Kaiken (dagger)

A kaiken (懐剣^?, prior to modern orthographic reform kwaiken; also futokoro-gatana) is a dagger formerly carried by men and women of the samurai class in Japan. It was useful for self-defense indoors where the long katana and intermediate wakizashi were inconvenient. Women carried them in the obi for self-defense and rarely for jigai (suicide). A woman received a kaiken as part of her wedding gifts. Many of these daggers had black-lacquered handles and matching scabbards. They could be carried in a pouch of brocade with a drawstring for easy access. In modern times, kaiken have become part of the traditional Japanese marriage, being one of the items carried by a bride for good luck.

External links

Japan Arts Council e-book Mamori-gatana pp. 179–180

References

Nishio Minoru, Iwabuchi Etsutarō, Mizutani Shizuo, ed (1985) (in Japanese). Iwanami Kokugo Jiten (3 ed.). Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten. pp. 155. ISBN 4-00-080003-5.

Knives and daggers

List of daggers List of blade materials

Types of knives	Aircrew Survival Egress Knife Athame Butterfly Ballistic Bayonet Boline Bolo Boning Boot knife Bowie Bread knife Cane knife Cheese knife Chef's knife Cleaver Clip point Combat knife Commander Corvo CQC-6 Dagger Deba bocho Diving knife Drop point Electric knife Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife Gerber Mark II Ginsu Grapefruit knife Gravity knife Hunting dagger Hunting knife Jacob's ladder Karambit Kīla Kirpan Kitchen knife Kukri Laguiole knife Machete Mandau Mezzaluna Misericorde Mora knife Multi-tool Nakiri bocho Navaja Opinel knife Palette knife Pantographic knife Penknife Penny knife Pocket knife Putty knife Puukko Rampuri Rondel dagger Sabatier Sami knife Santoku SARK Scalpel Seax Sgian dubh Sharpfinger Shiv Sliding knife Smatchet SOG Knife Straight razor Strider SMF Survival knife Swiss Army knife Switchblade Taping knife Throwing knife Tomato knife Trench knife Tumi Ulu Utility knife X-Acto Yanagi ba

Types of daggers	Anelace Applegate-Fairbairn fighting knife BC-41 Bagh nakh Baselard Bichawa Billao Bollock dagger Cuchillo De Paracaidista Cinquedea Dirk Ear dagger Facón Hachiwara Hunting dagger Jambiya Kaiken Kalis Kard Katara Khanjar Kris Mark I trench knife Ocean Edge Knife Parrying dagger Poignard Push dagger Seme Shobo Sica Stiletto Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife Tantō Marine Raider Stiletto V-42 Stiletto Yoroi tōshi

Knife manufacturers	Aitor Al Mar Knives American Tomahawk Company Bear MCG Benchmade Böker Brusletto Buck Knives Calphalon Camillus Cutlery Company Cattaraugus Cutlery Company Chris Reeve Knives Cold Steel Columbia River Knife & Tool Cuisinart Cutco Cutlery DOVO Solingen Dexter-Russell Eikhorn Emerson Knives, Inc. Ek Commando Knife Co. F. Dick Fällkniven FAMAE Fiskars Füritechnics Gerber Legendary Blades Global Golok Hanwei Imperial Schrade J. A. Henckels KA-BAR Kershaw Knives KitchenAid Korin Japanese Trading Company Kyocera Leatherman Mad Dog Knives Microtech Knives Morseth Murphy knives Ontario Knife Company Opinel Pro-Tech Knives Rada Manufacturing Randall Made Knives Rigid Knives Rösle SOG Specialty Knives Sabatier Aîné & Perrier Spyderco Strider Knives Survival Aids TEKNA Thiers Issard Victorinox W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. Walther arms Wenger Western Knife Company Wilkinson Sword Windlass Steelcrafts Wüsthof

Knifemakers	A.G. Russell American Bladesmith Society Rex Applegate James Black Blackie Collins Ernest Emerson Phill Hartsfield Bill Harsey, Jr. Gil Hibben Knifemakers' Guild Zanjan Knifemakers Bob Kramer Jimmy Lile Bob Loveless Bob Lum William F. Moran Ken Onion Ralph Osterhout Robert Parrish (knifemaker) Walter Doane "Bo" Randall, Jr. Chris Reeve Jody Samson William Scagel Robert Terzuola Michael Walker (knifemaker) Buster Warenski Daniel Winkler

Book:Knives and daggers Category:Knives / Daggers