The Samurai Sword, or traditional Japanese sword, may be classified in one of two ways. Either by the length of the blade, or by the type of mountings. Samurai sword lengths run long, medium or short. Long swords are nearly 24 inches in length. Medium swords are typically about 12 to 24 inches, while the short swords would be less than 12 inches long. There are several types of mountings, one being the Jindachi-Zukuri which were used for the old Samurai swords and were approximately 4 to 5 feet long. Another example is the Gunto, or military sword, which was chrome plated with the handle wrapped in shark skin or the skin of the giant-ray.