Kaiken (dagger)

Japanese kaiken/kwaiken style tanto.

A kaiken (懐剣) is a 20–25 cm (8–10 in) long, single or double-edged dagger^[1] without ornamental fittings housed in a plain mount.

Uses

It was once carried by men and women of the samurai class in Japan. It was useful for self-defense in indoor spaces where the long blade katana and intermediate sword wakizashi were inconvenient. Women carried them in their kimono either in a pocket-like space (futokoro) or in the sleeve pouch (tamoto)^[2] for self-defense and for ritual suicide by slashing the veins in the left side of the neck.^[3]^[4] When a samurai woman married, she was expected to carry a kaiken with her when she moved in with her husband.^[5]

Orthography

Prior to modern orthographic reform the kaiken is now called Kwaiken kwaiken (pocket knife). The modern term and has no reference in historical records;^[6] also called a futokoro-gatana

References

↑ Stone, George Cameron (1999). Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times. Dover Publications. pp. 405–. ISBN 978-0-486-40726-5.
↑ Sinclaire, Clive (1 November 2004). Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior. Globe Pequot Press. pp. 88–. ISBN 978-1-59228-720-8.
↑ Tarassuk, Leonis; Blair, Claude (1982). The Complete encyclopedia of arms & weapons: the most comprehensive reference work ever published on arms and armour from prehistoric times to the present. Simon & Schuster. p. 306.
↑ Arai, Hakuseki; Joly, Henri L.; Inada, Hogitarō (1913). The Sword Book in "Honchō Gunkikō". C. E. Tuttle. p. 42.
↑ Mol, Serge (2003). Classical Weaponry of Japan: Special Weapons and Tactics of the Martial Arts. Kodansha International. pp. 27–. ISBN 978-4-7700-2941-6.
↑ Cannon, Garland Hampton; Warren, Nicholas W. (1996). The Japanese Contributions to the English Language: An Historical Dictionary. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 65–. ISBN 978-3-447-03764-8.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nihonto.

Minoru, Nishio (1985) [1979]. Nishio Minoru; Iwabuchi Etsutarō; Mizutani Shizuo, eds. Iwanami kokugo jiten (in Japanese) (3rd ed.). Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten. p. 155. ISBN 4-00-080003-5.
Nihonto message board forum
Richard Stein's Japanese sword guide
Japan Arts Council e-book Mamori-gatana pp. 179–180

Japanese weapons, armour and equipment

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Swords	Chokutō Guntō Japanese sword Katana Kodachi Ninjatō Ōdachi Shikomizue Tachi Tsurugi Uchigatana Wakizashi

Knives and daggers	Kabutowari Kaiken Tantō Yoroidōshi

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Practice weapons	Bokken Iaitō Shinai Shinken Suburitō Tanren bō

Armour	Auxiliary armours Bōgu Dō Dō-maru Haramaki Japanese armour Kabuto Karuta Kikko Kusari Mempo Ō-yoroi Sangu Tatami

Armour types	Brigandine Lame Lamellar Laminar Mail Plate Plated mail Scale

Clothing	Fundoshi Hakama Kyahan Shitagi Tabi Uwa-obi Waraji

Samurai accoutrements	Abumi Daishō Horo Kaginawa Kate-bukuro Kubi bukuro Kura Uchi-bukuro Yebira

Chain and rope weapons	Chigiriki Kusarigama Kusari-fundo Kyoketsu-shoge Jōhyō

Clubs and truncheons	Hachiwara (club type) Jitte Kanabō Tekkan Tessen

Staff weapons	Bō Hanbō Jō Tanbō Yubi-bo

Projectile and throwing weapons	Makibishi Oyumi Shuriken Ya Yumi

Firearms and guns	Bajōzutsu Bo-hiya Tanegashima

Other weapons	Kama Metsubushi Ono Ōtsuchi Shobo Suntetsu

Signal devices	Gunbai Hata-jirushi Horagai Kabura-ya Nobori Saihai Sashimono Uma-jirushi

