A back view of a samurai with a tachi in armor wearing a sashimono, holding a spear and a severed head.

The tachi (太刀^?) is one type of traditionally made Japanese swords (nihonto)^[1][2] worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The tachi style of swords preceded the development of the katana.

History and description[link]

Here are two Japanese sword nakago (tang), the top one is from a katana, the bottom is from a tachi, you can see the difference in the placement of the mei (signature), if you follow the curve of the blades you can see that if the tachi was worn tachi style with the cutting edge down the mei would be pointing away from the wearer and if the katana was worn with the cutting edge up in katana style the katana mei would also be pointing away from the wearer. Swords were worn on the left side so that they could be drawn with the right hand.

The production of swords in Japan is divided into specific time periods;Jokoto (Ancient swords, until around 900 A.D.), koto (old swords from around 900-1596), shinto (new swords 1596-1780), shinshinto (new new swords 1781-1876), gendaito (modern swords 1876-1945).^[3]and shinsakuto (newly made swords 1953-present).^[4]

Authentic tachi were forged during the Koto period, before 1596.^[5] With a few exceptions katana and tachi can be distinguished from each other if signed, by the location of the signature (mei) on the tang (nakago). In general the mei should be carved into the side of the nakago that would face outward when the sword was worn. Since a tachi was worn cutting edge down, and the katana was worn cutting edge up the mei would be in opposite locations on the nakago of both types of swords.^[6]

An authentic tachi that was manufactured in the correct time period averaged 70–80 centimeters in cutting edge length (nagasa) and compared to a katana was generally lighter in weight in proportion to its length, had a greater taper from hilt to point, was more curved with a smaller point area.^[7]

Unlike the traditional manner of wearing the katana, the tachi was worn hung from the belt with the cutting-edge down,^[8] and was most effective when used by cavalry.^[9] Deviations from the average length of tachi have the prefixes ko- for "short" and ō- for "great or large" attached. For instance, tachi that were shōtō and closer in size to a wakizashi were called kodachi. The longest tachi (considered a 15th century ōdachi) in existence is more than 3.7 meters in total length (2.2m blade) but believed to be ceremonial. In the late 1500s and early 1600s many old surviving tachi blades were converted into katana by having their original tangs cut (o-suriage), the signature (mei) would be lost in this process.^[10]

For a sword to be worn in "tachi style" it needed to be mounted in a tachi koshirae. The tachi koshirae had two hangers (ashi) which allowed the tachi to be worn in a horizontal position with the cutting edge down.^[11] A sword not mounted in a tachi koshirae could be worn tachi style by use of a koshiate, a leather device which would allow any sword to be worn in the tachi style.^[12]

Use[link]

Tachi forged by Bizen Osafune Sukesada, 12th year of the Eishô era (1515). Saya in aogai-nashiji laquer, gold decorations.

Some sources state that tachi were originally a cavalry weapon, primarily used on horseback, where it was able to be drawn efficiently for cutting down enemy foot soldiers, and that on the ground it was still an effective weapon, but somewhat awkward to use. Author Karl F. Friday refutes that by saying that before the 13th century there are no written references or drawings etc that show swords of any kind were actually used while on horseback.^[13]

The uchigatana was derived from the tachi and was the predecessor to the katana as the battle-blade of feudal Japan's bushi (warrior class), and as it evolved into the later design, the tachi and the uchigatana were often differentiated from each other only by how they were worn, the fittings for the blades, and the location of the signature (mei).

As a result of the first Mongol invasion (1274) tachi started to be made thicker and wider.^[14]

In later Japanese feudal history, during the Sengoku and Edo periods, certain high-ranking warriors of what became the ruling class would wear their sword tachi-style (edge-downward), rather than with the saya (scabbard) thrust through the belt with the edge upward.^[15]

With the rising of militarism during the Shōwa era, the Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy implemented swords called Shin guntō and Kai guntō which were worn tachi style (cutting edge down).^[16]

Gallery[link]

• 

  Close up view of an antique tachi tsuka (handle), one of the "ashi" (sword hanger) can be seen.

