A ricasso is a part of sword and knife blades. It is the section just above the guard or handle. It is sometimes unsharpened and unbevelled.

The first unsharpened ricassos were found on Middle Bronze Age swords. In use, this allowed the swordsman to "choke up" (shorten his grip, also known as half-swording

Half-sword

Half-sword, in 14th- to 16th-century fencing with the longswords, refers to the technique of gripping the central part of the sword blade with the left hand in order to execute more forceful thrusts against armoured and unarmoured opponents. The term is a translation of the original German...

), enabling better control and manipulation of the blade and allowing the weapon to be more effective in thrusting against both armoured and unarmoured opponents. Later longsword

Longsword

The longsword is a type of European sword designed for two-handed use, current during the late medieval and Renaissance periods, approximately 1350 to 1550 .Longswords have long cruciform hilts with grips over 10 to 15 cm length The longsword (of which stems the variation called the bastard...

s, claymore

Claymore

The term claymore refers to the Scottish variant of the late medieval longsword, two-handed swords with a cross hilt, of which the guards were in use during the 15th and 16th centuries.-Terminology:...

s, rapier

Rapier

A rapier is a slender, sharply pointed sword, ideally used for thrusting attacks, used mainly in Early Modern Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.-Description:...

s and other large blades often had this feature. Many modern knives also include an unbeveled section either for increased strength or as an area that can be gripped to provide greater control for precise cutting.

Ricassos in two-handed swords sometimes terminate with flukes, which protect the hand when gripping the sword by the ricasso.