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Tsurugi/Ken (剣) | |
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Type | Sword |
Place of origin | Japan |
Service history | |
Used by | Samurai, Onna-musha |
Production history | |
Produced | approx. 200 B.C. Yayoi period (1,000 BC–300 AD) to present. |
Specifications | |
Blade length | approx. 100 cm (39 in) |
Blade type | Straight, double-edged |
Hilt type | Metal, wood |
Scabbard/sheath | Lacquered wood |
A tsurugi (剣) or ken (剣) is a Japanese sword. The word is used in the West to refer to a specific type of Japanese straight, double-edged sword used in antiquity (as opposed to curved, single-edged swords such as the katana).[1] In Japanese the term tsurugi or ken (ja:剣) is used as a term for all sorts of international long, double-edged swords.