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==Description== |
==Description== |
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[[File:Samurai putting on a nodawa.png|thumb|A Japanese Edo period wood block print of a samurai wearing a ''tachi'', the cutting edge of the ''tachi'' is worn pointing down as opposed to the ''uchigatana'' or ''katana'' which would be worn cutting edge up.]] |
[[File:Samurai putting on a nodawa.png|thumb|A Japanese Edo period wood block print of a samurai wearing a ''tachi'', the cutting edge of the ''tachi'' is worn pointing down as opposed to the ''uchigatana'' or ''katana'' which would be worn cutting edge up.]] |
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The blade length of the ''uchigatana'' during the 1500s is said to be from 60 cm to no more than 70 cm, with a stout ''sugata'', a steep ''saki-zori'', and it could be used as a one handed sword due to its thin ''kasane''(thickness) and short ''nakago'' (tang) making it relatively light.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=zPyswmGDBFkC&pg=PA28&dq=uchi+gatana&hl=en&ei=tCUxTub1N-Pj0QHRmfnmCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=uchi%20gatana&f=true''The connoisseur's book of |
The blade length of the ''uchigatana'' during the 1500s is said to be from 60 cm to no more than 70 cm, with a stout ''sugata'', a steep ''saki-zori'', and it could be used as a one handed sword due to its thin ''kasane''(thickness) and short ''nakago'' (tang) making it relatively light.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=zPyswmGDBFkC&pg=PA28&dq=uchi+gatana&hl=en&ei=tCUxTub1N-Pj0QHRmfnmCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=uchi%20gatana&f=true''The connoisseur's book of |
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As opposed to the ''[[tachi]]'', the ''uchigatana'' was worn edge-up in the belt,<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=vFS2iT8QjqEC&pg=PA61&dq=uchigatana&hl=en&ei=9jzGTc_EI8SDtgf12KyxBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=uchigatana&f=true ''The Japanese sword'', Kanzan Satō, Kodansha International, 1983 p.61]</ref> this and usually being slightly smaller than the ''tachi'' was the main difference between the ''tachi'' and the ''uchigatana''.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=q5KBjpGSRgkC&pg=PA79&dq=uchigatana&hl=en&ei=G_sgTZD0HsO88ganpoDGBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=true ''Samurai, warfare and the state in early medieval Japan'', Karl F. Friday, Routledge, 2004 p.79]</ref> Since the ''uchigatana'' is worn differently than the ''tachi'', the signature [[Commons:Category:Mei|(''mei'')]] carved into the tang [[Commons:Category:Nakago|(''nakago'')]] of the ''uchigatana'' is also opposite to the ''tachi'' ''mei'', making the words still upright instead of upside down as when one wears the ''tachi'' in the manner of the ''uchigatana''.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=q5KBjpGSRgkC&pg=PA79&dq=uchigatana&hl=en&ei=G_sgTZD0HsO88ganpoDGBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=true ''Samurai, warfare and the state in early medieval Japan'', Karl F. Friday, Routledge, 2004 p.79]</ref> |
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''Uchigatana'' became popular for several reasons, the ''uchigatana'' was more convenient to wear and did not get in the way of using a polearm as much as a ''tachi'', also the frequency of battles fought on foot<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=IQ3FAZG94ZsC&pg=PA81&dq=uchigatana&hl=en&ei=G_sgTZD0HsO88ganpoDGBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CEwQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=uchigatana&f=true ''Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior'', Clive Sinclaire, Globe Pequot, 2004 p.81]</ref> and the need for speed on the battlefield, were major reasons for the ''uchigatana'' being rapidly accepted and indicated that battlefield combat had grown in intensity.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=q5KBjpGSRgkC&pg=PA79&dq=uchigatana&hl=en&ei=G_sgTZD0HsO88ganpoDGBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=true ''Samurai, warfare and the state in early medieval Japan'', Karl F. Friday, Routledge, 2004 p.79]</ref> Since the ''uchigatana'' was shorter than the ''tachi'', it could be used in more confined quarters, such as inside a building. Further, tactics of the period dictating unseating mounted soldiers by cutting of the mounts legs, hence mounted combat was seen as inherently disadvantageous.{{cn|date=January 2014}} |
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==Use== |
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Unlike the ''tachi'', with which the acts of drawing and striking with the sword were two separate actions, unsheathing the ''uchigatana'' and cutting the enemy down with it became one smooth, lightning-fast action.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=Ce5KaXj5fSEC&pg=PA20&dq=wakizashi&hl=en&ei=m84sTt_BOsbegQeswcD1Cg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=28&ved=0CLwBEOgBMBs#v=onepage&q=wakizashi&f=true ''Katana: The Samurai Sword: 950-1877'', Stephen Turnbull, Osprey Publishing, 2010 P.22]</ref> This technique was developed in the arts of [[battojutsu]], [[iaijutsu]], and [[iaido]]. |
