Ōdachi

A wood block print of a samurai carrying a nodachi/ōdachi on his back

An ōdachi (大太刀) (large/great sword) or nodachi (野太刀, field sword)[1][2][3] was a type of traditionally made Japanese sword (日本刀, nihontō)[4][5] used by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The Chinese equivalent and 'cousin' for this type of sword in terms of weight and length is the Miao dao, and the Western battlefield equivalent (though less similar) is the Spanish Espada Bastarda or Scottish Claymore.

The character for ō (大) means "big" or "great". The dachi here (太刀) is the same as tachi (太刀, lit. "great sword"), the older style of sword/mounts that predate the katana. The chi is also the same character as katana (刀) and the tō in nihontō (日本刀 "Japanese sword"), originally from the Chinese character for a blade, dāo.

To qualify as an ōdachi, the sword in question would have a blade length of around 3 shaku (35.79 inches or 90.91 cm); however, as with most terms in Japanese sword arts, there is no exact definition of the size of an ōdachi.

Purpose

Practically speaking, the function/use of most ōdachi fall into the first two categories—as ceremonial objects and infantry swords. The possible functions of the ōdachi can be categorized as follows:

Production

A sheathed ōdachi

Ōdachi are difficult to produce because their length makes traditional heat treatment more complicated: The longer a blade is, the more difficult (or expensive) it is to heat the whole blade to a homogeneous temperature, both for annealing and to reach the hardening temperature. The quenching process then needs a bigger quenching medium because uneven quenching might lead to warping the blade.

The method of polishing is also different. Because of their size, Ōdachi are usually hung from the ceiling or placed in a stationary position to be polished, unlike normal swords which are moved over polishing stones.

In the past, acquiring a fully sharpened Ōdachi was difficult, as they required special custom orders. In modern times though, many forges in Japan and China are accepting such orders due to the renewed popularity and interest in ancient Japanese weaponry in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Method of use

Edo period wood block print showing an ōdachi being worn on the back of a samurai.

As battlefield weapons, ōdachi were too long for samurai to carry on their waists like normal swords. There were two methods in which they could be carried: One was to carry it on one's back. However, this was seen as impractical as it was impossible for the wielder to draw it quickly. The other method was simply to carry the sheathed ōdachi by hand. The trend during the Muromachi era was for the samurai carrying the ōdachi to have a follower to help draw it.

An exception does exist, though. The Kōden Enshin-ryū taught by Fumon Tanaka use a special drawing technique for "short" Ōdachi allowing it to be carried on the waist. The technique is to pull out the sheath rather than drawing the blade. While this move is also used in other schools, like Yagyū Shinkage-ryū, Shin musō Hayashizaki-ryū and Iaidō, only Enshin-ryū seems to use it to improve the Ōdachi drawing speed, the other schools using it with classical katana. The Kage-ryū style is also used to draw from the belt, using blades of approximately 2.8 shaku.

Ōdachi swordplay styles differed from that of other Japanese swords, focusing on downward cuts.

Decline

The ōdachi's importance died off after the Siege of Osaka of 1615 (the final battle between Tokugawa Ieyasu and Toyotomi Hideyori). Since then, it has been used more as a ceremonial piece.

This loss of popularity is due to the Shogunal government setting a law which prohibited holding swords above a set length (in Genna 3 (1617), Kan'ei 3 (1626) and Shōhō 2 (1645)). After the law was put into practice, ōdachi were cut down to the shorter legal size. This is one of the reasons why ōdachi are so rare. Ōdachi were no longer of practical use, but were still made as offerings to Shinto shrines. This became their main purpose. Due to the amount of skill required to make one, it was considered that their exotic appearance was suitable for praying to the gods.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mol, Serge (2003). Classical Weaponry of Japan: Special Weapons and Tactics of the Martial Arts. Kodansha International. p. 17.
  2. ↑ Fumon Tanaka (2003). Samurai Fighting Arts: the Spirit and the Practice. Kodansha International. p. 12.
  3. ↑ Conlan, Thomas (2003). State of War: The Violent Order of Fourteenth-century Japan. Center for Japanese Studies, University of Michigan. p. 260.
  4. ↑ Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani (2008). The Development of Controversies: From the Early Modern Period to Online Discussion Forums. Linguistic Insights. 91. Peter Lang. p. 150. ISBN 9783039117116.
  5. ↑ Smith, Evans Lansing; Brown, Nathan Robert (2008). The Complete Idiot's Guide to World Mythology. Complete Idiot's Guides. Penguin. p. 144. ISBN 9781592577644.
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