The name "samurai" can be considered conditional. It is familiar to a European who understands this type of sword primarily as a katana, but this form of the sword came to Japan itself from Korea, and in Japanese chronicles of the 7th-13th centuries. such a sword was called "Korean". The ancient Japanese sword - tsurugi - had a long handle and a straight double-edged blade. They carried it obliquely behind their backs and exposed it, grabbing the handle with both hands at once. Starting from the 3rd century AD. tsurugi becomes sharpened only on one side, and some of its types have a massive counterweight on the handle. The curved blade in Japan began to be made in the Heian era (the first serious mention of them dates back to 710), that is, almost simultaneously with the appearance of the classic saber in the Middle East. By the 12th century, with the growth of power and the strengthening of the samurai class, the curved blade, which is the service weapon of the samurai, completely replaces the straight one in Japan.
Both in European and in our literature there is sufficient confusion in the names of samurai swords. It is known that the samurai wore two swords - long and short. Such a pair was called daisho (lit. "larger and smaller") and consisted of daito ("larger sword"), which was the main weapon of the samurai, and seto ("smaller sword"), which served as a spare or additional weapon used in close combat, for chopping off heads or hara-kiri, if the samurai did not have a kusungobu dagger specially designed for this. True, the custom of carrying two swords finally took shape only by the 16th century. A long sword has a blade length of more than two shaku (shaku = 33 cm), a short sword - from one to two shaku (that is, 33-66 cm). The long sword is the most famous in Europe, commonly referred to as the "katana". But this is not entirely correct. A katana is such a long sword, which is worn in a scabbard, with the blade up in the belt, and is pulled out of the sheath, uncovered, in a downward motion. This method of carrying a sword appeared in the XIV-XV centuries. and became the main, most convenient (by the way: wearing a katana behind the belt with the blade up allows you to conveniently pull it out not only with your right, but also with your left hand) Until that time, the word "katana" denoted a long dagger or short sword stuck in the belt, and the long one was called " tati". Tati was worn on his side in a sling tied to a scabbard, in which he was placed with the blade down, exposed from the bottom up. This way of carrying a long sword was suitable when the samurai fought mainly on horseback, but for foot it was much less convenient. In addition, etiquette required that a long sword be removed at the entrance to the house, and removing the sword in the sheath from the belt is much easier and more convenient than unhooking them from the sling each time and then tying them back. From the 14th-15th centuries, when such swords began to be worn mainly behind the belt, wearing a sword in a sling began to be considered more ceremonial, and therefore the tachi itself and its sheath got off much richer, because they were ceremonial. The short sword, always carried in a scabbard at the waist, was called a katana or tanto when paired with a tachi. And when worn in tandem with a long katana, it was called wakizashi. So the name of the samurai swords reflects mainly the way they are worn, and the larger and smaller swords removed from the scabbard, whatever they were called, had the same length and shape, except perhaps very early forms of the smaller sword (at the time when it was still called katana) had a barely noticeable curvature and seemed almost straight.
The length of the daito is 95-120 cm, the seto is 50-70 cm. The handle of a long sword is usually designed for 3.5 fists, a short one for 1.5. The width of the blade of both swords is about 3 cm, the thickness of the back is 5 mm, while the blade has a razor sharpness. The hilt is usually covered with sharkskin or wrapped in such a way that the hilt does not slip in the hands. The weight of the long sword is about 4 kg. The guard of both swords was small, only slightly covering the hand, had a round, petal or multifaceted shape. It was called "tsuba". The tsuba of a small sword could have additional slots for putting additional knives into its scabbard - throwing kozuki and household kogai. The production of tsuba has literally turned into an art craft. They could have a complex openwork shape, be decorated with carvings or relief images.
In addition to daise, the samurai could also wear a nodachi - a "field sword" with a blade more than a meter long and a total length of about 1.5 m. They usually wore it behind their backs like a tsurugi or on their shoulders, holding it with their hands. With the exception of length, the nodachi was structurally no different from the daito, which we will refer to as the katana from now on.
The rider could hold a katana with one hand, but in battle on the ground this sword was preferred to be held with two hands because of its weight. Early katana techniques included wide, circular cutting and cutting movements, but later they became much more developed. A katana could be equally easily stabbed and cut. The long handle allows you to actively maneuver the sword. In this case, the main grip is the position when the end of the handle rests in the middle of the palm, and the right hand holds it near the guard. The simultaneous movement of both hands allows the sword to describe a wide amplitude without much effort.
Both the katana and the straight European sword of a knight weigh a lot, but the principles for performing chopping blows are completely different. The European method, aimed at penetrating armor, involves the maximum use of the inertia of the movement of the sword and striking "with a carry". In Japanese swordsmanship, a person wields a sword, not a person's sword. There, the blow is also applied with the force of the whole body, but not from the usual step, but from the side step, in which the body receives a powerful push forward (greater than when the body is turned). In this case, the blow is applied "fixed" to a given level, and the blade stops exactly where the master wants it, and the force of the blow is not extinguished. And when the master of the sword cuts into small slices a head of cabbage or a watermelon lying on his student’s stomach, or cuts off a half of a lemon clamped in his teeth (often also blindly, blindfolded), then at the same time, first of all, it is demonstrated his ability to block a blow. And if such a blow did not hit the target, then it no longer pulls the owner along, as is the case with the European sword, but gives him the opportunity to change direction or strike the next one, especially since a short side step allows you to deliver powerful blows at every step - today's A kendoka with a black belt can execute three vertical sword strikes per second. Most of the blows are applied in a vertical plane. There is almost no division into "block strike" accepted in Europe. There are knockback blows to the hands or weapons of the enemy, throwing his weapon out of the line of attack and making it possible to deliver a striking blow to the enemy in the next step. Retreat when fighting on katanas forward. Leaving the line of attack while striking is one of the most commonly used combinations. After all, it must be borne in mind that a direct blow with a katana can cut through almost everything, and Japanese armor is simply not designed to "hold" direct blows. The duel of true masters of the samurai sword can hardly be called a duel in the European sense of the word, because it is built on the principle of "one hit on the spot." In kenjutsu, there is a "duel of hearts", when two masters simply stand or sit motionless and look at each other, and the one who first jerked to the weapon lost ...
Schools of kenjutsu, as the art of sword fighting is called in Japan, existed and there are many. Some pay special attention to the instantaneous departure from the line of attack, accompanied by a vertical strike ("Shinkage-ryu"), others pay great attention to placing the left hand under the blade of the sword and fighting techniques carried out using this technique ("Shinto-ryu"), others they practice working with two swords at the same time - a large one in the right hand, a small one in the left ("Nito-ryu") - such fighters are called "reto zukai". Someone prefers undercutting blows in a horizontal plane with a detour around the opponent - there are many similarities between kenjutsu and aikido techniques. You can hit with a handle, you can intercept the sword on a reverse grip, you can use steps and sweeps in close combat. Features of the samurai sword allow you to use almost all techniques for working with long bladed weapons.
In the 17th century, after the unification of the country under the rule of the Tokugawa house, a trend began to turn kenjutsu into kendo - a way of sword fighting into the Way of the sword. Kendo paid much attention to the moral self-improvement of the individual, and now it is one of the most popular sports in Japan, which no longer uses the real military weapon, and its sports equivalents made of wood or bamboo. For the first time, a wooden sword, repeating the outlines of the present (bokken, or bokuto), was introduced by the legendary master of the 17th century. Miyamoto Musashi. True, such a wooden sword was still a formidable weapon, which could easily split the skull. Samurai often kept bokken at home, at the head. In the event of a sudden attack, it was possible to disarm and take the enemy without shedding blood, simply, for example, by breaking his arms or breaking his collarbone ...
Compared to the Japanese long sword fighting technique, the short sword fighting technique is less well known. Here there are whipping blows with a brush, built on the same principle of a fixed blow, and the suspended position of the sword, which fans of the Slavic-Goritsa wrestling love to flaunt, and frequent blows with the handle to the solar plexus. Naturally, compared to a long sword, there are more poke blows, since this weapon is still intended for combat at close range.
