Wakizashi

Japanese wakizashi

In feudal Japan, in addition to carrying a katana, samurai had a wakizashi that they attached to their belt, “Obi” in Japanese. The wakizashi is a Japanese sword smaller than a katana, and the set of two swords is called a Daishō.

An ancient wakizashi measures between 30 and 60 cm and has the same curvature as a katana. Samurai used the wakizashi in more restricted areas, where a larger sword was difficult to handle.

Here at KatanaEmpire, we offer a wide range of sharp wakizashi to complement your daishō and affirm your taste for traditional Japanese culture, but also to adorn your wall with a genuine hand-forged collector’s item.

If you’d like to show off your forged wakizashi on a stand placed on a piece of furniture or the like, remember to put it in a place that’s difficult for younger people to reach.

Wakizashi vs. Katana

There are a number of differences between a wakizashi and a katana, such as their respective sizes. A wakizashi is only 30 to 60 cm long, while a katana is 60 to 80 cm. Samurai took advantage of this size difference, the katana being for outdoor use and the wakizashi for indoor use.

Next, the katana was the exclusive preserve of the samurai, who worshipped them almost as a cult. Unlike the katana, which could not be used by other people, the wakizashi was carried by merchants and other retailers for their own protection. This particularity does not, however, affect the respect samurai had for their wakizashi.

But these two Japanese swords also have something in common. The wakizashi is curved in the same way as the katana. This is made possible by the tempering the blade undergoes during its manufacture. The wakizashi is forged from the same high-quality materials as the katana. And, of course, they were both the main swords of the samurai.