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Ōdachi
An or is a type of traditionally made used by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The Chinese equivalent of this type of sword in terms of weight and length is the '' miaodao'' or the earlier ''zhanmadao'', and the Western battlefield equivalent (though less similar) is the ''Zweihänder''. To qualify as an ''ōdachi'', the sword in question would have a blade length of around 3 '' shaku'' (). However, as with most terms in Japanese sword arts, there is no exact definition of the size of an ''ōdachi''. Etymology The character for means "big" or "great"; means "field". The ''dachi'' here is simply the voiced compounding version of the term , the older style of sword that predates the ''katana''. The second character in ''tachi'', , is the Chinese character for "blade" (see also ''dāo''), and is also the same character used to spell ''katana'' (刀) and the ''tō'' in ''nihontō'' (日本刀 "Japanese sword"). The word ''tachi'' itself is derived as the stem or noun fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Sword
A is one of several types of traditionally made swords from Japan. Bronze swords were made as early as the Yayoi period (1,000 BC – 300 AD), though most people generally refer to the curved blades made from the Heian period (794–1185) to the present day when speaking of "Japanese swords". There are many types of Japanese swords that differ by size, shape, field of application, and method of manufacture. Some of the more commonly known types of Japanese swords are the ''uchigatana'', ''tachi'', ''ōdachi'', ''wakizashi'', and ''tantō''. Etymology The word ''katana'' was used in ancient Japan and is still used today, whereas the old usage of the word ''nihontō'' is found in the poem the Song of ''Nihontō'', by the Song dynasty poet Ouyang Xiu. The word ''nihontō'' became more common in Japan in the late Tokugawa shogunate. Due to importation of Western swords, the word ''nihontō'' was adopted to distinguish it from the . ''Meibutsu'' (noted swords) is a special designat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samurai
The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court downsized the national army and delegated the security of the countryside to these privately trained warriors. Eventually the samurai clans grew so powerful that they became the ''de facto'' rulers of the country. In the aftermath of the Gempei War (1180-1185), Japan formally passed into military rule with the founding of the first shogunate. The status of samurai became heredity by the mid-eleventh century. By the start of the Edo period, the shogun had disbanded the warrior-monk orders and peasant conscript system, leaving the samurai as the only men in the country permitted to carry weapons at all times. Because the Edo period was a time of peace, many samurai neglected their warrior training and focused on peacetime activities such as a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Katana
A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge facing upward. Since the Muromachi period, many old ''tachi'' were cut from the root and shortened, and the blade at the root was crushed and converted into a ''katana''. The specific term for ''katana'' in Japan is and the term ''katana'' (刀) often refers to single-edged swords from around the world. Etymology and loanwords The word ''katana'' first appears in Japanese in the ''Nihon Shoki'' of 720. The term is a compound of ''kata'' ("one side, one-sided") + ''na'' ("blade"),1995, (''w:Daijisen, Daijisen'') (in Japanese), w:Tōkyō, Tōkyō: w:Shogakukan, Shogakukan, , entry available onlinhere/span> in contrast to the double-sided ''Tsurugi (sword), tsurugi''. The ''katana'' belongs to the ''nihontō'' family of swords, and is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tachi
A is a type of sabre-like traditionally made Japanese sword (''nihonto'') worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. ''Tachi'' and '' uchigatana'' ("''katana''") generally differ in length, degree of curvature, and how they were worn when sheathed, the latter depending on the location of the , or signature, on the tang. The ''tachi'' style of swords preceded the development of the ''katana'', which was not mentioned by name until near the end of the twelfth century. ''Tachi'' were the mainstream Japanese swords of the Kotō period between 900 and 1596. Even after the Muromachi period (1336–1573), when ''katana'' became the mainstream, ''tachi'' were often worn by high-ranking samurai. History The production of swords in Japan is divided into specific time periods: * (ancient swords, until around 900) * (old swords, around 900–1596) * (new swords, 1596–1780) * (new new swords, 1781–1876) * (modern or contemporary swords, 1876–present) The predecessor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zweihänder
