page_title: Ōdachi
section_title: Production
hierarchical_section_title: Ōdachi / Production
caption_attribution_description: Nodachi, a rare Sword from Japan
context_page_description: An ōdachi or nodachi was a type of traditionally made Japanese sword used by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The Chinese equivalent and 'cousin' for this type of sword in terms of weight and length is the miao dao, and the Western battlefield equivalent is the longsword or claymore.
  The character for ō means "big" or "great". The dachi here is the same as tachi, the older style of sword/mounts that predate the katana. The chi is also the same character as katana and the tō in nihontō, originally from the Chinese character for a blade, dāo.
  To qualify as an ōdachi, the sword in question would have a blade length of around 3 shaku; however, as with most terms in Japanese sword arts, there is no exact definition of the size of an ōdachi.
context_section_description: Ōdachi are difficult to produce because their length makes traditional heat treatment more complicated: The longer a blade is, the more difficult (and expensive) it is to heat the whole blade to a homogeneous temperature, both for annealing and to reach the hardening temperature. The quenching process then needs a bigger quenching medium because uneven quenching might lead to warping the blade.
  The method of polishing is also different. Because of their size, ōdachi are usually hung from the ceiling or placed in a stationary position to be polished, unlike normal swords which are moved over polishing stones.
  In the past, acquiring a fully sharpened ōdachi was difficult, as they required special custom orders. In modern times though, many forges in Japan and China are accepting such orders due to the renewed popularity and interest in ancient Japanese weaponry in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
caption: A sheathed ōdachi
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