Wakizashi

A wakizashi is, essentially, a smaller version of one's katana, although wakizashi were often forged differently, with different blade cross-sections than katana. Wakizashi were usually worn as a side-arm to longer swords (This pair is called dai-sho, meaning "great" and "small, respectively), as they were better suited for use indoors, when a samurai would remove his long sword anyway. The tachi would normally be worn with armor. It is generally paired with the wakizashi.

See also

• Sword
• Weapons