subject: Wanted: A Wacky Sash For My Wakizashi [print this page] Every child has that toy that never leaves his side: A tattered blankie, a plush puppy, a red dump truck, a wakizashi sword wait a minute oh, did I say child? I meant, samurai!
Take 2: Every samurai has that sword that never leaves his side: Its called the wakizashi, which translates to side insertion. This sword had a curved blade that was typically between 1 to 2 feet long. The wakizashi was the smaller companion to the samurais main sword, known as the katana together the pair was called daisho which means big and small. This side arm was worn on the left, tied to the waist by a sash.
Wakizashi originally referred to any side arm sword, but this changed during the 16th century when regulations were enforced as to the blade length that could be carried as a side arm and the social classes that were allowed to wear them. The lengths of the katana and wakizashi were officially set, and only the samurai class was allowed to wear the daisho.
The wakizashi was also often the sword used to commit ritual suicide, which led to its nickname as the Honor Blade. In combat, the wakizashi was used as a backup weapon, for close-quarters fighting, and to decapitate defeated enemies. Using the wakizashis shorter blade made decapitation easier, and the samurai would not have to risk damaging his katana. This led to its other nickname as the Wheres Yo Head At Blade (Samurai and British electronica one-hit wonders are two peas in a pod!)
A samurai would remove his katana when he entered a building as a sign of trust and respect, and hed leave it on a rack where it would be difficult to draw quickly. But his side arm, the wakizashi, was worn at all times, much like a Civil War soldiers bayonet, a modern soldiers pistol, or a space cowboys Laser Lasso 5000. The samurai would wear his wakizashi from the time he awoke to the time he lay down to sleep even then, hed keep it under his pillow, ready to use on any Bogeyman Godzillas that might come his way!
Conclusion: Theres no better sidekick than a samurai side arm. Get yours today: http://www.valiantswords.com
