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A wakizashi is a traditional Japanese sword, with a shoto blade between 12 and 24 inches long (30 – 60 cm). It is the smaller cousin of the katana and together the two swords were worn as a matched pair, or daisho, by samurai warriors. Towards the end of the Edo period, samurai swords became elaborate status symbols, with lavish decoration on the hilt and scabbard displaying the owner's wealth. Photo credit: Chris 73 |