Nodachi/Tachi...?

[Sakimaru]

OK. In the game bushido blade there is a sword that looks ALOT like a Tachi sword, but they call it a Nodachi. Are they different or are the makers of the game just confused or something? Cuz they look alot alike. Also, in a book of mine I believe it says that a Nodachi is what you wear on your back. ?

~!@SAKIMARU@!~

 

[Despairbear]

As I understand it a nodachi is a very large two handed sword. A tachi is the predisessor to the katana. The tachi was a little thicker and longer than a katana, a nodachi was around 6ft. (?) long and used to combat mounted horsemen.


Despair Bear

 

[old_sempai]

:asian:

During the Sengoku Jidai, and the Old Sword period the No dachi, also known as a Seio tachi was a very long single sword that generally measured in excess of 5 feet.

This type of sword was more commonly known as a moor sword and was used by a warrior on foot against one mounted on horseback. As with other swords from this period, the blade was worn with the cutting edge down and the swordsmith's signature faced away from the body.

:asian: :asian:

 

[Sakimaru]

So since men on horseback had the long tachi swords to strike at the grounded men...the grounded men used nodachi against them?

 

[old_sempai]

:asian:

These swords were only used during the Sengoku Jidai, and fell into disuse in the period just before the Tokugawa Shoguns came to power. As I may have mentioned in another post a good example of this type weapon can be seen in the movie "Seven Samurai" whereby Mifune can be seen carrying a sword of this type.

:asian: :asian:

 

[Yari]

Originally posted by Sakimaru

OK. In the game bushido blade there is a sword that looks ALOT like a Tachi sword, but they call it a Nodachi. Are they different or are the makers of the game just confused or something? Cuz they look alot alike. Also, in a book of mine I believe it says that a Nodachi is what you wear on your back. ?

~!@SAKIMARU@!~

Th nodachi was worn with the blade pointing downward. Some had it on there back. The main reason to why you could wear it those ways was the curve on the blade. There is a curve on the "normal" katana (ther is no such thing as a normal katana), but there is a standard set for repilca katana's uaslly, and this is also used to draw, but the other way. Some people use to say that the curve deciede the draw. To some extent I agree.

If my memory serves me right the sword worn on the horse was because it was only the samurai that was by horse. After a while the samurai came on foot, and the long sword couldn't be used. The draw was slow and akward. The need for at faster draw, and moblity when walking was essential. Thus the katana came. But even this model has changed over the years. Try and looking at this very good book on katanas: The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords by Kokan Nagayama.

For evolution on the samurai this book is also good: Zen and the Way of the Sword : Arming the Samurai Psyche by Winston L. King .

/Yari


/yari

 

[old_sempai]

:asian:

Hi Yari:

Thanks for the titles and info, as I recall, and the Japanese movie "Heaven & Earth" shows good examples of why the Tachi was fitted with two hangers and worn with the edge down. This movie is set around the year 1575 and deals with Shigen Takeda in a war with Uesugi. All the mounted Samurai worn the Tachi and its evident that with its deeper curve & two hanger system it could readily be used by mounted Samurai since the culture at that time would have him fighting [supposedly one on one] with an equal. Therefore, the cutting edge would provide an "Earth to Sky" draw and cut against another mounted Samurai in a single movement. Conversely, when on foot the Katana with its cutting edge worn facing up provides a Samurai the ability to instantly execute a "Sky to Earth" cut that could effectively wound or even kill his opponent in one movement.

Haven't found the Iai book yet, but I'm still unpacking, and getting involved with a site known as [www]fightersworkshop[com] and using the same name. However, I may be contributing articles from time to time [hopefully they won't cause too much of a fire storm] under the name Daijogen Yushokan, which is my name in Nihon.

Regards

:asian: :asian: