Generally, there are four categories of samurai swords as weapons, which are made of steel, single bladed, curved, and tempered. Samurai swords can be classified by length or by the types of mountings.

Classifications of swords by length:
                         Japanese use the shaku to measure the length of the cutting edge of the samurai swords. 1 shaku = 11.903542 inches.

Long Sword (Daito): over 2 shaku in length; there are the longer of the two swords commonly worn by the samurai; difficult to temper a daito because of its length.

Medium Sword (Wakizashi): 1~2 shaku in length; worn by samurai as auxiliary sword, or by non-samurai, who were allowed to wear no more than one sword of this length.

Short Sword (Tanto): less than 1 shaku in length; the shorter of the two swords worn by the samurai as auxiliary swords. Women and tradesmen used them as protective weapons. Commonly called as hara-kiri knives.

Classifications of swords by mountings:

Ken mountings: The oldest type known for swords of the ancient sword period. Straight, either single or double-edged blades.

Jindachi-zukuri mountings: For the long sword of the Old Sword period and were 4 to 5 feet in length. There were two rings on the scabbard because the swords worn suspended from the hip by cords.

Buke-zukuri mountings: Come from the New Sword period. The handle is bound with narrow tape or leather thongs. There were no rings attached to the scabbards because the swords were worn on the left hip, inserted between the hip and the sash and not suspended. The full length of this mounting was 3 ½ to 4 ½ feet. This is the most common and is of great interest to connoisseurs. There have pockets for a kozuka (utility knife), a kogai (skewer), or a set of wari-bashi (split chopsticks) near the mouth of the scabbard.

Shira-saya mountings: Made of plain wood and were used to protect the blade or to replace a damaged mounting. It has no guard. It is also called as yasume-zaya (resting scabbard). This type is convenient for protecting a blade or an original mounting. A substitute blade (tsunagi) of wood or bamboo will be inserted to preserve the mounting when a blade is not kept in its original mounting.

Gunto (Army and navy swords) and their mountings
• Kyu-gunto (proto-army sword) mountings: The scabbard was chrome plated; the handle was wrapped with shark or giant-ray skin and bound with gold-colored wire.
• Shin-gunto (neo-army sword) mountings: The scabbard of this type resembles that of jindachi-zukuri mounting but is made of brown-colored metal and usually covered with leather when used in combat area. The handle, which is bound by leather thongs or cord, resembles that of buke-zukuri type. The handle usually has cherry-blossom designs on its pommels and ornaments. Blue color of tassel is for company grade; red is for field grade; red and gold is for general grade.
• Kaigunto (naval sword) mountings: Three types of swords used by the officers of the Japanese navy: (1) about 15 inches long short sword; (2)long and bears a close resemblance to the jindachi-zukuri type or new-army type; having two rings attached to its dark scabbard. (3) long, but narrow and looks like a police saber.

•Shikomi-zue (Sword cane) mountings: Made after the Meiji Restoration and most of them are of      poor grade.