The Samurai warrior employed the Tanto knife for close combat situations. There were times when the space available for fighting was limited, as it would be inside a room.

The item featured on this page is a Japanese Tanto knife. Produced in the mid to late 1800's. The knife is dressed in traditional attire.

The scabbard is beautifully executed. The main body is black lacquered. A suspension ring is built to one side. It is here that close to half of the length of the scabbard is ribbed, however, the ribbed pattern is only applied to one side.

The top and bottom sections of the scabbard are decorated with red flowers, more than likely a Chrysanthemum representation.

The Tsuba is of black color. Not much of a design other than a couple of oval openings to each side.

The following pictures show a closeup view of the Habaki. The upper half is adorned with vertical lines applied at an angle and bundled close together. This design is known as "Rain pattern". The bottom half is void of any design. Just plain.

The handle is wrapped with a black cloth. menuki in the shape of a bird adorn both sides of the handle. The pommel has a metal cap which used to have a guilded design on top, however most of it has been rubbed off. A metal ring is placed at the base of the handle and has some flowe decorations.

This Samurai Sword may be currently reproduced. It is becoming more difficult to be able to tell the fake ones from the real ones because the quality of the reproductions is improving. The collector must become familiarized with the construction style and materials employed in the manufacturing of this item. Attention to the details is critical in order to be able to determine the authenticity of the collectible.