Blades greater than 30 and less than 60 cm (12 and 24 inches) in length are known as wakizashi. During the Edo period, this was the shorter of the pair of swords worn by samurai.

The word "wakizashi" comes from waki (脇), meaning "side", and zashi (差し), whose root is the verb sasu (差す), meaning "to wear a sword at one's side".

Special terms are used for blades of unusual length:

• ko-wakizashi (小脇差) - short wakizashi (between 1 shaku and 1 shaku 9 sun, 9 bu (30.3 cm to 60.297 cm))
• chū-wakizashi - medium wakizashi (between 1 shaku, 5 sun and 1 shaku, 7 sun, 9 bu (45.45 cm to 54.237 cm))
• o-wakizashi (大脇差) - long wakizashi (between 1 shaku, 8 sun and 1 shaku, 9 sun, 9 bu (up to 60.297 cm))

Horse teeth shaped hamon pattern. Uma-midare stands for irregular uma-ha.

Blades which weren't shortened (still have nakago in its original shape) can be referred to as 'ubu'.

A hamon pattern resembling large, surging waves of the sea. Toran-midare - irregular toranba.

Lit. 'Pointed'. See togari-ba and togari-gunome.

A curved sword with a blade longer than 2 shaku (~60cm). It was worn suspended from the belt with the blade edge down. They were mainly produced in Koto times. Later, many old tachi were cut down into katana. The majority of surviving tachi blades now are o-suriage, so it is rare to see an original signed ubu tachi.

Longer than average wakizashi or tanto.

See jōsun for more details.

Straight hamon. Suguba may be classified (according to the width of hamon) as:

• hiro-suguba (wide)
• chu-suguba (medium)
• hoso-suguba (narrow)

The shaku is an archaic Japanese unit of length which is commonly approximated to be 12 inches (1 foot). As with other measurements, it was originally derived from nature: the average length between nodes on bamboo. Since 1891, the shaku has been defined to equal 10/33 meter (approximately 30.3 cm, or 11.93 inches), or 3.3 shaku to the meter. A single shaku is divided into 10 sun (寸).

1 shaku = 11.93 inches (30.30 cm)

1 shaku = 10 sun
1 sun = 1.193 inches (3.03 cm)

1 sun = 10 bu
1 bu = 0.119 inches (0.303 cm)

1 bu = 10 rin
1 rin = 0.01193 inches (0.0303 cm)

Lit. 'three cedars'. A sub-type of togari+gunome with repeating three peaks which resemble cedar trees. Originated by Kanemoto 2nd.

A way to preserve mei (signature) on the tang when shortening it (see o-suriage) by bending it around to the opposite side, therefore leaving it upside-down.

Obusa means the shape of the head of hamon (round part of hamon) looks like a big bunch of choji.

Large kissaki. The size appears exaggerated in comparison with blades length and width.

An undulating pattern of gentle waves.

It can also be classified (by the wave amplitude) as:

• ko-notare (small amplitude)
• o-notare (large amplitude)

See kataochi gunome.

Lit. 'Double hamon'. A second line of hamon which appears parallel to main hamon line. Triple line of hamon can be referred to as sanjuba.

An example of nijuba can be seen here.

'Rat's feet'. Small numerous ashi.

The tang of the sword; that part of the blade, below the machi, which is inserted into the hilt (tsuka). It is finished by hammering or filing, and often bears a carved signature. The hilt is attached by means of a peg (mekugi) inserted through a special hole (mekugi+ana) in the nakago.

Depending on the condition of nakago the following terms can be applied:

• ubu (生ぶ) - for original, unshortened nakago
• suriage (磨上) - for mildly shortened nakago
• o-suriage (大磨上) - for greatly shortened nakago

A tempered spot or line found on the mune.

The width of a blade measured from the mune to the cutting edge. See also: moto-haba, saki-haba.

Irregular. See midareba, choji midare.

The notches dividing the blade proper from the tang. The notch on the blade side is called hamachi; that on the mune side is known as the munemachi.

Lines of hamon, which are not completely aligned, creating a gap or a break in hamon. It's common in Yamato-den blades.

An example of kuichigai ha can be seen here.

Small ashi.

An example of ko-ashi can be seen here.