords. It is known that he carried two swords - a long one and a short one. This couple was called daisho(lit. "larger and smaller") and consisted of daito("big sword"), which was the main weapon of the samurai, and seto(“smaller sword”), which served as a spare or additional weapon used in close combat, for chopping off heads, or if the samurai did not have a dagger specially designed for this kusungobu. True, the custom of carrying two swords finally took shape only by the 16th century. A long sword has a blade length of more than two shaku (shaku = 33 cm), a short sword - from one to two shaku (that is, 33-66 cm). The long sword is the most famous in Europe, commonly referred to as the "katana". But this is not entirely correct. A katana is such a long sword, which is worn in a sheath, with the blade up in the belt, and is pulled out of the sheath, uncovered, in a downward motion. This method of carrying a sword appeared in the XIV-XV centuries. and became the main, most convenient (by the way: wearing a katana behind the belt with the blade up allows you to conveniently pull it out not only with your right, but also with your left hand). Until that time, the word denoted a long dagger or short sword stuck in the belt, and the long one was called tati. worn on its side on a sling tied to a scabbard, in which it was placed with the blade down, exposed from the bottom up. This way of carrying a long sword was suitable when they fought mainly on horseback, but for footmen it was much less convenient. In addition, etiquette required that a long sword be removed at the entrance to the house, and removing the sword in the sheath from the belt is much easier and more convenient than unhooking them from the sling each time and then tying them back. From the 14th-15th centuries, when such swords began to be worn mainly behind the belt, wearing a sword in a sling began to be considered more ceremonial, and therefore tati and his scabbard got off much richer, because they were ceremonial. The short sword, which was always carried in a scabbard at the waist, was called katana or tantō when paired with tachi. And when it was worn in tandem with a long katana, it was called wakizashi. So the name of samurai swords reflects, basically, the way they are worn, and the larger and smaller swords removed from the sheath, whatever they were called, had the same length and shape, except that the very early forms of the smaller sword (at the time when it was still called katana) had a barely noticeable curvature and seemed almost straight.

Length daito- 95-120 cm, seto - 50-70 cm. The handle of a long sword is usually designed for 3.5 fists, a short one - for 1.5. The width of the blade of both swords is about 3 cm, the thickness of the back is 5 mm, while the blade has a razor sharpness. The hilt is usually covered with sharkskin or wrapped in such a way that the hilt does not slip in the hands. The weight of the long sword is about 4 kg. The guard of both swords was small, only slightly covering the hand, had a round, petal or multifaceted shape. It was called "tsuba". The tsuba of a small sword could have additional slots for putting additional knives into its scabbard - throwing kozuki and household kogai. The production of tsuba has literally turned into an art craft. They could have a complex openwork shape, be decorated with carvings or relief images.

Apart from daise samurai could also wear nodachi- "field sword" with a blade longer than a meter and a total length of about 1.5 m. They usually wore it behind their backs like tsurugi or on the shoulder, holding by hand. Except for the length nodachi structurally different from daito, which we will later call katana.

The rider could hold a katana with one hand, but in battle on the ground this sword was preferred to be held with two hands because of its weight. Early katana techniques included wide, circular cutting and cutting movements, but later they became much more developed. A katana could be equally easily stabbed and cut. The long handle allows you to actively maneuver the sword. In this case, the main grip is the position when the end of the handle rests in the middle of the palm, and the right hand holds it near the guard. The simultaneous movement of both hands allows the sword to describe a wide amplitude without much effort.

Both, and the straight European sword of a knight weigh a lot, but the principles for performing chopping blows are completely different. The European method, aimed at penetrating armor, involves the maximum use of the inertia of the movement of the sword and striking "with a carry." In Japanese swordsmanship, a person wields a sword, not a person's sword.. There, the blow is also applied with the force of the whole body, but not from the usual step, but from the side step, in which the body receives a powerful push forward (greater than when the body is turned). In this case, the blow is delivered “fixed” at a given level, and the blade stops exactly where the master wants it, and the force of the blow is not extinguished. AND . And if such a blow did not hit the target, then it no longer pulls the owner along, as is the case with the European sword, but gives him the opportunity to change direction or strike the next one, especially since a short side step allows you to deliver powerful blows at every step - today's kendoka, with a black belt, can perform three vertical sword strikes per second. Most of the blows are applied in a vertical plane. There is almost no division into “block strike” accepted in Europe. There are knockback blows to the hands or weapons of the enemy, throwing his weapon out of the line of attack and making it possible to deliver a striking blow to the enemy in the next step. Retreat when fighting on katanas forward. Leaving the line of attack while striking is one of the most commonly used combinations. After all, it must be borne in mind that a direct blow with a katana can cut almost everything, and is simply not designed to “hold” direct blows. The duel of the true masters of the samurai sword can hardly be called a duel in the European sense of the word, because it is built on the principle of "one hit on the spot." In there is a “duel of hearts”, when two masters simply stand or sit motionless and look at each other, and the one who first jerked to the weapon lost ...

