Tanto Knives – A 1000 Year Old Knife Story


Intro.

When it comes to the world of knives each and every one of us has used one, maybe has a favourite one, whether it’s in the kitchen or a tool of thier trade, it might be out camping or hiking, collecting perhaps or the more serious aspect of a real life survival incident.

As a collector I realise there are some misconceptions about Tanto Knives, thats one reason why I wrote this article about Tanto Knives. Any collectors out there who dream about owing a Knife that is more than just a Knife but one that has played a part in shaping certain times of history.

What I’ll Cover In This Article.

  • When it all started
  • How the Samurai Warrior fits in
  • Historical significance
  • What steel these blades are made with
  • How they are made
  • Original blade design
  • How it’s morphed into what it is today

I fit into this group of enthusiats who want to get hold of a knife that we can hold and truly feel we are holding part of history in our hands.
Any self respecting knife colector/enthusiast will know the significance of Swords and Knives in the history of Asia, and none more so than those which were forged in Japan.

My Obsession.

I have a life long dream of owning a Tanto Knife and one as old I can afford to buy. Part of this obsession is writing this article so I can also learn a lot more about their origin, why were they designed as they were, what was the significance in Japanese history, how they have morphed into what they look like today and identify certain misconceptions about their current blade shape.

                                   

                Let’s Wind the clock back about 1200 years.

 

The Birth Of An Iconic Knife.

Firstly, let’s look back in time to the birth of this Blade. Tanto Knives (tantō 短刀 means ‘short blade’ or ‘short sword’) are strongly connected to the social & political aspect of the feudal system in Japan. They date back to Heian Period (794-1185). Because this was a time of civil unrest bladed weapons were in great demand. Because of the limited resources and the need for close combat knives the thinner, shorter Tanto Knife was born, it was carried alongside the longer traditional sword

The Rise Of The Samurai.

As warriors gained notoriety during the Kamakura period (1192–1333), they were carrying the Tanto Knife as well as their trusty sword for self protection and that of the aristocratic members of society. During this busy time many, many blades were produced to service the demand for them and despite what collectors might want to admit lots of poor qualits bldes were made. It was all about quantity rather than quality at this time.

 

 

Historical Significance.

As the centuries pased through the Kamakura and Nanbokucho Periods (1185–1392) & then on through the Muromachi Period (1336-1573) the warrior chieftans (Shogun) ruled the countryside with their swords & trusty Tanto’s, a time when emperors reigned but the Shogun ruled.
In 1534 along came a fella named Oda Nobunaga (織田 信長, (23 June 1534 – 21 June 1582) and was one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period and regarded as one of the first “Great Unifiers” of Japan.

                 

              Blade Steel, it all begins here.

The word tama means “precious”. The word hagane means “steel”. It’s made from Iron Sand (satetsu) predominantly found in Shimane. This forms a carbon steel blade. The carbon content ranges from about .5% to about 1.5%.

As you can see from this image the Tamahagane is heated, flatened out and then broken into pieces to be assessed and then carefully placed onto a small forging plate to be covered in rice paper and a clay slurry mix to keep it together and from oxygen getting into the steel. This will start the long forging process.

The Tatara.

This is a clay furnace of about 4ft x 12ft. The Tatara has air force into it from either side and is heated to about 1000c (1800F) then charcoal is mixed to create the carbon content as the iron sand and charcoal melts down to create Tamahagane.

The Tatara furnace burns for up to 72 hours. When the Murage decides it’s been long enough he calls for them to break open the clay furnace and assess the quality of Tamahagane.

Forging Process.

A Japanese Sword/Knife makers forge (Foji) A little anvil sits right next to the hearth and bellows. It makes for a comfortable & practrical work environment.

The steel on a sword gets folded up to 16 times which is a possible 65,536 layers of steel. A Tanto Knife not quite so much, up to 14 layers, this is a possible 16,384 layers.

Foilding and layering the steel like this gives the blades their characterisitc toughness, flexibility and able to keep an edge.

Blade Design.

During the time of Oda Nobunaga (400 to 500 years ago) and in subsequent years the Tanto Knife continued to be made in varied sizes and slightly differing blade shapes but it remained as this parallel blade with a sweeping curve moving towards the tip.

However, things started to change when the Tanto Knife became as much a status symbol as it was a weapon of protection. As such it was produced in a way that needed to be more aesthetically pleasing, perhaps we could even say it was a fashion statement of the day!

