Double or single edged, straight bladed or curved bladed
Atantō (短刀,'short blade')[1] is a traditionally made Japanese knife[2] (nihontō)[3][4] that was worn by thesamurai class of feudal Japan. Thetantō dates to theHeian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the years to become more ornate.Tantō were used in traditional martial arts (tantojutsu) and in theseppuku suicide ritual. The term has seen a resurgence in the West since the 1980s as referring to a point style of moderntactical knives, designed for piercing or stabbing, though the style is not present on any traditional tantō.
A Tanto knife may refer to an American style of blade based on the Japanesetantō, usually with a squared rather than curved tip.
Thetantō is a single or double edgeddagger with a length between 15 and 30 cm (6 and 12 in) (1 Japaneseshaku). Thetantō was designed primarily as astabbingweapon, but the edge can be used forslashing as well.Tantō are generallyforged in thehira-zukuri (平造) style (without a ridgeline),[1][5] meaning that their sides have no ridge line and are nearly flat, unlike theshinogi-zukuri (鎬造) structure of akatana. Sometantō have particularly thick cross-sections for armor-piercing duty, and are calledyoroi toshi.
Tantō were mostly carried bysamurai; commoners did not generally wear them. Women sometimes carried a smalltantō called akaiken[6] in theirobi, primarily forself-defense.Tantō were sometimes worn as theshōtō (小刀) in place of awakizashi in adaishō,[7][8] especially on the battlefield. Before the advent of thewakizashi/tantō combination, it was common for a samurai to carry atachi and atantō as opposed to a katana and awakizashi.[7]
It has been noted that thetachi would be paired with atantō and later the katana would be paired with another shorter katana. With the advent of the katana, thewakizashi was eventually chosen by samurai as the short sword of choice over thetantō. Kanzan Satō, in his bookThe Japanese Sword, notes that there did not seem to be any particular need for thewakizashi, and suggests that thewakizashi may have become more popular than thetantō due to thewakizashi being more suited for indoor fighting. He mentions the custom of leaving the katana at the door of a castle or palace when entering while continuing to wear thewakizashi inside.[9]
Thetantō was invented partway through theHeian period. With the beginning of theKamakura period,tantō were forged to be more aesthetically pleasing, andhira anduchi-sori tantō became the most popular styles. Near the middle of the Kamakura period, moretantō artisans were seen, increasing the abundance of the weapon, and thekanmuri-otoshi style became prevalent in the cities ofKyoto and Yamato. Because of the style introduced by thetachi in the late Kamakura period,tantō began to be forged longer and wider. The introduction of the Hachiman faith became visible in the carvings in the hilts around this time. Thehamon (line of temper) is similar to that of thetachi, except for the absence ofchoji-midare, which isnioi andutsuri.Gunomi-midare andsuguha are found to have taken its place.
During the era of theNorthern and Southern Courts, thetantō were forged to be up to 40 centimetres (16 in) in length, as opposed to the normal oneshaku (about 30 cm (12 in)) length. The blades became thinner between theura and theomote, and wider between theha andmune. At this point in time, two styles ofhamon were prevalent: the older style, which was subtle and artistic, and the newer, more popular style. With the beginning of theMuromachi period, constant fighting caused the mass production of blades, meaning that with higher demand, lower-quality blades were manufactured. Blades that were custom-forged still were of exceptional quality, but the average blade suffered greatly. As the end of the period neared, the average blade narrowed and the curvature shallowed.[12]
Katana originate fromsasuga (刺刀), a kind oftantō used by lower-ranking samurai who fought on foot in the Kamakura period. Their main weapon was a longnaginata, with thesasuga as a spare weapon. In theNanboku-chō period, which corresponds to the early Muromachi period, long weapons such asōdachi were popular, and along with this, thesasuga lengthened, taking its form as the katana.[13][14]
Thetantō "Hōraisan Kotetsu" forged byNagasone Kotetsu is one of theNihon santō.
