All of the Great Katana weapon skills start with "Tachi:", which directly translated means "katana", but also refers to the art of wielding a katana. Tachi styled weapons were usually longer and more curved than standard katana and uchi-gatana. They were also more choice of the higher classes in the feudal times (such as the "bushi" warrior class where Samurai were counted, and those who would become the ruling classes). In weapon etiquette, tachi were always worn/hung from the obi, with the edge down. In the original Japanese, each of the weapon skill's official names start with a numeric (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc). In the English version, they are shortened to just "Tachi." This loosely translates it to "# style of the tachi:" or "weapon/sword form:", which is followed by the "kata" (form). The forms are named after various styles of martial arts, including karate and sword arts.[1]
The original Japanese for this weapon skill is: 壱之太刀・燕飛 (ichi no tachi: enpi).
Enpi (燕飛) comes from Tomari-te (a martial arts style from Okinawa). There are several theories of the name's origin. One of the more commonly accepted theories is that a Sappushi Wang Ji, an official from Xiuning, transmitted the kata while serving on Okinawa. Wang Ji had the habit of throwing and jumping on his adversaries, and because of this combat dynamic, it resembled a swallow in flight.
The translated name is "First Style of the Tachi: Flying Swallow."[2]
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