noun
two-sworded samurai; wearing two swords
Refers to a samurai who wears both a long and a short sword, the traditional mark of the warrior class in the Edo period.
江戸時代、武士は二本差しであることが身分の証だった。
In the Edo period, being two-sworded was a mark of a samurai's status.
Standard kanji spelling.
Abbreviated spelling, also seen.
Compound of 二本 (two long, thin objects) and 差し (from 差す, to wear at one's side).