Self-defense products are gaining in popularity because they are effective against attacks, and they don’t take as much time to learn. Martial arts or other self-defense courses are great to learn, but for many people, they take too much time to learn, and can be expensive. Besides, you are not always going to have the opportunity to use your self-defense skills so you might need other ways to defend yourself. Self-defense products are one way to go.
But, before you go out and purchase a self-defense mechanism, you should consider some of the following points:
• Find out which one is best for you – Not much sense carrying around throwing stars or a set of SAP gloves if you aren’t trained in martial arts or how to throw a good punch. Learn what product is going to be right for you.
• Learn to use the self-defense product properly – Having a self-defense product and not knowing how to use it can injure you as easily as it can hurt your assailant. Once you have chosen a self-defense product, ask for proper instructions on how to use it, or take a course in using the products properly. You aren’t helping the cause if you hurt yourself before your defend yourself.
• Make sure you are legally able to carry this item – You don’t want
the embarrassment of being harassed by local law enforcement, then take the time to see if you are allowed to carry the self-defense product your have chosen. Some may need permits or other permission before you can carry them around in public.
• Don’t carry more than you need – If pepper spray is going to give you the jump you need to parry away an assailant, then there is really no need to carry air guns, slingshots or a taser. When the moment comes for you to use the self-defense product, you don’t want to have to fumble around to choose which one to use.
Self defense products can get you out of a sticky situation – there is no doubt about that. But, unless you know what you need, how to use that product, and if it is legal, you may be getting more than you’ve bargained for. You can actually do yourself more harm that good by not knowing what self-defense products are right for you.
Do your homework before you invest time and money into self-defense products. They can save your life, your money and provide you with peace of mind.
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Self Defense
For Easterners, particularly Chinese, this MAY not be an issue. Tai Chi Chuan is deeply rooted as part of the Chinese culture. It is known to almost everyone what Tai Chi Chuan is all about. Note there: I said “…MAY not be an issue”, meaning that there are exceptions, particularly to Chinese who are not born and grown up in China.
For Westerners, surprisingly – I found many sites dedicated to Tai Chi Chuan, and some of this information is from Westerners. However, deep in my instinct, there are still many who want to know more about learning Tai Chi Chuan.
Moreover, many literatures and scriptures about Tai Chi Chuan are still mainly written in Chinese, and much translation is needed to make it more accessible to the West. I’m doing such translation work.
Yes, I’m a Chinese, trained in both Chinese and English languages since young. And, I would really love to share my passion in Tai Chi Chuan with whoever interested about the subject.
In my 23 years of learning and research in Tai Chi Chuan, martial arts, meditation and healing, I found some questions are very much of interest for a keen learner, or even beginner.
Examples of these are, “Can a senior person learn Tai Chi Chuan?”, “Is it easy to learn and master?”, “What do I need?”, “Should I know about Daoism to learn Tai Chi Chuan?” and so on.
For a start, everyone and anyone can learn this art though it is once a closely kept secret among the family or clan, or later among Chinese. Age has no barrier. In fact, senior people found it very beneficial to their physical health and mental well-being, by practicing regularly.
The original forms of Tai Chi Chuan, irregardless of which styles, require a lot of effort, time, and dedication to learn and master. Simplifying is a necessity. In fact, I started learning the simplified version of Yang style 24 forms. This requires a lot of effort and time from my side to achieve reasonable level of mastery.
Tai Chi Chuan is the outward projection of certain principles found in the Chinese culture. Though the understanding of its principles is desirable, it is not necessary…yet, for a beginner. Principles I referred to here
is not the fundamental principles of Tai Chi Chuan itself. It is more of philosophical principles – close to I-Ching, and some of Daoism.
The fundamental principle of Tai Chi Chuan is a must for a beginner, so that he or she will know the correct way to execute the movements.
Other things enquirer of Tai Chi Chuan would like to know is – “What’s in for me?”
Particularly skeptics who see this as slow-moving, apparently energy-less, and senior-people related martial arts.
“Can this help me???”
If I say – “Yes, it can help!”. You may also doubt my words. I don’t mind that. But, how about keeping an open mind and you try it out for yourself. You will see the effects over time. And if you don’t, then, you are not doing it correctly!
Sorry, no catch here! 
Tai Chi Chuan may ‘appear’ to be slow – but this is only for practicing. It actual combat application – you should be able to move extremely fast in order for it to be of use.