A lot has been written about the place of the sword in Japanese society and Japanese culture. The sword was and remains one of the symbols of the imperial dynasty, the object of the Shinto cult, one of the symbols of the upbringing of the national spirit. Before starting to make a real traditional Japanese sword, the Japanese blacksmith performed a long preparatory ritual, reminiscent of the preparation of a Russian icon painter for painting a church or creating an icon important to him: fasting, cleansing ablutions, long prayers, putting on clean, ceremonial clothes, celibacy .
Perhaps, in no country in the world was the etiquette of the sword so developed. As in other regions, a blade stuck in the belt on the right side or placed to the right of oneself meant trust in the interlocutor, because from this position the sword was more difficult to bring to combat readiness. At the entrance to the house, a long sword was left at the entrance on a special stand, and entering inside with this sword meant a demonstration of extreme disrespect. It was possible to pass the sword to someone, both for display and for storage, only with the hilt towards you - turning the sword with the hilt towards the enemy meant disrespect for his abilities as a swordsman, since real master could use it instantly. When demonstrating weapons, the sword was never fully drawn, and it could only be touched with a silk scarf or a sheet of rice paper. Drawing a sword, hitting the scabbard against the scabbard, and, even more so, rattling the weapon was tantamount to a challenge, which could be followed by a blow without any warning. As in Europe, swords could have names and were passed down from generation to generation. And the best Japanese gunsmiths often didn’t brand their swords on purpose, believing that the weapon itself tells about who created it, and for a person who is not able to understand this, there is no need to know who created the sword. The word "sword" was often taboo, and, for example, "wakizashi" literally means "stuck on the side"...
Speaking about the features of the manufacturing technology of the samurai sword, it is worth noting the weaknesses of this process, namely, gaining greater hardness and power along the axis of the blade, this type of sword is more vulnerable if hit on its flat side. With such a blow, you can even break a katana with a short mace (or Okinawan nunchucks, which were specially used to break samurai swords). And if the European sword usually breaks at a distance of the palm or two fingers from the guard, then the Japanese - at a distance of 1/3 or 1/2 of the length of the blade from the guard.
The Japanese sword is a bladed single-edged slashing and cutting weapon made according to traditional Japanese technology from multi-layer steel with a controlled carbon content. The name is also used to refer to a single-edged sword with the characteristic shape of a slightly curved blade, which was the main weapon of the samurai warrior.
* Tati - a long sword (blade length from 61 cm) with a relatively large bend (sori), intended mainly for equestrian combat. There is a kind of tachi called odachi, that is, a “large” tachi with a blade length of 1 m (from 75 cm from the 16th century). In museums, they are shown in the blade down position.
* Katana - a long sword (blade length 61-73 cm), with a slightly wider and thicker blade and less bend compared to tachi. Visually, it is difficult to distinguish a katana from a tachi by the blade, they differ primarily in the manner of wearing. Gradually, from the 15th century, the katana replaced the tati as a weapon for foot combat. In museums, they are shown in the blade-up position, according to the manner of wearing. In ancient times, daggers were called katanas, but from the 16th century this name was transferred to uchigatana swords.
* Wakizashi - a short sword (blade length 30.3-60.6 cm). Since the end of the 16th century, paired with a longer katana, it forms the standard set of samurai weapons, daisho (“long and short”). It was used both for fighting in a cramped room, and paired with a katana in some fencing techniques. Unlike the katana, it was allowed to be worn by non-samurai.
* Tanto (kosigatana) - dagger or knife (blade length< 30,3 см). В древности кинжалы называли не «танто», а «катана». Меч тати, как правило, сопровождался коротким танто.
* Tsurugi - a straight double-edged sword common in Japan until the 10th century. Many samples do not belong to real Japanese swords (nihonto), as they are made according to Chinese or Korean technologies. In a broad sense, the term was used in antiquity to refer to all swords. At a later time, it was supplanted by the term ken to denote straight sword.
* Naginata - an intermediate weapon between a sword and a spear: a strongly curved blade up to 60 cm long, mounted on a hilt the length of a person's height.
* Koto - lit. "old sword" Swords produced before 1596. It is believed that after this time, many of the techniques of traditional technology were lost.
* Shinto - lit. "new sword" Swords produced from 1596 to 1868, that is, before the beginning of the industrial revolution of the Meiji period. With rare exceptions, Shinto swords are not considered highly artistic creations of blacksmiths, although they can be distinguished by luxurious finishes. By outward signs they reproduce koto swords, but are inferior to them in quality of metal.
* Gendaito - lit. "modern sword". Swords produced after 1868 to the present. Among them, there are both mass-produced for the army according to a simplified factory technology, shōwato (lit. “sword of the Showa period”), including shin-gunto (jap. shin gunto: ?, lit. “new army sword”), and swords , forged after the resumption in 1954 of production by modern blacksmiths using traditional technologies, for which it is proposed to use the name shin-sakuto (Japanese shin sakuto: ?, "recently made sword") or shin-gendaito (lit. "new modern sword").
* Tsuba - a guard of a characteristic rounded shape, except for functional purpose(to protect the hand) served as a decoration for the sword.
* Jamon - a line of pattern on the blade, which appears after its hardening between the blade and the butt as a result of the formation of fine-grained crystalline structures in the metal.
A katana is a long, single-edged slashing weapon. It has a slightly curved one-sided blade, a long or short handle, can be slightly developed in front, this allows you to cover it with two palms. The shape of the blade allows cutting and stabbing. The length of the blade is 60 centimeters, the handle could be different. Weighs up to one kilogram.
History of the katana
Such a sword appeared in the fifteenth century and lasted until the end of the twentieth as a weapon of the samurai. His "ancestor" was a long Japanese saber tachi. Their main difference was the way they were worn. Tati was tied with a special bandage on the belt, and the katana was thrust behind it. The first was paired with a tanto, the second with a wakizashi.
It was made from two types of metals. Viscous for the central part and hard for the blade. Before forging, the components were thoroughly cleaned. The handle was covered with leather and wrapped in silk fabric. This method of manufacture did not allow hands to slide over it. Handles made of wood or ivory, described in various patterns, can be seen on ostentatious and decorative sabers.
The carrying case was made of wood and varnished. Metal ones also took place, their mass production began in the 20th century, but, nevertheless, they also had a wooden lining.
The sword was part of the clothing of the samurai and was worn on the left side of the body in a sheath, blade up. But after the seventeenth century, there was no particular need to take it with you every time. In addition, the blade could corrode. Therefore, they came up with a way to preserve the integrity of the sword. A mount was worn behind the belt, which included a scabbard. The sword itself was kept at home in a wooden case, which was not varnished, which made it possible for it to breathe, moisture accumulated in it. Therefore, no corrosion appeared on the blade. In the nineteenth century, this method of making sword cases became widespread. In the twentieth century, after the ban on wearing swords, they began to disguise them. The sheath began to be made in the form of a cane or staff.
The art of swordsmanship
The use was as a cutting weapon, and less often as a stabbing one. Wrapped around with two or one hand. The first schools teaching young samurai were formed in the fifteenth century. Techniques Japanese swords differ from European ones in that the axis of the sword during the attack goes to the enemy not at a right angle, but along, thereby cutting the enemy. For such a construction of the battle, it is the curved blade that is very suitable.
Despite the great changes in the history of the development of the state regarding the wearing of the sword, the samurai art schools have survived to this day. The most famous are Kashima Shinto Ryu, Kashima Shin Ryu and Katori Shinto Ryu.
Saber care
The implementation of cleaning the sword occurs in stages and with different tools.
With the help of polishing stones, notches are removed.
Rice paper, which does not contain acid, perfectly removes the remnants of oil that is smeared on the sword. Before use, it is strongly rubbed to make it soft so as not to scratch the blade. If you don't have rice paper handy, you can also use a regular paper towel. Lime has cleaning and polishing properties. When using it, it also does not leave scratches.
