Knowledge Base: Blade Specs

Chinese sword history includes several blade forms specifically developed for maximum reach, and these represent some of the longest edged weapons in world military history. The zhanmadao - literally 'horse-chopping sword' - was a two-handed long sword developed specifically to disable cavalry horses, with blades reach ...

Long blade katana require display hardware chosen specifically for their extended blade length and greater weight compared to standard katana. For horizontal wall display, two-bracket support is recommended rather than a single central bracket: position one bracket at approximately one-quarter of the blade length from ...

A long katana displays effectively on standard Japanese sword display hardware, though the extended blade length requires attention to peg spacing and wall clearance. A horizontal two-peg wall bracket with adjustable peg positions allows you to support the blade at approximately one-quarter and three-quarter positions ...

A standard katana has a blade length of approximately 27 to 30 inches, with an overall length of roughly 38 to 42 inches including the handle. A long katana extends this range to approximately 28 to 32 inches of blade length, with overall lengths of 40 to 46 inches or more. In Japanese sword terminology, this places th ...

Extra-long odachi require display hardware specifically chosen and positioned for their exceptional blade and overall length. Before purchasing an extra-long odachi, measure your intended display space carefully and confirm the available floor-to-ceiling height and wall run length are sufficient. For floor display - th ...

An extra-long odachi extends beyond the standard odachi blade length range of 35 to 40 inches, pushing toward 45 to 50 inches of blade length and 60 to 70 inches or more in overall length including the handle. To put this in perspective: a standard full-length katana has an overall length of approximately 38 to 42 inch ...

Japanese odachi require more display planning than standard katana because of their exceptional scale. Before purchasing an odachi, assess the ceiling height and wall space available in your intended display location: a 65-inch odachi displayed vertically needs at least 7 feet of clear wall height, and horizontal displ ...

A Japanese odachi and a katana share the same fundamental blade geometry - a curved single-edged blade with a kissaki tip, tsuba guard, wrapped handle, and matching scabbard - but differ dramatically in scale and in several structural details that result from that scale difference. The odachi's blade length of 35-plus ...

Displaying a hand-forged odachi effectively requires hardware chosen specifically for its exceptional length and weight. The most flexible display solution for very long odachi is a dedicated floor display stand: a stand that supports the blade at a 45 to 60 degree angle from vertical allows the full blade length to be ...

A ninja tanto follows the tanto length convention with a blade length typically ranging from six to twelve inches, giving it an overall length (including handle) of approximately ten to sixteen inches depending on the specific handle configuration. This compact scale is the defining characteristic of the tanto category ...

A ninja tanto and a samurai tanto share the compact blade length category but differ in their design language, fitting style, and cultural associations. A samurai tanto is built in the conventional Japanese sword tradition: angular kissaki tip, tsuba guard, ito-wrapped handle, and lacquered scabbard in the samurai dres ...

The primary difference between a short blade katana and a standard katana is blade length, with all other design elements remaining essentially consistent between the two forms. A standard katana has a blade length of approximately twenty-seven to thirty inches and an overall length of thirty-eight to forty-two inches. ...

Short katana swords are versatile display objects that work with a wider range of display hardware than longer swords. For wall display, a horizontal two-peg bracket sized for short to medium blades positions the sword at eye level with the edge facing upward in the traditional resting orientation. Standard katana disp ...

The primary difference between a short katana and a standard katana is blade length and overall scale, with all other design and construction elements remaining essentially consistent between the two. A standard katana has a blade length of approximately twenty-seven to thirty inches, with an overall length of thirty-e ...

A short samurai sword in this collection is essentially synonymous with the wakizashi in most practical collecting contexts. The wakizashi is the Japanese term for the short sword in the daisho pair, defined by a blade length of approximately twelve to twenty-four inches - longer than the tanto and shorter than the ful ...

A short samurai sword is most precisely defined by the wakizashi - the blade length range of approximately twelve to twenty-four inches that places it between the tanto and the full-length katana in the classical Japanese sword hierarchy. The wakizashi was the shorter blade of the daisho, the matched pair of long and s ...

