The Campaign Builder's Guild

I hope with this little thread to clear up all those persistant myths once and for all.  Firstly, I ask you to throw away everything you know about Japanese arms.  Done?  Good.  Next, I ask you to have an open mind I found most of this stuff by doing a strange and novel thing called reasearch.  I also have spoken to a modern user or two of these weapons.

Swords
Firstly, I'll go over the classification of Japanese swords.  Keep in mind that all swords are measured by their blade length, and not their whole length.

*A blade of 1

shaku (equivalent to 1 foot) or less is considered a tantÃ..., or knife.

*A blade longer than 1 shaku but less than 2 is considered a shÃ...tÃ..., or short sword.  Both the two-handed wakizashi and the one-handed kodachi are included in this category.

*A blade longer than 2 shaku is considered a daitÃ..., or long sword.  Both the katana and tachi are included in this category.  Both are wielded two-handed.  The slightly shorter katana is worn with the cutting edge up, while the slightly longer tachi is worn with the blade down.

*A blade longer than 3 shaku is called an Ã...dachi or nodachi, or great sword.  These kinds of swords were extremely rare.  The Ã...dachi was wielded two-handed and was worn across the back.[/list]

TantÃ...
The tantÃ... was the weapon used durring seppuku (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seppuku) (ritual suicide).  The tantÃ... was a popular weapon off of the battlefield.

ShÃ...tÃ... - Wakizashi and Kodachi
Contrary to popular belief the wakizashi was always wielded with two-hands, like the katana.  Samurai wore the wakizashi at all times.

Contrary to popular belief, the kodachi was not used for defense.  It was wielded with one-hand.

DaitÃ... - Katana and Tachi
The katana was only lethal against unarmored opponents.  It is a myth that it was any better than any other sword.  Samurai wore the katana as often as custom allowed (for example, they had to remove it when entering someone else's home.)

The tachi is an archaic sword, slightly longer than the katana, but its design was abandoned by the 16th century in favor of the katana.

Ã...Å'dachi/Nodachi
The Ã...dachi and the nodachi are very rare swords.  Most were used in rituals or as decorative items.  The few that were used in combat were used as anti-cavalry weapons.

Techniques
Using a katana and a wakizashi together is a technique that was almost never used. In fact, Miyamoto Musashi, who is often credited with creating this style, used two bokken (wooden practice swords) instead of a katana and a wakizashi.

Almost all Japanese swords were backswords, meaning that the cutting edge is only on one side of the sword. This limits the kinds of strikes a samurai could perform, and, more importantly, their overall speed.

Samurai did not block with the edge of their swords. This would damage the blade, which would be wasteful due to the limited amount of iron found in Japan.  One could block with the side of the blade, or, especially with a backsword like a katana, with the thicker back of the blade.

Samurai much perfered the bow, and were skilled horseback archers.

Samurai did not fight with an inflated sense of honor. If they did, techniques such as iaijutsu (drawing the sword and striking in one motion), would be impossible to perform. Samurai were skilled warriors and fought to win. Their sense of honor is as overstated in modern times as a knight's sense of chivalry. Furthermore, most ninja were samurai. Ninjutsu is mainly a modern reinterpretation.

Other Weapons
Contrary to popular belief, samurai used many weapons other than their swords.

The yumi was a Japanese composite longbow.  It was generally not as strong as the European composite longbow.  Samurai were adept horseback archers, and often relied more upon their bows than their swords.

Around the 8th century, the naginata, a polearm, was imported from China.  It was eventually replaced on the battlefield by the yari.  Around the 17th century, the naginata became almost completely religated to the women of the samurai caste.  A naginata has reach.  You can strike opponents 10 feet away with it, but you canâ,¬,,¢t use it against an adjacent foe.

The yari are Japanese spears.  Short yari are called tai yari, while longer yari are called omi no yari.  Tai yari were used by samurai, while omi no yari were used by conscripts.