• 

  Antique tachi and koshirae, British museum.

• 

  Tachi "kissaki" (blade tip), Bizen school, signed "Tachimei, Bizen no Kuni Osafune Yoshigake"; Nambokusho era (14th century).

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  Tachi forged in 1997 by Matsuda Tsuguyasu, tachi koshirae made in 1999 by Takeyama. Copy of a tachi blade from the end of the Heian era (11th century). Galley Duno, Geneva.

• 

  Various types of "koshiate", a device used to carry a sword in the tachi style (cutting edge down).

• 

  Line drawing showing the correct method of wearing a tachi while in armour.

See also[link]

• Japanese sword
• Katana
• Uchigatana

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: tachi

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nihonto

• Nihonto message board forum
• Richard Stein's Japanese sword guide

Susumu Tachi (born January 1, 1946) is currently a professor of Graduate School of Media Design at Keio University and Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo.^[1]

Dr. Tachi received the B.E., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in mathematical engineering and information physics from the University of Tokyo in 1968, 1970, and 1973, respectively.

He joined the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Tokyo in 1973, and in 1975 moved to the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Tsukuba Science City, Japan, where he served as the Director of the Biorobotics Division. From 1979 to 1980, Dr. Tachi was a Japanese Government Award Senior Visiting Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA, and in 1988 he serves as Chairman of the IMEKO (International Measurement Confederation) Technical Committee on Measurement in Robotics.^[2] In 1989 he rejoined the University of Tokyo.

His scientific achievements includes intelligent mobile robot systems for the blind called Guide Dog Robot (1976–1983) and National Large Scale Project on Advanced Robotics, especially advanced human robot systems with a real-time sensation of presence known as Telexistence (Tele-Existence) (1983–1990). His present research covers Telexistence, Real-time Remote Robotics (R-Cubed) and Virtual Reality.^[3]

Prof. Tachi is also a Founding Director of the Robotics Society of Japan (RSJ), a Fellow of the Society of Instrument and Control Engineers (SICE) and is the Founding President of the Virtual Reality Society of Japan (VRSJ). See also his work on cloaking technology.(link to video)

External links[link]

This biographical article about a Japanese academic is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Masahiko Tanaka (田中 正彦^?, born on October 1, 1954) is a Japanese voice actor. ^[1]

Voice roles[link]

• Suicune in Pokemon 4Ever
• M'Quve in Mobile Suit Gundam
• Mihiramon in Digimon Tamers
• Gauron in Full Metal Panic!
• Fudou Takuma in Getbackers
• Ryo Mashiba in Hajime no Ippo
• Kyoichi Sudo in Initial D
• Ryu in Shaman King
• Carl Hutter in Stellvia of the Universe
• The Fourth Kazekage in Naruto
• Dr. Boyer in Monster
• Muramasa Kaburagi in Tiger & Bunny
• Keigo Kurusu in Mirai Nikki
• Headmaster in Candidate for Goddess

Dubbing Roles[link]

• Ra's Al Ghul in Batman:The Animated Series
• DJ's Father in Monster House

References[link]

External links[link]

• Masahiko Tanaka at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia

This biographical article about a Japanese voice actor or actress is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Miwako Fujitani (藤谷 美和子, Fujitani Miwako^?, born March 10, 1963 in Tokyo) is a Japanese actress. Her current real name is Miwako Okamura (岡村 美和子) after getting married Shunichi Okamura in December 2005. She won the award for Best Supporting Actress at the 17th Hochi Film Awards for The Oil-Hell Murder and Netorare Sosuke.^[1]

Filmography[link]

• Sorekara (1985)
• The Oil-Hell Murder (1992)
• Netorare Sosuke

References[link]

External links[link]

• Miwako Fujitani at the Internet Movie Database
• Profile at JMDb (Japanese)

This article about a Japanese actor or actress is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e