May 21, 2019
TEKKAN AND HACHIWARI: JAPAN'S NOT-SO-FAMOUS BLADES
At first glance, the tekkan and hachiwari may not look impressive. The dull, heavy blades served as striking weapons made for hitting armor-clad enemies with maximum impact. Sergei Mol explains, "The tekkan was specifically developed (for use) against opponents wearing armour and is therefore necessarily heavy so that it can be used against the armour's weak points."
Also dull and heavy, hachiwari resemble the tekkan but employ a short hook at the base which may have been used to hook an opponent's armour or to gain leverage to pry the armour apart. Instead of the katana's deadly finesse, the tekkan and hachiwari aimed for heavy-handed disarmament.