[table=Japanese Weapons][tr][th]Weapon (type)[/th][th]Cost[/th][th]Dmg (S)[/th][th]Dmg (M)[/th][th]Critical[/th][th]Range Increment[/th][th]Weight[/th][th]Type[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]TantÃ... (light simple)[/td][td]2 gp[/td][td]1d3[/td][td]1d4[/td][td]19-20/x2[/td][td]-[/td][td]1 lb.[/td][td]Piercing or slashing[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Wakizashi (light martial)[/td][td]10 gp[/td][td]1d4[/td][td]1d6[/td][td]19-20/x2[/td][td]-[/td][td]2 lb.[/td][td]Slashing[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Kodachi (light martial)[/td][td]10 gp[/td][td]1d4[/td][td]1d6[/td][td]19-20/x2[/td][td]-[/td][td]2 lb.[/td][td]Slashing[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Katana (two-handed martial)[/td][td]15 gp[/td][td]1d6[/td][td]1d8[/td][td]18-20/x2[/td][td]-[/td][td]3 lb.[/td][td]Slashing[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Tachi (two-handed martial)[/td][td]15 gp[/td][td]1d6[/td][td]1d8[/td][td]18-20/x2[/td][td]-[/td][td]4 lb.[/td][td]Slashing[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Ã...Å'dachi/Nodachi (two-handed martial)[/td][td]50 gp[/td][td]1d10[/td][td]2d6[/td][td]19-20/x2[/td][td]-[/td][td]8 lb.[/td][td]Slashing[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Naginata (two-handed martial)[/td][td]8 gp[/td][td]1d8[/td][td]1d10[/td][td]x3[/td][td]-[/td][td]10 lb.[/td][td]Slashing[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Tai Yari (one-handed simple)[/td][td]1 gp[/td][td]1d4[/td][td]1d6[/td][td]x2[/td][td]-[/td][td]3 lb.[/td][td]Piercing[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Omi no Yari (two-handed simple)[/td][td]2 gp[/td][td]1d6[/td][td]1d8[/td][td]x3[/td][td]-[/td][td]9 lb.[/td][td]Piercing[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Yumi (ranged martial)[/td][td]75 gp[/td][td]1d4[/td][td]1d6[/td][td]x3[/td][td]70 ft.[/td][td]2 lb.[/td][td]Piercing[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Shuriken (5) (ranged simple)[/td][td]1 gp[/td][td]1[/td][td]1d3[/td][td]x3[/td][td]10 ft.[/td][td]1/2 lb.[/td][td]Piercing[/td][/tr][/table]

The above designations are good for any campaign.  Restricting the katana to being an exotic weapon, but not the scimitar, is just a silly idea.  Anyone who can use a scimitar can use a katana just as easily.

I hope this clears up the misinformation.

Was there some ongoing katana debate over here that I missed or something?

Anyway, as a second person to have researched just this same topic (though I always thought it was the wakizashi that was used for seppuku, and never bothered to look into it further), I concur that the stats presented are perfectly reasonable, fair, and balanced for game play.

I would use them without hesitation were I to run an oriental campaign, though I do prefer to use the smaller die / greater threat range (18-20) for curved-slicing blades in general (if for nothing more than consistency with the other curved blades of D&D, like the scimitar).

Nice work

-Nasty-

While your research is to be commended, these weapons are not balanced by virtue of d20 standards. Here are my complaints, and how they can be fixed:

Tanto: It is weaker than the heavy mace, short spear, and even the club (all of these are one-handed simple weapons). Since a tanto is shorter than a foot, it is a light weapon.

Wakisashi and Kodachi: The differences you are mentioning are too small to matter in the system. Heck, even you statted them identically. Since they are the same size as a shortsword, two feet in length, they should be martial light weapons.

Katana and Tachi: You state that these weapons were wielded in two hands, yet you stat them as one-handed martials. The reason D&D stats the Katana as a bastard sword is because it is a hand and a half sword. While tradition (martial weapon proficiency) has the weapons wielded in two hands, certain individuals could use it in one (exotic weapon proficiency). You could leave them as they are, and just leave them as martial one-handers, but then you're going to find rare individuals who actually wield it in two hands instead of one.

Your Omi no Yari stats are fine, but your Tai Yari stats are weak for a one-handed simple (again, compare to the heavy mace and the short spear). Was the Tai Yari wielded in one hand anyway?

'Sbout time someone cleared that up.  A lot of players have this freakishly romanticised view about samurai and their various knives, which is a pain in the rear for those of us who DM historic campaigns.

Good show.

And I couldn't give a rats nuts about the stats, 'cos I ain't never usin' no Dee n' Dee rules ever 'gin, but I shall forever hold the fluff close to my heart, like cotton candy in the aorta.

No Xev! NOOOOOOOOO! we cannot have one of these debates here too.

