Thank you for the shout out! One note on the length interfering with some techniques, O-katana can forcibly make a person learn to do some of them properly. Pulling the saya away from the blade and turning your hips can be a part of some styles. If you happen to be a taller person then it is easy to cheat or simply forget to pull the saya back or move your hips with a more standard sized katana. Odd as it is, O katana can be a more effective tool to learn traditional techniques due to it being a little more proportional in size for taller folks.

That moment when you are on evening shift at work and got nothing to do, then an hour long video from scholagladatoria pops up on youtube!

Finally, a longer than average Japanese sword. Those are rare enough among modern enthusiasts. Nodachi and Dai-katana (or O-katana, whichever the preferable term might be) need more love.

So Japanese swords are named Sword, Small Sword, Big Sword, One Edged Sword, Side Sword, Big One Edged Sword - usually as a pair known as Big Small... so the same as European swords ...

The ornaments were moved to that position on the handle in later periods, when the sword itself was functioning almost as an ornament. They're on the sides they are (in the example you're holding), so that they would be more visible, when the sword is sheathed and resting in the obi. So, even in that day, it was no secret that the ornaments were only that...ornaments. Now, the origin of the ornaments would probably be a sort of small wooden wedge, that would have forced under the handle wrap on each side (the opposite sides that we see most on today) of the handle, to significantly tighten the wrapping. In other words, they likely began as a practical adaptation. In any case, it is perfectly acceptable to slide them out, and put them on the other side. They are purely a matter of preference. :)

I thought O'Katana is Irish replica of a katana.

O-katana is a surprise katana. Like, you walking on the street and suddenly bumping one and you go "o, katana!"

It is also worth mentioning that different ryu-ha recommend shorter or longer swords based on the size of the practitioners. For instance, in Eishin ryu iaido, which I practice, we prefer a bit longer swords, and, based on my hight of 190cm, this o-katana would actually be ideal length for me. In (at least eishin ryu) the sword is not drawn only with the right hand, but also by pulling the saya back with the left hand, so a sword this size compared to someone of my (or even Matt's) size is actually quite manageable.

I think it's a fair price, you're getting a better grade of steel with a clay temper and finer polish than the Musha class, but the furniture still has the same flaws (most notably the rounded kashira that can cause the ito to come loose, as noted in a previous video) but in my experience even the 1060 will cut 2" live hardwood as easily as this one. If there's one thing Dynasty Forge gets right (and arguably the most important thing) it's the temper/heat treatment. This one seems reasonable for what you're getting, and there's no denying it's a little prettier than their low-end models, but if all you want is a budget beater you can get equal performance for half the price. I'd love to see a review of their Gold Mon Tachi, but even on sale it's a bit beyond what my poor wallet can bear. :D

Next video: The 10 Differences between the O-Katana and O-Canada.

Those replicas are beautiful, I love how the Japanese put so much effort into the aesthetic. I like that you've made the point that weapons were made to fit the wielder, I've had too many people insist that because it's this particular length it's this type of nihonto/japanese sword. It's all in the handling, a Tachi fits me far more than a Katana because I like the reach and heft because of the longer lever. Just a point though Matt when practicing Iaido you take a wide stance and pull the scabbard away from the blade as well so the drawing cut can be done with much longer blade lengths, I've seen a 5' women pull a near enough 5' nodachi like that then move into halfswording it's amazing to watch

Yesss! A 1 hour Matt Easton video!!!!

O katana, katana wherefore art thou katana?

As always, I really enjoyed learning as well as watching you learning about the history of swords in your videos.

I always love the content you put out and this deep dive into this current production sword was great. Thanks for making such high quality content Sir Easton.

Wow, love these (for youtube) super long videos! Very appreciated!

I'm 6'4 with a big frame. I bought my first katana, a Dojo Pro, off Ronin Katana's scratch and dent sale last year (along with the two handed Medieval longsword #2). I love it, but to be honest it does really feel like more of a one handed weapon to me, and the reach wasn't super satisfactory. This year during the sale (still happening) I got their O-Katana #9, which is basically on par with the one in this video in dimensions. Oh man what a world of difference. I can still draw it easily and do all the same moves because it really is just scaled up like 20%, which basically makes it proportional to me how a regular katana would be to your average japanese dude, especially back in the day lol. I've always wondered if the sword Benkei used (one of seven different weapons he carried everywhere with him) was unusually long. He was a 6'5 Samurai and in 1189, defended a narrow bridge against hundreds of warriors as his master committed suicide. After losing a massive number of troops, the enemy retreated and filled him with arrows, yet he did not fall. When they approached, the corpse suddenly collapsed. He had died standing up.

