![]() ![]() Due to its length it couldn’t be used indoors as effectively. On the other hand, the tachi was a bit longer than the katana. This made the katana a very good allrounder. Furthermore, the katana could be used in nearly every fighting location. The katana offered foot soldiers the optimal balance between length and maneuverability. Most samurai used the katana as their main weapon (besides spears). Different UsageĪnother key difference that sets katana and tachi apart is the way they were used in battle.Īs mentioned before the katana was used for fighting in close quarters. In a situation where fractions of a second could mean the difference between victory and defeat, the ability to draw and cut immediately is massively advantageous. This art is also referred to as nukitsuke. It enabled the samurai to draw and cut in one motion. The katana was certainly worn with the edge facing upwards for a good reason.ĭue to this alignment samurai gained a variety of combat advantages. ![]() This is really a feature that makes that katana extremely special and unique. This fact surely applies to the tachi, but not to the katana. Not only Japanese swords, but most swords, in general, were predominantly worn with the cutting edge facing down. Katana is worn Edge UpĪnother important difference to solve the question katana vs tachi is the way how they were worn. If you take a look at the pictures from the start again you see that the curve of the katana is a lot more shallow.Ĭontrarily the tachi has a more pronounced curve. I consider the katana to be more similar to a straight sword than to a curved sword.Įven though the tachi is not as curved as a sabre it is quite a prominent feature. However, the curve on the katana is extremely slight. One of the defining features of the katana is its curve. ![]() (This works well in most cases, but knowing the other features increases accuracy) Tachi has a more Pronounced Curve I found out that the most distinguishable aspect of the Japanese swords is their size. There are even smaller swords that look like a katana, the wakizashi for example. Even I was quite surprised when I compiled a list in my Types of Japanese Swords Article.įor example a larger variant of the tachi is called nodachi. One more important thing to note is that there are way more Japanese swords types than you might think. But in case one sword is 30 cm longer it is easier to identify it as a tachi. When comparing a 110 cm katana with a 120 cm tachi you would have to look very closely (as both could be katanas). Keep in mind this also depends on the century the sword was crafted. So if you see a tachi and a katana the tachi is probably the longer one of the two. It is no huge difference, as we see in the total length of both swords: Tachi has a Longer Handle (c) Rama, Cc-by-sa-2.0-frīesides the longer blade the tachi also features a longer handle ( tsuka). We are going to cover this aspect in more detail later on in this article. Therefore, they were preferably used outdoors. On the contrary, the tachi isn’t as effective in houses. Therefore, a shorter weapon like the wakizashi would be even better. However, even the katana is a rather long sword to be used inside buildings. This “tiny” difference might not seem to you like a lot, however in real combat this makes a difference.Ī katana offers better maneuverability and can be used in houses (the length difference becomes more apparent when considering the handle – see next section). On the other hand a katana has a blade length of around 70 cm (27.6 in). The blade ( nagasa) of a tachi is around 75 cm (29.5 in) long. It took me a while to remember the approximate length of all the Japanese sword types, but believe me this is their most distinguishable feature. The blade length is probably the easiest and most important aspect to tell whether a sword is a tachi or katana. Tachi has a Longer Blade A tachi and my own katana / (c) Rama, Cc-by-sa-2.0-fr Therefore, we will now move on to the next interesting difference to answer the question tachi vs katana. These approximately 300 years were enough to create two similarly looking, yet quite distinct swords. According to historians, the tachi sword was first created 900 AD, whereas the katana came into being in the Kamakura Period (1192-1333 AD). The tachi was invented a few centuries before the katana. ![]()
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