The apparent energy-less motion is in fact energy in disguise. The energy gathered and harnessed in Tai Chi is not brute force – but vital energy, Qi that is even more potent than physical strength and energy.
Senior-related?
Incidentally – yes, it seems more senior people practice Tai Chi Chuan than younger people, for health reasons. But international champion male and female Tai Chi exponents in China were been trained since childhood. And there are a lot of young adults learning and practicing this art. Hmm… should I still say senior-related???
It does bring a lot of benefits to anyone who practices it religiously, and in particular – correctly. And the best thing is – the benefits can be limitless, and may cover every aspects of your life! Try it for yourself!
Written by: C. Guan Soo
Tai Chi Practitioner
http://www.TaichiForYourHealth.com
*************** Note ***************
You may distribute or publish this article freely provide you do not make any changes or alteration on the article content, or remove my name and website from the article. Thank you!
C. Guan Soo
A Tai Chi Practitioner and love who practice meditation, martial arts, energy healing and Tai Chi Chuan since the age of 10. His website: http://www.TaichiForYourHealth.com
Kendo, which literally means “way of the sword”, is the Japanese art of fencing. Kendo was created by the samurai during the Kamakura period (1180-1230) so they could hone their skills without killing each other. It was originally grounded in Zen Buddhism. The teachings of kendo helped the samurai learn to disregard their own lives in the heat of battle. This is one of the main reasons it is considered the way of the sword.
Kendo was originally called kenjutsu however, as a result of the world war, Japan had to change its name to kendo. It is also known in some cultures (mainly korean) as kumdo. Kumdo is essentially kendo without the ettiquite and with different terminology.
In kendo there are 4 basic targets, the goal being to disarm/kill your opponent in one hit. The basic targets are the head (men), hand (kote), stomach (do), and finally, the throat (tsuki). There are combinations of the
hits, one example being “kote-men”, in which you “cut off” their hand and cut their head open immediatly after.
In kumdo the targets are the same. However, kenjutsu is more of a “no rule/kill your enemy/not a sport” art.In kenjutsu, unlike kendo, it is not uncommon to “spar” with 4 or 5 people at a time.
Ettiquete is a very big part of kendo; kendoka must bow upon entering and leaving the dojo and must show respect to their sempai (older students including sensei).
Kendo, unlike other martial arts, has no external signs of rank. In order to know what rank another kendoka is, you must keiko against them and judge their skill. There there are 2 sets or rank: the Kyu (lower ranks) and the Dan (black belt). A kendoka starts at 1 Kyu and climbs up the kendo ladder to the 8 Dan mark.
International-kendo.com is an up and comming kendo website.
The question of whether Ju Jutsu should have a sporting element in it is one that will not go away quickly. For many people I have spoken to some still feel it is wrong as they believe it will take away the arts potency in a real conflict.
While everyone is entitled to their own opinion this view can be seen to be flawed in a number of ways. This article will hopefully highlight how Ju Jutsu competition can, in fact, be seen as a hugely beneficial training methodology in student’s attempts at improving their self-defence skills.
===============PRESSURE TESTED ===============
Ju Jutsu competition adds that vital component into a practitioners training that can make the difference in a real situation.
That component?
PRESSURE!
If you cannot make any of your techniques work against non-compliance then this will obviously be an issue if you ever get into a predicament where it looks like you might have to physically defend yourself.
Ju Jutsu competition helps the student to develop an arsenal of pressure-tested techniques that he or she can rely upon under pressure. Sure, this might mean that would only be three or four techniques, but this is much better than knowing one hundred techniques NONE of which have really been put under duress.
“One technique mastered is worth more than a thousand sampled”
================ISSHIN AND MA-AI================
Ju Jutsu competition is an awesome way to develop these traditional attributes.
Isshin (meaning one heart or mind) can be developed under the stress of a competitive environment. This can be demonstrated when a competitor throws him or herself into attack mode fearless of any counter-attack.
The benefit of having this attribute in a real self-defence situation is quite obvious!
Ma-ai (being able to evaluate distance) is another great attribute that can be improved while competing. This is especially true in Ju Jutsu competition as they can involve ALL ranges of combat.
Again,
the benefits of having good awareness of distance are clear. It is vital in self-defence, and might mean the difference between being able to attack first and run and ending up in an actual fight.