Schools kenjutsu, as it is called in Japan, existed and exists quite a lot. Some are turning Special attention for an instant departure from the line of attack, accompanied by a vertical strike (“Shinkage-ryu”), others pay great attention to placing the left hand under the blade of the sword and fighting techniques carried out using this technique (“Shinto-ryu”), others practice working with two swords at the same time - large in the right hand, small in the left ("Nito-ryu") - such fighters are called "reto zukai". Someone prefers undercutting blows in a horizontal plane with a detour around the enemy - between technique kenjutsu and a lot in common. You can beat with a handle, you can intercept the sword on reverse grip, can be used in close combat trips and undercuts. Features of the samurai sword allow you to use almost all techniques for working with long bladed weapons.

In the 17th century, after the unification of the country under the rule of the house, a trend began to turn kenjutsu into kendo- method of sword fighting The way of the sword. paid much attention to the moral self-improvement of the individual, and now it is one of the most popular sports in Japan, which no longer uses the real military weapon, and its sports equivalents made of wood or bamboo. First wooden sword, repeating the outlines of the present (bokken, or bokuto), was introduced by the legendary master of the 17th century. . True, such a wooden sword was still a formidable weapon, which could easily split the skull. often kept bokken at home, at the head. In the event of a sudden attack, it was possible to use it to disarm and take the enemy without shedding blood, simply, for example, breaking his arms or breaking his collarbone ...

Compared to the Japanese long sword fighting technique, the short sword fighting technique is less well known. Here there are also whipping blows with a brush, built on the same principle of a fixed blow, and the suspended position of the sword, which fans of the Slavic-Goritsa wrestling love to flaunt so much, and frequent blows with the handle in solar plexus. Naturally, compared to a long sword, there are more poke blows, since this weapon is still intended for combat at close range.

A lot has been written about the place of the sword. The sword was and remains one of the symbols of the imperial dynasty, the object of the Shinto cult, one of the symbols of the upbringing of the national spirit. Before starting to make a real traditional Japanese sword, he performed a long preparatory ritual, reminiscent of the preparation of a Russian icon painter for painting a church or creating an icon important to him: fasting, cleansing ablutions, long prayers, putting on clean, ceremonial clothes, celibacy.

Perhaps no other country in the world has been so developed sword etiquette. As in other regions, a blade stuck in the belt on the right side or placed to the right of oneself meant trust in the interlocutor, because from this position the sword was more difficult to bring to combat readiness. At the entrance to the house, a long sword was left at the entrance on a special stand, and entering inside with this sword meant a demonstration of extreme disrespect. It was possible to pass the sword to someone, both for display and for storage, only with the hilt towards oneself - turning the sword with the hilt towards the enemy meant disrespect for his abilities as a swordsman, since a real master could instantly take advantage of this. When demonstrating weapons, the sword was never fully drawn, and it could only be touched with a silk scarf or a sheet of rice paper. Drawing a sword, hitting the scabbard against the scabbard, and, even more so, rattling the weapon was tantamount to a challenge, which could be followed by a blow without any warning. As in Europe, swords could have names and were passed down from generation to generation. And the best often didn’t brand their swords on purpose, believing that the weapon itself tells about who created it, and for a person who is not able to understand this, there is no need to know who created the sword. The word "sword" was often taboo, and, for example, "wakizashi" literally means "stuck on the side" ...

The Japanese samurai had a sword. But did they only fight with swords? It will probably be interesting to get acquainted with their arsenal in detail in order to better understand the traditions of ancient Japanese military art.

Let's start by comparing the arsenal of a Japanese samurai with that of a medieval knight from Western Europe. The difference in both the quantity and quality of their samples is immediately evident. The arsenal of the samurai will first of all be much richer. In addition, many types of weapons will be practically incomparable with European ones. In addition, what we consider to be true is in fact very often just another myth. For example, everyone has heard about the fact that the sword is the “soul of the samurai”, since they wrote about it more than once. However, was it their main weapon, and if so, was it always so? Here is a knight's sword - yes, indeed, it has always been a symbol of chivalry, but with a samurai sword, everything is far from so simple.