Consider the device of a Japanese sword using an example katanas.
katana- long samurai sword, sword length 90-120 cm, hilt length 25-30 cm or 3 arm circumferences, blade width 27-35 mm, deflection equal to or slightly more than the blade width. The handle is covered with stingray leather or shark skin. garda katana called tsuba and is usually round in shape.
The length of the sword blade is calculated as follows: to get the maximum length, you need to subtract 90 cm from your height. To also take into account issues of ease of handling the sword, another 8 cm is usually subtracted from the resulting value. For example, 175 - 90 = 85 cm, 85 - 8 = 77 cm. (my personal opinion is not scientific, below is information from another source).
If your height is not in the table, then for each additional centimeter of height you need to add 3 mm to the length of the blade, i.e. you can more accurately calculate the length of the blade (but this is only a recommendation, because throughout the existence of the sword, its length and technique of owning it have changed, here the fighter has the right to choose the length of the sword himself, depending on the combat situation).
frame buke-zukuri, or uchi-gata-na kosirae . Swords mounted in this style were worn tucked into the belt. There was a ledge on the scabbard kurikata, through which the cord passed sageo.
Frame details buke-zukuri
Kasira - the head of the hilt of swords mounted in the style buke-zukuri.
Kojiri - the tip of the scabbard of swords in the style buke-zukuri; may be absent, then the tip of the scabbard is simply rounded and lacquered in the same way as all the scabbards.
Koiguchi - "carp mouth"; entrance to the sheath (or kuchigane, if the mouth of the scabbard is covered by a metal ring).
Kurikata - notched protrusion one-sixth of the length of the sword below koiguchi on the front side of the scabbard omote through which the cord passes sageo.
Mekugi- a fastening pin passing through the hilt and shank of the sword.
menuki - ornament on the hilt of the sword.
Sageo - cord on sword scabbard.
Same- stingray skin, which was covered fart.
Saya - sheath.
Seppa - a pair of oval metal washers covering the shank on both sides of the guard.
Futi - clutch on the handle.
tsuba - guard.
Tsuka - handle.
Tsuka-ito - handle winding
The most famous type of style swords buke-zukuri- this is katana (daito) and wakizashi (shoto). Wakizashi was just a miniature copy katana. Together they formed daisho("large and small"). If all the details of the frame daisho were designed in the same style, then this pair was called daisho soroimono.
Scabbard (saya) swords are usually made from ho no ki(Magnolias) and consist of two halves. In cross section, they almost always have the shape of an elongated oval of the same shape and size as seppa(washers) located next to them, and remain the same throughout the entire length. The scabbard for the sword, as a rule, was covered with a very durable varnish. At daisho - pairs of swords worn by samurai - this lacquer is usually calm tones, as a rule, black, and all other decorations are designed in the same calm style. Bright flashy colors were preferred by the dandies, and bright red lacquer imported from China was on swords worn by samurai from the provinces of Satsuma and Hyuga, who were famous for their courage and great ardor.
The surface on which the lacquer is applied is either plain smooth, or it may have wide or narrow grooves running diagonally or transversely. The lacquered base itself can be either grainy or well-polished, one-color or decorated. nashiji(gold dust) guri-bori or in other styles, or even a striped two-tone. Quite often, there is also a varnishing type of stingray fish ( same-nuri). These bases can then receive any form of decoration, but for daisho sophisticated maki-e(loose pattern) does not suit Japanese taste. However, with regard to daggers, the master could allow free flight of fantasy, and inlaid metal ornaments are often found here. (kanamono).
The following six pieces of sword scabbards, mounted in style buke-zukuri, could have special decoration details:
Ring covering the entrance to the scabbard - koi guti("mouth of a carp") or kuchigane, if it is metallic;
uragawara - reinforcing bar running across the base of the slot for co-gatana;
Slot lining for co-gatana and kogai. Usually in polished black lacquer, polished natural horn, or soft buff;
kurikata(“chestnut shape”) - a protrusion with a slot, located at a distance of one sixth of the length of the sword below koi guti on the side omote, through which the cord passes sageo;
sori tsuno("returning horn"), or origane, -
a small hook-shaped protrusion even lower on the same side, pointing towards the hilt. It serves to prevent the scabbard from slipping forward from the belt. It is quite rare and usually wakizashi,
but his presence often speaks of good
blade;
kojiri - scabbard tip. It often does not happen, especially in wakizashi, and the tip of the scabbard is simply rounded and lacquered in the same way as all scabbards. In form, material and decoration, it very often corresponds to cashier.
All these parts (with the exception of the lining of the slots for co-gatana and kogai) are usually metallic, more or less equally decorated. But in discreet frames they can be polished black horn the simplest form and the smallest size necessary for their purpose.
Sageo - it is a flat silk cord passed through kurikatu with which the sword was tied to the belt. Length sageo was from 60 to 150 cm, depending on the size of the weapon, and it could be removed before the battle and used as tasuki for tying the long sleeves of a civilian suit to give freedom of hand movements. Sageo They were also used to bind a captured enemy. Colour sageo matches the color of the scabbard. If the latter are in good Japanese taste, discreet and strict, the same will be sageo. Have bright and dog three frames sageo corresponding.
Handle (tsuka) always made from two halves of wood glued together, preferably ho no ki(Magnolias). Between them there was a hole for the shank (nakago), called tsuka-guchi. The tree was usually covered with a single piece of white same- knotted stingray skin. The seam went down the center of the side Hurrah, and usually the piece was selected so that the central row of three or four larger knots was on top of the side omote.
Winding was applied on top tsuka-ito("hilt thread"), consisting of a strip of strong flat silk (less often leather or cotton) ribbon uchi-him about up to 0.6 cm wide. Quite rarely, instead of a flat ribbon, there is a cord wrapped in rows. Usually, tsuka-ito was black, occasionally soft brown, dark blue or green. Sometimes daimyō used katana with white winding; it was also a trait of a certain type tati. Occasionally, a leather cord and a whalebone are found. The center of the tape was placed close to the handle sleeve footy on the side omote, and the two ends were wrapped around the handle, respectively, on the right and left, and twisted twice at equal distances. As a result same turned out to be completely closed, except for a number of diamond-shaped gaps on both sides of the handle. After the tape was passed through the sides of the handle head cashier, it was fixed on both sides of the handle with a flat compact knot. Slightly below the center of the handle on the side omote and a little above him on the side Hurrah the winding partially covered and fixed two decorations in place menuki.
Handle wrap options tsuka and the wrapping technique resulting in the pattern shown at top center
Attaching the cord tsuka-ito on cashier
There were many exceptions to this usual tsuka-maki(handle winding method). For example, on swords worn daimyō with formal attire called kamishimo, at the court of the shogun during the Edo period, black silk windings crossed over cashier, instead of going inside; cashier in this case it was of plain black horn. This style is known as maki-kake-no-kashira, and a sword with such a winding was called kamishimo-zashi.
Certain court swords, as well as most short swords and daggers, had their stingray skin hilts left unwrapped. In such cases cashier and both menuki had to be fastened with glue, hidden pins, decorative buttons, or other suitable method. This style is called hanashi menuki(free menuki). There are also many forms of unwrapped hilt, for the most part daggers, the handle of which is covered with polished or carved wood, varnish, rattan or metal. Usually, if there was no stingray skin on the handle, the side joints between the halves of the handle were closed with strips of metal called kenuki-kanamono.
The shape of the handle consists of a narrow elliptical section and usually thins quite a bit from both ends towards the middle. Daggers with an unwound hilt have a side omote may have an oblique cut at a distance of 2.5 cm from cashier. In the case when the dagger is worn on the chest in clothes ( kwaiken), this feature gives a person the opportunity to immediately feel which side the blade is on.
Garda (tsuba) usually in the form of a disk. The only exceptions are the guards of ancient swords, which have the shape of a small cross and are called sieve-gi(shaped like a Shinto sacrificial rice cake, hence the name). Such guards are also found on some parade types. tati. Cup-shaped guards come across, but quite rarely.