Note: This is a priod of time I am most intereted in when it comes to a Tanto Knife due to the care taken to produce them at this time. They are old enough to be steeped in history but not so old that we can find examples not too far from our price range. I know from my own research I can buy one for around US$2000 and upwards for a good one.

Major Parts of a Japanese Blade.

Decorative Designs & Hara-Kiri!

As time moves into the Edo period (1603-1868) & the demand for these weapons diminished due to relatively peaceful times, there came to be many more carefully produced & decorative blades which were for a ceremonial pupose like the Tanto Zashi, dare I say, used for the infamous Hara-Kiri (ritual suicide)!
Note: If we look in the right places we can find very nice examples of Tanto Knives from this era in good condition.

                                                                                       Blade Types
        There are many many blade types produced over the centuries, here are a few of them.         

                         Hira – Osoraku

The Hira is a common Tanto design, it usually has a flat grind with no shinogi (a transition between the spine and the blade edge) The Osoraku features a very long point, it starts narrowing towards the tip for over half the blade’s length.

                     Katakirinha – Shinogi

The Katakirinha has a similar shape to the Yoroi-Toshi a slender knife but with a chisel ground edge. The Shinogi is actually created from a cut down broken long sword, this is why there is the familiar angled tip we see on this blade.

                         Kubikiri – Shobu

The Kubikiri is a very rare, a curved blade with the edge being on the inside and a blunt point, there is a bit of mystery about this knife but the name Kubikiri means something like head cutter, that should give us a clue! The Shobu similar to the Shinogi in that the narrowing starts at around half the total blade length but doesn’t have that distinctive angular tip, it’s a much sharper looking point.

                     Unokubi & Yoroi-Toshi

The Unokobi is quite uncommon, it featrures what we might know as a swedge and a groove (fuller) along it’s spine. The Yoroi-Toshi has a thick triangular cross section, used for stabbing piercing armour.

                   Kanmuri-Otoshi & Moroha

The Kanmuri-Otoshi is very similar to the Unokubi but the front swedge travels all the way to the tip and has a groove (fuller) along the spine. The Moroha. these are very rare, it features a diamond cross section that travels all the way along the spine creating a double edge.

                     Kisaki Moroha-Kubikiri

 

The Kisaki Moroha is similiar to the Unokubi but the swedge is shorter and travels all the way to the tip.

 

 

The Scabbard of the Tanto Kife (the Saya)

Just like the rest of the knife the Saya is an important part of the finished knife. Depending on who it was made for they could be a simple curved wooden sheath finished in laquer (bottom middle). This one to the left is currently held in the British museum, it’s from the Edo period. They were often adorned with special clips to hold the Saya in place and wrapped with a ribbon like material made of cotton or silk. It’s originally used for tying the knife to the warriors Obi (sash).

        Example of a Historical Saya

 

        Example of a Modern Tanto

 

                    Mid Nanbokucho period

This one has an amazingly ornate Saya. Believe it or not it’s from the Mid Nanbokucho period (the first year of the O-An era in 1368), hard to believe it’s 655 years old!!

             Beautiful at 600 Years Old!

And this one is another one of about 600 years old, it’s astonishing!

              Tanto Knives In the Modern Era

As more and more collectors got interested in Japanese blade making and the Tanto design then so did the manufacturers. Here are a collection of knives, some handmade by the hobbyist others made by manufacturers. Either way they have all latched onto the idea of building in this angular point. Due to this there are so many people think that the original Tanto’s were all like this. As you can see from the sketches above, the Shinogi was the only one that had this angular point as it was cut down from a longer sword like a Katana which was broken. I guess it was due to popularity but the modern knifemakers all started producing them.

600 years later this style is still so popular as you can see in these examples.

                    Modern Tanto Blades

 

bladespirit.com

Hi Everyone, it's great you have found my site, it's lovely to have you here. I'm Trev, a longtime knife collector and in more recent years a knife maker. My collection spans across 40 years and includes unique pieces from Africa, Military daggers and swords. When it comes to the knives I make they are also quite varied. I make, folding knives & bush craft knives. One of my favorites is a Tanto inspired knife. As I get older and deeper into my hobby, my passion has started to gear towards Gentleman's Friction Folders & Slip Joint knives. This is what I would love to perfect one day. In the meantime I do knife reviews and create posts relating to knives, swords and the history of them. Feel free to hang around and have a read through my posts. Regards Trev

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