ōdachi (大太刀)

[Subdeacon Joe]

 

 

 

[Pat Riot]

Was I hearing correctly? The first video was an Odachi. In the Forged in Fire show it sounded like they called the swords “Nodachi”.

 

Watching the first video I kept picturing Indiana Jones shooting the guy. Kind of a let down. He didn’t cut anything and no one challenged him. 

That definitely isn’t a close quarters combat sword. 

[Chantry]

1 minute ago, Pat Riot said:

Was I hearing correctly? The first video was an Odachi. In the Forged in Fire show it sounded like they called the swords “Nodachi”.

 

Watching the first video I kept picturing Indiana Jones shooting the guy. Kind of a let down. He didn’t cut anything and no one challenged him. 

That definitely isn’t a close quarters combat sword. 

 

Apparently Odachi and Nodachi are interchangeable:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ōdachi

[Subdeacon Joe]

In western usage the terminology gets muddy and the terms are interchangeable.   

Technically an odachi is longer than a nodachi.

 

[J-BAR #18287]

Proof that size matters.

[Pat Riot]

Thank you @Chantry and @Subdeacon Joe 

 

When I took Karate training when my instructor talked about the swords of Japan my eyes apparently glazed over. 

[Pat Riot]

Some images that helped me…

 

I thought the Tachi looked like a Katana. Apparently they all look alike to me…still do…

 

 

 

And just when I thought I was a little savvy…

 

Then I found this:

 

 

And then my eyes glazed over…

[Subdeacon Joe]

14 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

Some images that helped me…

 

I thought the Tachi looked like a Katana. Apparently they all look alike to me…still do…

 

 

 

And just when I thought I was a little savvy…

 

Then I found this:

 

 

And then my eyes glazed over…

 

 

Same here...the Japanese do seem to be obsessively obsessed about obsessing about sword nomenclature.  Every tiny difference obviously  means it's obviously a different type of sword.

 

Obviously.

[Chantry]

1 hour ago, Pat Riot said:

Thank you @Chantry and @Subdeacon Joe 

 

When I took Karate training when my instructor talked about the swords of Japan my eyes apparently glazed over. 

 

The real ones are works of art and are amazing examples of a swordsmith's talent.

 

My father dabbled in the less expensive real ones.  Most of the ones found outside of the museums or private collections in the U.S. are either lower end real ones, real ones in bad shapes or junk.   

 

At some point in the past the Japanese bought up all the really good original swords brought back to the U.S. from WWII and brought them back to Japan.

[Pat Riot]

3 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

 

Same here...the Japanese do seem to be obsessively obsessed about obsessing about sword nomenclature.  Every tiny difference obviously  means it's obviously a different type of sword.

 

Obviously.

I read this morning that one of the biggest differences in a Tachi and the Katana was how they were worn or carried. 
 

2 hours ago, Chantry said:

 

The real ones are works of art and are amazing examples of a swordsmith's talent.

 

My father dabbled in the less expensive real ones.  Most of the ones found outside of the museums or private collections in the U.S. are either lower end real ones, real ones in bad shapes or junk.   

 

At some point in the past the Japanese bought up all the really good original swords brought back to the U.S. from WWII and brought them back to Japan.

Years ago an acquaintance of mine that was a sword collector explained pretty much what you said. He had a Katana and a Short Katana that he bought in a small town in Japan when his ship visited Japan. He was in the Navy. 
When he got it back to the states he discovered that he had one of those “less expensive real ones” but he loved his and he said it put most American made attempts at making them to shame. 
 

I wouldn’t mind a short sword to have in case any number of sci-fi flicks ever become a reality. 

[Chantry]

2 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

I read this morning that one of the biggest differences in a Tachi and the Katana was how they were worn or carried. 
 

Years ago an acquaintance of mine that was a sword collector explained pretty much what you said. He had a Katana and a Short Katana that he bought in a small town in Japan when his ship visited Japan. He was in the Navy. 
When he got it back to the states he discovered that he had one of those “less expensive real ones” but he loved his and he said it put most American made attempts at making them to shame. 
 

I wouldn’t mind a short sword to have in case any number of sci-fi flicks ever become a reality. 

 

I have a real wakizashi that I bought from a fellow cowboy shooter.  His father brought it back from Japan after WWII.  He sold it to me because his children had no interest in it.

 

I have what appears to be a Chinese made katana or tachi.  When I say Chinese made, I'm not referring to the normal crap exported to the U.S.  It is a Damascus blade that a blade smith spent a LOT of time on the forge making.  I have not been able to date it, but it is at least early WWII and probably older.

 

Below is the wakizashi.  The sheath is damaged, but the blade is in good shape and is signed.

 

Edited December 29, 2023 by Chantry

[Subdeacon Joe]

I have a wakizashi I bought from a guy when I was in college.  He wanted it for some of the scabbard fittings.  The blade had been bent and sort of straighted, has chips in it, and the tang clipped just above the mekugi-bitsu.  Also some rust.   Our guess is that someone brought it home as a war trophy and let his kids or grandkids play with it.  Tang is signed, I forget what it says, but it puts it at about 250 years old.  The tsuba is an oakleaf design, with one of the stems broken  out. It also looks like the tsuba had once had some gold on it, there are tiny traces of it on the iron.  Scabbard was split, and had a place for a kogatana, or maybe kogai.  I'll try to get some photos later.  I did have an extension braised on so I could remount the hilt.  

[Pat Riot]

That is a cool sword, Wakizashi @Chantry. 
 

[Capt. R. Hugh Kidnme]

10 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

Thank you @Chantry and @Subdeacon Joe 

 

When I took Karate training when my instructor talked about the swords of Japan my eyes apparently glazed over. 

Agreed. While in Japan this past Spring, the wife and I visited a samurai museum. Well done and a wonderful experience ,

  Though the various swords, and their associated nomenclature, had me glazing over..........truly boggling.