A [[katana]] blade fitted with a plain wooden grip and sheath ([i]saya[/i]) that, when fitted together, completely conceal the blade and resemble a [[bokken]]. This configuration was intended to be used for storage or transportation of blades, not combat, since in addition to the decorative furniture characteristic of katana, a blade in [i]shirasaya[/i] also lacks a hand guard ([i]tsuba[/i]), making it unsafe to wield. Despite this fact, it's not uncommon for [i]shirasaya[/i] blades to be depicted as weapons in active use.

The signature sword carried by Zatoichi, the blind swordsman and eponymous protagonist of the [[Zatoichi]] films, resembles a  [i]shirasaya[/i]; however, the blade is straight and the purpose of the plain wooden furniture is not to protect it in storage, but rather to disguise it as a blind man's cane.
shirasaya