Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Tachi versus katana in horseback fighting

Philip · 22nd October 2006, 07:19 PM

Dear Tsubame-san
Thank you for your very interesting presentation. I had the opportunity to discuss tachi with a friend and colleague, Mr. Francis Boyd of Berkeley, CA -- you may know of him as a maker of very fine Japanese swords according to traditional methods, mainly in the styles of the Kamakura era. He has made quite a few tachi, and knows quite a bit about their use.

Francis does confirm that the tachi was "born" during the era of cavalry warfare. The length of its blade makes it well suited for use from the saddle, as compared with the shorter katana, which for fighting on foot. [Similarly, the "peidao" of China also follow this dichotomy as re blade length -- longer for the horsey guys, though the outward configuration of the weapon is similar in both cases].

I commented on the distinct upward (dorsal) curve of the tachi's tang and hilt, as so admirably illustrated in the photo you posted. While doing so I held one of his tachis in a two handed grasp similar to what I felt normal for a katana. Boyd corrected me, saying that for cutting at the gallop, a one handed grip was the norm (after all, you need to steer the horse with the left hand), and the grip that looked so odd to me was actually quite efficient for a thrust.

He showed me: rotate the tachi so that it's edge-up. The curve of the hilt harmonizes with your wrist angle for a thrust, the pommel is out of the way and the geometry of the hilt seems to balance the blade better. Try the same thrust with a dead-straight hilt, and you'll feel the difference.

Later, when I started collecting Vietnamese weapons and taking an interest in the dha sabers/knives of Burma and Thailand, I started seeing these same dorsally-canted grips. Colleague and fellow forumite Mark Bowditch told me that this was a very prevalent feature on dhas, as a whole. Some of the Vietnamese examples were pretty radical. A Vietnamese fellow who trained in martial arts confirmed what Francis had demo'd to me with his tachi.

22nd October 2006, 07:19 PM	#3
Philip Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 1,036	some comments on the design of tachi Dear Tsubame-san Thank you for your very interesting presentation. I had the opportunity to discuss tachi with a friend and colleague, Mr. Francis Boyd of Berkeley, CA -- you may know of him as a maker of very fine Japanese swords according to traditional methods, mainly in the styles of the Kamakura era. He has made quite a few tachi, and knows quite a bit about their use. Francis does confirm that the tachi was "born" during the era of cavalry warfare. The length of its blade makes it well suited for use from the saddle, as compared with the shorter katana, which for fighting on foot. [Similarly, the "peidao" of China also follow this dichotomy as re blade length -- longer for the horsey guys, though the outward configuration of the weapon is similar in both cases]. I commented on the distinct upward (dorsal) curve of the tachi's tang and hilt, as so admirably illustrated in the photo you posted. While doing so I held one of his tachis in a two handed grasp similar to what I felt normal for a katana. Boyd corrected me, saying that for cutting at the gallop, a one handed grip was the norm (after all, you need to steer the horse with the left hand), and the grip that looked so odd to me was actually quite efficient for a thrust. He showed me: rotate the tachi so that it's edge-up. The curve of the hilt harmonizes with your wrist angle for a thrust, the pommel is out of the way and the geometry of the hilt seems to balance the blade better. Try the same thrust with a dead-straight hilt, and you'll feel the difference. Later, when I started collecting Vietnamese weapons and taking an interest in the dha sabers/knives of Burma and Thailand, I started seeing these same dorsally-canted grips. Colleague and fellow forumite Mark Bowditch told me that this was a very prevalent feature on dhas, as a whole. Some of the Vietnamese examples were pretty radical. A Vietnamese fellow who trained in martial arts confirmed what Francis had demo'd to me with his tachi.