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Weapons of Jiu Jitsu: Swords - Japanese SwordsJapanese swords are some of the most highly regarded and sought after weapons in the world. Some of the most common Japanese swords are described below.
BokkenBokken are wooden swords about the size of a katana. They art essentially practice weapons, and potentially safer than a metal sword. Of course if you are hit by a fast moving three foot piece of solid wood you are likely to come off worse than the wood. Bokken are still weapons and should therefore be treated with respect.The bokken is carved so that it has a slightly cureved katana like blade, and a distinct handle. Some bokken also have a plastic tsuba held in place by a rubbery band called a habaki - but this is not an essential part of a bokken. DaishoSometimes swordsmen carried a katana and wakizashi into battle fighting with a sword in each hand. The smaller wakizashi made a good parrying weapon for the off hand. This combination is diasho - the long and the short.IaitoAn iaito is a non-wooden training sword made to imitate the use of a katana. Iaito are typically slightly longer than a katana and lighter too. The blade typically is not sharp nor pointed to any great degree. The use of iaito is predominantly among exponents of iaido. However many people purchase display katana for use in the dojo. The blades of display pieces can be sometimes be rather sharp and are almost always only loosely attached to the hilt/handle with a single pin. Because iaito are purposefully dojo use swords, these are pegged two or three times, and the blade whilst not as sharp is often stronger than an ornamental katana.KatanaThe katana is a versatile sword and was the main close combat weapon of the Samurai. The katana is a fairly long sword normally used two handed, but it is also light enough to be wielded one handed if required. There are actually a few different types of katana (e.g. for use on horseback, for general use, for formal occasions).Katana vary in quality and in price as well as their particular style. Many katana posess ornately carved hilts with dragon heads or gold wire handle. The katana saya (scabbard) are also frequently etched and embossed. Most of these artistic designs are for ornamental katana which are not intended for use in combat. However a katana is a katana and is still likely to be a deadly 'pretty' weapon. No DachiThe no dachi is an impressive two handed sword over five feet in length and very sharp. Much heavier than a katana, the no dachi can easily cause grevious wounds on an attack, but it is not as maneuverable or fast as a katana, and so defences against them tend to be easier - assuming it doesn't hit on the first attack. This sword is not well suited to thrusting attacks, but more to downward slashes, and so the attack is more easily predictable. No dachi are rarely used in jiu jitsu since the katana is at least as challenging a weapon to master.ShotoThe shoto is to the wakizashi as the bokken is to the katana. It is simply a wooden version of the short sword used for training purposes.WakizashiThe wakizashi is a shorter sword than the katana and is of a similar construction. The wakizashi was another preferred weapon of the Samurai and was often used in the off hand to the katana. The wakizashi is not as obvious as a katana, and so whilst not as visually impressive, it can be more easily concealed - making at least equally as deadly if not more so.For more information about swords in Jiu Jitsu take a look at the swords page.
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