I'm not really into swords other than in RPG but i do love your channel the history and your candid honesty to everthing, thank you for you great work.

To add some context to the terms 倭 wa, it should be noted that while ut can be associated to dwarf, it also means someone being docile, obedient and bented over as performing a "bow". When the term was associated with Japan in the 1st A.D. It is very likely that Japanese people were called so because of their "bowing" customs and due to their kindness, two strong element of the Japanese culture even nowadays, rather than their height. Average height of Japanese people in the 16th century was aroubd 1.60-65 meters, but Chinese people were in no place to call them dwarf to be fair as they weren't much taller. Still, when the term was originated, Japanese people of the Yayoi period were taller than those of 16th and 17th century.

"What an O-katana feels to me may be what a katana felt to a person of that era" is some high level contextual input, and for that I like and subscribe scholagladioatoria.

What a coincidence! I started researching on the O-katana this week. Considering to get one. Thanks for the vid!

Very nice video, as always!

Outstanding video my friend

That o-katana looks so gorgeous. The extra length really adds to the slender curve aesthetic

I really like this particular room. The weapons on the unpainted doors look really good.

Katana for the most part became popular just when on foot, however the Tachi was preferred by any samurai that would use a horse

I'm really interested to see you cover Tachi. The examples I've seen are quite heavily curved and I'd be interested to see how they were used (i know mostly on horseback but there must have been ways to use them on foot as well).

Thanks for the vid sir.👍🏼👍🏼

Very comprehensive, thank you. Not a bad piece for someone who might have it mostly on display for novelty reasons and no high cutting expectations unless it is sharpened.

Matt has some nice smooth pair of hands... Should keep then away from rough fittings! Very nice review and insights... Great work as always, sir.

Matt, Great video. When performing iaido the sword is released not only by pullingh it out but also by pulling the saya back - this motion is called saya biki. I'm 6'2" and have no trouble at all using a any where from a 29" to a 32" blade. I'm a big fan of Dynasty Forge and have three of their katanas, a wakisashi and a tanto. I enjoy your videos very much and appreciate you keepiong the history of the sword alive. Dan.

I love your description of the hilt as "fairly noduled skin with fairly regular fairly fair sized diamonds on a fairly large tang" :D what a fair weapon!

I would have to say you have very good edge aliment that helps a ton very nice cutting love your vids!

Is it bad that any video about Japanese swords just makes me wanna go watch the metatron 🤣 no but seriously love the video Matt I’m also trying to learn more about Japanese swords so it’s nice to see even great youtubers like you trying to learn more too!

Tachi vs katana sounds like an awesome breakdown. Yes please!

I just got my custome made Japanese style 'authentic' Wakizashi 1060 handforged clay temp'd. Mostly for ornamental purposes but wow its very nice. Going to upload my unboxing shortly. Grreat vids!

Didn´t you forget the "regulatory" Tokugawa edict on the length of the swords?

*"O-tachi is a big tachi, and o-katana is a big katana."* Tachi is actually just a shorthand to say the sword was well made, it's more a modern/Western idea to refer to a type of sword as a tachi. This is also true with odachi/otachi, which just meant that IN CONTEXT it was a longer blade. Now the context here is that if it's paired with a shorter blade (as they often were) that shorter blade would be called a kodachi/kotachi, and their actual length doesn't matter so long as one is longer/shorter than the other. For example in Miyamoto Musashi's school of Niten Ichi-ryu the "katana" and "wakizashi" are called odachi and kodachi respectively, even though they're normal sized. The same language could also be used if you partnered a "tachi" with a tanto, both could still be called "odachi" and "kodachi." Coincidentally tanto were the original wakizashi, as the term refers only to a blade that is the companion of another (usually longer) blade and not to a specific type of sword. Wakizashi is also an abbreviation of wakizashi no katana. Basically none of the terms we use today to refer to Japanese swords actually referred to a specific sword or sword style. Terms like "o-katana" or "ko-katana" are likewise just made up terms that don't make sense when you actually translate them into Japanese. "O-katana" would actually be pronounced "daito," a category used to ANY sword with a blade length greater than 2 shaku (roughly 2ft), while ko-katana would be pronounced "shoto" and refer to any blade with a blade length between 1 to 2 shaku.