Both the above attributes are often very visible in seasoned Ju Jutsu competitors as they have the experience of REAL TIME combat and have learnt to react accordingly, knowing when to commit to an all out attack, and when to use their feel for distance to stay out of harms way or to initiate an attack themselves.
============FEELING PAIN============
This is quite an important one!
In a real situation you must expect to take a few knocks or at least be accepting that it might occur. While competing in Ju Jutsu competition you learn to control your adrenaline (eventually) and, even if you get knocked, you learn to fight on.
In real terms, this might be the difference between surviving a real attack or not, so it cannot be underestimated. In Ju Jutsu competition you learn to grapple with total commitment and learn to fight through taking the odd bump or knock.
Vital to developing a strong fighting spirit!
I hope this article has highlighted some of the benefits of competing in Ju Jutsu Kumite. Unfortunately, not every one is a David “Tank” Abbott or Mike Tyson, who are born with innate fighting abilities.
Most of us have to learn and develop these, and introducing pressure in the form of competition is the safest and most sensible route to go down, if you are serious about having your techniques work for you when you might need them the most!
© Tim Webb 2005
Tim Webb is a fitness instructor, Ju Jutsu instructor, and competitor. His site http://www.JuJutsu-Training.com offers inspiration through articles and product recommendations that can boost your mental focus and physical fitness for martial arts!
IL Fitness Tips – diet plan, exercises, weight loss and gain muscles latest information.
Kuang Ping was the T’ai-chi set favored by Yang Lu-Chan, the man who brought forward the “Yang” style in the mid-1800′s, now so popular throughout the world. Kuang Ping is what the man trained with himself. The popular “Yang” set was/is something for the masses–not for the aficinado, the athlete, the martial artist.
I learned Kuang Ping from Kuo Lien Ying (that’s him above, taken in the late 1960′s), third generation student of Yang Lu Chan. I was already an accomplished runner and martial artist when I started training (1970), so it was difficult to please me in the arena of athletics–but 75 yr-old Kuo was definitely impressive! Eventually I studied five T’ai-chi sets, but his was/is definitely the most dynamic and challenging.
I teach two sets currently: a short Yang style (for beginners and the unfit) and Kuang Ping. They are both available on tape.
T’AI-CHI CH’UAN: A Few Words
This soft or “internal” art is, in all aspects, a psycho-physical exercise, a boxing system, and a meditation method. Most of the tens of millions of practitioners are into it for health and meditation, so they move very slowly during the training. But what most people don’t realize is that since the art is founded on using the principles of change, you can—and should—move the body and mind according to the need of the moment.
This wondrous exercise can be used by anyone, male and female, old and young. A five year-old child and a person of 90 years or more are both able to practice T’ai-chi Ch’uan. The complete form can be learned within three months; pretty good acquaintance can be obtained with a year’s practice; and a student training perseveringly for about five years can have significant integration of mind and body, intuition and knowledge. There are delicate details of T’ai-chi, keys to its marvels which are understood only with faithful practice. Traditionally, a person is required to train seven years before qualifying as a
teacher.
Of the more than 100 million people who practice T’ai-chi regularly, most train outdoors, even in severe weather conditions of northern China. The reason is simple and can be understood only when you accept the elements and embrace the opportunity to integrate with nature. Year-round, outdoor training is good for the spirit, heart, mind and body.
Instructor Certification:
T’ai-chi Ch’uan
First – Third years: White Sash
Introduction to internal arts studies
Yi Bai Ching Kung
Zhan Zhuang
Basic Health Maintenance
Tui-Na
Tao Yin
T’ai-chi Chi-Kung
Stance and kicking drills
Tui Shou
Postures training for Yang or Guang Ping T’ai-Chi Ch’uan
Fourth Year: Blue Sash
18 Therapies Chi-Kung
T’ai-chi Chi-Kung
Breathing patterns in T’ai-chi Ch’uan
T’ai-chi Kun/Dragon’s Head Staff #1
Fifth Year: Green Sash
T’ai-chi KunDragon’s Head Staff #2
T’ai-chi Chi-Kung
Continued physical and respiration studies in T’ai-chi Ch’uan
Sixth Year: Gold Sash
Five Animal Frolics
T’ai-chi Chien/Rapier #1
T’ai-chi Chi-Kung
Cont’d studies in T’ai-chi Ch’uan
Seventh Year: Black Sash
T’ai-chi Tao/Saber #1
T’ai-chi Chi-Kung
Original thesis researching T’ai-Chi Ch’uan
View this article in its entirety:
http://kempochuanfa.com
Sifu Orem holds the following ranks:
-Certified Instructor, Guang Ping Yang T’ai-Chi Assn.;
-Black Sash/Instructor, from Gung-Fu Wu-Shu Institute;
-6th Degree Black Sash in Chinese Boxing, from the International Chinese Boxing Federation;
-8th Degree Black Belt in Zen Kempo-jitsu, from the World Nibuikai Budo Federation.
