A Tale of Two Tantos
HISTORY
In the Heian period of feudal Japan (794 - 1185), Samurai warriors wore a set of two swords in battle, called daishō (“big and small”). The daishō consisted of one long sword and one short sword. The smallest was the tantō (“short blade”) at just 15 - 30 cm long. Its short length made it extremely useful for close combat and indoor fighting.
Japanese sword making continued to developed as both a craft and an art form. In World War II Japanese soldiers were equipped with swords that caught the eye of allied forces. North America and European blade makers were fascination by these Japanese swords and began to experiment with their form. In the late 1970s, American knifemaker Bob Lum took the tantō’s shape and distinctive kissaki (“point”) and incorporated them into a western-style fixed blade knife. The result was the “American tanto”.
In the 1980s, Lynn Thompson, founder of Cold Steel, took Lum’s tanto design and Americanized it further, giving it a more pronounced tip and tactical aesthetic. Cold Steel marketed their American Tanto as an armour piercer with a series of videos demonstrating the blades immense piercing strength.
The campaign helped lead to the wide-spread popularization of the tanto knife throughout North America. The tanto is now a common blade shape used on tactical, combat, survival, machete, fixed and folding knives.
BLADE FEATURES
Traditional tantō swords are designed primarily for stabbing. They have no belly for slicing and their high point tip provides maximum penetration strength. Tantōs are very thin, often with no ridge line, and transition smoothly from the ha (“edge”) to the kissaki. One style of tantō called yoroidōshi (“armor piercer”) had an extra thick spine for piercing tough layers of material and it was this design that most American knifemakers tried to emulate.
Bob Lum created the signature American tanto by giving the blade a much more pronounced, angular tip. He imitated the grind of tantō swords with what he called a Hamaguri (“clamshell”) grind, also called the Appleseed or Moran grind. It maintains thickness through most of the blade and gives the edge and tip a convex curve, making it less sharp, but stronger, with greater penetration ability.
Cold Steel pronounce the tip on their tanto blades even further, giving it two separate edges with two separate grinds. The long edge has a hollow grind for sharp slicing, while the tip edge is given a saber grind for strength. The result is a more versatile blade, but one which has less overall power
SPOTLIGHT TANTOS
Cold Steel Warrior Series O Tantō Sword
This sword is an authentic recreation of a traditional Japanese tantō. It has a strong 1055 carbon steel blade and an ornate ray skin handle with black braid cord and brass menuki. It includes a black lacquered wood scabbard and sageo to attach to a samurai’s obi. Pair it with a long sword, like a katana, to complete your daishō.
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Cold Steel 3V Master Tanto Fixed Blade
This fixed blade is a unique hybrid of the traditional Japanese tanto and the American tactical tanto. The CPM 3-V blade has a single flat grind and a high point with a subtle transition into the tip. The knife’s geometry is somewhere in between that of a dagger and a knife. A must-have for the modern Samurai.
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CRKT Terzula BT-70 Folding Knife
This folding knife epitomizes the American tanto style. The AUS-8 blade has a double edge with a saber ground front bevel and hollow ground back bevel. The tip is tapered with a swedge to give it an extra-strong point. This creates a blade ideal for precision piercing and sharp slicing through tough materials.
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