Great vid and really good pronunciation of the Japanese words, Matt! I myself use a 36 inch blade for iai, and with your height you can definitely take on a 3-foot long blade for iaido, no problem!

I'd like to see a post-review after you've honed the blade and your impressions of the performance therafter.

Very interesting. I always thought that after the Nodachi there was no more Japanese Long swords used much. Thanks for the lesson.

Okatana, where the blade comes sweeping through the brains...

I've heard that a traditionally made katana (that is, not some junky factory-made wall hanger) can be fully disassembled and reassembled. I'm afraid to take mine apart because I'll probably never figure out how to put it back together again and I'd probably lose the mekugi or something. Loved this, got home from work and treated myself to this video. Well done video btw, cheers!

Keep in mind that there were laws about sword lengths starting in the Edo period. In 1670, Tokugawa Iyetsuna issued a regulation, making the length of tachi 2’8”, and O Wakizashi 1’8”, and anyone carrying a longer sword was liable for punishment. The wakizashi length was reduced to 1'5" later on. So while you could keep longer swords at home (I guess) or offer them to temples, carrying them around was illegal. So many swords would have been cut down to fit those new laws.

12:50 was waiting for that comparison.

Reaction/rebuttal from Metatron in 5...4...3... One of your longer reviews. Much appreciated for the greater than usual depth and detail you went into, and the cutting tests were very instructive as to what to expect from a not-quite-sharpened sword. (Does the maker, like so many, offer different grades of sharpness?) A bit of katana lore I picked up somewhere but haven't been able to verify- when held with the thumb against the tsuka, with the arm and wrist relaxed, the tip of the blade should just brush the ground. If that's true it would help explain why so many katana seem "short" to Westerners used to European swords made for statistically taller peoples.

Wish there were more on the production market.

Really cool shot at 38:31

From what I've seen, the samegawa doesn't usually "wrap" around the tsuba; it usually consists of two separate plates on either sides of the tsuba.

I prefer menuke at my finger tips, it aids in edge work in drill and cutting.

wow i didn't even notice the time. what a cool sword.

the Katana is is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. the Tachi is a corvette class frigate with 6 pdcs and 2 torpedo tubes. It was stolen after the loss of the MCRN Donnager.

Thanks for touching base on the grip ornament (manuki?)! I was always thought it was pretty neat but curious if that would hinder the wielder's grip.

It'd be interesting if you could get a larger tsuba (like the 9cm ones you've mentioned before) to mount on it to really get a feel for what these swords were like for their period users.

It is close to the same size as my Iaito training sword Blade 32" Overall length 42" (made to measure in Japan). Tsuba with dotted patterns will always eat your knuckles if possible. Hot points on sword furniture is something I teach students to look out for. Students love the bling designs but they can come at a cost when training.

At aroind 14.00 minutes you discuss Iai! I acctually did a few years of Iaido around the millenniumshift in the school of Muso Shinden Ryo witch is a school that preferes longer swords. The standard length in the club was around 32 inch and I had a 33 inch sword. I am tall but the heart of the thing isnthat we trained special techniques to draenthosenlong blades in Iaido. It has to do with hipturning. You can get quite some more drawlength out by turning your hip towards the saya. It also winds you up for the first singlehand cut.

Would be very interested to see you review a Balaur arms sword, I have their Type XIV and it seems fantastic.

I've heard James Williams talk about sword size in one of his videos, and he gave some data on the swords of the 47 ronin, and the average length was actually of what we consider o-katana length. I don't have the source, but it's something that stuck with me for whatever reason. I suspect war swords tended on the longer size, hence why tachi of periods where warfare was more common, tended to be longer. The shorter swords of subsequent periods were probably for more comfortable daily wear.

Explaining why there's some sowrds larger than normal. What comes to my mind: "other word,; There's always swordsmen. Who feel they must compensate for lacking in other ways."

I actually received delivery of an o-katana myself, quite recently. I ordered it specifically because my primary sword of study is the longsword, and I wanted something that would be close in length to what I was used to. The handling of the two blades is quite different, though, as my longsword is a type XV1a, and is more nimble than the more stout o-katana.