He was also voted into the World Martial Arts Masters Society (head-quartered in Germany), as the ranking member of the Society.
Sifu Orem is the author of several manuals focused on the practicum and methodology of effective training, including the acclaimed SENG PING TAO: PATH OF THE WARRIOR MONK and ESOTERIC MARTIAL ARTS OF ZEN: TRAINING METHODS FROM THE PATRIARCH. He has also created and produced 50 training videos with such diverse topics as Kempo Ki/Chi Development, Northern Shaolin for the Mature Athlete, T’ai-chi and Pregnancy, a children’s Kung Fu series, plus many northern and southern Shaolin hand and weapon forms. He was a featured writer with the on-line martial arts magazine DRAGON’S LIST (dragonslist.com).
Timings for counter attack
Consider uses for the body shifting methods.
Go no Sen – Defensive attack. Counter once the attack is completed, but before the opponent is able to attack again.
Sen – Simultaneously attack with the attacker. You will complete your counter first, and/or displace the attacker’s movement.
Sensen no Sen – Preempt the attack with your own, by perceiving your opponent’s intent. This will catch him/her off guard, breaking his/her mental balance.
Defensive movements
Heavily influenced by Shindo Yoshin-ryu jujutsu, these movements are used to control the opponent’s energy. These movements apply maai and body shifting. Consider uses of the timings for counter attack.
Nagasu – Flowing / Fluidity. Move evasively off the line of attack but closely enough that the attacker’s force can be used to add to your own. Often combined with penetrating into an opponents side (irimi).
Irimi – Move to enter the opponent’s attack.
Inasu – Move under, inside, or around the attack.
Noru – Control
the opponent’s movement.
Maai
The state of mind and spirit of the combatants, and the distance between them. Keep enough space to attack and defend. At a high level, you control the spirit and energy of a conflict. Draw a reaction from the opponent that will give you a tactical advantage. Practice the above principles to understand maai, and practice maai to apply the following. Never stop studying tactics so you may better see from this broad view.
Ki Ken Tai no Ichi
Coordination of mind and body in movement. Thought and action must become one; there is no time to concentrate on thought in battle.
Hei Jo Shin
“Calm mind and body”. When the opponent feints or draws a weapon, you should not flinch, but be prepared. Harness the adrenal state so that you do not panic, but fight reflexively.
Owen Johnston lives and teaches Wado ryu Karate in Lake City, South Carolina. He enjoys reading, writing, training, and spending time with his fiance. For more information, please visit Johnston Wado ryu Karate.
A greater part of the offensive techniques that are used in Muay Thai make use of a fighter hands, feet, elbows, and knees to hit an opponent. In order to combine the opponent for both defensive and offensive reasons, there is a little amount of grappling on the feet that is use – the clinch.
The clinch occurs when your opponent gets in your circle of clinching range and inside of your comfort zone. To carry out a knee strike and short kicks from the inside of you range, the clinch can be very useful. The Thai fighter makes great use of the clinch to tying up on opponent on the feet then pounding his stomach, ribs, knees, and legs with his own brutal knees. Knees is a very popular techniques in Muay Thai, as fighters spend a lot of time training their strikes – especially knees and elbows which is very deadly when executed correctly .
Although high kicks to the opponents head seems amazing during a fights, skillful fighters always say that knees and elbows can have a lot more impact, and they do a lot of damage to their opponent. If a Thai fighter is very skilled and has sufficient power in his strikes, he can quickly and easily end the fight with a TKO or KO with his techniques.
In all Muay Thai techniques, 2 particular techniques have become very popular.