Approximately 250 years of peace accompanied theunification of Japan, in which there was little need for blades. In this period, both the katana andwakizashi were invented, taking the place of thetantō andtachi as the most-used pair of weapons, and the number oftantō forged was severely decreased.[15] Since this period,tantō have often been carved with splendid decorations. Of thetantō andwakizashi forged during this period, three masterpieces are called theNihon santō (Three Blades in Japan).[16]
In the Edo period, decorative mountings were attached to oldtantō. Atantō forged by Hasebe Kunishige.Nanboku-chō period (top);tantō mounting, late Edo period (bottom).
There were still a fewtantō being forged during the late Edo period, and the ones that were forged reflected the work of the Kamakura, Nambokucho, or Muromachi eras. Suishinshi Masahide was a main contributor towards the forging oftantō during this age.[15] There were now onlytantō predating the Edo period being used in combat;tantō forged during the late Edo period were not combative weapons.
Manytantō were forged beforeWorld War II, due to the restoration of the Emperor to power. Members of the Imperial Court began wearing the set oftachi andtantō once more, and the number oftantō in existence increased dramatically. After World War II, a restriction on sword forging causedtantō manufacture to fall drastically.[17]
Tantō remained in use among twentieth centuryyakuza (gangsters) since they could be carried as a concealed weapon more easily than a katana. Atantō is also traditionally used in theyubitsume ritual (cutting off part of a finger as an act of submission or atonement).
American and European interest in Japanese martial arts since the war created a demand for thetantō outside Japan from the 1960s through the present time.[18]
The general blade shape is approximately 25 cm (9.8 in) long, 17 mm (0.67 in) wide (near the tang), 8 mm (0.31 in) thick (near the tang) and approximately straight. Actual historical examples would vary in length, width, thickness and curvature. (Thehira andkiriha sides of thekatakiriha blade have been swapped to allow the tip to point consistently to the left while still showing the chisel-like side.)
Hira (平): A very commontantō form with noshinogi, the edge bevels reaching all the way from the edge (ha) to the back (mune) with no separate flats in between, creating an almost triangular cross-section (the back is ridged, as on most other blade forms, so the cross-section is actually an extremely asymmetrical diamond shape; onshinogi zukuri blades it is hexagonal). It is extremely common due to the simplicity of its design.
Shinogi (鎬): This is the most common type of blade geometry for long swords, buttantō made in this form are very rare, usually created from cut-down blades when a longer sword has been broken.Shinogi means the central ridge that runs along the length of the blade between the edge bevels and the body of the blade.
Osoraku:Osoraku zukuri feature an extremely longo-kissaki type point, over half the blade's length.
Shōbu (菖蒲): A common blade type that is very similar to theshinogi zukuri, except that it lacks ayokote, the distinct angle between the long cutting edge and the point section, and instead the edge curves smoothly and uninterrupted into the point.
Unokubi (鵜首): An uncommontantō style akin to thekanmuri-otoshi, with a back that grows abruptly thinner around the middle of the blade; however, theunokubi zukuri regains its thickness just before the point. There is normally a short, wide groove extending to the midway point on the blade.
Kanmuri-otoshi: Thesetantō were shaped in thehira orshōbu style, but from about halfway to the tip the back edge was sharpened though this second edge was not particularly sharp. They had a groove running halfway up the blade and were similar to theunokubi-styletantō.
Kissaki-moroha (切先両刃): A rare blade type with a double-edged point. Unlike the laterkanmuri-otoshi the tip had a distinct shape unlike any othertantō: the back edge would curve slightly downwards so that the point was lower than the back of the blade whereas othertantō had the point in line with the back of the blade. Often they had a wide groove in the base half. The most well known historical blade of this type is thetachiKogarasu Maru, "Little Crow", one of theNational Treasures of Japan.
Moroha (両刃): A rare, double-edgedtantō type that has a diamond-shaped cross-section. The blade tapers to a point and contains ashinogi that runs to the point.
Yoroi tōshi (鎧通し; oryoroi dōshi):tantō that have particularly thick cross-sections for armor-piercing duty.
