Katana

• The katana is the most common and well-known of all samurai swords, and in Japanese can refer to any single-edged Japanese sword. The katana is a relatively light-weight, curved sword made of a single-edged blade. Its size varies depending on the era: 14th, 15th and late 16th century blades were approximately 28 inches, whereas the katana in the early 16th century averaged 24 inches.
  
  

Wakizashi

• The wakizashi (literally meaning "side arm") is a type of short sword often carried in companion with the katana. This sword pairing was referred to as daisho, meaning "large" and "small." Wakizashi are approximately 20 inches long, although blades could range from 12 to 24 inches in size.
  
  

Tanto

• The tanto (literally, "short sword") is a single or double-edged dagger. Its blade ranged anywhere from 6 to 12 inches, and was used primarily for stabbing. Prior to the 16th century, samurai would more commonly wear a tanto and a tachi, as opposed to a katana and wakizashi.
  
  

Chokuto

• The chokuto, or "straight sword," originates from China, and was the predecessor to the katana. It was a single-edged sword--similar to the katana--but was straight, rather than curved. Samurai found, however, that chokuto were less effective than swords with a curved blade, and switched to the katana instead.
  
  

Bokken

• The bokken is a type of wooden sword used for training purposes. It was typically shaped and sized similarly to the katana, but in some cases was forged similar to the wakizashi or tantou.