The roundhouse kick
The roundhouse kick is a very handy technique for both self defense and competitions, proven to be very efficient when it is executed correctly. Thai fighter executes the roundhouse kick with his straight leg and the whole body turning out from his hip. The hip is locked soon before and thrown his shin to makes impact with the opponent body. If executed correctly, the roundhouse kick can easily make someone down for the count.
The low kick
The low kick is another very common Muay Thai attack, which involves a circular movement from the fighter’s body to kick the opponent
in his thigh and upper shin area softening his stand. If the low kick isn’t checked or defended, it can swiftly lead to fight to end. After some well executed low kicks, the opponent will be incapable to put pressure on his legs due to the bruising, and will ultimately collapse.
With other martial arts styles, such as Tae Kwon Do, fighter use a technique called snapping kicks which is faster to execute, but such technique has less power. Muay Thai on the other hand, enforce fighter to follow through with kicks as it has more power and cause more damage. Using the shin instead of the foot, it will damage the opponent more. Nearly all of the techniques implicated in Muay Thai stress on movement with the whole body, which means turning the hip each time the fighter kicks, punches, or blocks. The techniques can be slower but if executed correctly and hit the opponent, it will bring the fight ending earlier. Muay Thai techniques can cause more damage as compared to Tae Kwon Do and even Karate but it’s far slower to execute.
As a lot of people already know that training and conditioning training found in Muay Thai are very intensity and rigorous. The goals in training are to harden the weapons such as the elbow, Knee, hands and legs. Fighters who have been training Muay Thai long enough can also absorb beating with their muscle. Yet if they land a shin kick, you will feel as if you have been hit with a sledgehammer. This is the power of Muay Thai.
All in all, Muay Thai is a very deadly martial art that uses punishing blows with some grappling or clinching. Thai fighters are physical strong and are capable of end an opponent out with just some well placed strikes. Muay Thai are also a well known sport by itself and are also practice by some mixed martial arts fighter.
If you want to know more about Muay Thai, visit Martial Art Training
The first prototype for Japanese samurai armor came about in the form of the yoroi during the Gempei War of 1181-1185. The weight of the yoroi was around 60lb. The upper-body armor of the samurai was known as the ‘Do’. This comprised of the ‘Sode’, the suspended shoulder and upper-arm protection plates. The Sode had hoops by which silk cord was tied and then fixed to the back of the armor in an ‘agemaki’ / decorative knotted tassel. Guards were also placed over the shoulder cords, and a leather plate placed across the bow cords to prevent them from been cut or becoming ensnared during a skirmish.
A samurai’s protective helmet, or Kabuto typically consisted of from eight to a dozen plates all fixed together with cone shaped bolts. Much like in the military of other cultures, a samurai’s helmet would display the samurai’s rank and his group or clan, and often be very elaborate and decorative looking. As many samurai had long hair, their ponytails would protrude through the tehen, a gap left in the centre of the helmets crown.
Shikoro is the name of the thick five-plated protector of the back of the head, neck and the cheekbone which was fastened to the bowl of the helmet. The top four plates of the Shikoro would be upturned to create the fukigaeshi. The idea of the fukigaeshi was to prevent the
vertical slicing of the shikoro’s horizontal fastening chords. A visor is also on the front of helmet and is known as the mabisashi. This would not only help to keep the sunlight out of the samurai’s eyes, but its protrusion would also act as a degree of protection for the face from the extended and downward strike of the enemy’s sword.
As part of the samurai attire, mainly for those of higher importance an eboshi, a silk cap-like headgear would be worn under the helmet. As the samurai during this early time of the Gempei War fought much on horseback and utilized bows and arrows, the right arm of the standard samurai soldier had no restricting protection to allow for the drawing back of the bow. A light protective sleeve was worn on the left arm.
Not all fighters during the Gempei War were of the samurai class, and therefore were equipped differently and wore a different style of lighter armor called the ‘Do Maru’. A body Wrap style of armor resting on the shoulders and fastening under the right armpit was far less restricting than the yoroi. It was based on this freer design of armor that development would be made for the samurai’s armor of the future.
For a continuation of and a more in depth look at samurai armor, visit our website at http://www.japanese-samurai-swords.net
In most martial arts disciplines, the hands play a very important part. It is,
therefore, essential that the martial arts practitioner takes the best possible
care of his hands by protecting and strengthening them. A bad sprain or
break might put him out of action for months, something which is largely
avoidable.