Guards come in a variety of shapes and sizes, although the most common are round or oval with a diameter of 6 to 9 cm.
Guards are almost always made of metal, although on dress swords they may be patent leather, leather stretched over wood, or papier-mâché. Up until the 16th century. tsuba guards were usually made of iron. Simple in design, they served the purely utilitarian purpose of protecting the hand. Later, with the development of metallurgy, the tsuba also became a work of art. Guard decorations reached their peak during the peaceful Edo period. For their decoration, metals such as gold, silver, copper with various reddish patinas, as well as copper alloys began to be used: shakudo, shibuichi, sambo gin, rogin, karakane, nigurome, sentoku and pure brass shinchu. The use of various chemical compounds made it possible to give them the most different colours. To these must be added interesting contrasting combinations of two or more alloys of different colors.
Guard details (tsuba)
Hira("flat body") - part of the guard between mimi and seppadai.
Mimi - bezel.
seppadai("position for pucks") - a place for pucks seppa. The oval part of the guard around the hole for the shank. There are two washers adjacent to this place ( seppa) between the guard and the blade and the guard and the hilt. When the guard is on the sword, seppadai completely hidden from view. Usually completely unremarkable, except for the signature, it is often a slightly convex regular oval.
Nakago-ana - shank hole. A hole in the center of the guard through which the tang of the sword band passes.
Udenuki-ana - lanyard holes. Some guards have two holes of different sizes. A lanyard was attached to them.
Sekigane - aggregate. A metal filler used to fit the hole for the shank to a specific strip of the sword and keep it in place. These holes are found on iron guards and indicate that this is an early guard. The placeholder is also used in ryo-hitsu.
Kogai hitsu-ana - hole for kogai. This opening is often in the shape of half a four-petalled flower.
Kozuka hitsu-ana - hole for kozu-ki. This hole is opposite kogai hitsu-ana, designed for handle co-gatana. The hole is often shaped like half a moon. Together kogai hitsu-ana and kozuka hitsu-ana called ryo-hitsu.
Handle sleeve (futi) and handle head (kasira). These two parts of the frame are usually considered together, as they are usually designed in the same way and made by the same craftsman.
Function footy(handle couplings) and cashier(handle head) consists in strengthening the handle at both ends. Term "cashira"(lit. "head") is short for the original name "tsuka gasira"(handle head), and footy is a general term for a boundary. Both things together are usually called futi-kashira.
Futi, as a rule, consists of a flat metal ring band up to 1.3 cm wide, which wraps around the handle next to the guard and is easy to remove. at the base footy there is an oval plate called tenjo-gane("ceiling metal"), usually copper, with a hole for the shank of the sword.
Kasira is a small cup usually with a flattened bottom, although it is also common cashier with a perfectly round bottom. On footy the main part of the pattern is located on the side omote. On cashier the pattern is located on the end of the handle so that it is visible when wearing the sword.
From each side cashier there is an oval slot - shitodome-ana, equipped with a retractable eyelet - shitodome("oatmeal eye") of gilded copper, just large enough to fit the cord of the hilt. On a hilt with a winding handle cashier no longer sticks. However, on an unwrapped handle, it is usually secured not only with glue, but also with two leaf-headed pins large enough to conceal shitodome-ana(the loop from which is removed).
Futi signed on the side omote outer surface tenjo-gane and sometimes on the visible part. On cashier signature, in those rare cases, when present, is on a small metal plate soldered on the inside or outside. It is also located at menuki.
menuki- This is a pair of small ornaments made of decorated metal, located on both sides of the handle. They serve not only as a decoration, but also for a tighter grip on the handle. They probably trace their origins to the decorated pin caps on ancient swords. Together with kogai and co-gatana (kozuka) they can form a single set, called mitokoro-mono("three places things"). A single style can extend to a complete set of metal parts for a sword - soroimono("uniform thing") or pairs of swords - daisho soroimono. Mitokoro-mono or soroimono work famous master for metal - preferably one from Goto - was a favorite gift from daimyō and other dignitaries on solemn occasions.
Mekugi- this is a mounting pin that goes through the hilt and tang of the sword and prevents the strip of the sword from falling out of the hilt. It is usually made from bamboo, but often from dark horn (very rarely from ivory). Slightly tapered when wrapped around the handle mekugi enters on the side Hurrah in the center of one of the open diamonds same so that's on the side omote its narrower end is hidden by winding. But there are exceptions to this rule. In unwrapped dagger hilts mekugi can pass through an eye made of metal or ivory or through a metal band - do-gane("metal of the body"), covering the handle.
Metal mekugi- this is striking feature most unwound handles. It consists of a thick copper tube with a decorative cap, often silver, into which a copper pin with the same cap is threaded or screwed on the other side. The threads on the screws are often left-handed, and one must be extremely careful when dismantling such weapons.
Washers (seppa)- This is a pair of oval metal washers covering the shank on both sides of the guard. They are almost always made of copper, plain, gilded, silver plated, or plated with gold or silver foil. Visible surfaces may be polished or covered with light strokes. Their edges are usually milled or decorated with holes. Some swords have two or three pairs, and tati in addition to these usual seppa often there is a much larger pair, called o-seppa(large washers). They cover a large part of the guard and are decorated with engraving, and the basis of the pattern is often an elegant Maltese cross. They say that seppa began to be used in the 12th century. Their purpose is to protect footy and guard from damage and give everything a finished look.
Coupling (habaki). Despite the fact that from the artistic side habaki least significant, it is absolutely essential, and it is found on all Japanese swords, daggers and spears. This thick metal sleeve inner side which fits snugly to the last two to three centimeters of the blade and the first two to three centimeters of the shank ( nakago) (approximate figures for a medium-sized weapon), has several functions. Firstly, it tightly holds the sword in its sheath, eliminating the friction of the blade and especially the hardened part of the blade on inner surface scabbard. Secondly, it to some extent protects the blade from rust in this dangerous place, so part of the sword strip under habaki should be lightly oiled. But its most important function is that it transfers the recoil of the blow through the guard to the entire hilt, and not to a relatively weak restraining peg. mekugi bamboo or horn.
Khabaki usually made of copper, silver-plated or gold-plated, or plated with gold, silver, or alloy foil shakudo. The surface is either polished or covered with oblique strokes, which are called neko gaki("cat scratching"). If a thin foil coating is present, it may be incorporated into these neko gaki or decorated with a stamped pattern. Occasionally also found habaki of iron, precious metals, or even of ivory or wood, but only on swords mounted not for serious use. If the stripe of the sword is thinner than the average and thus requires habaki additional thickness, then can be used ni-zu-habaki- double habaki. It's simple ordinary sizes habaki, reinforced with a separate but neatly fitted piece that adds two "cheeks" to reinforce the lower part (adjacent to the guard). By habaki you can often judge the quality of a blade. Niju-haba-ki and especially habaki adorned with family crest mon, usually belong to good swords.
Sword strip terminology
Stripe of a sword, dagger or any other bladed weapons consists of a blade and a shank.
Point (kisaki)- This is the most difficult part of the sword to forge and polish. The value of a sword is largely determined by the condition kisaki. Hardening line at the point ( bossy) may not be the same on different sides of the blade.
There are a great many types of hardening line on the point (as well as on the blade itself).
Sword point types ( kisaki) and hardening lines (bosi) are classified:
1. according to the shape of the blade:
- fukura-kareru- direct;
- fukura tsuku- curved;2. by size:
-ko-kisaki- a small point. Characteristic of the tachi of the Heian period and the beginning of the Kamakura period;
- chu-kisaki- average. Widespread type for all swords from around 1232;
- o-kisaki- long;
- ikari-o-kisaki- long and curved;3. along the hardening line (bosi):
- ko-maru- weak rounding;
- o-maru- strong rounding. The width of the hardened part is narrower than in ko-maru;
- jizo- in the form of the head of the deity Jizo;
- yaki-zume- non-returnable. As a rule, the quench line reaches the point and turns back to the shank. In this case, the return kaeri) absent;
- midare-komi- wavy;
- kaen- fiery;
- ichi-mai- complete. The whole point is hardened;
- kaeri-tsuyoshi- straight return line;
- kaeri fukashi- long return;
- kaeri-ashashi- short return.