Users	Ashigaru Edo period police Ninja Rōnin Samurai Sōhei Yamabushi

Japanese armour Japanese martial arts Japanese swords National Treasure swords Samurai weapons and equipment

Knives and daggers

List of daggers List of blade materials

Types of knives	Aircrew Survival Egress Knife Athame Balisong/Butterfly Ballistic Ballpoint pen knife Bayonet Boline Bolo Boning Boot knife Bowie Bread knife Cane knife Cheese knife Chef's knife Cleaver Clip point Combat knife Commander Corvo CQC-6 Deba bōchō Diving knife Drop point Electric knife Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife Gerber Mark II Ginsu Grapefruit knife Gravity knife Gunong Hunting knife Jacob's ladder Karambit Kīla Kirpan Kitchen knife Kukri Laguiole knife Machete Mandau Mezzaluna Misericorde Mora knife Multi-tool Nakiri bōchō Navaja Neck knife Nontron knife Opinel knife Palette knife Pantographic knife Parang Penknife Penny knife Pocket knife Putty knife Puukko Rampuri Resolza Sabatier Sami knife Santoku SARK Scalpel Seax Sgian dubh Sharpfinger Shiv Sliding knife Smatchet SOG Knife Straight razor Strider SMF Survival knife Swiss Army knife Switchblade Taping knife Throwing knife Tomato knife Trench knife Tumi Ulu Utility knife Warrior knife X-Acto Yanagi ba Yatagan

Types of daggers	Anelace Applegate–Fairbairn fighting knife Arkansas toothpick BC-41 Bagh naka Baselard Bichuwa Bollock dagger Cinquedea Dirk Ear dagger Emeici Facón French Nail Hachiwara Hunting dagger Janbiya Kaiken Kalis Kard Katar Khanjali Khanjar Kris Mark I trench knife Ocean Edge Knife Parrying dagger Poignard Push dagger Rondel dagger Seme Shobo Sica Stiletto Tantō Marine Raider stiletto V-42 stiletto Yarará Parachute Knife Yoroidōshi

Knife manufacturers	Aitor Al Mar Knives American Tomahawk Company Bear MCG Benchmade Böker Buck Knives Caber Camillus Cutlery Company Cattaraugus Cutlery Company Chris Reeve Knives Cold Steel Columbia River Knife & Tool Cuisinart Cutco Cutlery DOVO Solingen Dexter-Russell Dirte Knives Eikhorn Ek Commando Knife Co. Emerson Knives Erizo F. Dick Fällkniven FAMAE Fiskars Füritechnics Gerber Legendary Blades Global Golok Hanwei Imperial Schrade J. A. Henckels Ka-Bar Kershaw Knives KitchenAid Korin Japanese Trading Company Kyocera Leatherman Mad Dog Knives MercWorx Microtech Knives Morseth Murphy Knives Ontario Knife Company Opinel Pro-Tech Knives Randall Made Knives Ranz Rigid Knives Rösle SOG Specialty Knives Sabatier Aîné & Perrier Spyderco Strider Knives Survival Aids TEKNA Thiers Issard Tramontina Victorinox Vox Knives W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. Walther arms Wenger Western Knife Company Wilkinson Sword Windlass Steelcrafts Wüsthof Yarara Ltd

Knifemakers	A.G. Russell American Bladesmith Society Rex Applegate James Black Blackie Collins John Nelson Cooper Ernest Emerson Jerry Fisk Phill Hartsfield Bill Harsey Jr. Gil Hibben Knifemakers' Guild Zanjan Knifemakers Jimmy Lile Bob Loveless Bob Lum William F. Moran Ken Onion Ralph Osterhout Bo Randall Chris Reeve Jody Samson William Scagel Mike Snody Robert Terzuola Michael Walker Buster Warenski Daniel Winkler

Book:Knives and daggers Category:Knives / Daggers

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Kaiken (dagger)

Uses

Orthography

See also

References

External links