I've always liked the tachi better. Didn't know what it was called, or that it is considered a different sword though. Cool video

Do an O-Wakizashi next. They are underappreciated.

Actually, some iai styles use longer blades and, indeed, they use different methods for drawing or wearing the blade. Also, regarding the hands and the pommel, some schools also do the same leverage as in many long sword styles, with some minor differences in how much of the hand is used for covering the pommel.

I guess your life long practice in cutting helped a lot in cutting those bottles. When you tried to draw cut the paper the edge seemed so dull I thought it would not cut through the bottles ... Anyway, it's always nice to watch some well executed precision cutting :)

The Tachi was developed for use on horseback and the Katana became more popular around the time when pike and shot warfare became the prominent form of warfare in Japan

The length would only really be a problem, in regards to drawing, if the scabbard was "fixed" in a position, rather than cinched into the obi/ belt. My drawing techniques were always made fast with the blade being drawn, while the scabbard was being retracted. The length, in this case, really isn't that big an issue for iaido, and the like.

Yes! Okatana! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Now you need to get a nodachi someday! 😁

Ah, so this is type of katana Vergil's swingin with! Honestly gives me a better reference when thinking about size, form and handling and heck makes sense that a powerful devil arm in the form of a katana may as well be modeled after a great one!

Huh. Modern (Eastern) European here being 5'4 (163). Maybe this is why I felt so weird in that longsword training course....

That's a sick sword!

Oversized katana. Get it ? O-katana ?

Incredible performance for a sword that's not even sharp enough to cut paper. I think that tells us something. So I can only imagine if it was sharpened.

Another great video thank you! The handle on this sword looks disproportionate to the blade, i.e. a little too short.

In the Edo period (after the waring states period when things had settled down) I believe there was a restriction on swords above a certain length at court. Similar to what you hear about in the Spanish court when Destreza was popular as a Spanish rapier system. Anyways, prior to these restrictions I think you would have seen more variation due to personal preference and he size of the user.

Dynasty Forge probably offers 2 finishes on the blade when ordering. Either shipped sharpened or unsharpened. Easy way to add an extra fee during purchase. They probably sent you the cheaper version.

Will you replace the tsuba with a larger one? and would you design the Schola Gladiatoria Tsuba?

Notification gang

24 in.= 61 cm 28 in.= 71 cm 27 in.= 69 cm 29 in.= 74 cm 32 in.= 81 cm 33 in.= 84 cm 1/84 m= 6 ft. 1/2 in. (good work!). 1,225 g= 43,21 oz. or 43 oz. 3.4 dr.av.

Surely the reason why the stated length is different on the website than what Matt measures it to be because he measures in a straight line and the actual number of inches of the cutting edge are more than that due to the blade being curved?

Part of the problem you might be having with the water filled soda bottles is not only is the plastic thicker than the milk bottles, but with a 1 liter soda bottle the sitting surface area is smaller than the milk bottles, making your target less stable & more likely to tip as the blade passes through the target. Undoubtedly a sharper edge would help greatly, but so would using 2 liter soda bottles that have a broader foot print, making them more stable. edit: This "Advice" might be a little late depending on how long ago the video was shot, but with the performance as is you might want to just strop the blade with a leather stropping pad & a set of progressively finer polishing compounds rather than stoning the blade. With the edge geometry that the blade has it probably wouldn't take much to improve the cutting characteristics of the blade.

An O-katana is a misnomer used by vendor websites. Historically no one uses that term and here is why: in Japanese, katana is written 刀. "Ô" as in big is written 大. If you write 大刀 you get "daito" which means long sword as in any sword with a blade over 2 shaku (~2 feet). In case it's not clear: 大刀 is read as daito not o-katana (ogatana ? :)) A katana over 3 shaku is called Odachi 大太刀 (big 大 tachi 太刀) aka Nodachi 野太刀 nowadays. Historically the term had a slightly different use as many other terms within different time periods. A katana on the bigger side is just a katana. A 33" blade is still under 3 feet so it's just a katana 刀, or uchigatana 打刀 if you wanna be specific.

