Die_Kapitan wroteStygmata wrotea not so well known fact : the main weapon for the samurai was the bow , it was shameful to fight with the sword as it will become blunt and very brittle in a duel and might well crack
A Samurai carried a Katana, a Wakizashi and a bow, a yari, or a Nodachi and a bow.
wakizashi was mainly used for ritual suicide or to decapitate an enemy , rarely used in combat .. ( also it was not restricted to samurai )
as for the nodachi it was used for ceremonial rituals or simply as fashion or caste definition ( nodachi predates katana by more than 100 years )
the yari or spear was used mostly by cavarly with the nodachi ( the nodachi's length is between 70 to 90 cm ..very unsuitable for close quarter combats or indoor )
the bow is called yumi
PS : a very nice subject , i rarely had anyone discuss this subject with me since my trip to Japan 3 years ago