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The curvature of the ''uchigatana'' blade differs from the ''tachi'' in that the blade has curvature near the sword’s point (''sakizori''), as opposed to curvature near the sword’s hilt (''koshizori'') like the ''tachi''. Because the sword is being drawn from below, the act of unsheathing became the act of striking. For a soldier on horseback, the ''sakizori'' curve of the ''uchigatana'' was essential in such a blade, since it allows the sword to come out of its sheath [[Commons:Category:Saya|(''saya'')]] at the most convenient angle for executing an immediate cut.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=vFS2iT8QjqEC&pg=PA61&dq=uchigatana&hl=en&ei=9jzGTc_EI8SDtgf12KyxBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=uchigatana&f=true ''The Japanese sword'', Kanzan Satō, Kodansha International, 1983 p.61]</ref> |
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== See also == |
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{{div col}} |
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* [[Japanese sword]] |
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* [[Tachi]] |
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* [[Nodachi]] |
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* [[Ōdachi]] |
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* [[Wakizashi]] |
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* [[Tantō]] |
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* [[Daishō]] |
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* [[Japanese sword mountings]] |
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{{Div col end}} |
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==References== |
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{{reflist|2}} |
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==External links== |
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{{commons category|Nihonto}} |
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* [http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/ Nihonto message board forum] |
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* [http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/nihonto.htm Richard Stein's Japanese sword guide] |
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{{Japanese (samurai) weapons, armour and equipment}} |
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{{Swords by region navbox}} |
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[[Category:Japanese sword types]] |
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[[Category:Samurai weapons and equipment]] |
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Revision as of 21:52, 20 November 2014
| Uchigatana (打刀) | |
|---|---|
 Uchigatana full exterior (upper section) | |
| Type | Sword |
| Place of origin | Japan |
| Production history | |
| Produced | Muromachi period (1392–1573) |
| Specifications | |
| Blade length | 60-70 cm |
An uchigatana (打刀) is a type of Japanese sword worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The uchigatana was the descendant of the tachi.[citation needed]
History
The production of swords in Japan is divided into specific time periods:
- Jokoto (ancient swords, until around 900 A.D.)
- Koto (old swords from around 900–1596)
- Shinto (new swords 1596–1780)
- Shinshinto (new new swords 1781–1876)
- Gendaito (modern swords 1876–1945)[1]
- Shinsakuto (newly made swords 1953–present)[2]
From the Heian to the Muromachi Period, the primary battlefield sword was the tachi. Its long blade and sharp edge made it ideal for use on horseback. During the fifteenth century, the uchigatana came into use, and during the Muromachi Period (1336 to 1573) use of the uchigatana became widespread.[3]
The word uchigatana can be found in literary works as early as the Kamakura Period, with uchi meaning "to strike" and gatana (katana) meaning "sword", so that uchigatana means "sword to strike with".[4] The uchigatana was originally used only by individuals of low status or rank, such as the ashigaru.[5][6]
Most uchigatana made during the early Kamakura Period were not of the highest standard, and because they were considered disposable,[7] virtually no examples from these early times exist today. It was not until the Muromachi Period, when samurai began to use uchigatana to supplement the longer tachi, that uchigatana of higher quality were made. During the Momoyama period, the tachi was almost totally abandoned and the custom of wearing a pair of long and short uchigatana together (called the daisho) [8] became the dominant symbol of the samurai class.
Description
The blade length of the uchigatana during the 1500s is said to be from 60 cm to no more than 70 cm, with a stout sugata, a steep saki-zori, and it could be used as a one handed sword due to its thin kasane(thickness) and short nakago (tang) making it relatively light.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=zPyswmGDBFkC&pg=PA28&dq=uchi+gatana&hl=en&ei=tCUxTub1N-Pj0QHRmfnmCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=uchi%20gatana&f=trueThe connoisseur's book of
- ^ Clive Sinclaire (1 November 2004). Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior. Lyons Press. pp. 40–58. ISBN 978-1-59228-720-8.
- ^ トム岸田 (24 September 2004). 靖国刀. Kodansha International. p. 42. ISBN 978-4-7700-2754-2.
- ^ The connoisseur's book of Japanese swords Kōkan Nagayama, Kodansha International, 1998 p.28
- ^ Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior, Author Clive Sinclaire, Publisher Globe Pequot, 2004,ISBN 1-59228-720-4, ISBN 978-1-59228-720-8 P.81
- ^ Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior, Clive Sinclaire, Globe Pequot, 2004 p.81
- ^ Samurai, warfare and the state in early medieval Japan, Karl F. Friday, Routledge, 2004 p.79
- ^ Lethal elegance: the art of samurai sword fittings, Joe Earle, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MFA Publications, 2004 p.15
- ^ The Japanese sword, Kanzan Satō, Kodansha International, 1983 p.68