脇差

Japanese

脇差: a wakizashi (with both full koshirae and simpler shirasaya) below a katana (also with koshirae and shirasaya), showing the difference in size.

Kanji in this term
脇	差
わき Grade: S	さ(し) > ざ(し) Grade: 4
kun'yomi

Etymology

Compound of 脇 (waki, “armpit, side of the torso”) +‎ 差 (sashi, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 差す sasu “to insert, to stick into”), from the way the wakizashi would be stuck at one's side through the 帯 (obi, “belt or sash”). The sashi changes to zashi as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Noun

脇(わき)差(ざし) • (wakizashi) 

1. (weaponry) a traditional Japanese shortsword, often used as a secondary weapon to a katana

   Traditionally 30cm to 60cm in length. For more details, see Wakizashi on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Coordinate terms

• 刀(かたな) (katana): traditional Japanese single-bladed curved sword
• 短刀(たんとう) (tantō): traditional Japanese shortsword or dagger (30cm and shorter)
• 大小(だいしょう) (daishō): “big and small”: the katana and wakizashi as a set

See also

• 鎧通(よろいどう)し (yoroidōshi): a kind of stout dagger intended for thrusting