[atul]

Originally posted by Saber Cherry:
But I have to ask, now. Everyone seems to have good reasons for samurai to not have wakizashis... does anyone know why they did? Were they for blocking, or just a "sidearm"?

As far as I know: ceremonial purposes, for times their main sword was unavailable (broken/disarmed/etc), close quarter fights. Not used in conjunction, but instead of katana.

As for that 'barbaric' notion, I stand corrected. Anyway, dual-wielding long weapons is featured in films a lot because it is flashy, not because it would actually be a viable way to fight (Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, anyone?-).