That Other Japanese Sword: The Under-Appreciated Wakizashi

by Richard Stein, PhD

Everyone interested in Japanese swords desires to possess a fine katana or tachi, or the Japanese long sword (daito). However, many folks overlook and do not appreciate the short sword known as the wakizashi. The wakizashi is a shorter length sword that was developed to meet the needs of an "inside sword" where space did not permit proper use of a long sword. It was not only the companion sword of the matched daisho set, but was also the sword of merchants and artisans who were forbidden by edict from wearing a katana. It is this popularity with the merchant and artisan class that accounts for the great numbers of wakizashi found today. There were simply many more wakizashi made than katana.

Most collectors simply distinguish types of Japanese swords based on blade length:

These measurements are modified for those slightly over or under the average measurements by using "ko-" for small or "o-" for long; thus there are o-tanto, ko-wakizashi, ko-katana, etc.

Swordsmiths, including the great and famous ones, made wakizashi in large numbers. Some were made as the short sword, shoto, of the daisho set, while others were made a single swords to be sold to foot soldiers (ashigaru), merchants, tradesman and artisans. The same techniques were used as in the making of the katana or tachi. In some cases the wakizashi was more elaborately carved with horimono and bonji as it was assumed that the non-samurai had more extravagant and flamboyant tastes than the refined tastes of simple elegance of the samurai class.

Wakizashi are found with the same variety of blade styles as katana, with a greater percentage of hira-zukuri and shobu-zukuri styles than found on long swords. Also, it is not unusual to find naginata that have been cut down, perhaps reshaped and mounted as wakizashi. These are known as naginata-naoshi.

The mountings (koshirae) of the wakizashi are the same as the long swords. In addition, the scabbard (saya) may have slots for kozuka (small utility knife), kogai (hair arranger), waribashi (split kogai for use as chopsticks). Katana saya will occasionally have a slot for kozuka, but almost never have two slots for kozuka and kogai or waribashi.

In the current market tachi and katana bring the greatest price, ranging from several hundred dollars for a hand made World War II era blade to many tens of thousands for a blade by a top rated swordsmith. Wakizashi bring only about half the price of a comparable long sword of the same quality. This is due not only to the greater numbers of wakizashi available, but also due to the greater desirability of katana and tachi in the collectors market. Well made wakizashi in full buke-zukuri mounts can still be found for under US$1,000.

Even more affordable are unsigned (mumei) wakizashi. These offer the student/collector the most affordable option to own a true antique Japanese sword at a fraction of the cost of an antique katana. This makes the mumei wakizashi possibly the best buy in Nihon-to at the present time. Mumei wakizashi also offer the collector the challenge and learning experience of trying to determine when it was made, by what school of swordsmiths and perhaps even the specific swordsmith who created the sword.

Wakizashi are great learning tools. They tell us of the methods, craftsmanship and skill of the swordsmith just as does the long sword. It is unfortunate that collectors often overlook the wakizashi for it is as much a part of Japanese sword study and lore as the greatest tachi or katana.

Dr. Richard Stein has been studying the Nihon-to for approximately twenty years. He is the author of the critically acclaimed and award-winning website The Japanese Sword Index.

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