History Of The Tanto

A Tanto is the name given by the Japanese for a single edged knife or dagger, with a blade length not exceeding 12 inches. The Tanto first began to appear in the Heian period 794-1185AD but these Tanto's lacked the traditional touch of the Japanese blade-smiths and were just plane weapons. It wasn't until the early Kamakura period 1192-1333AD that higher quality Tanto knives started to emerge, and in the  Edo period 1603-1668 one of Japans now most celebrated sword-smiths called Yoshimitsu produced top quality Tanto's and is consequently accredited as being the greatest Tanto maker in history.

His Tanto's are renown as the highest quality ever made. In Japanese society the giving of a bladed weapon of some description as rewards for services rendered was a deep rooted part of family tradition and etiquette, and to have  received a Yoshimitsu Tanto during the Edo period or after would have been the greatest gift of all.

The  Yoshimitsu  pictured below is a contemporary reproduction of a 9.25 inch blade Tanto costing about $400, not made by Cold Steel Inc but instead made by company called Paul Chen Swords. It has been  made to honour this great sword-smith Yoshimitsu by totally replicating one of his surviving blades. The forged blade has a distinctive hamon taper line.  The handle is Samé ray skin wrapped and is decorated in the hollyhock motif of the Tokugawa family, the pommel is made of buffalo horn. The deeply lacquered scabbard with a Japanese cotton sageo makes this Tanto a very original reproduction.

Cold Steel also produce a very fine and very close copy of the Original Tanto which retails for $500 and in my opinion and hopefully the sword and knife aficionado's amongst you will agree this Tanto is more traditional in its over all style.

Using only traditional materials then, Cold Steels O-Tanto is a very faithful reproduction of this most historic Japanese knife. The Tsuba (guard), Fuchi (collar), and Kashira (pommel), are expertly made and finely crafted from black iron just like the original ones were centuries ago.  The Habaki (blade collar), is hand made out of polished brass and each hilt is covered in Samé (ray skin) and tightly wrapped in the most traditional Samurai style with black cord. A beautiful brass Menuki ( a small, ornamental sculpture inserted between the ray skin and the cord wrappings on the handle) enhances the sword’s aesthetic appearance and presents a  Tanto that is as authentic as possible. The quality, razor sharp 1050 high carbon steel 13 inch blade is of course constructed to Cold Steels  high standards. 

Around the Muromachi period 1338-1573AD Tanto's were widely produced and carried by Samurai warriors as the popularity of this knife flourished as an easy lightweight weapon to carry.

Tanto's are traditionally forged in the Hira-zukuri style, this means that they have no ridge line and are made of a thick triangular construction with a strong point as duplicated by the Magnum Tanto, this was originally designed to penetrate armor plate with a quick vicious punch movement.  Tanto's it must be said were generally reserved for Samurai warriors and non Samurai class folk did not carry them.  Many women though often carried a small, short 3 inch blade Tanto knife known as a Kaiken for self defense purposes.

It was common practice for a Samurai to carry a Tanto knife along with his Katana and Wakizashi swords, sometimes the Tanto even completely replaced the Wakizashi ( short sword ) when carried into battle as a suitable backup weapon.

The Ninja also favoured the Tanto primarily as their assassination weapon of choice, this because of the ease at which they could conceal them and indeed swiftly draw them out for use against their unfortunate victim. The Japanese mafia known as the Yakuza also favour the Tanto as a weapon for close quarter utilisation.

The Tanto today is also made of soft rubber with a blunt point and is favoured by martial artists to practice knife fighting without causing injury to their sparring partners.

THE MAGNUM TANTO IX

Above pictured: Magnum Tanto IX

Model CS-13MBIX
Blade length: 9"
Overall Length: 14 5/8"
Weight: 11.9 oz.
Steel: San Mai III®
Blade Thickness: 3/16"

Below: Cold Steel Video of the Tanto Knife.

Cold Steel inc invented this modern Tanto Knife in the 1980's and  its style was popularised based on the original Japanese Samurai Tanto knife. The company spent millions of dollars getting the message across that this knife surpassed all others in almost every way.  They did this via advertisements, press release's, and live or taped demonstrations of the knifes unique qualities, something that no other knife manufacturing company has dared to do.

Below the image demonstrates a member of Cold Steel staff who with one swipe of the arm slices clean through a free hanging piece of thick manila rope with a Tanto Magnum Knife.

Warning: Please do not attempt to do this yourself at home, these guys are professionals and are trained to do this without injury to themselves or others.  Knives like these are very sharp and an accidental cut to an artery could/would be life threatening.

The Magnum Tanto is a very strong and durable knife, it has been created with the latest knife making technology along with traditional Japanese blade making proficiency.  At 3/16th of an inch the well produced blade is quite thick and meaty attributing to the knifes over all strength, this is not a blade that will bend and snap.

The finish of the perfectly balanced blade is also pleasing to the eye as the satin finish is just right being not too bright nor too dull. Although blades can be stainless they must still be looked after and kept clean  or blemishes can still appear after use.

For more than 25 years Cold Steel Inc have produced their excellent ground breaking Tanto and there is still no factory or custom knife manufacturer today that can make a Tanto anywhere near as good as the knife that the company of Cold Steel  produce. 

