Swords used with sokutai (traditional ceremonial court dress) were used for different purposes according to the importance of the ceremony, and they were associated with sekitai from the end of Heian Period to the Meiji Restoration.
なお、束帯に使用する太刀も儀式の軽重によって使い分けがあり、平安後期から明治維新より前の時代には石帯と関連性があった。