<< Question from a non-knifemaker...What is a "TANTO". >> Forgive me if someone has already ansered this. A tanto is a Japanese dagger (single edged, of course). Technically, its the dagger with a full guard, while the guardless ones have another name (which I can't recall at the moment). In the States, though, tanto is the name applied to both guraded and guardless styles. Jerry Veneziano