Collection: Types of Japanese Katanas Types of Japanese Katanas

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How many types of katanas are there?

1. Standard Katana (Daito): The most common form of katana, with a curved blade between 60 and 90 cm.

2. Wakizashi: A shorter katana, with a blade between 30 and 60 cm. It was used as a secondary weapon alongside the katana.

3. Tanto: A large knife or dagger, with a blade less than 30 cm long. It was used as a support weapon or for hand-to-hand combat.

4. Tachi: Similar to the katana, but with a different mount to be worn at the waist with the blade facing down. It was used mainly by cavalry.

5. Odachi: A large katana, with a blade of over 90 cm. It was used as a ceremonial weapon or to fight against enemies with heavy armor.

6. Ninjato: A type of katana that is associated with ninjas, although there is no historical evidence that they used it. It has a shorter, straighter blade than the standard katana.

7. Shirasaya: A plain katana with the blade kept in a wooden sheath. It is used for iaido (sword drawing) practice or as a decorative object.

8. Bokken: A wooden training sword used for kendo practice.

9. Iaito: A blunt sword used for iaido practice.

10. Naginata: A polearm with a curved blade similar to that of a katana. It was used by infantry to fight against cavalry.

11. Nodachi: A very large katana, with a blade of over 1.2 meters. It was used as a ceremonial weapon or to fight against heavily armored enemies.