A type of sword used by samurai before the advent of the katana, primarily used on horseback. Tachi and katana generally differ in: Curvature: tachi tend to be more curved (both hilt and blade). How they are worn: tachi is worn suspended from the belt with its cutting edge downward, while the katana is thrust through the belt with its cutting edge upward. Length: tachi tend to be longer than the katana. Hilt: while katana always have a rayskin-wrapped hilt with silk overwrapping, tachi sometimes only have the rayskin wrapping, though this is far from universal.