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and for now is better to avoid to talk about this.
and for now is better to avoid to talk about this.
The wearing of DaiSho (long/short, meaning Katana and Wakizashi) begun
The wearing of DaiSho (long/short, meaning Katana and Wakizashi) begun
in this period. Basically a backup blade was always carried by Samurai, but the fashion of having a matched pair of mounting is what we intend for "DaiSho".
in this period. Basically a backup blade was always carried by Samurai, but
the fashion of having a matched pair of mountings for main and backup sword
started here.
This is a very crucial change in the japanese sword history and, as already
said, is the result of an evolution. To explain the (slow) switching from the
ancient fashion to the new one we've to deal with the meaning of the term
"Wakizashi". It's made by two words "Waki" (side, secondary) and "Zashi"
(from Sasu, "to insert").
In the sword context it means "to insert between the Obi", i.e. a sword
to be worn inserted between the Obi. Tachi requires another verb, "Haku",
to wear "hanging" from the waist. Backup swords were carried by Samurai from
the very beginning of their history, and they were usually inserted
"between the Obi". So Wakizashi in ancient times referred to any sword that
was secondary to the Tachi and worn inserted in the Obi with no reference
to it's lenght. In Koto times back-up blades spread from Yoroi-Doshi (armor
piercing daggers), Chiisagatana (shorther then Katana) and Koshigatana, all
always worn inserted in the Obi but the Koshigatana, that a few times was
worn hanging from Obi. The length, in these times, wasn't an issue to qualify
a blade as "Wakizashi" and the term "Daisho" in the meaning of "Daito and Shoto"
(pair of long and short swords) wasn't in use yet.
There is a document quoting that Oda Nobunaga wore (with the kanji used for
the meaning "inserting between obi") a set of dai-sho. So is safe to say taht
was between Tenbun and Eiroku (circa 1532 through 1569) that this fashion
was adopted by Samurai, most likely aving already been adopted by lower
ranks troops a little earlier. During the Momoyama were fixed the first
official criteria to differentiate types of swords according to their
lenght creating the categories we find later on, Katana, Wakizashi, Tanto and
imposing who were allowed to wear what type of sword, but these regulamentations
weren't really fully applied. The stirct regulamentation was, anyway, only
a matter of time.
In Shoho 2, (1645 a.C.) "The Order Regarding Dai-sho Katana and Hair Style"
fixed the maximum length of katana to be 2 shaku and 8 to 9 sun
(84.84 cm - 87.87 cm), and wakizashi to be 1 shaku and 8 to 9 sun
(54.54 cm - 57.57 cm).
In Kanbun 8 (a.d 1668) the Tokugawa Shogunate issued the famous Muto Rei,
(No Sword Order), a law that firmly prohibit the commoner class carrying/wearing
any swords longer than "ko-wakizashi" (i.e., small wakizashi) unless specifically
permitted by the government. According Muto Rei, "ko-wakizashi" is defined as
a sword with blade length shorter than 1 shaku and 5 sun (45.54cm).
Others edicts followed to fix balde lebghts for high-ranking Samurai and
Hatamoto when on duty in Edo and in the mid-Edo period we can find what is
generally accepted as the standard lenghts for japanese swords blades .
*Tanto - to be shorter than 1 shaku (= 30.3cm)
*Wakizashi - to be from 1 shaku (= 30.3cm) to 1 shaku 9 sun 9 bu (= 60.297cm); but more
specifically,
**Ko-wakizashi (i.e., small wakizashi) to be from 1 shaku (= 30.3cm) up to 1 shaku 4 sun 9 bu (= 45.147cm);
**Chu-wakizashi (i.e., mid size wakizashi) to be from 1 shaku 5 sun (= 45.45cm) to 1 shaku 7 sun 9 bu (= 54.237cm), and
**O-wakizashi (i.e., large size wakizashi) - to be from 1 shaku 8 sun up to 1 shaku 9 sun 9 bu (= 60.297cm);
*Katana - to be 2 shaku (=60.6cm) and longer.
Blade lenghts are always measured steight between the Hamachi and the Kissaki.
Since the official adoption of the metric system in 1891, the traditional
length units of "shaku," "sun" and "bu" are no longer used.
The legal designations of Tanto, Wakizashi, and Katana by their length under today’s Japanese laws are as follows
*Tanto - to be 30cm or shorter;
*Wakizashi - to be longer than 30cm but shorter than 60cm;
*Katana (and Tachi) - to be 60cm or longer
The following layout shows the main (NOT all) "Sugata" (shape) changes of the japanese sword with period and lenght (in shaku, 1 shaku = 30.3022 cm or 11.93 inches) from right to left, first line first. Obviously an infinite number of possible mix are found, but these are
The following layout shows the main (NOT all) "Sugata" (shape) changes of the japanese sword with period and lenght (in shaku, 1 shaku = 30.3022 cm or 11.93 inches) from right to left, first line first. Obviously an infinite number of possible mix are found, but these are
the most common ones.
the most common ones.
[[Image:Sugata history2.gif|600px|center]]
[[Image:Sugata history2.gif|600px|center]]
[[Category:Arms and Armor]]
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[[Category:Arms and Armor]]
[[Category:Arms and Armor]]
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