Japanese Katana Blade Classification

• Divided by era:

Jyoukotou(じょうことう,上古刀):Usually not included in the list of Japanese swords, it refers to the sword before the Kodou.Straight knives are the main ones.Refers to the Japanese sword before Keilong.Kodou(こどう,古刀) Before the middle of the Muromachi period, Tachi was mainly used.

Shintou(しんとう,新刀):The sword after Qing Chang.

Shinshintou(しんしんとう,新々刀):Made according to the advocacy of Masahide Mizushinko, using Kodou forging sword,There are also various theories, referring to the Japanese swords of the late 18th century to the beginning of the 19th century.

Gendaitou(げんだいとう,现代刀):There are also various theories, generally referring to the knives made after Japan issued an abolition of knives in 1876.

Syouwatou(しょうわとう,昭和刀):As a kind of art sword, outside the category of Japanese swords, it is a weapon sword mainly used for sabers. There are many ways to make it.

• Sort by shape:

Various Japanese swords are placed in different directions because the inscriptions are carved in different directions.

Tachi(たち,太刀):The blade length is more than 80 cm, and the blade camber is also high. There is no hard and fast way to wear Tachi. However, in order to facilitate the cavalry to hack and kill enemies on the ground, Tachi will generally be worn with the winger facing down and hung under the belt. The Japanese sword is divided into front and back, and Tachi's front is on the right. The position of the inscription is the key. If you cut your finger up first and regard the blade as the front of the sword, Tachi's inscription is on the right side of the blade.

Katana(かたな,刀):Also known as Uchikatana (うちかたな,打刀), it is generally shorter than Tachi, and the blade has a lower curvature. In order to achieve the fastest drawing speed, the knife is traditionally worn with the wing facing upwards, with the scabbard inserted in the belt. If Kassaki points up and sees the blade as the front of the sword, the inscription is on the left side of the blade. So the front side of the knife is also the left side. According to the modern classification, it refers to a knife with a blade length (blade length: the straight-line distance from the cutting first to the building area) of 60 cm to 80 cm.

Wakizashi（わきざし,胁差）:Refers to a knife with a blade length of 30 cm to 60 cm.

tanto（たんとう，短刀）:Refers to a knife with a blade length of less than 30 cm.