Guide on Wakizashi: The Famous Japanese Short Sword

In feudal Japan, the short sword wakizashi served as an efficient secondary weapon of the samurai, who traditionally carried it with the katana. The warrior wore it indoors when the longer sword was set aside at the entrance and utilized it against opponents with longer weapons.

Let’s explore the history and use of the wakizashi, why it became one of the preferred weapons for combat, and where you can get it online.

Characteristics of the Wakizashi Sword

The wakizashi sword is distinguished by its short blade, but it commonly includes all the features of a longer Japanese sword.

Here are the characteristics of the Japanese short sword:

Metal and Construction

The Japanese samurai swords were among the finest weapons ever made. Traditional swordsmiths forged them from tamahagane steel and used a complex process to create blades that were hard but not brittle. The tamahagane is high carbon steel smelted from iron sands and made from the traditional tatara furnace in Japan.

However, Japanese swords including wakizashi, forged from tamahagane are highly regulated and cannot be mass produced. So, many non-traditional swordsmiths strive to create replicas with damascus steel or high carbon steel blades.

Blade Appearance

The wakizashi is single-edged and slightly curved, which is the characteristic shape of Japanese swords. Many collectors also value Japanese blades for their aesthetic features, especially the hamon or temperline pattern, achieved by covering the blade in the clay of varying thickness and then quenching it in water. Many wakizashi blades featured horimono or decorative carvings, from floral designs to Buddhist motifs and Sanskrit characters.

Size and Length

In Japan, blades longer than 1 shaku (approximately 30 centimeters) and shorter than 2 shaku (around 60 centimeters) are considered short swords or wakizashi. The blade length starts from the base of the blade, excluding the tang, to the tip.

Some refer to the wakizashi between 30 and 40 centimeters long as ko-wakizashi, meaning small wakizashi. On the other hand, ones that measure up to 60 centimeters long were considered o-wakizashi or big wakizashi.

Sword Mounting

The owner often had a wakizashi blade in different sword mountings according to the occasion. The wakizashi often had lavish mountings, making it a symbol of the owner’s wealth. When worn with the katana, the samurai wakizashi sword also matched the longer sword.

Tsuka or Hilt

Traditionally-made wakizashi swords had hilts made of magnolia wood, grooved on the inside to fit the tang. The ray skin covering was also valuable, enhanced by the lozenge-shaped openings of the silk braid wrapping called ito. On the other hand, the menuki ornament on the hilt was not just decorative but also enhanced the wielder’s grip on the weapon.

Tsuba or Sword Guard

The tsuba or sword guard protected the user’s hand, but it varied greatly in shape and size. It also reflected the craftsmanship of Japanese artisans with ornamental designs, though those that were purely decorative were the least functional. Japanese tsuba eventually became very elaborate or delicate by the 18th and 19th centuries when artisans started to inlay colorful stones on sword guards. 

A wakizashi sword often had a tsuba with openings to accommodate the kozuka—handle of a small knife called kogatana—and a kogai hairpin. The kogatana was an all-purpose blade often used as a letter opener while the kogai was an implement to arrange a samurai’s hair. The handles of the two often had matching decorations and slipped into a pocket on the wakizashi scabbard.

Saya or Scabbard

Like the hilt, traditionally-made wakizashi swords had scabbards made of magnolia wood. The sword can be mounted in either shirasaya, a plain wooden scabbard, or koshirae with lacquered scabbard and elaborate metal ornaments.

Best Wakizashi Swords Available Online

The wakizashi is one of the most famous samurai swords, sought after by collectors and aficionados. It also remains relevant in some Japanese martial arts, tameshigiri, cosplay, and live-action role-playing games or LARP. To help you find the best short sword for your needs, we rounded up the best wakizashi swords available online:

1. Best Overall: Clay Tempered Wakizashi

For Japanese sword replicas, a wakizashi with a 1095 high carbon steel blade is one of the best quality you can get. This sword is clay tempered and features a full tang and razor-sharp blade, making it ideal for tameshigiri or test cutting practice on bamboo and tatami mats. 

For a budget of around $400, this wakizashi sword already comes with finely crafted copper fittings. It has a blade length of 50 centimeters and features a hilt decorated with a menuki ornament. It also allows personalization on handle wrappings and blade engravings, from names in Japanese kanji to custom symbols.

2. Best Premium: Wakizashi and Katana Sword Set

For sword collectors and aficionados, a daisho set of wakizashi and katana is a must-have. Both swords have 1095 high carbon steel blades and clay tempered, so their blades also feature a genuine hamon or temperline pattern. For a budget of less than $900, you’ll own battle-ready swords suitable for tameshigiri.

The wakizashi features a blade length of about 50 centimeters, an average length for a short sword. The daisho set also allows customization on the hilt, from the ray skin and ito wrapping to blade engraving. However, other sword mountings like the sword guard or tsuba, do not allow personalization.

3. Best on a Budget: Musha Iaito Wakizashi

With its unsharpened blade of high carbon steel, this wakizashi sword can be a perfect choice for martial art practitioners who practice two-sword techniques. For a budget of less than $70, you’ll have a wakizashi that you can use for solo training, cosplay, and costume props.