A short tanto sword is a Japanese blade in the tanto category - the shortest traditional blade form in Japanese sword-making - with a blade length typically ranging from six to twelve inches. The tanto's compact scale is its defining characteristic and distinguishes it from the longer wakizashi (twelve to twenty-four i ...

Ninja power swords in this collection vary in length depending on the specific style configuration, but the core ninjato format typically ranges from around 35 to 42 inches in overall length, with blade lengths of approximately 23 to 30 inches. This places the full-length ninjato between the tanto in length (which is t ...

A samurai odachi requires display hardware specifically designed for long swords - the blade's exceptional overall length means standard katana display racks are simply too small. The two most practical solutions are a freestanding floor display stand and a wall-mounted horizontal bracket system. A freestanding floor s ...

An odachi samurai sword is defined by the combination of exceptional blade length and the full suite of samurai-tradition construction and fitting standards. The odachi category is characterized by blades that typically exceed 35 inches and overall lengths that can reach 60 inches or more - significantly larger than a ...

Displaying an odachi at home requires display hardware specifically designed for long swords, as standard katana display racks - typically built for blades of 27 to 30 inches - will not safely accommodate an odachi. The two most practical options are a freestanding floor display stand and a wall-mounted horizontal brac ...

The terms odachi and nodachi are often used interchangeably in contemporary Japanese sword collecting and refer to the same basic sword type - the great long sword of the Japanese warrior tradition with blade length well beyond the standard katana range. Strictly speaking, some historical Japanese sword classification ...

A Japanese odachi is defined primarily by its exceptional blade length, which substantially exceeds the standard katana dimensions that most collectors are familiar with. A conventional katana has an overall length of roughly 38 to 42 inches with a blade of 27 to 30 inches. A Japanese odachi is considerably larger acro ...

Displaying a kodachi katana at home is straightforward given its compact scale and offers collectors several practical options. The most popular approach is a wall-mounted horizontal two-peg bracket - one set of pegs for the bare blade and a second set directly below for the matching scabbard. This arrangement shows bo ...

A kodachi katana is an excellent choice for a first Japanese sword purchase, and in several practical respects it is better suited to a first-time buyer than a full-length katana. The shorter overall length makes the kodachi katana easier to handle safely for inspection, easier to store and display in a typical apartme ...

The primary difference between a kodachi katana and a standard full-length katana is blade length and overall scale. A full-length katana typically measures between 38 and 42 inches in total length with a blade of 27 to 30 inches. A kodachi katana is shorter across the board - its blade falls below the standard katana ...

The Japanese kodachi and the tanto are both shorter than a full katana, but they differ significantly in length, design lineage, and display character. A tanto is the shortest formal blade in the Japanese sword tradition - typically under 12 inches of blade length - and is associated with close-range use and personal c ...

A kodachi is an excellent choice for collectors working with limited display space, and in many ways it is better suited to smaller home environments than a full-length katana. The shorter overall length means a kodachi fits comfortably on a tabletop display stand without requiring dedicated wall space - it can sit on ...

The kodachi and wakizashi are often compared because they occupy similar positions in the Japanese blade length hierarchy - both are shorter than a full katana and longer than a tanto. The key distinctions are historical origin and blade geometry. The wakizashi developed as the shorter companion blade of the katana, sp ...

The kodachi - meaning "small tachi" in Japanese - is a shorter version of the tachi, the long curved sword that preceded the katana as the primary sword of the Japanese samurai class. Where a full tachi might measure 60 inches or more in overall length, the kodachi is a significantly more compact blade, typically falli ...

Displaying an odachi katana at home requires display hardware appropriate to its exceptional length - standard katana display racks, which are typically sized for blades of 27 to 30 inches, will not accommodate an odachi katana without modification or replacement. The most practical options are a freestanding floor sta ...

The primary distinction between an odachi katana and a standard katana is blade length and overall scale. A standard katana typically measures between 38 and 42 inches in total length with a blade of 27 to 30 inches. An odachi katana is considerably larger - blade lengths of 35 inches or more are typical, with overall ...

