TACHI | |
![]() A tachi (太刀) was a type of traditionally made Japanese sword worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The tachi style of swords preceded the development of the katana—the first use of the word katana to indicate a blade different from tachi appears toward the end of the twelfth century. An authentic tachi that was manufactured in the correct time period averaged 70–80 centimeters (27 9/16 - 31 1/2 inches) in cutting edge length (nagasa) and compared to a katana was generally lighter in weight in proportion to its length, had a greater taper from hilt to point, was more curved with a smaller point area. Unlike the traditional manner of wearing the katana, the tachi was worn hung from the belt with the cutting-edge down, and was most effective when used by cavalry. Deviations from the average length of tachi have the prefixes ko- for "short" and ō- for "great, large" attached. For instance, tachi that were shōtō and closer in size to a wakizashi were called kodachi. For a sword to be worn in "tachi style" it needed to be mounted in a tachi koshirae. The tachi koshirae had two hangers (ashi) which allowed the sword to be worn in a horizontal position with the cutting edge down. |
The blade of this sword is made of T10 carbon steel. It is also clay tempered. The high-performance blade has very good toughness and does not deform when bent at 90 degrees. The hardness is as high as 60. Cutting the wire does not hurt the blade. ![]() It can be used in battle or for display. We would highly recommend it as a gift. Anyone would be thrilled to receive a gorgeous katana sword as a gift! |
GENERAL DATA | |
OVERALL LENGTH: 103 cm / 40.5 inch BLADE LENGTH: 70 cm / 27.6 inch TSUKA LENGTH: 26 cm / 10.24 inch BLADE WIDTH: 3.2 cm / 1.26 inch BLADE THICKNESS: 0.7 cm / 0.28 BLADE CRAFT: fully hand forged, water quenching BLADE MATERIAL: T10 steel, clay tempered BLADE SHAPE: Shinogidukuri NAKAGO: full tang KISSAKI: medium (chūkissaki) BLADE HRC: 60 | |
DIMENSION | |
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MOUNTINGS | |
TSUKA(HANDLE): hard wood core, Hineri maki MEKUGI: 2 bamboo pegs TSUKA-ITO: dark brown synthetic silk wrapping cord SAMEGAWA: white rayskin FUCHI / KASHIRA / MENUKI: alloy TSUBA(HAND GUARD): alloy HABAKi & SEPPA: brass SAYA: PU leather wrapped wooden scabbard with specialized tachi fittings | |
PACKAGE | |
1 sword with saya (No display stand and other fittings along with) | |
CLAY TEMPERING | |
![]() Before being quenched, a special clay mixture can be applied onto the blade to harden the edge and obtain different hardness on the blade. The clay mixture was a special recipe and considered a crucial trade secret, guarded protectively by sword making masters. It would contain such things as feathers, powdered bones, grass, etc. and would be applied to the edge of the blade before being quenched. During quenching, a chemical reaction between the clay mixture and the hot steel occurs during the sudden temperature drop and carbon is fed into the blade in high amounts, creating an extremely tough edge. A clay hardened blade can only be quenched in water, thus increasing the defect rate even more. Another way for clay tempering is to apply clay along the blade but let edge exposed. Thus, while quenching the blade into water,the uncovered edge will cool down suddenly, but the rest of blade will cool down slowly. Such differential temperature change results in the different hardness of the blade. So the edge is tough enough to cut, where the back of blade is soft /flexible enough to absorb the impact during cutting. Such quenching process usually will leave beautiful wavy tempered line on the blade, as known as "hamon" in Japanese swords term. |
Engraving
We can engrave English words, Chinese Characters on the blade for free.
By paying additional $20, we can engrave a pattern or Japanese words for you.
Hamon
We can add or remove the machine-made wavy hamon for free.
Bo-hi ( Blood Groove)
Usually thought be used for bloodletting only. It is also used to lighten the weight of the sword. We can add or remove Bo-hi for free
Sharpness
Most of our blades are sharp. We can also make the blade unsharpened for free if you require.
Colored Blade
If you want to change to a different color blade, please contact us before purchase.
Matching Swords Set
If you buy one katana, we can make a matching Wakizashi or Tanto for you. The price varies from different swords. Please contact us if you need make custom matching set.