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Japanese dagger

A is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (nihontō) that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The tantō dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the years to become more ornate. Tantō were used in traditional martial arts (tantojutsu). The term has seen a resurgence in the West since the 1980s as a point style of modern tactical knives, designed for piercing or stabbing.

The tantō is a single or double edged dagger with a length between (1 Japanese [[Shaku (unit)). The tantō was designed primarily as a stabbing weapon, but the edge can be used for slashing as well. Tantō are generally forged in the (平造) style (without a ridgeline), meaning that their sides have no ridge line and are nearly flat, unlike the (鎬造) structure of a katana. Some tantō have particularly thick cross sections for armor piercing duty, and are called yoroi toshi. Tantō were mostly carried by samurai; commoners did not generally wear them. Women sometimes carried a small tantō called a [[Kaiken (dagger) in their [[Obi (sash), primarily for self defense. Tantō were sometimes worn as the (小刀) in place of a wakizashi in a daishō, especially on the battlefield. Before the advent of the wakizashi/tantō combination, it was common for a samurai to carry a tachi and a tantō as opposed to a katana and a wakizashi.

The tantō was invented partway through the Heian period. With the beginning of the Kamakura period, tantō were forged to be more aesthetically pleasing, and hira and uchi sori tantō became the most popular styles. Near the middle of the Kamakura period, more tantō artisans were seen, increasing the abundance of the weapon, and the kanmuri otoshi style became prevalent in the cities of Kyoto and Yamato. Because of the style introduced by the tachi in the late Kamakura period, tantō began to be forged longer and wider. The introduction of the Hachiman faith became visible in the carvings in the hilts around this time. The hamon (line of temper) is similar to that of the tachi, except for the absence of choji midare, which is nioi and utsuri. Gunomi midare and suguha are found to have taken its place. During the era of the Northern and Southern Courts, the tantō were forged to be up to in length, as opposed to the normal one [[Shaku (unit) (about ) length. The blades became thinner between the ura and the omote, and wider between the ha and mune. At this point in time, two styles of hamon were prevalent: the older style, which was subtle and artistic, and the newer, more popular style. With the beginning of the Muromachi period, constant fighting caused the mass production of blades, meaning that with higher demand, lower quality blades were manufactured. Blades that were custom forged still were of exceptional quality, but the average blade suffered greatly. As the end of the period neared, the average blade narrowed and the curvature shallowed. Katana originate from (刺刀), a kind of tantō used by lower ranking samurai who fought on foot in the Kamakura period. Their main weapon was a long naginata, with the sasuga as a spare weapon. In the Nanboku chō period, which corresponds to the early Muromachi period, long weapons such as ōdachi were popular, and along with this, the sasuga lengthened, taking its form as the katana.

Approximately 250 years of peace accompanied the unification of Japan, in which there was little need for blades. In this period, both the katana and wakizashi were invented, taking the place of the tantō and tachi as the most used pair of weapons, and the number of tantō forged was severely decreased. Since this period, tantō have often been carved with splendid decorations. Of the tantō and wakizashi forged during this period, three masterpieces are called the Three Blades in Japan; ; Nihon santō.

There were still a few tantō being forged during the late Edo period, and the ones that were forged reflected the work of the Kamakura, Nambokucho, or Muromachi eras. Suishinshi Masahide was a main contributor towards the forging of tantō during this age. American and European interest in Japanese martial arts since the war created a demand for the tantō outside Japan from the 1960s through the present time. (包丁形): A tantō form that is commonly described as a short, wide, hira. The hōchōgata was one of the blade type that the legendary swordsmith Masamune favored.

(合口): The aikuchi is a tantō koshirae where the fuchi is flush with the mouth of the sheath. There is no handguard. Aikuchi normally have plain wooden hilts, and many forms of aikuchi have kashira that are made from animal horns. Hamidashi: The hamidashi is a tantō koshirae that features a small handguard.

[[Kaiken (dagger): The kuaiken (also kwaiken or futokoro gatana) is a generally short tantō that is commonly carried in aikuchi or shirasaya mounts. It was useful for self defense indoors where the long katana and intermediate wakizashi were inconvenient. Women carried them in the obi for self defense and rarely for jigai (ritual suicide). A woman received a kaiken as part of her wedding gifts. Fan tantō: The fan tantō is a common tantō with a blade entirely concealed within a fan shaped scabbard. The blade was usually low quality, as this tantō was not designed to be a display piece, but rather a concealed weapon for self defense. Yari tantō: Japanese spearheads were often altered so that it became possible to mount them as tantō. Unlike most blades, yari tantō had triangular cross sections. Ken tantō: This is also not truly a tantō, though it is often used and thought of as one. Ken were straight, double edged blades often used for Buddhist rituals, and could be made from spearheads that were broken or cut shorter. They were often given as offerings from sword smiths when they visited a temple. The hilt of the ken tantō may be found made with a vajra (double thunderbolt related to Buddhism). Modern tantō: Modern tactical knives have been made by knife makers Bob Lum, Phill Hartsfield, Ernest Emerson, Allen Elishewitz, Bob Terzuola, Strider Knives, Harold J. "Kit" Carson, Benchmade, Camillus Cutlery Company, Spyderco, Severtech, Ka Bar, SOG Knives, Columbia River Knife & Tool, and Cold Steel. These "American tantō" designs which are often folding knives, feature a thick spine on the blade that goes from the tang to the tip for increased tip strength. The handle shape may be altered slightly to provide better ergonomics.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles features tantō knives used by April O'Neil, Leonardo, and Splinter in the 2012 version, and also by the Shredder in the 1990 version and Karai in the 2003 version. The 2012 game Hitman: Absolution enables players to pick up and use a weapon called the 'Agency Tanto Knife' on levels where Agent 47 fights his former employers, the International Contract Agency.