Kodachi

This article is about the Kodachi sword. For the Ranma character, see Kodachi Kuno.

A kodachi (小太刀 or こだち^?), literally translating into "small or short tachi (sword)", is a Japanese sword that is too long to be considered a dagger but too short to be a long sword. Since this sword was less than 60 cm in length, it was of legal length to be carried by the chonin class which included merchants (this was common when traveling due to the the risk of encountering bandits).^[1]

A kodachi's length is similar to that of the wakizashi, and though the blades differ in construction, the kodachi and the wakizashi are similar enough in size and technique that the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. While the kodachi was a set length, the wakizashi was forged to complement the height of its wielder or the length of the katana it was paired with, and thus varied. The kodachi also features greater curvature than a wakizashi, and typically has a longer handle.

References

1. ^ Kōkan, Nagayama (1998). The connoisseur's book of Japanese swords The connoisseur's book of Japanese swords. Kodansha International. p. 28. http://books.google.com/books?id=zPyswmGDBFkC&pg=PA48&dq=wakizashi&hl=en&ei=KZYsTo-EIqTd0QGXndDkDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDkQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=wakizashi&f=true The connoisseur's book of Japanese swords. Retrieved October 23, 2011. 

See also

• Tantō
• Wakizashi
• List of daggers
• Types of swords