Firstly, this is not a sword, but a saber. We just traditionally call the samurai blade a sword. And secondly, he was far from always his main weapon! And here it would be best to remember ... the legendary musketeers of Alexandre Dumas! They were called so because their main weapon was a heavy matchlock musket. However, the heroes of the novel use it only during the defense of the Saint-Gervais bastion. In the remaining chapters of the novel, they make do with swords. This is understandable. After all, it was the sword, and then its light version - the sword, that were symbols of chivalry and belonging to the nobility in Europe. Moreover, even a peasant could wear a sword in Europe. Bought and wear! But to master it, you had to study for a long time! And only the nobles could afford it, but not the peasants. But the musketeers fought by no means with swords, and the situation was exactly the same with the Japanese samurai. The sword among them became especially popular in the years of ... peace, that is, in the Edo era, after 1600, when it turned from a military weapon into a symbol of the samurai class. There was no one to fight with the samurai, it was beneath their dignity to work, so they began to hone their fencing art, open fencing schools - in a word, cultivate the art of antiquity and promote it in every possible way. In a real battle, samurai, of course, also used swords, but at first they did it only as a last resort, and before that they used a bow!

Like the French nobles, the samurai did not part with their swords both in the days of peace and in the days of war, and even a sidelong glance was considered as an insult! Woodcut by Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1865).

An ancient Japanese verse said, “Bow and arrows! Only they are the stronghold of the happiness of the whole country! And these lines clearly show how important kyudo, the art of archery, was for the Japanese. Only a noble warrior in ancient Japan could become an archer. His name was yumi-tori - "bow holder". The bow - yumi and arrow I - were among the Japanese sacred weapons, and the expression "yumiya no miti" ("the way of the bow and arrows") was synonymous with the word "bushido" and meant the same thing - "the way of the samurai." Even the purely peaceful expression “samurai family” literally means “bow and arrow family” when translated from Japanese, and the Chinese in their chronicles called the Japanese “Big Bow”.

A fragment of the scroll "Heiji no Ran" depicts a rider in a white o-yoroi, armed with a bow and sword. The scroll was created at the beginning of the 14th century.

In the Heike Monogatari (The Tale of Heike), a well-known Japanese military chronicle of the 14th century, for example, it is reported that in 1185, during the Battle of Yashima, the Minamoto no Kuro Yoshitsune (1159 - 1189) commander fought desperately to return the bow, which he accidentally dropped into the water. The enemy warriors tried to knock him out of the saddle, his own warriors begged him to forget about such a trifle, but he fearlessly fought the first, and did not pay attention to the second. He took out his bow, but his veterans began to openly resent such recklessness: “It was terrible, lord. Your bow may be worth a thousand, ten thousand gold pieces, but is it worth risking your life?”

To which Yoshitsune replied: “It’s not that I didn’t want to part with my bow. If I had a bow like my uncle Tametomo's, which could only be drawn by two or even three people, I might even deliberately leave it to the enemy. But my bow is bad. If the enemies knew that it was I who owned it, they would laugh at me: “Look, this is the bow of the Minamoto commander Kuro Yoshitsune!” I wouldn't like it. So I risked my life to get him back."

In Hogan Monogatari (The Tale of the Hogan Era), which tells about the hostilities of 1156, Tametomo (1149 - 1170), Yoshitsune's uncle, is said to be an archer so strong that the enemies, having taken him prisoner, knocked him out chisel hands out of the joints to make it impossible to shoot a bow in the future. The title of "archer" was an honorary title for any distinguished samurai, even when the sword and spear replaced the bow. For example, the military leader Imagawa Yoshimoto (1519 - 1560) was given the nickname "The First Archer of the East Sea".

The Japanese made their bows from bamboo, while unlike the bows of other peoples who also used bamboo for this, they were very large in size and at the same time also asymmetrical, since it was believed that with such a warrior it would be more convenient to aim and shoot. Moreover, such a bow was especially convenient for shooting from a horse. The yumi is usually longer than the English " longbows”, as it often reaches 2.5 meters in length. There are cases that there were bows and even longer. So, the legendary archer Minamoto (1139 - 1170) had a bow 280 cm long. Sometimes the bows were made so strong that one person could not pull them. For example, yumi, intended for naval battles, had to be pulled by seven people at once. The modern Japanese bow, as in ancient times, is made from bamboo, various woods and rattan fibers. The usual distance of an aimed shot is 60 meters, well, in the hands of a master, such a weapon is capable of sending an arrow up to 120 meters. On some bows (at one of the ends), the Japanese strengthened the tips, like spears, which allowed this type of weapon, which was called yumi-yari (“spear bow”), to combine the functions of a bow and a spear.

Ancestral arrow and case for it.

The shafts of the arrows were made of polished bamboo or willow, and the plumage was made of feathers. The tip of the yajiri was often a real work of art. They were made by special blacksmiths, and often they signed their tips. Their shapes could be different, for example, bifurcated moon-shaped tips were very popular. Each samurai had a special "ancestral arrow" in his quiver, on which his name was written. It was used to recognize the dead on the battlefield in the same way as in Europe it was done by the coat of arms on the shield, and the winner took it as a trophy. Tsuru - bow string - was made from plant fibers and rubbed with wax. Each archer also had a spare string with him - a gen, which was put in a quiver or wound around a special tsurumaki coil ring that hung on his belt.

