Japanese sword types

A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the tachi, it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge facing upward. Since the Muromachi period, many old tachi were cut from the root and shortened, and the blade at the root was crushed and converted into a katana. The specific term for katana in Japan is and the term katana (刀) often refers to single-edged swords from around the world.

The is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (nihontō) 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.

A is a traditionally made Japanese knife () that was worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the years to become more ornate. were used in traditional martial arts () and in the seppuku suicide ritual. The term has seen a resurgence in the West since the 1980s as referring to a point style of modern tactical knives, designed for piercing or stabbing, though the style is not present on any traditional tantō.

The naginata (, , ) is a polearm and one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades (nihontō). Naginata were originally used by the samurai class of feudal Japan, as well as by ashigaru (foot soldiers) and sōhei (warrior monks). The naginata is the iconic weapon of the onna-musha, a type of female warrior belonging to the Japanese nobility.

300px|thumb|Daishō style sword mounting, gold banding on red-lacquered ground. 16th century, Azuchi–Momoyama period. Important Cultural Property. [[Tokyo National Museum.]]

A is a type of sabre-like traditionally made Japanese sword (nihonto) worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. Tachi and uchigatana ("katana") generally differ in length, degree of curvature, and how they were worn when sheathed, the latter depending on the location of the , or signature, on the tang. The tachi style of swords preceded the development of the katana, which was not mentioned by name until near the end of the twelfth century. Tachi were the mainstream Japanese swords of the Kotō period between 900 and 1596. Even after the Muromachi period (1336–1573), when katana became the mai

The is alleged to be the preferred weapon of the shinobi of feudal Japan. It is portrayed by modern ninjutsu practitioners (including Masaaki Hatsumi and Stephen K. Hayes) as the weapon of the ninja and features prominently in popular culture. 20th-century examples of this sword are displayed at the Koka Ninja Village Museum in Kōka, Shiga, at the Gifu Castle Archives Museum in Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan and at the Ninja Museum of Igaryu, established in the mid-1960s.

thumb|upright=1.5|The Odachi Masayoshi forged by bladesmith Sanke Masayoshi, dated 1844. The blade length is and the tang is .

thumb|upright|Nagamaki, koshirae, from tsuka to tip, tang, tsuka, cutting edge thumb|upright=0.2|Nagamaki koshirae, 54 in. thumb|upright=0.2|Nagamaki hilt, 26.75 in. thumb|upright=0.2|Shinto nagamaki tang, 19.75 in.

A , literally translating into "small or short tachi (sword)", is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (nihontō) used by the samurai class of feudal Japan. Kodachi are from the early Kamakura period (1185–1333) and are in the shape of a tachi. Kodachi are mounted in tachi style, but with a length of less than . They are often confused with wakizashi, due to their length and handling techniques.

lightweight dagger which was commonly used by the wives of samurai during the Edo period

An is a type of Japanese sword worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The uchigatana was the descendant of the tachi. The official term for katana in Japan is uchigatana and the term katana often refers to single-edged swords from around the world.

thumb|300px|Japanese straight swords, 6–7th century, Kofun period, Met Museum The is a straight, single-edged Japanese sword that was mainly produced prior to the 9th century. Its basic style is likely derived from similar swords of ancient China. Chokutō were used on foot for stabbing or slashing and were worn hung from the waist.The Japanese sword, Kanzan Satō, Kodansha International, May 30, 1983 P.28

The is a ceremonial sword that was produced for the Imperial Japanese army and navy after the introduction of conscription in 1872.

250px|thumb|Gassan school yoroi-doshi tanto. Signed "Yoshiteru", c. 1865, motogasane, (blade thickness) at the hamachi (the notch at the beginning of the cutting edge), nagasa (cutting edge), "ayasugi hada” which looks like a series of undulating rolling waves.