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The Japanese sword was considered the soul of the samurai.

Wherever he went, he was obligated to wear his two swords.

One long sword, the Katana, and one smaller sword, the Wakizashi.

The samurai only used the Katana in battle, until Miyamoto Musashi developed

a new fighting technique, using both the swords.

But the smaller Wakizashi was always used in Seppukku, the ritual suicide.

Below are a few images that determine the various parts of the

Katana, and shows a few different swords, varying from the Tachi

to the Tanto.

This is a very simplyfied anatomy of the Japanese sword.

This is a close up of the handle, with all the

different parts named.