Katakura Kadetune - a samurai in black o-yoroy armor and with the same black bow with a characteristic braid. On a belt the coil for a spare bowstring. The back flag of the sashimono depicts a Buddhist bell. Sendai City Museum.

Much kyudo, according to European concepts, lies beyond the reasonable understanding of reality and is inaccessible to a person with a Western mentality. So, for example, it is still believed that the shooter in this half-mystical art plays only the role of an intermediary, and the shot itself is carried out, as it were, without his direct participation. At the same time, the shot itself was divided into four stages: greeting, preparation for aiming, aiming and launching an arrow (moreover, the latter could be fired standing, sitting, kneeling). A samurai could shoot even while riding a horse, and not from a stationary position, but at full gallop, like the ancient Scythians, Mongols and North American Indians!

An ancestral arrow (left) and two tsuba guards on the right.

According to the rules, the bushi warrior received an arrow and a bow from his squire, got up from his seat and assumed the appropriate posture, demonstrating his dignity and complete self-control. At the same time, breathing was required in a certain way, which achieved “peace of mind and body” (dojikuri) and readiness to shoot (yugumae). Then the shooter stood at the target with his left shoulder, with a bow in his left hand. The legs were supposed to be placed at the length of the arrow, after which the arrow was placed on the bowstring and held with the fingers. Meanwhile, relaxing the muscles in his arms and chest, the samurai raised his bow over his head and pulled the string. It was necessary to breathe at this moment with the stomach, which allowed the muscles to relax. Then the shot itself was fired - khanare. The samurai had to concentrate all his physical and mental strength on the “great goal”, the desire for one goal - to connect with the deity, but by no means on the desire to hit the target and not on the target itself. Having fired, the shooter then lowered the bow and calmly walked to his place.

Archery gloves.

Over time, yumi turned from a weapon of a noble rider into a weapon of a simple infantryman, but even then he did not lose respect for himself. Even the advent of firearms did not detract from its importance, since the bow was faster and more reliable than the primitive muzzle-loading arquebus. The Japanese knew crossbows, including Chinese ones, multiply charged doku, but they were not widely used in their country.

By the way, horses and riders were specially trained in the ability to swim across rivers with a turbulent current, and at the same time they had to shoot from a bow! Therefore, the bow was varnished (usually black) and also dyed. Short bows, similar to the Mongolian ones, were also well known to the Japanese, and they used them, but this was difficult because the Buddhists in Japan were disgusted with such things as the hooves, sinews and horns of dead animals and could not touch them, and without this they could make short but enough powerful bow just impossible.

But in Western Europe, the feudal lords did not recognize the bow as a military weapon. Already the ancient Greeks considered the bow a weapon of a coward, and the Romans called it "insidious and childish." Charlemagne demanded that his soldiers wear a bow, issued the appropriate capitularies (decrees), but he did not succeed much in this! sports equipment to train muscles - yes, a hunting weapon - to earn a living in the forest, combining pleasant pastime with useful work - yes, but to fight with a bow in hand against other knights like himself - yes, God forbid! Moreover, bows and crossbows were used in European armies, but ... they recruited commoners for this: in England - peasant yeomen, in France - Genoese crossbowmen, and in Byzantium and the crusader states in Palestine - Muslim Turkopoulos. That is, in Europe, the main weapon of a knight was originally a double-edged sword, and the bow was considered a weapon unworthy of a noble warrior. Moreover, horseback archers in European armies were forbidden to shoot from horseback. With a noble animal, which was considered a horse, you had to first get off, and only after that take up the bow! In Japan, it was the opposite - it was from the very beginning that the bow was the weapon of noble warriors, and the sword served for self-defense in close combat. And only when the wars in Japan stopped, and archery at by and large lost all meaning, the sword came to the first place in the samurai's arsenal, in fact, which by this time had become an analogue of the European sword. Of course, not in terms of his combat characteristics, but in terms of the role that he played in the then Japanese society.

And with spears, the situation was about the same! Well, why does a warrior need a spear when he has a powerful and long-range bow at his service ?! But when spears in Japan became a popular weapon, there were so many types of them that it was simply amazing. Although, unlike the Western European knights, who used spears from the very beginning of their own, they received them in Japan only in the middle of the 14th century, when infantrymen began to use them against samurai riders.

Senzaki Yagoro Noriyasu is one of the 47 loyal ronin who runs with a spear in his hand. Woodcut by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798 - 1861)

The length of the spear of the Japanese infantry yari could be from 1.5 to 6.5 m. Usually it was a spear with a double-edged tip ho, however, spears with several points at once are known, with hooks and moon-shaped blades attached to the tip and taken away from it to the sides .

