Post by Weiss Draconis on May 1, 2008 4:56:45 GMT -5
(One of my favorite Japanese weapons.)
The Nodachi is a Japanese word that means Field Sword, and is the name of a large two-handed sword. There has been a suggestion that the meaning of Nodachi is roughly the same as the word odachi, which means Large/Great sword, and this is reinforced slightly by their synonymous pronunciation and spelling. This has caused a confusion between the two terms. As such, while Nodachi may have originally been applied to any type of Daito (long sword), with the inclusion of the tachi, it is today misapplied most frequently to any oversized Japanese sword.
There are few accounts historically of the nodachi neing used in combat, but they had the same design and general purpose as a tachi did, though significantly longer. A foot soldier would wield a nodachi on open terrain and against cavalry, as the weapon was designed for these types of engagements in warfare. The length of the nodachi made indoor use difficult, so it was used in open fields.
Even though they were uncommon, nodachis were effective weapons against cavalry. A foot soldier wielding the nodachi would carry the blade with the flat edge against the shoulder and the fuchi (butt of the tsuka) in the palms of the hands and the blade facing towards the enemy. The sword would often be thrown or lunged down towards to at the enemy.
Nodachi were infrequently used for several reasons, but the following four are the primary ones. First, there was the issue of the blade's forging. a nodachi was more difficult to forge in comparison to a normal-sized sword. This consequentially raised the cost of forging, and thus many turned it down in favor of a cheaper weapon.
Second, the nodachi was heavier and longer than most weapons, and required a greater amount of strength to wield properly. Thirdly, the naginata and nagamaki were arguably more effective for the same role on the battlefield, and in the case of the naginata, easier to make.
Finally, the nodachi is not a cutting weapon, per se, but rather more like a large battle-axe, in that it was used basically to fold the opponent under the rapidly moving weight. Though effective, the nodachi appears to have ended up being overlooked in favor of cheaper alternatives that would be just as effective.
During the peaceful periods, the nodachi was worn over the back. This custom makes the nodachi distinctive from other swords in Japan, because most swords, such as the tachi, katana, or wakizashi, were worn at the belt or waist, but the nodachi was not "drawn" from the back.
The Kage Ryu is one of the few Japese schools still active that train their students in the use of a nodachi, calling it a choken. Other martial arts use something akin to a nodachi to train with, the most common of these being the Chinese art Bagua Zhang. The oversized weapon is used in training to condition the martial artist to more effectively handle a normal weapon.
The typical nodachi had a hilt length that varied between twelve and thirteen inches, with the blade being much longer. In Bearing in mind that a katana's usual length was roughly 2 feet 3 inches, and that the nodachi was used to fend off cavalry, it would be no foolish estimate of the length of an average nodachi as 5 to 7 feet long, including the hilt.
The most famous historical use of the nodachi is its use by Kojiro Sasuki, who is somewhat famed for having lost to Miyamoto Musashi in battle, with the details of that battle, aside from Musashi's victory, uncertain. Sasuki was famed with his nodachi, the Monohoshi Zao (translated as the Laundry-Drying Pole) and his technique with it, the Turning Swalow Cut, which was learned, according to legend, by his study of the movements of a swallow's tail during flight at Kintaibashi Bridge in Iwakuni.
As stated earlier, the nodachi has very few appearances historically, but in recent years, the nodachi has had several appearances in anime, mangas, and video games, in appearance a katana that is 5 to 7 feet long. Out of these, the most famous use in all probability is in Final Fantasy 7, with Sephiroth's sword, the Masamune, being his only weapon.
Two other famous uses come from t he snime and manga Bleach, the first being the bankai Tensa Zangetsu, wielded by Ichigo Kurosaki, and the second being the Hyorinmaru, the zanpakuto of Toshiro Hitsugaya. A fourth example is in the anime and manga series Samurai Deeper Kyo, where the characters Kyoshiro and Kyo both use nodachis as their primary weapon, along with Sarutobi Sasuke, though only for a limited time.
A fifth, and final, reference to the nodachi is made in the anime Fate/Stay Night, where the character from the Assassin class is revealed to be Kojiro Sasuki, wielding the Monohoshi Zao against Saber in combat, and using the Turning Swallow Cut.
That covers everything I have on the nodachi, one of my favorite Japanese weapons, except for the fact that I wish I had one and could practice the teachings of the Kage Ryu.