The fuchi coming lose is definitely not a user error. While most japanese sword styles encourage not touching the tsuba with the index and thusly also reducing the contact to the fuchi, the way it is supposed to be is a friction fit between the handle and the fuchi. Depending on wether your same-wrap is extending over that area of contact of ending underneath it (in which case you usually have a wider wooden area) it is not supposed to come loose at all.

Katana's are such beastly cutters. Even without a good edge they're sweet.

All big swords belong to a specific weapon category called “the Great Compensator”

The Japanese swords that made the greatest impression in China in the 16th century appear to have been even longer than this. For instance, the Changdao/Dandao specified in the late-ming-era Dan Dao Fa Xuan had a nearly 48-inch blade (3 chi 8 cun, or 121.6 cm). The much smaller version that text assigns to crossbowers still has a blade slightly over 35 inches (2 chi 8 cun, or 89.6 cm). & supposedly the swords the Japanese used in the Imjin War were longer than Korean (& Ming?) swords.

I'm not too shocked that you had a few minor hiccups with the koshirae when cutting with this O-Katana. The fittings on this sword are indicative that this particular blade is set up to be worn at your side; if it was not in use, it would be set up in shirasaya. However, if the sword was properly furnished for combat use, the menuki would be on the other side of the hilt; they should fit into your palms, and the right hand is ALWAYS the hand closest to the blade. Considering this, the fixtures on this O-Katana indicate more of a decorative intent than a practical one, though you clearly CAN use it if needed. I hope you know someone that can give that puppy a proper sharpening and polish.

I would contact Dynasty Forge about the Saya if I were you. The integrity of the Koiguchi is of some concern, the reason Horn is tradtionally used at the mouth of the Saya is because Horn is less likely to be cut and split open from drawing the blade over time, epecially during draw cuts. If you believe the Koiguchi is made from regular wood or otherwise comprimised it is best to get it looked at and possibly replaced before continued practice with the sword. I've seen many koiguchi failures and often times the damage done to the hand can be irreparable. I personally have a friend who experienced a koiguchi failure during a draw cut in a tatami test and blade completely cut through the upper 4 inches of the saya and sliced into his left palm, severing multiple nerves between his thumb and index finger and nearly cleaving through his thumb. Its only now after 6 years the nerve damage is healing and he gaining some partial use of his hand again.

Could you please do a video on Miao Dao please

[Imagine Ron Pearlman narrating voice] "And so Matt begin his unexpected journey from hema to the arts of the samurai" 🤣🤣🤣

I did dabble in looking into the differences between Japanese swords a few months ago after playing Ghost of Tsushima. A bit confusing but understandable. When theses things were first created they didn’t care about distinctly defining them. A sword is a sword.

When you draw a long Katana, please try stepping backwards with your left leg and move your hip backwards. This way the blade comes out much easier and faster.

An O-katana is, obviously, an Irish Katana.

It' s a Japanese musical about a samurai love triangle.

57min : "A short video of Scholagladiatoria" :p

You did a straight line measurement, what's the length if you follow the blade or edge?

I thought O'Katana is the song they sing at the beginning of NHL Ice hockey games. O-Katana my home and native land...

You have to learn how to sheathe katanas without looking Matt :) by laying the spine on the hand that grabs the saya (its best to grab a bit over the opening, to avoid pinching the skin by the spine)) and sliding it until the point lands in the opening :)

About the issue of old Japanese people being short, there are two reasons. First is genetics. The east Asian people can actually be roughly characterized into two groups. The first group is the northern Chinese, Koreans, Mongols, etc. The second group is the southern Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Tibetans, and by some extent the southeast Asian islanders. Of course there are a lot of mixing going on throughout history, but generally speaking Japanese are closer to the second group, and are generally shorter than the first group. Second is diet. During that period, Buddhism was very popular in Japan, and the ruling class took it much more seriously than the Chinese and Korean. So meat eating was considered a bad thing. It's until the Meiji period that the emperor was influenced by westerners and started to encourage his people to eat meat and drink milk, and indeed the Japanese people started getting taller since then. But even in modern time their average height is still considerably shorter than say, the South Koreans, but taller than North Koreans. So you can see how both nutrition and genetics played a role.

Maybe they could offer 2 options, a 'display' sword, exactly what you have there, and a 'cutting' sword, with a fine edge and plainer fittings. Then you can choose whether you want it nice to look at or nice in the hand.

Some Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu iai lineages train with 33" blades - for say ~5' 6" tall people