The rarest kuradashi yari spear of blacksmith Mumei. Edo period, circa 1670. Next to it is a suitably shaped case.

Using the yari spear, the samurai struck right hand, trying to pierce the armor of the enemy, and with the left he simply held his shaft. Therefore, it was always varnished, and the smooth surface made it easy to rotate in the palms. Then, when long yari appeared, which became a weapon against cavalry, they began to be used rather as a striking weapon. Ashigaru foot warriors were usually armed with such spears, resembling the ancient Macedonian phalanx with long pikes lined one to one.

The tip of the yari spear and its case.

Well, if the tip of the spear broke, then they didn’t throw it away, but turned it into such an elegant tanto-yari dagger.

The shapes of the tips varied, as did their length, of which the longest reached 1 m. In the middle of the Sengoku period, the shaft of the yari lengthened to 4 m, but it was more convenient for riders to control spears with short shafts, and the longest yari remained the weapon of the ashigaru foot soldiers. Other interesting view polearms such as fighting pitchforks were sasumata sojo garama or futomata-yari with a metal tip like a slingshot, sharpened from the inside. It was often used by samurai police officers to detain intruders armed with a sword.

Sasumata sojo garama

In Japan, they also came up with something resembling a garden trident cultivator and called kumade (“bear paw”). In his representations, one can often see a chain wrapped around the shaft, which must have been attached to the wrist or to armor so that it would not be lost in battle. This weapon curiosity was used during the storming of castles, during boarding, but in a field battle with its help it was possible to hook an enemy warrior by the kuvagata horns on a helmet or by cords on armor and pull them off a horse or from a wall. Another version of the "bear's paw" was a mace with outstretched fingers, and entirely made of metal!

The kumade mace is a striking fusion of two styles of Chinese and Japanese island weapons.

The police also used sode-garami (“tangled sleeve”), a weapon with hooks diverging from the shaft, with which they caught on the sleeves of the criminal so that he could not use his weapon. The way to work with it is simple to genius. It is enough to approach the enemy and forcefully poke him with the tip of the sode-garami (it doesn’t matter whether he is injured or not!) so that his hooks with the ends bent like fishhooks dig into his body.

Sode-garami tip.

It was in this way that murderers, robbers and violent revelers were captured in Edo times. Well, in battle, sode-garami tried to hook the enemy by the lacing on the armor and pull him off the horse to the ground. So the presence of a large number of cords on Japanese armor represented a "double-edged sword." In certain cases, for their owner, it was simply deadly! The navy also used something similar to it - the uchi-kagi grappling hook.

The whole past of ancient and feudal Japan is endless battles. The main difference from the battles on the continent is that the wars flared up among the Japanese, in other words, within the same nationality and culture. The warring parties used one weapon and

similar strategies and tricks of warfare. In such a situation, the art of wielding samurai weapons and the individual tactical qualities of military leaders were of great importance.

Types of Japanese edged weapons

There are three defining eras in the Japanese martial past: the era of the bow, the era of the spear, and the era of the sword.

Bow period

The bow (yumi) is the oldest weapon in Japan. Bows have been used as weapons since ancient times. Archery was divided into two forms - as a necessary part of the Shinto ceremonies kyudo (Way of the bow) and as a martial art of kyujitsu (navy archery). Kyudo was usually practiced by the nobility, kyujitsu was practiced by samurai.

Japanese asymmetrical bow top part which is about twice as long as the bottom. Bow length from two meters. As a rule, the parts of the bow are made of composite, in other words, the outside of the bow is made of wood, and the inside is made of bamboo. Because of this, the arrow almost never moves in a straight line, with the result that accurate shooting becomes possible only after accumulation great experience. The average distance of a well-aimed arrow flight is about 60 meters, for a professional it is twice as far.

Japanese yumi bow photo

Often, arrowheads were made empty so that in flight they emitted a whistle, which, according to beliefs, drove away evil demons.

In the old days, Japanese bows were sometimes used, which had to be pulled not alone, but by several warriors (for example, bows, which required the strength of seven archers to pull!). Such bows were used not only for shooting infantry, but also in battles at sea to sink enemy boats.

In addition to ordinary archery, bakyujitsu, horseback shooting, was a special skill.

Era of the Spear

In the 16th century, muskets were brought to Japan from Portugal. They almost completely replaced bows. At the same time, the importance of the spear (yari) increased. Because of this, the era of civil strife is called the Age of the Spear.

Yari spear photo

Mostly spears were used to knock riders off their horses. After the fall, such a fighter turned out to be unprotected. As a rule, spears were used by infantry. The yari spear was 5 meters long, and to use it, one had to have great strength and endurance. Various samurai clans used spears of various lengths and tip configurations.