Displaying a long odachi sword at home requires display hardware sized appropriately for the piece's exceptional length - standard katana racks and most multi-sword wall panels will not accommodate an odachi without modification. The two most practical approaches are a purpose-built floor stand and a dedicated long-bla ...

The term long odachi refers to the upper end of the odachi scale - pieces that push beyond the already-exceptional dimensions of a standard odachi. A standard odachi typically features a blade of 35 inches or more with an overall length of around 55 to 60 inches. Long odachi pieces extend this further, with overall len ...

A wakizashi katana is meaningfully smaller than a full-length katana, and this size difference affects both the practical logistics of display and the visual dynamics of the piece itself. A standard katana typically measures between 38 and 42 inches in total length with a blade running 27 to 30 inches. A wakizashi sits ...

The primary difference between a wakizashi and a katana is overall length and the proportional scale of all associated components. A katana typically measures between 38 and 42 inches overall with a blade of around 27 to 30 inches, while a wakizashi is shorter across the board - usually 24 to 30 inches overall with a b ...

The wakizashi is a traditional Japanese sword with a blade length that falls between the katana and the tanto - typically between 12 and 24 inches of blade, giving it an intermediate profile that made it one of the most practical and versatile blades in the samurai's arsenal. Historically, the wakizashi was worn alongs ...

The most immediate difference between a ninjato and a tanto is blade length and the resulting scale of the overall piece. A ninjato is a full-length straight sword, typically running between 38 and 42 inches in overall length with a blade measuring around 24 to 28 inches - comparable in overall size to a katana, but wi ...

Wakizashi in this collection are companion swords with a blade length typically between 40 and 60 centimeters, producing an overall length in saya of approximately 60 to 80 centimeters depending on the specific model's blade length and handle dimensions. This places them clearly in the wakizashi range - longer than a t ...

In a daisho display, the T10 wakizashi occupies the lower tier of a two-tier stand with the katana above it. Both swords should be placed with the cutting edge facing upward and the handle pointing to the right from the viewer's perspective - this is the standard Japanese display orientation derived from traditional ho ...

In Japanese sword tradition, a tanto is a short sword - the two terms overlap significantly, with tanto being the Japanese-specific term and short sword being the more general English equivalent. A tanto has a blade length of approximately 15 to 30 centimeters, which places it well below the wakizashi and katana in the ...

The major Japanese sword types are defined primarily by blade length and the historical role associated with each. The katana is the longest sword worn by samurai as a sidearm, with a blade of 60 to 75 centimeters and an overall length of 95 to 115 centimeters in its saya. The wakizashi is the shorter companion sword o ...

Yes. Full-tang construction directly affects a katana's balance and handling character. The tang accounts for a significant portion of the handle-side weight in the sword, and its specific dimensions - length, width, and taper - determine where the sword's balance point sits along its length. A properly designed full-t ...

The tanto and wakizashi are both short Japanese swords, but they occupy distinct size categories with different historical roles. A tanto has a blade length of 15 to 30 centimeters and an overall length in its saya of 30 to 45 centimeters. A wakizashi has a blade length of 30 to 60 centimeters and an overall length of ...

Tanto swords come in several distinct blade geometries, each with different visual and handling characteristics. Hira-zukuri is the simplest and most common tanto geometry - a flat-ground blade with no ridge line, the cutting edge and the back meeting at a single angle along the full blade length. This produces a clean ...

An o-katana in its saya has an overall length of approximately 105 to 130 centimeters, depending on the specific blade length and handle dimensions. Standard katana display stands are typically sized for overall lengths up to 115 to 120 centimeters, which accommodates the shorter end of the o-katana range. For o-katana ...

An o-katana differs from a standard katana primarily in blade length. A standard katana has a blade length, measured from the habaki to the tip, of 60 to 75 centimeters. An o-katana extends this to 75 to 90 centimeters - a difference that is meaningful in both visual presence and handling character. The longer blade ch ...

The Han Dynasty jian is one of the most historically and culturally significant sword forms in Chinese history. The Han Dynasty, spanning roughly 400 years from 206 BCE to 220 CE, was a period of political consolidation, cultural development, and military expansion during which the Chinese straight sword tradition reac ...