Quote from: nastynateNo Xev! NOOOOOOOOO! we cannot have one of these debates here too.

We can, actually.

Just remember, guys, to keep it both civil and, hopefully, founded in logic.

~ElDo

Logic?  Logic???  We're debating the very essence of samurai swordiness!  What place have we for logic when we have fanboy fanaticism???

And, uh... what exactly is the subject of the heretofore uninitiated debate?

Quote from: Salacious AngelLogic?  Logic???  We're debating the very essence of samurai swordiness!  What place have we for logic when we have fanboy fanaticism???

And, uh... what exactly is the subject of the heretofore uninitiated debate?

I believe the subject is directed towards historical weaponry, such as Limetom painstakingly put together, and fantacised weaponry, such as that found in most gaming products. The latter is often downright ignorant of cultural historicity, but then again, core D&D mixes the actual advancements of Middle Ages society and lumps them together.

So it's sort of a vicious circle.

Ah, yeah...

Well I suppose that from that perspective, for classic D&D purposes, the romanticised katana works perfectly fine.  I mean, how much reality is there in D&D anyway?  And how much do we actually WANT?

Quote from: Salacious AngelLogic?  Logic???  We're debating the very essence of samurai swordiness!  What place have we for logic when we have fanboy fanaticism???

And, uh... what exactly is the subject of the heretofore uninitiated debate?

I have never seen a katana wielding spamurai vs. bastard sword wielding knight of spam discussion fail to degenerate into flaming showers of spamorites. If Xev and Limetom manage to discuss the matter like civil human beings more power to them, but others will inevitably interject their opinons, and from there...well I can post a few links if you really want them.

Personally, I feel the weapons presented will not break the game, and therefore they are fine by me. Fanboyism is not my forte however, and I do not have strong feelings about the subject, so it matters not to me. I just sense the encroaching flame war (my spider-sense is tingling), and wanted to ward it off before hand.

-Peace and Love-

Aww.  I was looking forward to a flame war...

And I'd be pretty darned surprised if any discussion, no matter how illogical, actually degenerated into outright flaming.

Where most people would throw around infantile homophobic vindictives, the CBG weapon of choice seems to be bizarrely articulate non sequiturs...

I swear, sometimes our conversations are the most intelligent kind of stupid.

-Ham and Toast-

QuoteI have never seen a katana wielding spamurai vs. bastard sword wielding knight of spam discussion fail to degenerate into flaming showers of spamorites

seen[/i] a katana wielding spamurai vs. bastard sword wielding knight of spam discussion.

Re: the historical accuracy, have you checked the weights? I seem to remember dnd getting the weights about 50% too high for its european weapons if you're going off those. (I've of course no interest in looking this up myself.)

Well, if fantasy fiction is anything to go by, half the time swords weigh in excess of ten pounds, or some other preposterous amount.

I recall one of my players with Str 30 using a "buster sword" that weighed a good 20 pounds.

Odachi *drools*
Wildly impractical...
Big, heavy sword...
Kill horses...
Cavalry...
(Horses are friggin' CREEPY though...)

a ha! googlesearch! (http://www.thearma.org/essays/weights.htm)

QuoteLatham however noted a 6-pound sword designed at the time by a cavalry officer who imagined it would strengthen his wrist but the result was that â,¬Å"no living man can cut wit hitâ,¬Â¦The weight is so great that it is impossible to give it any velocity, and itâ,¬,,¢s cutting power is therefore nil.
…
Few, if any fighting swords, from short blades to bastard variety and rapiers weighed even close to 4 pounds and those which did typically were still well-balanced.

This is about european swords, but i imagine asian makes had to be somewhat similiar. (Assuming the article is correct.)

Yeah, unless you're Ronnie Coleman (or a locksmith), you ain't gonna wield anything CLOSE to an Odachi.

Quote from: Salacious AngelYeah, unless you're Ronnie Coleman (or a locksmith), you ain't gonna wield anything CLOSE to an Odachi.

I've used a sharpened axel (well over 40 pounds) to break trees. Don't ask why. There might be huge gaps in my defense, but so long as I hit first no one hits back. Also, if I can punch a hole in a car door I think it's safe to say I'd break armor. Hooray for having lived in a tent in the woods with a bunch of convicts all of middle-school.

So yeah, an odachi would be a welcome change of pace.

First off:
:huh:

I never imagined that this would be so popular...  and the discussion that sparked this was on another site, but I though that it could have some use here.