However, iaito swords with carbon steel blades are susceptible to rusting, so many still prefer swords made from an aluminum alloy. Many instructors of Japanese martial arts also require their students to have unsharpened swords with aluminum blades instead of high carbon steel.

4. Best for LARP: Wakizashi Foam Sword

Whether you want to play the role of a samurai warrior or dress up like your favorite anime character, this wakizashi sword is a great choice. Designed with safety in mind, it features a foam blade about 40-centimeter hand-painted to look like real metal with a fiberglass core that enhances its structure.

However, this foam wakizashi sword lacks the curvature of a real sword and its hilt design does not closely resemble the Japanese tsuka. Also, all latex-coated weapons will require maintenance such as spray-on silicon to prevent them from drying out. Still, it is the perfect weapon for LARP and some cosplay events that do not allow metal swords.

Wakizashi Sword vs. Katana Samurai Sword

The main difference between the two swords lies in their length. The Japanese katana sword is a long sword with a blade length of more than 60 centimeters. On the other hand, the wakizashi is a short sword usually between 30 to 60 centimeters, making it more practical and portable. While the wakizashi was especially suited for close-quarters combat, the katana was efficient in all situations.

When custom dictated that the katana should be left at the entrance, the samurai carried the wakizashi indoors as his only source of protection. During the time, an opponent of samurai rank would have at least one short sword with him, so the wakizashi became an important secondary-edged weapon of the warrior, tucked into the belt and ready for use.

The katana was exclusive to the samurai class, but those who were not samurai were allowed to use the wakizashi as a self-defense weapon. Commoners of certain classes such as wealthy merchants and townsmen also flaunted elaborate sword mountings for their short swords. However, the katana is more widely used today in martial arts than the wakizashi.

Facts About the Samurai Wakizashi Sword

The wakizashi was the short companion sword of the samurai, worn from waking until sleeping and usually kept nearby during the night.

Here are the things you need to know about the short sword:

Short swords were already in use at a very early time before the development of wakizashi.

The kodachi meaning small tachi, emerged due to the necessity of the aristocrats to have a self-defense weapon longer than a dagger-length blade. During the Kamakura and Nanbokucho periods, some kodachi had blades measuring about 60 centimeters long. Hence, they were shorter than a tachi, a precursor to the katana. Kodachi was often mounted and worn like a tachi, suspended from the belt with the edge facing down, but their purpose remains unknown.

The so-called sunnobi tanto could also be considered a wakizashi.

Nowadays, the Japanese Firearms and Sword Law defines a tanto as a blade of less than 30 centimeters long, making it a dagger, not a short sword. Before the law was enacted, many blades longer than 30 centimeters were classified as tanto.

The sunnobi tanto were oversized daggers, often from the Nanbokucho and Muromachi periods, ranging from 33 to 36 centimeters long. Since Japanese blades today are classified according to blade length, the sunnobi tanto could also be called a wakizashi.

The samurai wore a paired set of swords known as daisho.

The term daisho literally means big and small, a reference to the long sword katana and the shorter sword wakizashi. The swords were often mounted in matching koshirae, with matching mountings on hilts and scabbards. The daisho could be very elaborate for formal or ceremonial use or mounted for practical use. During the Edo period, the government imposed that only the samurai were allowed to wear the daisho, making it the symbol of their authority.

The samurai carried several swords in the battle.

The daisho set of katana and wakizashi seems to be the most popular, but the samurai also utilized a weapon with a shorter blade, known as the tanto (a term loosely translated as dagge).. The famous illustration of Honda Tadakatsu portrays him wearing the short sword wakizashi and the tanto dagger. In modern terminology, the companion side-arms may be referred to as either wakizashi or tanto.

The samurai initially used the wakizashi for seppuku and later preferred the tanto.

Among the feudal Japanese samurai class, ritual suicide called seppuku was considered honorable and involved stabbing oneself with a short sword. The samurai often performed voluntary seppuku to avoid the dishonor of falling into the hands of the enemy after battlefield defeats. There was also obligatory seppuku that served as capital punishment for a samurai.

Miyamoto Musashi was renowned for his ability to wield a wakizashi and a katana at once.

The legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi mastered the two-blade fighting technique and was undefeated in reportedly 60 duels. In Japanese legend, he also became known for defeating his rival Sasaki Kojiro by using a wooden practice sword called bokken, which was carved from a boat oar.

The short sword was also efficient against opponents armed with long weapons.

Like the long sword, the short sword could also be used kenjutsu-style for stabbing, cutting, and parrying. Shorter swords had more limited reach, but because they were lighter, it was possible to make faster moves than with a long sword. Hence, they were most suitable against longer weapons like spears. The Yagyu Shinkage Ryu is one of the oldest schools teaching short sword techniques.

Conclusion

The wakizashi was the samurai’s short sword that accompanied the katana. Wearing a daisho distinguished the samurai from individuals from other classes. The wakizashi also served as the weapon to perform ritual suicide or seppuku. Today, short swords remain relevant among martial arts practitioners and sword collectors.