The Nodachi is a Japanese word that means Field Sword, and is the name of a large two-handed sword. There has been a suggestion that the meaning of Nodachi is roughly the same as the word odachi, which means Large/Great sword, and this is reinforced slightly by their synonymous pronunciation and spelling. This has caused a confusion between the two terms. As such, while Nodachi may have originally been applied to any type of Daito (long sword), with the inclusion of the tachi, it is today misapplied most frequently to any oversized Japanese sword.
There are few accounts historically of the nodachi neing used in combat, but they had the same design and general purpose as a tachi did, though significantly longer. A foot soldier would wield a nodachi on open terrain and against cavalry, as the weapon was designed for these types of engagements in warfare. The length of the nodachi made indoor use difficult, so it was used in open fields.
Even though they were uncommon, nodachis were effective weapons against cavalry. A foot soldier wielding the nodachi would carry the blade with the flat edge against the shoulder and the fuchi (butt of the tsuka) in the palms of the hands and the blade facing towards the enemy. The sword would often be thrown or lunged down towards to at the enemy.
Nodachi were infrequently used for several reasons, but the following four are the primary ones. First, there was the issue of the blade's forging. a nodachi was more difficult to forge in comparison to a normal-sized sword. This consequentially raised the cost of forging, and thus many turned it down in favor of a cheaper weapon.
Second, the nodachi was heavier and longer than most weapons, and required a greater amount of strength to wield properly. Thirdly, the naginata and nagamaki were arguably more effective for the same role on the battlefield, and in the case of the naginata, easier to make.
Finally, the nodachi is not a cutting weapon, per se, but rather more like a large battle-axe, in that it was used basically to fold the opponent under the rapidly moving weight. Though effective, the nodachi appears to have ended up being overlooked in favor of cheaper alternatives that would be just as effective.
During the peaceful periods, the nodachi was worn over the back. This custom makes the nodachi distinctive from other swords in Japan, because most swords, such as the tachi, katana, or wakizashi, were worn at the belt or waist, but the nodachi was not "drawn" from the back.
The Kage Ryu is one of the few Japese schools still active that train their students in the use of a nodachi, calling it a choken. Other martial arts use something akin to a nodachi to train with, the most common of these being the Chinese art Bagua Zhang. The oversized weapon is used in training to condition the martial artist to more effectively handle a normal weapon.
The typical nodachi had a hilt length that varied between twelve and thirteen inches, with the blade being much longer. In Bearing in mind that a katana's usual length was roughly 2 feet 3 inches, and that the nodachi was used to fend off cavalry, it would be no foolish estimate of the length of an average nodachi as 5 to 7 feet long, including the hilt.
The most famous historical use of the nodachi is its use by Kojiro Sasuki, who is somewhat famed for having lost to Miyamoto Musashi in battle, with the details of that battle, aside from Musashi's victory, uncertain. Sasuki was famed with his nodachi, the Monohoshi Zao (translated as the Laundry-Drying Pole) and his technique with it, the Turning Swalow Cut, which was learned, according to legend, by his study of the movements of a swallow's tail during flight at Kintaibashi Bridge in Iwakuni.
As stated earlier, the nodachi has very few appearances historically, but in recent years, the nodachi has had several appearances in anime, mangas, and video games, in appearance a katana that is 5 to 7 feet long. Out of these, the most famous use in all probability is in Final Fantasy 7, with Sephiroth's sword, the Masamune, being his only weapon.
Two other famous uses come from t he snime and manga Bleach, the first being the bankai Tensa Zangetsu, wielded by Ichigo Kurosaki, and the second being the Hyorinmaru, the zanpakuto of Toshiro Hitsugaya. A fourth example is in the anime and manga series Samurai Deeper Kyo, where the characters Kyoshiro and Kyo both use nodachis as their primary weapon, along with Sarutobi Sasuke, though only for a limited time.
A fifth, and final, reference to the nodachi is made in the anime Fate/Stay Night, where the character from the Assassin class is revealed to be Kojiro Sasuki, wielding the Monohoshi Zao against Saber in combat, and using the Turning Swallow Cut.
That covers everything I have on the nodachi, one of my favorite Japanese weapons, except for the fact that I wish I had one and could practice the teachings of the Kage Ryu.