O-wakazashi exact purpose.

[Paz]

Hi all. Just been doing some research around o wakazashi, specially blades which are around 54cm. 

 

I've read that some Tachi or katana were shortend during the Edo period due to regulations from the shogunate. 

 

Are some of these o wakazashi former long swords ? 

 

I have one here which is over 50cm (signed by fujiwara Terukado  edo period). however the nakago is signed and has only one mekugi hole, which signifies that it was not shortend. 

 

What was the purpose of making longer wakazashi during peacetime ? The only answer I muster is for common people. Ie merchants. 

 

Thanks

[ChrisW]

Some yes. It came down most often to the preference of the owner. Blade shape will be most telling in judging if something was much longer. Sounds like your wakizashi is likely ubu.

And o-wakizashi are a preference I imagine, but I will let more-learned folk answer that for you.

[Shugyosha]

Some were katate uchi - for single handed use as a primary weapon. This style of fencing was in vogue in the early 1500s. Others may have been ordered by non-samurai entitled to carry one sword and so went for long short sword either as an all rounder in terms of practicality or to reflect their prestige (merchants etc). 
 

As Chris says, it may reflect personal preference, physical stature or their fencing school. It’s interesting that the “short swords” of the 47 ronin were longer than katana length in a number of cases. http://www.japaneseswordindex.com/ronin.htm

Maybe the sword rules weren’t that strictly enforced or the advantage gained from having such a blade made the risk worth while - particularly if you weren’t expecting to survive your mission. All speculation from an armchair swordsman. 

[Moley]

Search for the movie... "The Twilight Samurai" . Based on a true story.. Worth a watch on this subject.

[Franco D]

1) When indoors in a private home or noble’s estate, one must surrender the katana. In an estate, castle, or even the home of anyone with rank, there is a servant whose job it is to receive these swords, and keep track of them. There is a closet or sword rack near the door where “checked” swords are kept until the owner of the weapon is preparing to leave.

(note: it does not say surrender the wakizashi) 

https://sengokudaimyo.com/etiquette

 

 

 

 

 

[WillFalstaff]

Hey Paz,

 

In Nakahara's "Facts and Fundamentals of Japanese Swords", on pages 99-107, he goes into great detail on suriage and how to spot real v. fake suriage, based on proportions and other qualities of the nakago, from mune-machi and down (I put pics of the pages in another thread, forgot which one). I don't think the number of mekugi-ana by itself is an indicator of ubu or suriage. It is possible that a second mekugi ana was lost in the suriage process, but that's a guesstimation. 

Edited March 8, 2022 by WillFalstaff
correcting “auto-correct”

[Rivkin]

1. Tachi are extremely seldom suriage into wakizashi. Tachi is an expensive form, wakizashi was always less so - important sword suriage into wakizashi can be caused by hagire and an attempt to save the upper portion. They are as short as other wakizashi. Historically two shaku is the minimal size to which one would ordinary consider suriage, anything below is unusual.

2. Uchigatana can loose and inch due to machi-okure or suriage and become sub two shaku inch blade, but technically its still uchigatana and had to be legally carried as one would katana and not as waki.

3. Wakizashi legal definition in Japan changed over the years (re excellent Markus Sesko article), but an important point that realistically there was never a need or desire to have almost katana size waki, i.e. 22-23 inch blades. Those would be awkward for very many reasons, from shelves in bathrooms not fitting such items to lower classes still not being able to carry those.

 

There are however exceptions. Lower class could be in exceptional cases granted rights to wear long swords without becoming a samurai (i.e. without being adopted with a new name, which was a typical promotion procedure). This would typically be signed by the Shogun. But quite a few people could and did issue a permit to carry a wakizashi in some excess of preset limits (they tended historically be smaller than today's definition) or in the very least close to it.

This would be given to people of some standing and who carried cash on a regular basis.

This includes gamble den proprietors, loan sharks and other elements... basically organized semi-crime.

