Japanese tachi

In Japanese culture, a tachi is a type of sword that was worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. It was traditionally worn with the edge of the blade facing downward, suspended from the obi (sash) of the samurai's kimono. The tachi was developed in the late Heian period (794-1185) and was used as a battlefield weapon during the samurai's rise to power in the Kamakura period (1185-1333). Tachi were generally longer and more curved than the later katana, and were typically worn by higher ranking samurai.