What is the best Tsuka lenght

[DuskB4Dawn]

Hi I was wondering. How does the length of Tsuka change the feel of the katana. I have heard some say with the longer Tsuka it is easier to handle because the weight is more towards the middle. and the Tsuka acts as a counter weight. Thus it is more suited to one handed style. I have seen some katana with very long handle like 14" and more. why is it the majority of katana only have 11" or 12" Tsuka. Is it just a matter of personal preference? whats is the purpose of such long Tsuka?

what would be you ideal Tsuka length for your? I'm interested to hear what most people prefer.

 

[Sukerkin]

It's not really a matter of preference in many cases but one of what is determined by the style. For me, I have been taught that a tsuka should of a length enough for you to get both hands on it with only a fingers width (two at most) between them.

I shall have to a search to be certain but it is my perception that the long tsuka that have shown up of late are a modern development - possibly brought on by the mass manufacture of blades in China for the American market. I could be utterly making that up tho', so it is best to check first.

EDIT: I do recall having heard a rule-of-thumb for tsuka length which says that it should be the same length as your forearm between wrist and elbow - what basis that has in reality I can't speak to.

 

[Chris Parker]

As Sukerkin said, it depends as much on the Ryu you're studying as anything else... but so you know, 10 inches is the standard for Bokken. Kukishinden Ryu and Togakure Ryu have longer, at 12-14 inches... and, according to Otake Sensei's book, the Katori Shinto Ryu has a teaching that says "an 8 inch tsuka is advantageous".

In terms of the effect it has, the longer Tsuka in Togakure Ryu is to gain greater power and compensate for the shorter blade, in Kukishinden Ryu it's to enable greater leverage against an opponent in armour. So it really comes down to usage.... for instance, I wouldn't suggest a long tsuka for Iai, but it can be useful for tameshigiri.

 

[Ken Morgan]

The tsuka weighs very little and contributes again, very little, to the balance of the sword. It's all in how the sword is made, and how long the tang is. I can pick up any sword and decide within seconds if it has the balance i like for iai or not. A tip heavy sword tends to work well in some test cutting, while being unsuitable for iai.

 

[pgsmith]

Yanagi ryu and Shindo Yoshin ryu are the only two schools that I know of that use the long tsuka. James Williams was practicing both of those when Bugei was working with Paul Chen at Hanwei to import his swords to sell. This is why many of the early Chinese made swords had very long tsuka. The only school that I know of in Japan that uses a long tsuka is the Kage ryu, and that's more because they use very long swords (3.5 to 4 shaku) which require a proportionately long tsuka.