There were still few tantō being forged during this period, and the ones that were forged reflected the work of the Kamakura, Nambokucho, or Muromachi eras.

The Saiō system ended during the turmoil of the Nambokucho Period.

Kasuga Shrine and the deer have been featured in several paintings and works of art of the Nambokucho Period.

Daggers ( tantō ), were also carried for close combat fighting as well as carried generally for personal protection.

With the beginning of the Kamakura period, tantō were forged to be more aesthetically pleasing, and hira and uchi-sori tantō were the most popular styles.

Near the middle of the Kamakura period, more tantō artisans were seen, increasing the abundance of the weapon, and the kanmuri-otoshi style became prevalent in the cities of Kyoto and Yamato.

With weapon smiths given this time, both the katana and wakizashi were invented, taking the place of the tantō and tachi as the most-used pair of weapons, and the number of tantō forged was severely decreased.

The only tantō produced during this period of peace were copies of others from earlier eras.

Many tantō were forged before World War II, due to the restoration of the Emperor to power.

* Yari Tantō: Japanese spearheads were often altered so that it became possible to mount them as tantō.

Minor weapons such as the tantō ( dagger ), ryufundo kusari ( weighted chain ), jutte ( helmet smasher ), and kakushi buki ( secret or disguised weapons ) were almost always included in koryū jujutsu.

Because of the style introduced by the tachi in the late Kamakura period, tantō began to be forged longer and wider.

The katana / wakizashi pairing is not the only daishō combination as generally any longer sword paired with a tantō is considered to be a daishō.

It has been noted that the tachi would be paired with a tantō, and later the uchigatana would be paired with another shorter uchigatana.

Kanzan Satō in his book titled " The Japanese Sword " notes that there did not seem to be any particular need for the wakizashi and suggests that the wakizashi may have become more popular than the tantō due to the wakizashi being more suited for indoor fighting.

This created a weapon that could be used for hacking and closely resembled a tantō.

The tantō was designed primarily as a stabbing weapon, but the edge can be used for slashing as well.

It has been noted that the tachi would be paired with a tantō and later the uchigatana would be paired with another shorter uchigatana.

Kanzan Satō in his book The Japanese sword notes that there did not seem to be any particular need for the wakizashi and suggests that the wakizashi may have become more popular than the tantō due to the wakizashi being more suited for indoor fighting.

The blade was usually low quality, as this tantō was not designed to be a display piece, but rather a concealable dagger useful for self-defense.

The hilt of the ken tantō may be found made with a vajra ( double thunderbolt related to Buddhism ).

Before the advent of the wakizashi / tantō combination, it was common for a samurai to carry a tachi and a tantō as opposed to a katana and a wakizashi.

These tantō have a wide body, unlike his normal slim and elegant work, making them appear quite similar to a Japanese cooking knife.

A blade shorter than one shaku is considered a tantō ( knife ).

The wakizashi was one of several short swords available for use by samurai including the yoroi tōshi, the chisa-katana and the tantō.

This means that it is much longer than the one shaku length of the average tantō.

The hochogata was one of the tantō forms that Masamune ( an ancient sword smith whose name has become legend ) favored.

* Katakiriha: The katakiriha is a tantō form that has one side that is completely flat, while the other side turns at a sharp angle to create a chisel-shaped blade.

* Ken tanto: This is also not truly a tantō, though it is often used and thought of as one.

The " Hōchō " Masamune refers to any one of three particular and unusual tantō attributed to Masamune.

* Tomoe Gozen is one of the characters resurrected on the planet of Riverworld, in both the science fiction novels of Philip José Farmer and the 2010 miniseries adaptation of the same name ; in the latter she is depicted as wielding two blades ( one definitely a katana and the other, smaller-tsuka blade potentially being an elongated tantō ) in the style of Musashi Miyamoto and the Go Rin No Sho, or Book of Five Rings.

Then, seizing his tantō, which was the only weapon he had left, he plied it as one in a death fury.

* 1 shaku or less for tantō ( knife or dagger ).

The wakizashi has a blade between 30 and 60 cm ( 12 and 24 in ), with wakizashi close to the length of a katana being called o-wakizashi and wakizashi closer to tantō length being called ko-wakizashi.

Unlike wakizashi, tantō, and katana, which have had history of strict measurements regarding the nagasa, and even the tsuka in some cases ; the nagamaki varied in nagasa, nakago ( tang ) length, kissaki style, etc.

It is usually the size and shape of a katana, but is sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the wakizashi and tantō.

Samurai warriors, as part of bushido, could perform ritual suicide, or seppuku, with a tantō, a common Japanese knife.

The loose robes of Buddhist priests also allowed concealed weapons, such as the tantō.

With the advent of the katana, the wakizashi eventually was chosen by samurai as the short sword over the tantō.

The term may also refer to swords and other mêlée weapons ( e. g. the rapier, the tantō and wakizashi, the arming sword and the side-sword are all considered sidearms for their respective eras of use ); the modern use of it usually pertains to pistols and similar firearms.

When he tries to return home, the same woman says that a fox had come by the house, leaving behind a tantō knife.

The tantō dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the years to become more ornate.

The tantō is commonly referred to as a knife or dagger.

Some tantō have particularly thick cross-sections for armor-piercing duty, and are called yoroi toshi.

Women sometimes carried a small tantō called a kaiken in their obi primarily for self-defense.

With the advent of the katana, the wakizashi eventually was chosen by samurai as the short sword over the tantō.