Wakizashi

Its name refers to the practice of wearing it inserted through one's obi or sash at one's side, whereas the larger tachi sword was worn slung from a cord.

The production of swords in Japan is divided into specific time periods:[4] The wakizashi has a blade between 30 and 60 cm (12 and 24 in) in length.

[7] The wakizashi was used as a backup or auxiliary sword;[1] it was also used for close quarters fighting, to behead a defeated opponent[8] and sometimes to commit seppuku.

[18][12] It was not until the Edo period in 1638 when the rulers of Japan tried to regulate the types of swords and the social strata which were allowed to wear them that the lengths of katana and wakizashi were officially set.

He mentions the custom of leaving the katana at the door of a castle or palace when entering, while continuing to wear the wakizashi inside.

Antique Japanese daishō , the traditional pairing of two Japanese swords which were the symbol of the samurai , showing the traditional Japanese sword cases ( koshirae ) and the difference in size between the katana (bottom) and the smaller wakizashi (top).
Although the number of forged swords decreased in the Meiji period , many artistically excellent mountings were made. A wakizashi forged by Soshu Akihiro. Nanboku-chō period (top). Wakizashi mounting, Early Meiji period (bottom).