Practical Plus Wakizashi

Description of the Product

Slightly curving Wakizashi is a Japanese short sword: equally good in thrusts as in slicing cuts. Even though Wakizashi became famous on the hips of the Samurai, Wakizashi was allowed also for merchants, artisans and craftsmen that sat below the ruling Samurai in class hierarchy. Travelling merchants relied on the Wakizashi when encountering bandits and Wakizashi was the main protection in cities during unrest as Katana was reserved only for the Samurai.

Originally Wakizashi didn’t stand for any specific type sword and as a direct translation it means any companion sword that was carried with the Katana. Samurai could carry any length sword or dagger under his belt along with the Katana but during the 17th Century the name settled down to mean a short cut & thrust sword just like this one.

Wakizashi is also known as the weapon Samurai used to perform seppuku. Seppuku was a ritual suicide that was used to regain or to keep the honor of the Samurai and his family. Retaining honor was usually regarded higher that retaining your own life. The idea of honor and avoiding shame was a deeply integral part of Medieval Japan and can still be seen in Japanese culture today.

This Wakizashi from the Hanwei Practical Plus –series provides a very economical cutting sword as functional and dependable as the Practical Wakizashi, but using more traditional fittings and construction methods. The 1566 high carbon blade is forged and differentially hardened in the traditional claying method, producing a prominent and traditional hamon, wavy line near the edge that was created when hardening the blade. This line shows you the transition from the harder edge to the softer back. Hard edge cuts better and keeps a sharp edge longer while softer back gives resilience and shock absorption qualities to the blade. The harness of the edge is HRC 60 and the hardness of the softer back is HRC 40.

This Practical Plus Wakizashi features genuine Same (rayskin) on the Tsuka (handle), with a Tsuka-Ito (handle wrap) specially developed for its gripping qualities. The long nakago (tang) is double-pegged with traditional bamboo pegs for security. All of the fittings of the sword that are mounted on top of the blade are called Koshirae as a whole. On this sword these fittings (Koshirae) are decorated in a Japanese Dogwood motif. Menuki, the grip-enhancing brass ornament under the Tsuka-Ito, feature a dragon. The handsome Tsuba is made of iron with sunburst design with a brass collar, Habaki. The flat black Saya (scabbard) features a black cotton Sageo. The Practical Plus Katana and the Practical Plus Tanto match this Wakizashi and provide a useful, traditional and elegant samurai set.

Included is traditional black cloth bag to keep your sword in pristine condition when in storage or while transporting.

Made by Hanwei. Specs can vary slightly from piece to piece.

• Overall length: 69,2 cm
• Blade length: 50,8 cm
• Handle length: 17,1 cm
• Weight: 730 g
• Point of Balance: 8,9 cm
• Width at Guard: 2,8 cm
• Width at Tip: 1,9 cm
• Thickness at Guard: 7,1 mm
• Thickness at Tip: 5,3 mm
• Blade material: 1566 Carbon Steel
• Sharpness: Very sharp