Second:

Quote from: XeviatWakisashi and Kodachi: The differences you are mentioning are too small to matter in the system. Heck, even you statted them identically. Since they are the same size as a shortsword, two feet in length, they should be martial light weapons.

Your Omi no Yari stats are fine, but your Tai Yari stats are weak for a one-handed simple (again, compare to the heavy mace and the short spear). Was the Tai Yari wielded in one hand anyway?[/quote]Re: the historical accuracy, have you checked the weights? I seem to remember dnd getting the weights about 50% too high for its european weapons if you're going off those. (I've of course no interest in looking this up myself.) [/quote]
I'll look that up, if I can find a reputable source.

A shortspear is one handed because that's the little spear, maybe four feet long or so, that you wield with a shield. The Spear is your traditional two-handed, non-reach spear, which can still be thrown, while the long spear is the one with reach. I'm not sure which one you were going for.

And this won't get uncivil; I try to only talk about weapons from a balance perspective. Both a japanese sword and a european sword will kill you, neither can effectively cut through metal. I think the katana should be a 1d8 18-20/x2 exotic one hander that can be wielded in two hands as a martial weapon, making it slightly weaker than the two-handed falchion, but that's just because I like the weapon to be different from the longsword-bastardsword-greatsword trio.

Quote from: XeviatI think the katana should be a 1d8 18-20/x2 exotic one hander that can be wielded in two hands as a martial weapon, making it slightly weaker than the two-handed falchion, but that's just because I like the weapon to be different from the longsword-bastardsword-greatsword trio.

I'll look over it later.

QuoteHowever, I'll move them to exotic weapons, which makes a little more sense, I guess...

trick[/i] to it, making it an exotic weapon makes it a very poor choice.

Quote from: nastynateI have never seen a katana wielding spamurai vs. bastard sword wielding knight of spam discussion fail to degenerate into flaming showers of spamorites. If Xev and Limetom manage to discuss the matter like civil human beings more power to them, but others will inevitably interject their opinons, and from there...well I can post a few links if you really want them.

Seems kinda silly to me to assume a flame war's going to start based simply on the fact that there may be a discussion...

Once these are nice n' balanced, would you object to me stealing them? ;)

Not at all.

Quote from: brainface

QuoteHowever, I'll move them to exotic weapons, which makes a little more sense, I guess...

trick[/i] to it, making it an exotic weapon makes it a very poor choice.

True, brainface.  Often in d20, we see rules trying to represent two things at once, which can conflict.  As Xeviat points out, we see exotic weapons sometimes because they have superior capabilities, so they are restricted to keep everyone from choosing them.  However, we also see weapons labelled as exotic simply because they are from an exotic local and would not be familiar to most European knights.

This twin function can create conflicts.

Then there's the fact D&D mislabels many weapons, like longsword, bastard sword, and falchion, but that's another topic...

Kudos limetom, for the work and research you put into this.

katana, two-handed?

but then.... how can a samurai use the Daisho?

i say make katana one-handed, so that it can be properly used with the wakizashi.

daito, on the other hand (heh... i made a pun), can be two-handed.

Quote from: sdragon1984, ona'envalyakatana, two-handed?

but then.... how can a samurai use the Daisho?

i say make katana one-handed, so that it can be properly used with the wakizashi.

daito, on the other hand (heh... i made a pun), can be two-handed.

Um, are you being serious here?  I'm just sort of confused by your comment.

I'm not going to suggest I'm an expert on this stuff (heck, I haven't really done any research), but from what I've seen in movies (Japanese, so I sort of trust them) and on one TV show (which I also trust, CSI: New York) a katana was wielded two-handed so it could be used in a "push-pull" manner, where the hand nearer the blade pushed and the farther one pulled to give it a level-like slice.  Don't know if that helps, but so long as I knew it I thought I'd mention it.

Do you suppose someone could look up historical shuriken?  I got the feeling from somewhere that they actually weren't all that good a weapon, but were primarily intended to make the opponent flinch.

Quote from: SilvercatMoonpaw

Quote from: sdragon1984, ona'envalyakatana, two-handed?

but then.... how can a samurai use the Daisho?

i say make katana one-handed, so that it can be properly used with the wakizashi.

daito, on the other hand (heh... i made a pun), can be two-handed.

Um, are you being serious here?  I'm just sort of confused by your comment.

