The Tachi and the Katana

[kendokan]

What are the strong points of the two, differences? I know that the tachi was a traditional sword that had a different mount (blade down, hooked on to obi) and was more curvier and the katana was made for horseback until the tachi was wiped out and the katana was used for everything. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[shred_lord]

Tachi refers to a curved single edged sword worn hanging from the belt with the blade down. This type of mounting was designed for drawing the sword from horseback with a broad sweeping motion.

Katana refer to a curved single edged sword worn through the belt with the blade up. This type of mounting was designed for drawing the sword from a kneeling or standing position and cutting stright from the draw.

The term means nothing else. In fact some of the best Katana were originally Tachi that were remounted. True, a number of blades made as Tachi were more curved than later examples, but some blades made as Katana are just as curved and some Tachi are quite straight like katana.

Edit: Oh, and the Katana mounting came about because of the decline in large scale mounted battles.