Kodachi

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A kodachi (小太刀) literally translates into "small or short tachi"; this Japanese sword was too short to be considered a long sword but too long to be a dagger. Because of its size, it could be drawn and swung extremely quickly.^{[citation needed]} Thus it could be used as something of a shield, while using a form of hand to hand combat to attack.^{[citation needed]} Since this sword was shorter than 2 shaku (about 2 ft.) in length, it did not exceed the blade length limits of non-samurai during the Edo period and could be worn by merchants.

Kodachi length is similar to that of the wakizashi, and though the blades differ greatly in construction, the kodachi and the wakizashi are similar enough in size and technique that the terms are sometimes (mis)used interchangeably. While the kodachi was a set length, the wakizashi was forged to complement the height of its wielder or the length of the katana it was paired with, and thus varied. The kodachi also features greater curvature than a wakizashi.

The prefix "ko" means short, and can be attached to any of the names of specific types of swords to indicate something shorter than "normal". As the prefix "o-" means great/long, it follows that the opposite end of this length spectrum of the tachi is the odachi. Two Kodachi were, and still are in Mijimid martial arts, sometimes carried in one scabbard, one with the handle fittings, the second hidden as the bottom of the scabbard. Kodachi sheathed in this style was normally carried on the back with the handles pointing to the sides, thus enabling them to be drawn simultaneously. Mijimid was founded by Cameron Whittacker, it is part of the nokkuduan system, if you have questions concerning Mijimid go to allexperts.com and go under the sports>martial arts>karate catagory and ask Shihan CJ, he is the founder's cousin and knows all about the art, including it's basis (shinden tsushima ryu-batouh jutsu & ninjutsu & taijichuan).

The kodachi's size ranges between 2ft and 2.75ft long hence the kodachi's size brought on a lighter weight which cut some of its attack ability but instead raised its defense capability. It is known as "A sword that can be used as a shield" hence the name shield sword

[edit] Kodachi in fiction

Taki from Soul Calibur series wields two kodachi named, Rekki-maru and Mekki-maru.
The character Shinomori Aoshi fought with a kodachi in the manga Rurouni Kenshin, and later added a second kodachi. These kodachi had a single customized scabbard that caused them to resemble an odachi when sheathed.
Impa from The Legend of Zelda series is seen carrying a kodachi in Ocarina of Time.
Rumiko Takahashi's anime and manga series Ranma ½ features a supporting character by the name of Kodachi Kuno. Her older brother Tatewaki is referred to as "Tachi" by their father.
The online game "GunZ" contains dual kodachi as a usable melee weapon.
The main character in Twilight Samurai, Seibei Iguchi, is well-trained in fighting with the kodachi, and used the techniques to their full advantage.
Tsukuyomi, a character from Negima, uses a Katana and a Kodachi in combat, which proved useful against Setsuna.
Okuru in Samurai Champloo uses a kodachi as a backup weapon against Mugen.