Sword band
Komi, or mi,- blade.
Nakago- shank.
Tosin- stripe of the sword.
Sword strip terminology
Bosi - hardening line on the tip.
Yokote - the line separating the point and the blade.
Ji (ilihira-ji) - plane between blade and sinogi(its width is called niku).
Jihad - surface pattern hada.
Ji-tsuya - darker (compared to ha-tsuya) part of the blade (the rest of the blade, except for the hardened part).
Kasane - blade thickness, measured along the butt; it happens moto kasaie and saki-kasane.
Kisaki - tip (sometimes this term means the entire area from yokote to the tip of the blade).
Ko-shinogi - edge of the blade on the tip.
Mizukage - fuzzy line on the plane dzi, usually occurring when re-hardening the blade.
Mihaba - blade width; it happens moto hub and saki-haba.
Mitsu-kado - point where they meet yokote, sinogi and ko-shinogi.
monouti - the part of the blade that most strikes is the part of the blade about 15 cm long, located about 10 cm below yokote(data for a long sword, for short swords and daggers it is proportionally reduced).
Moto kasane - blade thickness mune-machi.
Moto hub - blade width between ha-mati and mune-machi.
Mune - butt of the blade.
Mune-machi - a small cut separating the shank from the blade on the side of the butt, the edge mune.
Mune-saki - the name of the butt near the tip;
May - inscriptions (on nakago and etc.).
Mekugi-ana - holes in nakago for menuki.
Nagasa - blade length (measured between mune-machi and point).
Nakago-jiri - extremity nakago.
Sabigiva - border between habaki moto and yasuri-me.
Saki-kasane - blade thickness yokote.
Saki-haba - blade width yokote.
Shinogi - blade edge.
shinogi-ji - blade plane between sinogi and mune.
Sori - blade curvature.
Sugata - blade shape.
Fukura - blade shape kisaki.
Ha(or ha-saki) - blade.
habaki moto - part of the sword strip that is under the clutch habaki.
Hada - lamination of steel; the result of the folding of steel during the forging process.
Ha-mati - a small cut separating the tang from the blade on the side of the blade, the edge Ha.
Jamon - line yakiba.
Hataraki - "activities", workings on the metal surface ( nioi, nii and etc.).
ha-tsuya - the lighter part of the blade compared to ji-tsuya; practically the same as yakiba.
Hee - USD
Horimono - blade engraving.
Yakiba - hardened part of the blade.
Yakihaba - width yakiba.
Yasuri-me - notches on the shank.
Edge of the blade (shinogi) absent on blades hira-zukuri. There are two types:
speaking (shinogi-takashi). The thickness of the blade between the stiffeners is much greater than that of the butt;
- smooth (shinogi-hikushi).
The plane between the edge and butt of the blade (shinogi-ji) is wide and narrow.
Dol (hee) originally made to increase the strength of the blade and to reduce its weight. Later it began to be considered as an ornament. Sometimes the fuller was made in order to restore the balance of a shortened sword or to hide the flaws in the blade (such fullers added later are called ato bi). There are 8 types of valleys, of which koshi-hi, tomabashi, shobu-hi, kuichigai-hi and naginata-hi- on short swords.
In addition, there are 4 forms of the fuller at the shank, of which kaki-toshi and kaki-nagashi commonly found on strips of swords made by smiths from the Old Sword Period ( koto).
Dol can cross yokote(type hee-saki-agari) and stop a little before reaching yokote(type hisaki-sagari).
Plane shinogi-ji, not cut out full, is called tiri. Dol may have tiri on both sides (type ryo-chiri) or only on one side (type kata-chiri).
Types of fullers on the sword strip
Bo-hee- wide dol.
Bo-hi-ni-tsure-hi- wide and narrow dol.
gomabashi- two short dashes.
Kaki-nagashi- going up to half of the shank.
Kaki-toshi- passing along the entire shank.
Kaku-dome- rectangular end.
Kosi-hee- short dollar
Kuitigai-hee- double irregular dol, connecting at the end.
Naginata-hi- short wide dol; characteristic of naginata, but also found on swords.
Shobu-hee- double dol, connecting at the end.
Futasuji-hi- two narrow valleys.
Maru-dome- rounded end.Engraving (horimono). On the blades of Japanese swords are found different types engraving. The most frequent plots: chopsticks ( goma-hashi), ritual sword ken, the Dragon ( kurikara) and inscriptions in Chinese or Japanese characters (bonji).
Hataraki
Ji-nie- spots noe in dzi.
Kinsuji, inazuma and sunagashi- stripes below and above the line jamon.
Ko-nie- small dots noe above jamon.
utinoke- "Activity" in the form of a crescent.
However, I propose to continue this topic ...
Japanese swords are separate view weapons. This is a weapon with its own philosophy. When you hold a real katana, tachi or tanto in your hands, you can immediately tell which master made this thing. This is not a conveyor production, each sword is individual.
In Japan, the technology of making swords began to develop from the 8th century and reached its highest perfection by XIII century, allowing you to make not just military weapons, but a real work of art that cannot be fully reproduced even in modern times. For about a thousand years, the shape of the sword remained practically unchanged, slightly changing mainly in length and degree of bend in accordance with the development of close combat tactics. The sword also had ritual and magical significance in Japanese society.
The role of edged weapons in Japan has never been limited to its purely utilitarian military purpose. The sword is one of the three sacred regalia - the Yata no Kagami bronze mirror, the Yasakani no Magatama jasper pendants and the Kusanagi no Tsurugi sword - received by the ancestors of the current imperial family directly from the gods, and therefore it also has a sacred function.
The possession of a sword put its owner on a certain social level. After all, commoners - peasants, artisans, merchants - were denied the right to carry knives. Not a tight wallet or a number of servants, but a sword stuck in a belt served as indisputable evidence of a person's belonging to the court nobility or the samurai class.
For many centuries, the sword was considered the materialized soul of a warrior. But for the Japanese, swords, especially ancient ones, are also works of the highest art, they are passed down from generation to generation as priceless treasures, are kept in the expositions of national museums along with other masterpieces of culture.
It is difficult to say when the first swords appeared in Japan. legendary sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi, according to official myths, was extracted by the god Susanoo from the tail of a dragon he defeated. However, in reality, the situation with the first swords was somewhat more prosaic. They, along with other goods, were imported from the continent - from China and Korea.
The most ancient examples of swords were found in the burials of the Kofun period (300-710). Although they had been badly damaged by rust, what was left gave an idea of what they looked like. They had short straight blades with a sharply honed end, obviously they were not cut, but stabbed. Experts call them jokoto - ancient swords.
In those years, there were more than a thousand different schools of gunsmiths in the country. Each workshop offered its own method of forging, hardening, decorating the sword. The huge demand for weapons led to a decline in quality. As a result, the secrets of making old koto swords were irretrievably lost, and each workshop began to search for its own technology. Other blades - they were called Shinto (new swords) - were very good, others were less successful, but none of them could rise to the heights of the koto.
The appearance in the country of imported European models of weapons could not somehow affect traditional technologies. The Japanese were surprised to find that Spanish and German blades were made in "one forging." Therefore, most of the swords brought into the country were used as raw materials for processing in accordance with Japanese technologies. After reforging, they made good daggers.
On the shank of the blade, the masters often put their mark. Over time, next to the name of the master, information about the tests of weapons began to appear. The fact is that with the onset of the Edo period (1600-1868), peace reigned in the country. The samurai could only test the point of their sword on a closely tied bundle of wet rice straw. Of course, there were also "tests on living material."