I'm not going to suggest I'm an expert on this stuff (heck, I haven't really done any research), but from what I've seen in movies (Japanese, so I sort of trust them) and on one TV show (which I also trust, CSI: New York) a katana was wielded two-handed so it could be used in a "push-pull" manner, where the hand nearer the blade pushed and the farther one pulled to give it a level-like slice.  Don't know if that helps, but so long as I knew it I thought I'd mention it.

Do you suppose someone could look up historical shuriken?  I got the feeling from somewhere that they actually weren't all that good a weapon, but were primarily intended to make the opponent flinch.

Daisho was the traditional pairing of a Katana and a Wakizashi, most commonly used by samurais. ever see the image of the samurai with two swords- a long one and a short one- on one hip? that's Daisho.

Daito is a longer version of the Katana, and is too heavy to be used one-handed. if the swords from the movies and the episode of CSI you saw were worn on the back, that'd be a Daito.

i'm no expert on shurikens, but i imagine you're right: they'd probably be better distractions then weapons...

You could use katana one-handed, however, most samurai were trained more extenisively with two-handed techniques.  The Daisho, as sdragon said, is the pairing of the katana and the wakizashi, not using both of them at once.  Miyamoto Musashi, one of the few samurai who fought with two swords, used two bokken (wooden swords; 2 clubs in D&D stats), rather than a katana and a wakizashi.

Shuriken... ah yes... probably the largest victim of historical revision one could possibly find, aside from the invention of the ninja-to.  The kanji (characters) for shuriken mean "hand hidden blade".

There were two groups of shuriken, bo shuriken (lit. "stick" shuriken) and hira shuriken (lit. "flat" shuriken).  The bo shuriken were any stick-like object, including nails, needles, small knives, hairpins, and even chopsticks.  The hira shuriken were any thin, flat objects, including sharpened coins, sharpened washers,  etc.

No Shuriken were star-shaped... that's just silly and not aerodynamic.  Plus all the extra edges would make it easier for them to cut you rather than your opponent.

You'd throw shuriken either with a horizontal motion, or an overhead motion.  

Shuriken were opportunistic weapons.  They couldn't kill easily, but if aimed at the face, hands, or feet, they could prove good distractions.  Shuriken could be placed in the ground as a pretty good bobytrap.  Shuriken were prevalent and useful enough that not only was poison applied to thrown and bobytrap shuriken, but contact poison was put on shurkien that were left lying around.

They could also be used as tools, like pitons (for climing), or as knives in a pinch.

As for their stats, I'd personally raise the critical multiplier to x3, and make them simple weapons.  They're almost analogous to darts.

The weapon I saw was definitely a katana.

@limetom: Yeah, that's sort of what I remember finding.

I've made shuriken simple weapons in my games, but I hadnt' considered changing the threat range. I'd rather not do that, as that would make them very deadly in the hands of a high strength character.

As for exotic weapons in my games, the list has become very small. Currently, there are no light exotic weapons (as all of the "monk" weapons were moved to simple, except the nunchaku, which is martial [light flail]), the bastard sword/war saber (katana)/war axe are the current one-handed, and there are several two handeds (mostly the double weapons). I will be adding chains and other exotics.

Even though current schemes say that a 1d8 18-20/x2 one-handed exotic katana that can be wielded in two hands as a martial weapon is balanced (compare to waraxe, and bastard sword), I'd rather see those three weapons have something more unique to them. The spiked chain and whip are good exotic weapons because they can do something other weapons can't. The exotic weapons out of Complete Adventurer were good as well, because they were unique.

QuoteI've made shuriken simple weapons in my games, but I hadnt' considered changing the threat range. I'd rather not do that, as that would make them very deadly in the hands of a high strength character.

Why not just give them that rule, but say that you cannot apply you str bonus tothem (which would make sense since you need a more significant amount of mass to have the throwing strength mean much). This would also make them more useful to low str characters like rogues, etc

No to all points, except Xev's middle paragraph and the second to last sentence of his last paragraph.

Very deadly?  They can't do that much damage in the first place, so even with a multiplier of 3, it doesn't help much.  I think anyone exclusively using Japanese weapons would use the yumi, which has the ability to deal twice the amount damage at a much greater range.

Even comparing it to the dart, its balanced.  The dart does 1 die higher damage baseline and has a larger range increment.

Dropping the Strength bonus to them isn't a good idea either.  It wouldn't help low Strength-characters, because they'd loose any Strength bonus they would normally gain.