One  that looks good, feels comfortable is superbly strong and has shear stabbing, cutting, slashing and piercing power.  For example, the tip of the Magnum Tanto's blade goes to such a sharp point that is possible to prick your finger on it if handled carelessly. This too is the same point that can penetrate a car door, an oil drum or similar hard targets with ease and still retain its original sharp point and overall razor sharpness.

The images below show Cold Steel Boss Lynn Thompson slicing clean through a rolled up  rice straw mat otherwise known as a Tatami with one single swipe of his arm, connected of course to a Tanto Magnum knife.

Warning: Please do not attempt to do this yourself at home, as stated earlier...these guys are professionals and are trained to do this with upmost safety.

The Tanto passes through as if the roll of straw mat wasn't even there !

The Tanto surgically cuts through objects like this literally like a hot knife through warm butter. It is also possible to shave the hairs off your arm with a Magnum Tanto knife, and consequently it must be handled with all due care and responsibility at all times. This knife is literally Razor Sharp.

Below is a close up of the Magnum Tanto IX blade and point that is honed to a fine edge, the blades satin finish stands up under close scrutiny too with no imperfections.

The Tanto is easily stabbed through a car roof in a single thrust...

 ...illustrating its strength and lethal piercing power.

The Tanto has a very hard wearing deep lustrous satin finish on the hollow ground blade bevels and a contrasting line grain finish on the blades flat side that boast's the very latest state of the art blade grinding and finishing techniques. The grip too has received Cold Steels attention, and innovation comes from a very comfortable flattened oval non slip diamond pattern Kraton®  handle.

This handle provides a solid non-slip grip in all conditions that wont crack, rot or perish over time and hard use. It would be fair to call them combat grips just as pachmeyer grips on  a pistol. These knives have already been carried by US Marines overseas in war zones.

The tapered blunt ended pommel is of highly polished solid steel and is another unique feature of this knife, that was designed by Lynn Thompson the president of Cold Steel.  Primarily he  designed it to concentrate a full force blow in a small area that would incapacitate the most adamant of attackers.

The Pommel of the Tanto is seen in the image below smashing a suspended concrete block, leaving no damage to the actual knife or indeed the pommel itself !

The knife comes complete  in a thick heavy duty black 100% leather sheath that is designed to be as tough and as hard wearing as the knife itself. The press stud fastener is very sturdy and the strap that goes around the handle to keep the Magnum Tanto secure is made from equally thick and strong leather.

The finish of the leather is perfect with no blemishes and the stitching is even all around. The sheath also has a very appreciative strong aroma of fine quality leather.

The Magnum Tanto IX is available in 9 inch and Magnum Tanto XII in 12 inch super sharp blades that are manufactured from ultra tough San Mai III® laminated steel.
 San Mai III® translates from Japanese as "3 layers" and is the old traditional, tried and trusted method that the Japanese sword smiths use to make knives.  By laminating different grades off steel in a 'sandwich' the blade of the knife becomes incredibly strong and durable. 

A very hard metal high in carbon is used in the center that is then surrounded with a softer lower carbon metal. The harder metal which is more brittle is buffeted by the softer metal so that hard knocks, shock and other stresses make the blade incredibly resistant to damage. 

The laminated effect is also in itself very strong as there are gaps in between the metal surfaces on the molecular scale that absorb shock and spread the stress over a larger area, this is proved by the use of laminated glass as bullet proof windows and laminated carbon fibre in Kevlar bullet proof vests also illustrate the strength of laminates.

The lamination line is visible on the Magnum Tanto IX San Mai III® blade and clearly indicates the junction between the two types of steel. This laminate is over 25% stronger and 30% sharper than the incredibly tough AUS 8A stainless steel as used on many of Cold Steels other knives. In the image below you can see the very thin lamination line running up the edge of the blade. 

Indeed then the Magnum Tanto IX is quite a knife, built by the some of best craftsmen in Japan to Cold Steels strict specifications. A knife that will perform again and again and a knife that will out-perform other knives again and again.

This is due to Cold Steels commitment and use of the best technology with traditional know-how.  There can only be one affordable Samurai style knife and that is Cold Steels Magnum Tanto.

TO VISIT THE COLDSTEEL WEBSITE

Disclaimer : For people of the United Kingdom reading this page, the Law Concerning knives and blades. It is illegal to sell a knife including kitchen knives and cutlery to anyone under the age of 18 years old. It is illegal to carry a knife in public. It is illegal to carry any knife in a public place if the blade exceeds 3 inches. If a knife of any size is wielded in public it is deemed an offensive weapon. Regardless of age it is illegal to buy/own/sell a flick-knife automatic knife or switchblade, a butterfly knife and any disguised knife such as a buckle knife. All Samurai swords are illegal to purchase or sell to anyone other than registered martial arts practitioners. This web page does not endorse the carrying/buying/owning of knives or other bladed weapons.  Knives are classed as lethal weapons and this is particularly true of the Magnum Tanto IX. This web page is published with the view of the intrinsic and aesthetical value and overall interest of the Magnum Tanto and Japanese style knives, as used in a responsible manner as a utility instrument or in martial arts training.