The ''Zweihänder'' (, literally "two-hander"), also ''Doppelhänder'' ("double-hander"), ''Beidhänder'' ("both-hander"), ''Bihänder'', or ''Bidenhänder'', is a large two-handed sword that was used primarily during the 16th century. ''Zweihänder'' swords developed from the longswords of the Late Middle Ages and became the hallmark weapon of the German ''Landsknechte'' from the time of Maximilian I (d. 1519) and during the Italian Wars of 1494–1559. The '' Goliath Fechtbuch'' (1510) shows an intermediate form between longsword and ''Zweihänder''. This represented the final stage in the trend of making very large swords, which started in the 14th century, and ended in the 16th century. In its developed form, the ''Zweihänder'' acquired the handling characteristics of a polearm rather than a sword due to its increased size and weight, therefore adding to its striking power and longer reach. Consequently, it was not carried in a sheath, but across the shoulder like a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zhanmadao
The ''zhanmadao'' () was a single-bladed anti-cavalry Chinese sword. It originated during the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) and was especially common in Song dynasty, Song China (960–1279). General characteristics The ''zhanmadao'' is a single-edged Dao (Chinese sword), sabre with a long broad blade, and a long handle suitable for two-handed use. It was used as an anti-cavalry weapon, dating from Emperor Cheng of Han, made to slice through a horse's legs. This is mentioned in the ''Wujing Zongyao'', a Song military manual from 1072. It featured prominently against the Jin dynasty (1115–1234), Jin armies in campaigns between 1129 and 1141. The earliest variant of the ''zhanmadao'' is called ''zhanmajian'' (), literally "horse beheading ''jian''". The ''zhanmajian'' existed during the Han dynasty, so called because it was supposedly able to cut off a horse's head. The difference between the two is that ''zhanmajian'' is double-edged whereas the ''zhanmadao'' is single-edg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kanji
are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequently-derived Syllabary, syllabic scripts of and . The characters have Japanese pronunciations; most have two, with one based on the Chinese sound. A few characters were invented in Japan by constructing character components derived from other Chinese characters. After the Meiji Restoration, Japan made its own efforts to simplify the characters, now known as , by a process similar to China's simplified Chinese characters, simplification efforts, with the intention to increase literacy among the general public. Since the 1920s, the Japanese government has published character lists periodically to help direct the education of its citizenry through the myriad Chinese characters that exist. There are nearly 3 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
:Category:Japanese Words And Phrases ...
{{Commons Words and phrases by language Words Words Words A word is a basic element of language that carries meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no consensus among linguists on its ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jukujikun
are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequently-derived Syllabary, syllabic scripts of and . The characters have Japanese pronunciations; most have two, with one based on the Chinese sound. A few characters were invented in Japan by constructing character components derived from other Chinese characters. After the Meiji Restoration, Japan made its own efforts to simplify the characters, now known as , by a process similar to China's simplified Chinese characters, simplification efforts, with the intention to increase literacy among the general public. Since the 1920s, the Japanese government has published character lists periodically to help direct the education of its citizenry through the myriad Chinese characters that exist. There are nearly 3 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dao (Chinese Sword)
''Dao'' (pronunciation: , English approximation: , Chinese language, Chinese: 刀; pinyin: ''dāo''; jyutping: ''dou1'') are single-edged Chinese swords, primarily used for slashing and chopping. They can be straight or curved. The most common form is also known as the Chinese sabre, although those with wider blades are sometimes referred to as Chinese broadswords. In China, the ''dao'' is considered one of the four traditional weapons, along with the ''Gun (staff), gun'' (stick or staff), ''qiang (spear), qiang'' (spear), and the ''jian'' (double-edged sword), called in this group "The General of Weapons". Name In Chinese language, Chinese, the word can be applied to ''any'' weapon with a single-edged blade and usually refers to knives. Because of this, the term is sometimes translated as knife or Nonetheless, within Chinese martial arts and in military contexts, the larger "sword" versions of the ''dao'' are usually intended. General characteristics While the ''dao'' hav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
