A short blade (短刀) is a traditionally made Japanese knife that were 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 isn't present on any traditional tantō. A Tanto knife may refer to an American style of blade based of the Japanese, usually with a squared rather than curved ved tip.

Description

The is a single or double edged dagger with a length between 6 and 12 in (1 Japanese ). The was designed primarily as a stabbing weapon, but the edge can be used for slashing as well. are generally forged in the hira-zukuri (平造) style (without a ridgeline), meaning that their sides have no ridge line and are nearly flat, unlike the shinogi-zukuri (鎬造) structure of a katana. Some have particularly thick cross-sections for armor-piercing duty, and are called. were mostly carried by samurai; commoners did not generally wear them. Women sometimes carried a small called a in their, primarily for self-defense. were sometimes worn as the shōtō (小刀) in place of a in a, especially on the battlefield. Before the advent of the combination, it was common for a samurai to carry a and a as opposed to a katana and a. It has been noted that the would be paired with a and later the katana would be paired with another shorter katana. With the advent of the katana, the was eventually chosen by samurai as the short sword of choice over the. Kanzan Satō, in his book The Japanese Sword, notes that there did not seem to be any particular need for the, and suggests that the may have become more popular than the due to the being more suited for indoor fighting. He mentions the custom of leaving the katana at the door of a castle or palace when entering while continuing to wear the inside.

History of in Japan

The production of swords in Japan is divided into specific time periods:

Heian to Muromachi periods

The was invented partway through the Heian period. With the beginning of the Kamakura period, were forged to be more aesthetically pleasing, and and became the most popular styles. Near the middle of the Kamakura period, more artisans were seen, increasing the abundance of the weapon, and the style became prevalent in the cities of Kyoto and Yamato. Because of the style introduced by the in the late Kamakura period, began to be forged longer and wider. The introduction of the Hachiman faith became visible in the carvings in the hilts around this time. The (line of temper) is similar to that of the, except for the absence of , which is and. and are found to have taken its place. During the era of the Northern and Southern Courts, the were forged to be up to 40 cm in length, as opposed to the normal one (about 30 cm) length. The blades became thinner between the and the, and wider between the and. At this point in time, two styles of were prevalent: the older style, which was subtle and artistic, and the newer, more popular style. With the beginning of the Muromachi period, constant fighting caused the mass production of blades, meaning that with higher demand, lower-quality blades were manufactured. Blades that were custom-forged still were of exceptional quality, but the average blade suffered greatly. As the end of the period neared, the average blade narrowed and the curvature shallowed. Katana originate from sasuga (刺刀), a kind of used by lower-ranking samurai who fought on foot in the Kamakura period. Their main weapon was a long, with the as a spare weapon. In the Nanboku-chō period, which corresponds to the early Muromachi period, long weapons such as were popular, and along with this, the lengthened, taking its form as the katana.

Momoyama to the early Edo period

Approximately 250 years of peace accompanied the unification of Japan, in which there was little need for blades. In this period, both the katana and were invented, taking the place of the and as the most-used pair of weapons, and the number of forged was severely decreased. Since this period, have often been carved with splendid decorations. Of the and forged during this period, three masterpieces are called the Three Blades in Japan.

Late Edo period

There were still a few being forged during the late Edo period, and the ones that were forged reflected the work of the Kamakura, Nambokucho, or Muromachi eras. Suishinshi Masahide was a main contributor towards the forging of during this age. There were now only predating the Edo period being used in combat; forged during the late Edo period were not combative weapons.

Meiji to present

Many were forged before World War II, due to the restoration of the Emperor to power. Members of the Imperial Court began wearing the set of and once more, and the number of in existence increased dramatically. After World War II, a restriction on sword forging caused manufacture to fall drastically. remained in use among twentieth century yakuza (gangsters) since they could be carried as a concealed weapon more easily than a katana. A is also traditionally used in the yubitsume ritual (cutting off part of a finger as an act of submission or atonement). American and European interest in Japanese martial arts since the war created a demand for the outside Japan from the 1960s through the present time.

Types of

Blade types

Mountings ()

American Tanto

A popular style of blade, known simply as a Tanto in the US and Europe. The blade is similar in style to the Tantō, except that instead of a curved tip, the tip is squared at a shear angle. The shear angle may facilitate the stabbing effectiveness of the blade, and make the process of sharpening simpler. This style of blade is commercially popular, and was used by CIA field agents in the wake of 9/11.

Other

Use in martial arts

with blunt wooden or blunt plastic blades are used to practice martial arts. Versions with a blunt metal blade are used in more advanced training and in demonstrations. Martial arts that employ the include:

Popular culture

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