Usagi Yojimbo DojoBoard

Usagi has two katanas but he mostly uses one, so why does he have two?

Usagi actually only has a single katana.

What you see him wearing is a daisho, a matched set of katana (long sword) and wakizashi (short sword).

Check out the wikipedia article on the Daisho at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daisho

Abayo....

This set usually comes with tanto ( knife).All three blades look awesome on a wooden sword stand

Hello,
as you may have read in the wikipedia article, the main reason for him to carry both is their different usefulness due to combat range; besides, they are a trophy won in a tournament long ago (Samurai! Part IV, TPB 2), and since Usagi, being a wandering ronin, has no other place to keep them...

But seriously, the daisho were limited to the samurai class only; these were the visible symbol of the samurai, that they were special and not just peasants; to be seen without them was a loss of face, unhonorable.

If you look at the stories in which Usagi has to fight numerous foes, you'll see that he sometimes draws both swords; two swords are a bit harder to coordinate to be effective, but can be very advantageous when the enemies are closing in from all sides.

In certain surroundings (like dense forests or in buildings) or under certain conditions (trying to get away or carrying a child) a second drawn sword would be cumbersome or outright dangerous; just try to run with two three-foot-long sticks and you'll see what I mean

Thomas

Dear Readers,
Musashi used both swords at once when advantageous..
Here is a wikipedia note from the Musashi entry and a picture of Musashi practicing.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... ts_pic.jpg
"It is said the two-handed movements of temple drummers inspired him, although it seems more likely that the technique was forged by a means of natural selection through Musashi's combat experience, or from jitte techniques which were taught to him by his father- the jitte was often used in battle paired with a sword; the jitte would parry and neutralize the weapon of the enemy whilst the sword struck or the practitioner grappled with the enemy. In his time a long sword in the left hand was referred to as gyaku nito. Today Musashi's style of swordsmanship is known as Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyamoto_Musashi

Best wishes to all!
go

Sometimes Usagi drops his katana (hey, it happens) and so he's got backup.

And in certain settings, like indoors with a low roof, a wakizashi might be the better choice for some fights.
Also, as I recall, there might be certain times a samurai was not permitted to wear a katana in the presence of certain lords, but could the wakizashi.
This stuff varied over the centuries with the changing roles of the samurai.

Steve Hubbell wrote:What you see him wearing is a daisho, a matched set of katana (long sword) and wakizashi (short sword).

One of my students is researching samurai at the moment. Today he found out the names of the swords they used, so I told him that as a pair they are known as a daisho. One of my other students then said, "You learnt that from those rabbit comics, didn't you?"

Indeed I did

One thing to remember is that the historical context for the Daisho. Samurai warfare originally was completely oriented towards mounted warfare using the bow... It wasnt until Edo jidai (Edo period) after the Shoguns peace that the Daisho and bushido came into a solid existance. Samurai before Edo jidai were more concerned with fighting, Bushido itself wasnt codified yet. It took samurai with alot of free time and regular stipends to set down a code of behavior. Since most fighting was small unexpected skirmishes during the time, they didnt have time to prepare the bow and horses... So unmounted sword use became popular. A samurai was also expected to be on his toes at all times, and since the Katana was too unwieldy, and often checked at the door, the wakazashi was the backup used indoors if necessary.

Thats my understanding of it...

The Daisho was never to leave the samurai's side. Even while sleepeing. It is speculated that is why musashi always seemed unkept, because he was afraid to leave his swords alone.(In case of an ambush.)But this is all just speculation.