Tachi vs Uchigatana: What Is the Difference?

When you hear the word "sword", what shape comes to mind? Swords such as the tanto, whose blade is less than one shaku (about 30.3 cm / 11.9 in), and the wakizashi, longer than the tanto but under two shaku (about 60.6 cm / 23.9 in), stand out at first glance by their length.

However, among the different types of sword, the "tachi" and the "uchigatana", both of which were in common use on the battlefield, have a blade length of two shaku or more, and many people cannot tell the difference between them at first glance.
In this article, we provide detailed information on how to tell them apart.

The difference between the tachi and the uchigatana in appearance

What the tachi and the uchigatana have in common is that the blade length is 2 shaku or more.

The most important point for telling the two apart, however, is the "shape", or "taihai", which is the part of the sword's body other than the "nakago" (tang).

The appearance of a sword has several elements, and one of the most important is the "wari", which determines the dignity and beauty of the sword itself. The wari refers to the longest part of the blade between the straight line joining the munemachi and the point (kissaki) and the mune.

Among "koshizori" shapes, there are many tachi that have been handed down to the present day with the centre of the curve near the "habakimoto" (the base of the sword), and with a very deep curvature, but with almost no curvature at the point (kissaki).

Swords of this period had a "stepped" appearance, with the tip of the sword narrower than the original width of the blade (motohaba, the width at the base of the blade). This gave the sword an elegant and graceful look.

The curvature of these swords moved towards the upper centre as one moves from the Kamakura period (1185-1333) to the Nanbokucho period (1336-1392). The curvature itself became shallower, and the difference between the width of the body and the original width gradually narrowed.

As the curvature gradually became shallower, the uchigatana replaced the tachi as the main sword. It was during the Sengoku period (1467-1568) that the uchigatana flourished. During this period, as regional lords across Japan engaged in battles to gain the upper hand over the country, a large number of battlefield swords were made.

The uchigatana originally had the form of a "flat sword" (hirazukuri) that resembled a long dagger, but as the sword developed, the "hozukuri" became a common form.

During the Muromachi period (1333-1573) and later, swords that were originally long were often reworked into uchi-tachi by trimming the tang and shortening the blade, making them shorter and easier to handle.

This process was called "suriage", and Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who both became the foremost rulers of their time, were particularly active in this practice. The process involved shortening the tang to the point where the original inscription was no longer visible, then reworking the tang to the place where the blade had been. This technique is also known as "oo-suri-age".

For example, Heshikiri Hasebe, a favourite sword of Oda Nobunaga said to have been passed to the Kuroda family after being given to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was an "oodachi" with a blade longer than a tachi, but it was later shortened to become an uchigatana.

Thus, there are two types of sword that have survived to the present day:

• swords that were originally made as troop swords (uchigatana)
• swords that were shortened from what were originally tachi

History of the difference between the tachi and the uchigatana

One of the factors that distinguishes a tachi from an uchigatana is the way the sword is worn.

The basic way of wearing a tachi is to hang it on the left side of the body, with the edge facing down.
The swordsmith who made the sword usually engraves his name on the tang.

The uchigatana is worn with the edge facing up, "obi ni shimasu". As with the tachi, the side of the sword that faces outwards when it is thrust into the waist with the edge up is called the "sashimote" (差表), and most uchigatana bore the maker's name on the tang.

Consequently, one clue for telling a tachi from an uchigatana is to check whether the inscription is on the omote or the sashimote.

The reason for this difference between the tachi and the uchigatana is that the way the sword was used changed with the eras.

As mentioned above, the tachi form of Japanese sword was established in the late Heian period (794-1185). The most popular style of battle at that time was battle on horseback, in which the samurai rode into the fray.

The sword served as a back-up when dismounting or when arrows ran out.

However, in 1180, at the time of the Jishō-Juei rebellion, the culmination of a series of clashes in the Genpei conflict, the use of swords on horseback began to increase.

Since a longer blade is more advantageous for swords used in mounted battles, it is thought that the tachi, which was developed for use in mounted battles, had a longer blade and a more pronounced curve than the uchigatana. The sword was also hung from a belt with the edge facing down, with a metal fitting attached to the tip of the scabbard so that it would not whip against the horse's rump.

The tachi was used on the battlefield until around the Nanbokucho period (1336-1392), but by the end of the Muromachi period (1333-1573) it had been replaced by the uchigatana.

The main reason was the change in style from mounted battle to "kachi ikusa" (battle on foot). In mounted battle, there was a certain distance between opponents, but in kachi ikusa, the battle took place at close quarters.

Consequently, the key to victory was how quickly the sword could be drawn from its scabbard when the opponent was right in front of you.

The uchigatana, with its shallow curvature and shortened blade length, was therefore even easier to handle. Short swords became the preferred choice on the battlefield, and the tachi was replaced by the uchigatana.

The roles of the tachi and the uchigatana changed over time

Although it may seem that the tachi fell out of use, it was in fact used at celebrations and ceremonies as a glittering "decorative tachi" (kazatachi) influenced by aristocratic culture, even before the samurai class came to power.

This custom continued even after the tachi had finished its role on the battlefield, and there are records of tachi being given as gifts on occasions such as the emperor's first ceremonial dress and the birth of the heir to the throne.

Unlike the decorative swords of the nobility, the samurai class had a sword designated by the Edo shogunate for ceremonial use, called the "itomaki tachi".

The itomaki tachi, with its decorative maki-e scabbard, was a symbol of the power of the samurai family and was regarded as an elegant and prestigious item of equipment.

The uchigatana, on the other hand, began to be worn as a pair with the wakizashi during the Edo period (1603-1867).

The maximum size of the sword was fixed by order of the shogunate. At that time, swords that were too long were increasingly shortened into "battachi".

During the peaceful Edo period (1603-1867), swords were no longer used in battle, but the tachi and the uchigatana became a mark of samurai status, and they were also worn in daily life.