Age of the Sword

With the coming to power of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603, the importance of military skill as the ability to "victory at any cost" went down in history. It has become an independent technique of self-improvement and competition. Thanks to this, the physical strength of the spear professionals was replaced by kenjutsu - the art of wielding a sword.

It was during this era that the samurai sword began to be called the "soul of the samurai." The samurai sword was honed from the edge convex outward, and the other side is a kind of "shield" during the battle. The sword, made by special methods of multilayer forging, is surprisingly strong and sharp. Its manufacture takes a long time and requires huge labor costs, so the new samurai sword has always been of great value. An ancient sword, made by a famous master, cost a fortune. In the will of a samurai, in a special section, the distribution of swords between offspring was always indicated.

Types of samurai swords:

Tsurugi is an ancient straight sword sharpened on both sides, used until the 10th century.

Tsurugi photo

Thirty centimeter dagger.

Tanto photo

A samurai sword worn point-up at the waist, paired with a wakizashi. Length - 60-75 cm. Only samurai were allowed to wear a katana

katana photo

Wakizashi, (Shoto, Kodachi) - a short sword (30 - 60 cm), was worn on the belt with the tip up and, together with the katana, made up a set of samurai daise (long, short).

Tati - a large long curved sword (from 61 cm in the blade), which was worn with the tip down, was used, as a rule, by riders.

Nodachi (Odachi) - a kind of tachi, a very long sword (from one to one and a half meters), which was worn behind the back.

In training, they used shinai swords made of bamboo and bokken - swords made of wood.

Commoners could only wield small swords or knives - to protect themselves from robbers and robbers. Samurai wore two swords - long and short. At the same time, they fought with a long katana sword, although there were also schools of wielding two swords at once. A professional was determined by the ability to defeat the enemy with the minimum number of swings of the sword. A special skill was considered the art of killing the enemy by quickly pulling the sword from its scabbard - with one stroke (iaijutsu technique).

Auxiliary types of Japanese weapons:

Bo is a military pole. A large number of species of different lengths (30 cm - 3 m) and thickness are known.

The jitte is a fork-shaped weapon with two teeth, made of iron. It was used by the police of the Tokugawa period to intercept the sword of an enraged (usually drunk) samurai, in addition, as a fighting club.

Yoroi-doshi - "dagger of mercy", which was used to finish off the wounded.

Kaiken - women's combat dagger. It was used by women of an aristocratic family as a knife for suicide in an encroachment on their honor.

Kozuka is a military knife. Often used in the economy.

Naginata is a Japanese halberd. A pole with an attached blade. It was originally used by infantry to injure enemy horses. In the 17th century, it began to be used by girls from the samurai family for defense. The standard length of the naginata was approximately 2 m.

photo of Naginata

Tessen - a military fan with steel spokes. Used by generals. Sometimes used as a small shield.

photo battle fan Tessen

Ancient Japanese small arms (single-shot arquebuses) - became popular during the internecine strife. After the accession of the shogunate, Tokugawa ceased to be used, as it was considered "unworthy of a true warrior."

japanese weapon video

An interesting video about katana and wakizashi.

Imagine a samurai. No doubt you have a picture in your head of a warrior with a helmet and armor, ready to attack with his trusty katana. Because, of course, he wields a katana. After all, the samurai went into battle with her, right? If pop culture teaches us anything, it's that the samurai was armed with his courage and trusty katana. Well, not so fast. Samurai weapons were much more varied and versatile than shown in the films. We will show you 10 types of samurai weapons.

Shurikens were used to distract the enemy

The problem with throwing stars is that they have very little to do with ninjas. More commonly known as shuriken, they come in two basic forms: star-shaped and straight. While they are flying at the enemy, the samurai has time to draw his sword and kill the enemy. They are a form of distraction weapon.

Shuriken were used by samurai of each samurai school, who gave them various titles depending on their shape. Their association with the ninja was not traceable until the 20th century, so calling them "ninja death stars" is incorrect.

Brass knuckles with spikes

Such "brass knuckles" were used during close combat

Samurai used spikes to attack to injure the enemy. The example in the picture shows that the spike can move from a hidden position against the wrist, thereby inflicting fatal wounds on the enemy.

In addition to this, there are spiked rings used for striking and grappling when trying to grab an opponent. The so-called "brass knuckles", which are a piece of iron held in the hands, were used to hit the body or protect against other types of weapons.

Chains in skillful hands were a formidable weapon

Samurai had chains and weights of various lengths and styles. They could mainly be divided into two main types: chains with smaller weights at both ends and chains with a heavy load at one end.

The first is mainly used to capture and hold people. The second type can easily kill a person if the goal has been achieved. A version of this weapon can be seen in Kill Bill, where the Black Mamba (Uma Thurman's character) fights a Japanese schoolgirl. This weapon is used to strike, contain and strangle the enemy.