According to the existing tradition, a samurai could, without further ado, cut down a commoner who showed disrespect - a peasant or an artisan. But such "fun" began to cause condemnation. And then they began to test the newly forged swords on the bodies of executed criminals.
According to the laws of the shogunate, the bodies of the executed became the property of the state, with the exception of the remains of murderers, tattooed, clergy and untouchables, who were tabooed. The body of the executed was tied to a pole, and the quality checker of the sword chopped it in the stipulated places. Then, an inscription was cut on the shank of the weapon, for example, that two bodies were cut with a sword - a kind of OTK stamp
Especially often such marks were made on blades produced in the 19th century. They became known as Shinshinto (new new swords). In a certain sense, this period was a renaissance in the art of Japanese sword making.
Around the end of the 8th century, swords began to change their shape, they were made longer and slightly curved. But the main thing was something else. The old koto swords, as they are now called, acquired incomparable qualities thanks to the art of Japanese blacksmiths. With only an empirical understanding of metallurgical techniques, through much trial and error, they came close to understanding how to make a sword blade sharp enough, but not brittle.
In many ways, the quality of the sword depends on the carbon content in the steel, as well as on the method of hardening. The reduction in the amount of carbon, which was achieved by long-term forging, made the steel soft, oversaturation - hard, but very brittle. European gunsmiths were looking for a way out of this dilemma on the path of a reasonable compromise, in the Middle East - with the help of original alloys, including the legendary damask steel.
The Japanese have chosen their own path. They assembled the blade of the sword from several grades of steel with different qualities. A very hard and therefore capable of being very sharp cutting edge was fused with a softer and more flexible blade with a reduced carbon content.
Most often, the mountain hermits yamabushi, who professed asceticism and religious detachment, were engaged in the manufacture of swords at that time. But blacksmiths, who made weapons in feudal castles and craft settlements, also turned sword forging into some kind of religious act. The masters, who at that time adhered to strict abstinence in eating, drinking and communicating with women, started work only after the rite of purification, dressed in ceremonial robes and decorating the anvil with the sacred symbols of Shintoism - rice rope and paper strips.
Tachi long sword. The wavy pattern is clearly visible jamon on the wedge. Jamon is individual for each sword, the patterns of the most famous swords were sketched as a work of art.
Section of a Japanese sword. Shown are two common structures with excellent combination in the direction of the steel layers. Left: Blade metal will show texture itame, on right - masame.
Pieces of steel with approximately the same carbon content were poured onto a plate of the same metal, everything in a single block is heated to 1300 ° C and welded together with hammer blows. The forging process begins. The workpiece is flattened and doubled, then flattened again and doubled in the other direction. As a result of repeated forging, a multi-layer steel is obtained, finally cleaned of slags. It is easy to calculate that with a 15-fold folding of the workpiece, almost 33 thousand layers of steel are formed - a typical density of Damascus for Japanese swords
The slag still remains a microscopic layer on the surface of the steel layer, forming a peculiar texture ( hada), resembling a pattern on the surface of wood.
To make a sword blank, a blacksmith forges at least two bars: from hard high-carbon steel ( kawagane) and softer low-carbon ( shingane). From the first, a U-shaped profile about 30 cm long is formed, inside which a bar is inserted shingane, not reaching the part that will become the top and which is made of the best and hardest steel kawagane. Then the blacksmith heats the block in the furnace and welds the component parts by forging, after which he increases the length of the workpiece at 700-1100 ° C to the size of a sword by forging.
As a result of this long and laborious process, the structure of the koto became multi-layered and consisted (this can only be seen under a microscope, and the old masters judged this by the color and texture of the metal) of thousands of lamellar layers, each with its own indicators of viscosity and fragility, determined by the carbon content. The carefully leveled surface of the anvil, the scrupulous selection of hammers, and the strength of the blows of the hammer were important.
Then the long process of hardening began. Each part of the sword had to be heated and cooled in its own way, so the workpiece was covered with a layer of clay of various thicknesses, which made it possible not only to vary the degree of heating in the forge, but also made it possible to apply a wavy pattern to the blade.
When the blacksmith's work was completed, the product was handed over to the polisher, who used dozens of grindstones, pieces of leather of various thicknesses, and, finally, the pads of his own fingers.
Meanwhile, another craftsman was making a wooden scabbard. Honoki wood was mainly used - magnolia, because it effectively protected the sword from rust. The hilt of the sword and the scabbard were decorated with decorative overlays made of soft metal and intricate patterns of twisted cord.
Initially, most koto swords were produced in the province of Yamato and neighboring Yamashiro. The skill of the old blacksmiths reached its peak during the Kamakura period (1185-1333). Their products still amaze with their excellent quality and artistry of design. Swords were carried in scabbards attached to the belt with two straps, blade down. By this time, longer swords, sometimes up to 1.5 m long, intended for mounted warriors, had come into use. Horsemen attached these swords behind their backs.
As the country was drawn into the bloody civil strife of the XIV century, which caused considerable damage to the country's economy, but contributed to the prosperity of the gunsmiths, the demand for swords increased. Large workshops settled in the provinces of Bizen, Sagami and Mino. So, in those days, more than 4 thousand masters worked in Bizen, 1270 in Mino, 1025 in Yamato
If we take the average productivity of a blacksmith of those years as 30 swords per year (although more expensive orders took much longer), then Bizen Province alone produced 120,000 swords annually. In total, in those years, about 15 million units of this edged weapon were in circulation throughout Japan.
What did the samurai cost his "soul" - the sword? It is very difficult to calculate the real value of the sword in modern monetary terms. But you can get an idea of this by the number of working days spent on the production of one standard sword. During the years of the Nara period (710-794), the master spent 18 days for forging, 9 days for decorating it, 6 days for varnishing the scabbard, 2 days for leather belts, and another 18 days for final fine-tuning and fitting. And if you add the cost of materials to this, then the samurai sword became a very expensive acquisition.
Better and more expensive swords were intended both for gifts to the authorities, foreign guests or gods (they were left in the altar of a favorite temple), and for rewarding the most distinguished warriors. From the middle of the 13th century, there was a division of labor in the production of swords. Some masters forged, others polished, others made scabbards, etc.
With the advent of military armor capable of withstanding the impact of an arrow and a sword, the form of edged weapons began to change. The swords became shorter (about 60 cm), wider and heavier, but much more convenient in foot fights. In addition to the sword, daggers were also used to hit a weak spot in the enemy's armor. Thus, the warrior began to wear two blades behind his belt at once, with the blade facing up - the katana sword and the dagger (short sword) of the wakizashi. This set was called daisho - "big and small".
The Kamakura period is considered the golden age of the Japanese sword, blades reaching their highest perfection, which could not be repeated in later times, including the attempts of modern blacksmiths to restore lost technologies. The most famous blacksmith of this period was Masamune from the province of Sagami. Legend has it that Masamune refused to sign his blades because they could not be faked. There is some truth in this, since only a few daggers out of 59 known blades are signed, but the establishment of authorship does not cause disputes among experts.
Monk Goro Nyudo Masamune, who lived from 1288-1328, is better known as the greatest Japanese sword maker. He studied with the famous Japanese gunsmith Shintogu Kunimitsu. During his lifetime, Masamune became a legend in gunsmithing. Masamune used in his work a special Soshu technique and created swords called tachi and daggers - tanto. Several generations of his followers and students worked in this tradition. This technology was a way to create heavy-duty swords. Four strips of steel welded together were used, which were folded together five times, resulting in a number of layers of steel in the blade equal to 128.
In Japan, there is the Masamune award, which is awarded annually to outstanding sword makers.
Swords made by the Master are distinguished by their special beauty and high quality. He worked at a time when pure steel was often not used to make swords. Masamune perfected the art of "nie" - the pattern on the blade of the blade. The sword material he used contained martensitic crystals embedded in a pearlite matrix that looked like stars in the night sky. Masamune swords are characterized by clear gray lines on the leading edge, which cut through the blade like lightning, as well as a gray shadow on the front of the blade, formed during the hardening process.
