Wakizashi With Wood - Shirasaya, Marto

Treat Yourself to a Wakizashi with Wood - Shirasaya, Marto

Wakizashi shirasaya

The wakizashi, meaning sword with a side sheath, is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords carried by the samurai class in federal Japan.

The wakizashi, worn in conjunction with the katana, was the official sign that the bearer was a samurai or swordsman of federalist Japan. When used together, the pair of swords was called a daishō, which literally translates as big-small.

The wakizashi was one of several short swords available to samurai, including the tantō.

While the carrying of katana was restricted to the samurai class, the chonin class, which included merchants, were allowed to wear the legal-length wakizashi (ko-wakizashi). This was common when travelling because of the risk of encountering bandits. Wakizashi were worn on the left side, attached to the hip sash.

Shirasaya was a special type of sword mounting in order to better and more gently store the blade at night or when not in use for a long time. The advantage of untreated magnolia wood was its low acid content and the absence of other ingredients that could damage the blade. It was not treated afterwards, but absorbed the resulting moisture from the sword and directed it outwards. The katana remained dry and did not rust. Shirasaya were often provided with an inscription ('sayagaki') containing information about the blade, such as the origin, place and time of forging and the name of the smith and expert. Since the emperor banned the carrying of bladed weapons in the late 19th century, all decoration around the handle and tsuba was reduced and the shirasaya costume we know today was created. The user did not attract particular attention due to the katana's similarity to a sword or wooden staff and had the opportunity to carry it with him.

Details:
- Total length: approx. 64cm
- Blade length: approx. 44 cm
- Width: approx. 8 cm
- Weight: approx. 1.2 kg

High quality wakizashi from the exclusive collection. Oriental hammer weapons.

Certificate of origin and quality. Made in Toledo, Spain.

Note:
This item is only sold to those over 18 years of age. Please enter your date of birth on our order form. We also require a copy of your ID/driver's license or similar by email, scan, fax or post.

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