Japanese sword
Traditionally made sword from Japan
日本刀 · 일본도
- Type
- sword, traditional handicraft of Japan
- Place of origin
- Japan
A Japanese sword (日本刀, Nihontō, Nippon-; Japanese pronunciation: [ɲ̟ì.hó̞ń.tó̞ó̞, ɲ̟ìp̚.pó̞ń-]) is one of several types of traditionally made swords from Japan. Bronze swords were made as early as the Yayoi period (1,000 BC – 300 AD), though most people generally refer to the curved blades made from the Heian period (794–1185) to the present day when speaking of "Japanese swords". There are many types of Japanese swords that differ by size, shape, field of application, and method of manufacture. Some of the more commonly known types of Japanese swords are the katana, tachi, ōdachi, wakizashi, and tantō.
Types of Japanese sword
Martial arts that use it
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q1768697 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.