Master Masamune rarely signed his work, as he made swords mainly for shoguns. The Fudo Masamune, Kyogoku Masamune, and Daikoku Masamune swords are considered to be his authentic creations. Masamune's swords are listed in a weapons catalog that was written during the Kyoto era by the appraiser Gonami. The catalog was created by order of Tokugawa Eshimune of the Tokugawa shogun in 1714 and consists of 3 books. A third of all swords listed in the catalog, made in the Soshu technique, were created by the master Masamune and his students.
Sword " Fudo Masamune» is one of the few swords, the blade of which was signed by the master Masamune himself, so its authenticity is not in doubt. The blade of the tanto sword, about 25 cm long, is decorated with carvings on the front of the blade. It is engraved with chopsticks (goma-hashi) on one side and the Kurikara dragon on the other side. The Kurikara dragon on the blade of the sword represents Fudo-myo, the Buddhist deity after whom this sword was named.
Sword "Hocho Masamune" refers to one of three specific and unusual tantō associated with Masamune. These tantos have a wide base in contrast to the usually fine and fine craftsmanship, making them look like a Japanese cooking knife. One of them has an engraving in the form of chopsticks called goma-hashi. The sword "Hocho Masamune" was restored around 1919, and is now kept in the Tokugawa Art Museum.
Sword "Kotegiri Masamune" or "kote giri". The name kote giri is taken from the martial art of kendo and means a slash to the wrist. The sword is derived from the tachi, a long Japanese sword used by Asakura Yujika against a samurai army in the battle of Kyoto. This sword was owned by the military and political leader of Japan during the Sengoku period, Oda Nobunaga. He reduced the size of the sword to its current length. In 1615, the sword was given to the Maeda clan, after which in 1882 it was presented as a gift to Emperor Meiji, a famous sword collector.
Along with Masamune swords, Muramasa swords are often mentioned, although they are mistakenly considered contemporaries of Masamune swords, it is also a mistake that they were created by his student. Muramasa is known to have worked in the 16th century CE. and couldn't date Masamune. According to legend, Muramasa blades are considered a symbol of evil, and Masamune blades are a symbol of peace and tranquility. The legends associated with Masamune swords say that they were considered holy weapons.
BLADE HONJO MASAMUNE- piece of art.
This blade is considered one of the finest swords ever made by man. It is the symbol of the Tokugawa shogunate, which ruled Japan for about two hundred years.
The Shogunate or Edo Bakufu is the feudal military government of Japan, founded in 1603 by Tokugawa Izyasu and led by the Tokugawa shoguns.
It existed for more than two and a half centuries until 1868. This period in the history of Japan is known as the Edo period, after the name of the capital of Japan, the city of Edo (now Tokyo). The headquarters of the shogunate was in Edo Castle
The name of the sword is most likely associated with General Honjo, who received this sword in battle. General Honjo Shikinaga in the 16th century was attacked by Umanosuke, who already had several trophy heads on his account.
Umanosuke with Masamune's sword cut General Honjo Shikinaga's helmet, but he survived, and took the sword as a reward. The blade of the sword has been slightly damaged in battle, but is still usable. In 1592-1595, General Honjo Shikinaga was sent to Fushimi Castle, then he took the Masamune sword with him. Subsequently, Honjo, since he had no money, had to sell the sword to his nephew. At that time, Masamune's sword was bought for only 13 gold coins. It was later valued at 1,000 yen in the Kyoto weapons catalog. The exact date of the creation of the sword is not known, it is about 700 years old.
To appreciate the significance of the Honjo Masamune for the Japanese, it is enough to recall that this blade was passed down from generation to generation by the Tokugawa shogunate. Until January 1946, the descendants of the Tokugawa remained the owners of the priceless sword.
The photo of the sword is hypothetical, there are simply no other images of this katana
In 1939, this blade was declared a cultural heritage of Japan.
Japanese culture is very original. Accordingly, the officers of the Imperial Army and Navy of Japan during WWII wore traditional edged weapons. Before the start of World War II, each officer, as well as the sergeants of the Japanese army, was issued a Japanese sword as a symbol of valor and courage (these swords were made industrial way, often they were forged from rails and were rather part of the costume and did not represent any value). Officers belonging to ancient samurai families had family swords, officers from poor and noble families had army "remakes".
They were made in large quantities and naturally inferior in quality to "piece" blades. The manufacturing technology has been simplified in accordance with the needs of in-line production.
Douglas MacArthur, American military commander, holder of the highest rank - army general, field marshal of the Philippines, holder of many orders and medals.
On the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor, MacArthur was in command of the Allied forces in the Philippines. For his leadership in the defense of the Philippines despite the surrender, MacArthur was awarded the Medal of Honor on April 1, 1942.
MacArthur led the Allied counter-offensive in New Guinea from July 1942 (Battle of Kokoda) to January 1943, and from there his troops moved into the Philippines, which he finally liberated from the Japanese in the first months of 1945.
Following the model of Germany, he developed a plan for dividing Japan into separate parts between the victorious countries, which was never implemented.
As Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the Pacific, on September 2, 1945, on board the American battleship Missouri, he accepted the surrender of Japan.
As commander-in-chief of the Allied occupation forces in Japan, MacArthur pursued post-war reforms and helped draft a new Japanese constitution.
He was the organizer of the Tokyo trial of Japanese war criminals.
The country was in the deepest depression caused by atomic bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the inglorious defeat in World War II. As part of the disarmament, as well as the breaking of the spirit of the defeated Japanese, all swords were subject to seizure and destruction as edged weapons. According to some reports, more than 660,000 blades were seized, about 300,000 were destroyed.
Moreover, the Americans could not distinguish a valuable sword from stamping. Since many swords were of great value to the Japanese and world community as objects of art, after the intervention of experts, the order was changed. The "Society for the Preservation of Artistic Japanese Swords" was created, one of its tasks was an expert assessment of the historical value of the sword. Now valuable swords were confiscated, but not destroyed. Some Japanese families then they bought cheap stampings and handed over, hiding their ancestral relics.
Swords were also awarded to especially distinguished American military men. Moreover, someone got a stamping, and someone got a valuable copy. They did not particularly understand.
In January 1946, the descendants of the Tokugawa were forced to hand over the katana to Honjo Masamune, and with it 14 more swords, to Sergeant of the 7th US Cavalry Regiment Coldy Baymore, but this name is inaccurate. Since when the seizure was carried out at the police station, where the sword was given to its former owner, the Japanese police officer made a phonetic translation of the sergeant's name into Japanese, and subsequently this phonetic translation was again translated into English, and therefore there was an inaccuracy in the translation , as it is proven that Sgt. Coldy Bymore was not on the list of personnel of the 7th US Cavalry Regiment.
The further fate of the sword Honjo Masamune is unknown..
AT post-war years in America, and throughout the world too, there was a boom in collecting Japanese "artifacts" thousands of swords were sold and bought at completely different prices. Unfortunate collectors were often unaware of the true value of their acquisitions. Then the interest subsided and got rid of the annoying toys.
In 1950, Japan passed the law "On Cultural Property", which, in particular, determined the procedure for preserving Japanese swords as part of the cultural heritage of the nation.
The sword evaluation system is multi-stage, starting with the assignment of the lowest category and ending with the award of the highest titles (the top two titles are within the competence of the Ministry of Culture of Japan):
- National Treasure ( kokuho). About 122 swords have the title, mainly tachi of the Kamakura period, katanas and wakizashi in this list less than 2 dozen.
- Important cultural asset. The title has about 880 swords.
- A very important sword.
- Important sword.
- A highly guarded sword.
- Protected sword.
In modern Japan, it is possible to keep a registered sword with only one of the above titles, otherwise the sword is subject to confiscation as a type of weapon (if not related to souvenirs). The actual quality of the sword is certified by the Society for the Preservation of Artistic Japanese Swords (NBTHK), which issues an expert opinion according to the established pattern.
