What is a Wakizashi Sword?
The Japanese word wakizashi literally means “side arm.” The wakizashi sword is a short sword with a curved blade. Its short size makes it easier for use in off hands when wielding two weapons. It was most commonly used by samurai in feudal Japan, and first appeared somewhere in the fourteenth century. The wakizashi sword was typically used in conjunction with a longer blade, often a katana, which translates to “long sword.” The term for wielding two weapons in Japan is daisho, which means “long and short.” Wakizashi can be up to 60 centimeters (24 inches) long. Any blade shorter, when used in the style of wakizashi swords, is a wakizashi. The shorter length allowed better balance in the usually weaker offhand.
