short guardless sword worn on the hip
A historical Japanese sidearm, shorter than a katana and without a tsuba (guard), carried at the waist. Primarily a weapon of the samurai class in earlier periods.
戦国時代の武士は、腰刀を差して戦場に向かった。
Warriors of the Sengoku period went to battle wearing a short guardless sword at the hip.
Compound of 腰 (こし, 'hip') and 刀 (かたな, 'sword'), literally 'hip sword'. The term describes a short sword worn at the waist, historically used by samurai.