A further change I would make to them, after rereading their description, is that they can be used as both ranged an melee weapons, to fit more with how one would normally use them.

As for the bastard sword being exotic, the only reason it is exotic is for using it in one-hand.  People seem to forget that you can use it as a two-handed martial weapon without penalty.

And using a bastard sword two handed as a martial weapon means you're using a 1d10 weapon rather than a 2d6 weapon; not a good prospect. Spending a feat to gain +1 damage (1d8 is 4.5 average, 1d10 is 5.5 average) is worse than spending one feat for +2 damage (weapon specialization); again, while current balance scheme says it's okay, I haven't really felt comfortable spending that feat with my fighters in a very long time.

My point about shuriken is that I don't think they could really deal x3 damage. If anything, I'd be more prone to giving them 19-20 range, because they're very sharp, but even then. A flat damage and 20/x2 is perfectly fine with me; they have an advantage over darts because they are ammunition and don't require quickdraw to draw.

I didn't say handling the bastard sword that way was the best way of doing it, just that you can use the bastard sword without penalty and without burning a feat.  (Please discuss your weapon system elsewhere.  I don't think a thread on Japanese weapons is a place to discuss the bastard sword.)

Let's compare what the different critical ranges mean, rather than their mechanics for a second.  A multiplier higher than x2 means that the weapon strikes harder when it scores a critical hit, though it is not necessarily easier to hit with.  A weapon with a threat range of greater than 20 means that the weapon is more prone to cause a serious injury.

Going off of these, which is how I went about this entire process, the shuriken is not prone to cause serious injury.  When it strikes perfectly (i.e. a critical hit), it can do some serious damage.  

Exempli gratia: On R. Lee Ermey's show, Mail Call, he took several throws at a watermelon with a shuriken.  Several missed, several hit.  Of those that hit, most either stuck in the surface, still exposed or went in, but didn't go out through the other side.  One, however, went all the way through.  I'd defiantly call that last instance a critical hit in D&D terms, and by his 10 or so other throws, I'd say that it doesn't threaten easier than other weapons, but it defiantly has the capacity to deal a substantial amount of damage when conditions are optimal.

Therefore, a multiplier of x3 seems much more logical than an expanded threat range of 19-20/x2.  My decision stands.  

I'm not going to break your arm, if you disagree, you don't have to use it.  I'm just going off of experience and research, translating them to D&D terms as best I can.

No problem. But I thought plants were immune to critical hits ... heh.

I guess that would work, but similar lines could be drawn from crossbows (which are traditionally statted as 19/x2).

The only reason I brought up the bastard sword was because it can be compared to the katana. Both can be wielded one-handed as exotic weapons, even if you give the katana a 1d8 18-20/x2 damage (making it slightly weaker than the falchion). As an exotic weapon, it deals slightly more damage than the scimitar, but you will get a larger damage increase with Weapon Specialization (Scimitar).

My point is that the katana would benefit from a special ability, to warrant someone spending a feat on it's use; aside from a simple +1 damage bonus.

I think I see what you're trying to say, but in this case, I've completely divorced the katana from the bastard sword.  Unlike the bastard sword, the katana was almost always used two-handed.  The number of one-handed wielders was probably less than 1% in historical terms.

Furthermore, my version of the katana is no longer exotic, it is a martial weapon.  A new feat would be needed to use it one-handed.

You also have to think about the difference in the way that a japanese sword and a european sword are held.  European swords are held much like a baseball bat.  A japanese sword fighting grip is holding of the handle with the bottom three fingers and place the index and fore finger in a looser and more fluid grip.  This is from the experience of a person who has taken classes in sword fighting in both styles.  I am no expert but it was a wonderful means of exercise and I recommend it to anyone who is bored with common routines.  Also this is why the Japanese Yakuza cut off the tip of the pinky as a means of apology and punishment.  It weakens the sword grip of the individual and forces them to rely on the group in a greater capacity.  That is the basis for the finger cutting.  I usually don't bother to weigh in on this particular discussion when it pops up but due to some recent research thought I might add the real life reason that all japanese swords are considered exotic weapons in my games unless the character takes the cultural package granting them as martial.  I have cultural packages that change access to weapons, armor, gear, and their price as well as opening up feats, guilds, and classes to them.  No european culture knight wearing roman armor wielding a katana in my games.  That image alone make me laugh.