Daisho

The daishō (大小, lit. "big and small") are the traditional weapons of the samurai, composed of the katana and the wakizashi. The etymology of this word becomes apparent when the terms daito (meaning big sword) and shoto (meaning small sword) are used; daito + shoto = daisho. The katana, the longer sword, is used on the battlefield and for most purposes, while the shorter wakizashi is more of a sidearm. The wakizashi is also used to commit seppuku.

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The daisho were limited exclusively to the samurai caste. Other bushi and ashigaru might carry one or the other, but the matching set were only worn by a true, noble samurai.

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Samurai: :For other uses, please see Samurai (disambiguation)...

Katana: : This article is about the Japanese sword. For the motorcycle, see Suzuki Katana.....

Wakizashi: A wakizashi (Japanese: 脇差) is a traditional Japanese sword with a shoto blade between 12 and 24 inches (between 30 and 60 cm, with an average of 50 cm), similar to but shorter than a katana but also quite longer than the kodachi. The wakizashi is usually worn together with the katana b...