Metal club

The club is one of the oldest weapons in Japan.

In ancient Japan, weapons were everything from simple wooden clubs to metal swords. Samurai often had to leave their swords with an attendant or in a special room at a party. The master might even ask them to put away their short swords.

In this situation, the samurai could take a club for protection, and having a heavy metal “fan” on it, he could boldly repel any sudden attack. In addition, the so-called "police" (some samurai and military) used clubs to catch criminals.

Cane with iron hook

These canes were not only used by firefighters.

Since houses and large buildings in Japan were made of wood, fire constantly threatened cities and towns. Fire teams were formed to counter this. Part of their job was to destroy the building around the fire so that it would not spread. Absolutely everyone did such work - from samurai to commoners. One of the main tools was a heavy iron shoe in the shape of a beak. People broke walls and obstacles with them, demolishing sections of buildings so that the fire would not spread.

However, some of these gangs developed a bad reputation and the tool became associated as a destructive weapon.

sickle with chain

A sickle with a chain was used as a multifunctional weapon.

The sickle is a curved blade used for cutting plants and grass; it was common throughout the medieval world. The warriors of Japan attached the chain to the shaft of the sickle, turning it into a formidable weapon. The chain could keep the enemy at a distance or entangle him, while the sickle could cut the enemy.

Ninja also used sickles, but not for combat. With their help, they broke through fences and barriers, and in some clans there were folding versions that could be worn in kimono sleeves.

"Fast" rope

This rope was used to catch criminals.

If the intended opponent of the samurai or policeman was supposed to be alive, a "fast" rope is what you need. It consists of a sharp iron hook at the end of a long and thin rope that unfolds at high speed. The hook could be stuck into the opponent's ear, cheek or arm. After the enemy was caught, a more reliable rope was used to bind the target.

In Japan, there was a complex system of traditions about how to tie up a prisoner based on their social status. It was believed that the samurai were immediately tied with a rope. This is wrong. In fact, at the beginning of the arrest, a "quick" rope was used, and only after the opponent was no longer a threat, he was tied up according to his status.

Combat grip

With such a weapon, it was possible to keep the enemy at a distance

If it was too dangerous to approach the target or it was too far away, then the detention was carried out with the help of a combat grip. This is a set of three long poles with various attachments. With the tip, they tried to catch the opponent by the leg, neck or joint, or hook on a piece of clothing in order to delay him until the others caught and tied him up. Spikes were made on the shaft so that the enemy could not grab onto it.

Such effective tools were used to catch especially dangerous samurai, thieves or criminals.

Personal knife with a spike

The spiked knife was used not only in combat

Have you ever seen that some samurai swords have a thin spike on one side of the scabbard and a small knife on the other, sliding gently into position with the hilt? There are various theories for their use, but a school of samurai called Natori-ryu tells us that the spike was used to pierce the ear of a decapitated opponent so that a note with the victim's name could be attached. The spike is also used to push the tongue back into the mouth as it is considered indecent.

The samurai knife was a personalized weapon and was often used as evidence. If a samurai had penetrated deep into enemy territory, he might leave it hidden to prove he was there when the allies took enemy ground, or if a samurai needed to send an important message, he might send a personal knife as proof of justice. This set was something like a Swiss army knife from the time of the samurai.

Only real warriors were allowed to wear them.

Many people know that carrying two swords (the shorter sword is called a wakizashi and the longer sword is called a katana) is a symbol of the samurai and only warriors were allowed to carry these swords. However, until the end of the 16th century, swords could be wielded by almost anyone. Victory in battle could mean promotion to the samurai.

However, with the unification of Japan in the 16th century, the peasants were oppressed and the class system hardened. The samurai government issued a "Sword Hunting" decree, depriving the common people of their weapons. By issuing this decree, the government tried to prevent possible uprisings. Only during the Edo period - the last century of the samurai - did the sword really become their symbol. Before that, they were primarily a spear and a bow.

So, we told you about the types of samurai weapons. Now you know that the samurai wielded not only their katanas. They possessed each of the weapons listed in the list to perfection, which made them extremely dangerous opponents.

