PUBLIC MARKS from Takwann with tag koshirae

By Fred Weissberg The term, uchigatana, is made up of two Japanese words. The word, uchi, comes from the verb, utsu, and means to strike. The word, gatana, is another reading of the word, katana, and means sword. Thus when these two words are used together, this term, uchigatana, means a sword that is suitable for striking an enemy. Used in the context, it means a sword that is worn with the cutting edge upward as opposed to a tachi that is worn with the cutting edge downward.