Minneapolis Institute of Art

Blade with engraved snake for a long-sword (koto-katana) and mounting with dragon decoration

Japan; Ōmori Terumasa (tsuba)

Date

16th century

Medium

Steel and gold paint, mounting: wood, lacquer, shakudō, shibuichi, gold, ray skin, and silk, tsuba: shakudō, shibuichi, and gold, menuki: silver

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Sword manufacturing was introduced to Japan from the Asian mainland. The earliest known types of swords were straight and mostly 23 1/2 to 27 1/2 inches in length. They were made of bronze and used for stabbing as well as striking. Higher-ranking warriors on horseback carried tachi , swords that hung from the belt with the cutting edge facing down. The 1300s saw the development of a new type of sword called uchigatana , which warriors carried in the belt with the cutting edge facing up. Uchigatana were better suited for foot soldiers and became the sword most commonly used by the samurai, the warrior class, who needed a weapon suited to changing battle conditions. With its curvature near the tip, the blade offered a faster response time, enabling the warrior to draw and strike in a single motion. Uchigatana -type swords with a blade length of approximately 23 1/2 to 28 1/2 inches came to be known as katana , and shorter blades as wakizashi (average 20 inches). To use both swords for fighting was uncommon, and on the battlefield it was customary to carry a katana and a more practical short dagger ( tantō ) with a blade length between 6 and 12 inches.

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