Katakiriha (片切刃): An asymmetrictantō form, sharpened only on one side to create a chisel-shaped cross-section.
Kubikiri (首切り): A very rare type; the sharpened blade is on the inside curve rather than the outside. It has no sharpened point, making it difficult to use in battle and enshrouding the weapon in mystery.Kubikiri means'head cutter'. According to one myth, they were carried by attendants of samurai for cutting off the heads of fallen enemies. There are other speculations existing about thekubikiri's possible uses. Perhaps they were used by doctors or carried by high-ranking officials as a badge is worn today. They could also have been used for cutting charcoal or incense, or used as an artistic tool for pruningbonsai trees.[19]
Hōchōgata (包丁形): Atantō form that is commonly described as a short, wide,hira. Thehōchōgata ('kitchen knife-shaped') was one of the blade type that the legendary swordsmith Masamune favored.
Antique Japanesetantō shown dis-assembled, withKozuka andKogai, British Museum
Aikuchi (合口): Theaikuchi is atantō koshirae where thefuchi is flush with the mouth of the sheath. There is no handguard.Aikuchi normally have plain wooden hilts, and many forms ofaikuchi havekashira that are made from animal horns.
Hamidashi: Thehamidashi is atantō koshirae that features a small handguard.
A popular style of blade, known simply as a Tanto in the US and Europe, is similar in style to the Tantō except that the tip is squared at a shearing angle instead of curved.
The shearing angle may facilitate the stabbing effectiveness of the blade, and make the process of sharpening simpler.
An American style Tanto knife
This style of blade is commercially popular, and was used by CIA field agents in the wake of 9/11.[20][21]
TheBundeswehr is among the few militaries (if not the only) that issues a "tantō"-style military knife in significant numbers. It is designated as theKM2000.
Kaiken tantō: Thekuaiken (alsokwaiken orfutokoro-gatana) is a generally shorttantō that is commonly carried inaikuchi orshirasaya mounts. It was useful for self-defense indoors where the long katana and intermediatewakizashi were inconvenient. Women carried them in the obi for self-defense and rarely forjigai (ritual suicide). A woman received akaiken as part of her wedding gifts.
Fantantō: The fantantō is a commontantō with a blade entirely concealed within a fan-shaped scabbard. The blade was usually low quality, as thistantō was not designed to be a display piece, but rather aconcealed weapon for self-defense.
Yari tantō: Japanese spearheads were often altered so that it became possible to mount them astantō. Unlike most blades,yari tantō had triangular cross-sections. The primary purpose of theyari tantō was to piercekusari (chain mail).
Ken tantō: This is also not truly atantō, though it is often used and thought of as one.Ken were straight, double-edged blades often used for Buddhist rituals, and could be made from spearheads that were broken or cut shorter. They were often given as offerings from sword smiths when they visited a temple. The hilt of theken tantō may be found made with avajra (double thunderbolt related to Buddhism).[citation needed]
Tantō with blunt wooden or blunt plastic blades are used to practice martial arts. Versions with a blunt metal blade are used in more advanced training and in demonstrations.Martial arts that employ thetantō include:
Tantō can be seen in manyjidaigeki andchanbara films, especially those depictingseppuku, such asHarakiri (1962).
Tantō also appear in manyyakuza films, where they are used in fights and stabbings among yakuza, and in theyubitsume (finger-cutting) ritual. Examples includeKinji Fukasaku's many yakuza films of the 1970s, and the Hollywood filmThe Yakuza (1974).
Tantō appear in many video games set in Japan, such as the 2020 samurai themed gameGhost of Tsushima, in which the protagonist uses atantō forstealth kills.
The 2012 video gameHitman: Absolution enables players to pick up and use a weapon called the 'Agency Tanto Knife' on levels whereAgent 47 fights a rogue sect of his employers, the International Contract Agency
In the light novel series, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, the Greek deity Hephaestus crafted the Hestia Knife, divine knife designed after a Tanto which became Bell Cranel's signature weapon.
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