Tati(jap.?) - a long Japanese sword. Tati, unlike the katana, was not tucked behind the obi (cloth belt) with the blade up, but hung on the belt in a sling designed for this, with the blade down. To protect against damage by armor, the scabbard often had a winding.
It is usually longer and more curved than a katana (most have a blade length of over 2.5 shaku, that is, more than 75 cm; the tsuka (handle) was also often longer and somewhat curved).
Another name for this sword is daito(jap. ?, lit. "big sword") - in Western sources they sometimes mistakenly read as "daikatana". The error is due to ignorance of the difference between on and kun reading of characters in Japanese; The kun reading of the hieroglyph is “katana”, and the on reading is “that:”.
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Tanto(Japanese tanto, lit. "short sword") - samurai dagger. The length of the blade should not exceed 30.3 cm (otherwise it will no longer be a tanto, but a short wakizashi sword). Each tanto (as a national treasure) must be licensed, including the historical tanto found. The tanto was used only as a weapon and never as a knife, for this there was a kozuka worn in pair with the tanto in the same sheath.
Tanto has a one-sided, sometimes double-edged blade from 15 to 30.3 cm long (that is, less than one shaku).
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It is believed that tanto, wakizashi and katana are, in fact, "the same sword of different sizes"

Shin-gunto(1934) - Japanese army sword, created to revive samurai traditions and raise the morale of the army. This weapon repeated the shape of the tati battle sword, both in design and in the methods of handling it. Unlike tachi and katana swords, which were made individually by blacksmiths using traditional technology, shin gunto was mass-produced in a factory way.
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Tsurugi(jap.) - a Japanese word meaning a straight double-edged sword (sometimes with a massive pommel). Similar in shape to tsurugi-no-tachi (straight one-sided sword).

Uchigatana divided into two families along the length of the blade: more than 60 cm - katana, less - wakizashi (accompanying sword).
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Aikuti(jap. - fitted mouth) - the style of rims of swords without the use of a tsuba (guard).
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ninjato(jap. ninjato), also known as ninjaken (jap.) or shinobigatana (jap.) - a sword used by ninja. It is a short sword forged with much less care than a katana or tachi. Modern ninjato often have a straight blade and a square tsuba (guard). Some sources claim that the ninjato, unlike the katana or the wakizashi, was used for cutting only, not stabbing. This statement may be erroneous, since the main opponent of the ninja was the samurai, and his armor required an accurate piercing blow. However, the main function of the katana was also a powerful cutting blow.
Ninjato (jap. ninjato-, also known as ninjaken (jap.?) or shinobigatana (jap.?) - a sword used by ninjas. This is a short sword forged with much less diligence than a katana or tachi. Modern ninjato often have a straight blade and square tsuba (guard).Some sources claim that ninjato, unlike katana or wakizashi, was used for inflicting only cutting blows, not stabbing.This statement may be erroneous, since the main opponent of the ninja was the samurai, and his armor required However, the main function of the katana was also a powerful cutting blow.
According to Masaaki Hatsumi (Japanese), ninjato came in all shapes and sizes. However, most often they were shorter than the daito used by the samurai. With a straight blade, but still slightly curved. A typical ninjato was more like a wakizashi, which had a handle like a katana and was housed in the same scabbard. This made it possible to draw the sword faster than the enemy and also fool him, since such a disguise in no way betrayed the true nature of the ninja. Free space in the scabbard could be used to store or hide other inventory or necessary items. Of course, a shorter blade in some cases was a disadvantage, since the enemy could significantly reduce the distance, but in a number of duels it was also an advantage, since the ninja could make full use of the short blade length, for example, in an iaido duel, when necessary draw the sword and strike the enemy as quickly as possible. Other researchers, however, believe that the shorter blade gave the ninja an advantage in that it was much easier to hide and, importantly, it gave an advantage in case of indoor combat: walls and ceilings significantly prevented the samurai from using katana in some tricks. attacks.
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There was another type of sword - chizakatana- a little longer than a wakizashi and a little shorter than a katana. The samurai was supposed to replace them with a zaisho (a pair of samurai swords, consisting of a seto (short sword) and a daito (long sword)) when approaching a daimyo or shogun.

Kodati(jap., lit. "small tachi") - a Japanese sword, too short to be considered a daito (long sword) and too long to be considered a dagger. Due to its size, it could be drawn very quickly, as well as swordsmanship. It could be used where movement was constrained (or when attacking shoulder to shoulder). Since this sword was shorter than 2 shaku (about 60 cm), during the Edo period it was allowed to be worn not by samurai, but by merchants.
Kodachi is similar in length to wakizashi, and although their blades differ considerably in design, kodachi and wakizashi are so similar in technique that they are often confused. The main difference is that kodachi are usually wider than wakizashi. In addition, the kodachi was always worn in a special baldric with a downward bend (like tachi), while the wakizashi was worn with the blade curved upwards behind the obi. Unlike other Japanese weapons, the kodachi was not usually carried with any other sword.
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Shikomizue(Jap. Shikomizue) - a weapon for a "hidden war". In Japan, it was used by the ninja. In modern times, this blade often appears in movies. Shikomizue was a wooden or bamboo cane with a hidden blade. The blade of the shikomizue could be straight or slightly curved, because the cane had to exactly follow all the curves of the blade. Shikomizue could be both a long sword and a short dagger. Therefore, the length of the cane depended on the length of the weapon.
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