Wakizashi Guide: The Samurai's Second Sword and How to Choose One
Everyone knows the katana. Fewer people know the sword that never left a samurai's side, indoors or out, awake or asleep: the wakizashi. The katana came off at the door; the short sword stayed on the belt. This guide covers what a wakizashi actually is, why the samurai wore two swords, and what to look for in a modern hand-forged one.
What is a wakizashi?
A wakizashi is the Japanese short sword: a curved, single-edged blade between roughly 12 and 24 inches (30 to 60 cm), built exactly like a katana, the same construction, the same fittings, the same curve, at a smaller scale. The name means "side insertion," for how it was worn thrust through the sash beside the long sword. Anything shorter is a tanto; anything longer is a katana. Length is the entire legal and practical definition.
The daisho: why two swords
From the 17th century, the paired long and short sword, the daisho ("large-small"), was the legal badge of the samurai class: only samurai could wear both. The pairing was practical too. Japanese custom required the katana to be left at the door as a guest; the wakizashi stayed with its owner, which made it the sword of interiors, tight corridors, and last resorts. It was the samurai's constant companion in exactly the places the katana could not go.
Wakizashi vs katana
Length is the formal difference: over about 24 inches of blade is a katana, 12 to 24 is a wakizashi. Use follows from it: the katana is a two-handed battlefield and dueling sword; the wakizashi is one-handed, quicker to draw in a doorway, and usable where a long blade binds. Status differed too: merchants and townsmen, barred from the katana, could legally carry a wakizashi, which made it the most widely owned sword in Edo Japan. Construction is identical, which is why the two were forged and mounted as matched pairs.
How to choose a wakizashi
Size. Around 20 to 21 inches of blade is the classic companion-sword proportion; shorter examples edge toward tanto territory and suit smaller displays.
Steel. Our wakizashi are hand forged in 1095 high carbon steel, which takes the keenest working edge, and pattern-welded Damascus, which carries the layered figure along the curve. Both are full-tang working blades, not wall hangers.
The pair question. If you already own a katana, matching the wakizashi's fittings and saya makes a daisho, the classic display. If this is your first Japanese blade, a wakizashi is arguably the better start: the same craft at a friendlier length and price.
The checks. Full tang, a properly seated tsuba (guard), a saya that holds the blade without rattle, and honest steel. Every current piece is in our hand-forged wakizashi collection, and the vocabulary, tsuka, tsuba, saya, hamon, is labeled on our parts of a katana diagram.
Caring for one
Carbon steel wants the same three habits as every forged blade: wipe after handling, oil lightly before storage, and store out of the saya's long-term grip in humid climates. Keep the edge off powered grinders; a fine stone preserves a forged edge.
Frequently asked questions
Is a wakizashi just a short katana? Mechanically, nearly: same construction and curve, shorter blade, one-handed grip. Historically it had its own role, indoors and as the badge everyone below samurai rank was allowed to wear.
What length is a wakizashi? Blade between roughly 12 and 24 inches (30 to 60 cm). The classic companion size runs about 20 inches.
Can you use a wakizashi with two hands? The grip takes one hand comfortably; some longer examples fit two in a pinch, but one-handed use is the design.
Was the wakizashi used for seppuku? The tanto was the traditional instrument, but the wakizashi served in that role often enough that the association is historically fair.
Wakizashi or tanto? Over about 12 inches of blade, wakizashi; under, tanto. The tanto is a knife in form and function; the wakizashi is unmistakably a sword.
About the author
Owen Juarbal is Director of Marketing and head writer at Battling Blades. He has been with the company since 2021 and writes or reviews every guide the team publishes. Read more about Battling Blades.