Typically such blades are quite heavy, have very wide mihaba and are 22+ inches. They are typically not shortened.

there were a few Daimyo who also liked o-wakizashi, and they at times did use shortened premier blades, but that's a very rare exception.

[cju777]

To provide an example- I have an o-wakizashi Dewa Daijo Kunimichi, with a  nagasa of 58.2cm. From ~1650s
 

This is Danny Massey’s take on that length (trying to sell it so I’m sure it is a more positive take, but I liked it):

“Wakizashi of this length are referred to as "o wakizashi". Specifically, this refers to a wakizashi that is longer that the Tokugawa maximum regulation length of 1 skaku 8 sun. This blade has a nagasa of 1.92 shaku (58.2 cm) When we encounter such a sword, we can be certain it was not worn by a merchant class person. It would have looked like a katana when mounted in a koshirae. This would have been for a samurai that wanted a longer daisho and with some clout or permission to exceed regulations, or for an official that had been granted permission to wear an o wakizashi.”

 

http://nihontocraft.com/Dewa_Daijo_Kunimichi_Naga_Wakizashi.html

[Rivkin]

Since 95% of all positions were heritable or close to it, chances of a common person being promoted into government official would be on the low side. Government official is a samurai. Merchant guildmaster, if of such standing as to congratulate Shogun with a new year, or attend to Tenno's procession, would typically be given a right to wear tachi for specific events, and not anything else.

We obviously don't know what this or that o-wakizashi was made for. Some blame sumo wrestlers etc. However the permits to wear o-wakizashi that we know of are all to merchant you justified the need on the basis of long travels, or the need to constantly carry significant sums in cash. At the time when nearly all high end traders used promisory notes instead.

[SteveM]

Paz,

This is a very good article on this topic

https://markussesko.com/2015/08/11/the-wakizashi/

[Dave R]

18 hours ago, Shugyosha said:

Some were katate uchi - for single handed use as a primary weapon. This style of fencing was in vogue in the early 1500s. Others may have been ordered by non-samurai entitled to carry one sword and so went for long short sword either as an all rounder in terms of practicality or to reflect their prestige (merchants etc). 
 

As Chris says, it may reflect personal preference, physical stature or their fencing school. It’s interesting that the “short swords” of the 47 ronin were longer than katana length in a number of cases. http://www.japaneseswordindex.com/ronin.htm

Maybe the sword rules weren’t that strictly enforced or the advantage gained from having such a blade made the risk worth while - particularly if you weren’t expecting to survive your mission. All speculation from an armchair swordsman. 

 

 

  You beat me to it with the comment about the 47. Frankly they would not have cared less about sword length law. They were on a revenge mission and knew they would be forced to suicide afterwards, and had armed and armoured themselves secretly so not to alert the authorities! 

[Paz]

 

 

Another factor I wish to consider as someone who did Iaido (as few members here). Alot of the waza was done in seiza sitting position to cutt the opponent in front of you sat in a seiza position. I've seen opinions by some, which I do tend to agree with, that these techniques would have been done with a wakizashi. As a wakizashi from seiza is easier to draw and cut also , the use of one hand. As the scenario would have you indoors sat opposite a would be target. 

 

I wish to add that samurai may have found longer short sword  blades such as o wakizashi, as definite suitable second swords as these could be used effectively in an indoor brawl. 

 

This may have initiated a demand for o wakizashi, who knows ?.  

 

My intention or what I wish to learn is that, why would you make a longer wakizashi, when a simple short sword would suffice and save time. It all points to reasons of practical use  by either samurai or common folk. And not "just" art objects. 

 

Thanks for the links above which I am going to read through. 

 

 

Regards 

 

[Baba Yaga]

Why would you make a longer wakizashi? Occam's Razor, they did it, because they could. 

[Franco D]

18 hours ago, SteveM said:

Paz,

This is a very good article on this topic

https://markussesko.com/2015/08/11/the-wakizashi/

 

Thank you for posting this link.

 

A million thanks to Markus for the writing/translations he's done, this article in particular and especially. 

 

Kind Regards,

Franco