Thank you, ODOL! I love the "hidden" blades. For anyone who wants the story of swords like the above, when the Meiji government came into power in around the 1860s, they outlawed carrying a sword. Many from Samurai families and other kenshi (I hope that's the right word. Swordsmen?) did not like that, and found many creative ways to get around it. One was that bamboo walking sticks were very common, and just the right length to hide a katana blade in.