Heavy impact to the hand could damage the many small bones making up
the hand. Incorrectly or inadvertently striking a hard object or a hard part
of an opponent’s body could cause the metacarpals to splay and break. This
could be avoided by taping the hands in order to hold the metacarpal bones
together. You can toughen your bones by striking objects, inducing the
bone cells to remodel the bone at the struck area and increasing the density
of the bone.
The wrist can also be taped in order to reduce wrist flex. It is important to
keep the wrist properly aligned when executing a fist strike; if it bends on
impact, it could easily become dislocated, sprained or broken.
The “Karate Chop” or Knifehand Strike
This strike is performed using the side of the hand from the little finger to
the wrist. In many Oriental martial arts systems, the knifehand is used to
block as well as to strike. Suitable targets for this strike are the throat, the
jugular, the mastoid neck muscles, the collar bones, the upper arm, third
vertebra, knee cap, wrist and elbow.
The Spear Hand Strike
Delivery is as with a punch but with the hand held open as with a
knifehand. The tips of the fingers are the intended striking area.
Appropriate targets are the eyes and throat. Because of
the high probability of breaking one’s fingers, the spearhand technique is
generally not suitable against most other targets.
The Ridge Hand Strike
Also called the reverse knifehand. The striking surface is formed by tucking
the thumb into the palm, and extends a few inches along the side of the hand
from the index finnger to knuckle. Ridge hand strikes are
commonly
performed with a hooking motion or a straight arm swing. Suitable targets
are the throat, jugular, mastoid neck muscles, jaw, nose and groin.
The Hammerfist Strike
Here one strikes with the underside of the clenched fist, as in swinging a
hammer, but it can also be done horizontally as with a backfist strike. There
is no threat to the bones of the hand as there is no compression to the
knuckles or the metacarpals. There is also no leverage to bend the wrist.
The hammerfist is particularly effective for striking the nose, jaw, ear,
temples, strenum and wrist (for blocking punches). The hammerfist strike is
sometimes used in mixed martial arts to avoid damaging the bones of the
hand.
Extended Knuckle Strike
Rather than striking with the traditional fist punch, hand strikes can be
delivered with one knuckle extended, usually the middle or index finger
knuckle. Because impact is made with the knuckle, force is concentrated
onto a smaller area. This type of strike is suitable for attacks to pressure
points.
The Palm Strike
This involves striking with the bottom part of the palm, the area where the
hand joins the wrist. The hand is held perpendicular to the wrist to avoid
hitting the softer wrist tissue against the target. The palm strike is as
effective as a closed fist when performed properly, as the heel of the hand
makes a surprisingly solid striking surface. There is far less risk of injury to
the striker’s hand.
When executing any kind of fist strike, it is good practice to keep the fist
clench relaxed until just before impact in order to maximise the speed of the
punch. This is because clenching the fist counters the action of the wrist
muscles used in punching. There are several suitable targets, some
examples being the jaw, nose, ears, back of the head, the kidneys, abdomen
and groin.
As a martial artist you should make sure you develop sledgehammer hands
by following a solid program of hand strength training.
Capturing the spirit of old Japan and recognised by its deadly curvature, the samurai sword is widely recognised throughout the world as the most deadly of all Japanese weaponry. Although gaining modern fame and notoriety in modern epic cinema in such films as The Last Samurai and the Kill Bill series by Quentin Tarantino, samurai swords have long being an iconic symbol of Japan and its history.
The most famous samurai sword, the Katana, is curved and bladed only on one side – if you have seen Kill Bill, you will know exactly what I’m talking about. The Katana was developed in the 10th century to enable Japanese calvery to carry out surprise attacks on their enemy and was worn hung from the belt with the cutting edge faced upwards.
The craft of
forging katana samurai swords peaked during 1190 – 1337 – many of the swords from this era we’re assigned national treasures. Thousands of swords are still circulated and collected from more recent times; the most popular ‘collection’ era’s being WW1 and WW2. eBay is a great place to find both old and new samurai swords, but beware of what you’re buying – a lot of swords sold today are machine replicas and only fit for display purposes.
There were however many types of samurai swords and the other often mentioned includes shorter swords, one being the wakizashi (shoto) and the tanto knife. Only the samurai were allowed to carry these as a pair.
Article by Nick Johnson
For more history and information on samurai swords please visit http://www.japanese-samurai-swords.net