At present, in Japan, it is customary to evaluate the Japanese sword not so much by its combat parameters (strength, cutting ability), but by the criteria applicable to a work of art. A high-quality sword, while retaining the properties of an effective weapon, must bring aesthetic pleasure to the observer, have the perfection of form and harmony of artistic taste.
InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -Many martial arts have been invented in Japan. Many of them require the handling of edged weapons. Samurai immediately come to mind - warriors who fought mainly in this way. And today fencing with a Japanese sword is quite popular, especially in the country where this art originated.
But to the question: “What is the name of the Japanese sword?” - there can be no single answer. However, if you ask it to an unknowing person, then in most cases the answer will be: “Katana”. This is not entirely true - a Japanese sword cannot be limited to one name. It is necessary to understand that there is a large number of representatives of this cold type of weapon. The types of Japanese swords can be listed for a long time, there are dozens of them, the most famous of them will be given below.
Manufacturing
The tradition of swordsmanship goes back to the distant past, in the days of the samurai. Dangerous weapon - Japanese sword. Making it is a whole science that is passed from master to master. Of course, it is almost impossible to fully tell how a real work is created in the hands of blacksmiths, everyone uses different techniques and special additions and tricks. However, in general, everyone adheres to the following.
It is mandatory to use laminated steel with controlled carbon content. This gives the sword a special plasticity and strength at the same time. Refined steel is refined at high temperatures, iron becomes pure.
Sori
Absolutely all Japanese swords have a characteristic curve called sori. It can be made in various versions. The centuries-old evolution of this type of edged weapons, and at the same time the equipment of the samurai, made it possible to find an almost ideal option.
The sword is an extension of the arm, and in the swordsman it is almost always slightly bent, so the weapon also has a curve. Everything is simple, but at the same time wise. Sori appears in part due to a special processing that uses enormous temperatures. Hardening is not uniform, but zonal, some parts of the sword are much more affected. By the way, in Europe, masters used just this method. After all the procedures, the Japanese sword has different hardness, the blade is 60 Rockwell units, and the reverse side is only 40 units. What is the name of the Japanese sword?
bokken
To begin with, it is worth designating the simplest of all Japanese swords. Bokken is a wooden weapon, it is used in training, since it is difficult to cause serious injury to them, only masters of art are able to kill them. An example is aikido. The sword is created from various types of wood: oak, beech and hornbeam. They grow in Japan and have sufficient strength, so the choice is clear. For safety and appearance resin or varnish is often used. The length of the bokken is about 1 m, the handle is 25 cm, the blade is 75 cm.
The weapon must be strong enough, so crafting also requires skill. The bokken withstands strong blows with the same sword and jo, a wooden pole. The most dangerous is the tip, which can seriously harm.
As already mentioned, the professional is capable of inflicting a fatal blow using a Japanese wooden sword. For example, it is enough to take the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, who often used a wooden sword in fights, most often the fight ended in the death of the opponent. Therefore, in Japan, not only real blades, but also bokken are treated with great respect. For example, at the entrance to the plane, it must be checked in as baggage. And if you do not use a cover, then this is equated to wearing cold weapons. This Japanese sword is dangerous. The name can be attributed to all swords made of wood.
Interestingly, there are three types of wooden sword: male, female and training. However, do not think that only the fair sex use the second. Women's most popular, as it has a special curvature and lightness. Male - with a thick blade and directness. The training one imitates a steel blade, the blade has a particularly large thickening, implying the weight of an iron one. What other types of Japanese swords are there?
Daisho
Literally, the name translates as "big-small". This is the main weapon of the samurai. The long sword is called daito. Its length is about 66 cm. A short Japanese sword (dagger) is a seto (33-66 cm), which serves as a secondary weapon of a samurai. But it is a mistake to believe that these are the names of certain swords. Throughout history, the bundle has changed, various types have been used. For example, before the early Muromachi period, tachi was used as a long sword. Then he was supplanted by the katana, which was worn in a scabbard secured with tape. If a dagger (short sword) tanto was used with tati, then wakizashi were usually taken with her - Japanese swords, photos of which can be seen below.
In Europe and in Russia, it is believed that the katana is a long sword, but this is not entirely true. It really has been such for a long time, but its use is a matter of taste. Interestingly, in Japan, the use of daisho only by samurai was strictly observed. Military leaders and shoguns held this rule sacred and issued decrees accordingly. The samurai themselves treated the weapon with special trepidation, they kept it near them even during sleep. The long sword was removed at the entrance to the house, and the short one was always with him.
Other classes of society were not allowed to use the daisho, but could take them individually. A bunch of swords was main part samurai costume. It was she who was a confirmation of class affiliation. Warriors from an early age were taught to take care of the weapons of their master.
katana
And finally, perhaps the most popular of representing the best Japanese swords. katana on modern language designates absolutely any representative of this type of weapon. As mentioned above, it was used by samurai as a long sword, most often it is paired with wakaji. Weapons are always carried in sheaths to avoid accidental injury to others and themselves. Interestingly, the angle at which the katana is usually placed on the belt allows you to hide its true length from the rest. A cunning and simple method appeared in the Sengoku period. In those days, weapons ceased to be a necessity, they were more used for the sake of tradition.
Manufacturing
Like any Japanese sword, the katana has a complex design. The manufacturing process can take several months, but the result is a real work of art. First, pieces of steel, put together, are poured with a solution of clay and water, and also sprinkled with ash. This is necessary so that the slag that forms during the melting process is absorbed. After the steel is red-hot, the pieces are joined.
After that, the most difficult process begins - forging. The pieces are repeatedly flattened and folded, thereby allowing the carbon to be evenly distributed throughout the workpiece. If you add it 10 times, you get 1024 layers. And this is not the limit. Why is this necessary? In order for the hardness of the blade to be the same. If there are significant differences, then under conditions of heavy loads, the probability of breaking off is high. Forging lasts several days, during which time the layers reach a truly large amount. The structure of the blade is created by the composition of the strips of metal. This is its original appearance, later it will become part of the sword.
The same layer of clay is applied to avoid oxidation. Then hardening begins. The sword is heated to a certain temperature, which depends on the type of metal. This is followed by instant cooling. The cutting edge becomes hard. Then the final work is done: sharpening, polishing. The master carefully works on the blade for a long time. At the end, when the edges have flattened, he works with small stones held with one or two fingers, some using planks. Today, engraving has become popular, which usually conveys scenes with a Buddhist theme. Work is being done on the handle, which takes a few more days, and the katana is ready. This Japanese sword is dangerous. The name can be attributed to a large number of representatives that differ from each other.
View
Real Japanese swords should have not only a sharp blade and strength, but also durability. They should not break under strong impacts, and also do without sharpening for a long time. Carbon gives hardness, but at the same time, the sword loses its elasticity, which means it becomes brittle. Blacksmiths in Japan invented various forms, which could provide both elasticity and durability.
Ultimately, it was decided that layering solved the problem. The traditional technique involves making the core of the blade from mild steel. The remaining layers are elastic. Various combinations and methods help to create such a Japanese sword. A combat blade should be comfortable for a certain warrior. Also, the blacksmith can change the type of steel, which greatly affects the entire sword. In general, katana can be very different from each other due to the above reasons.
The designs of the blades, due to the complexity of manufacturing, cost differently. For example, the cheapest one involves the use of one grade of steel. Usually used to create tanto. But soshu kitae is the most complex design, it has seven layers of steel. An exemplary work created with its application is a work of art. One of the first soshu kitae was used by the blacksmith Masamune.
In the house and on the street
As you know, in Japan there are a huge number of traditions, many of which directly relate to edged weapons. For example, when entering a house, a warrior never took off his short Japanese samurai sword. Wakaji remained in the scabbard as a reminder of the combat readiness of the guest. With a katana (long sword) it was different. His samurai held in his left hand, if he feared for his own life. As a sign of trust, he could shift it to the right. When a warrior sat down, he also did not part with his swords.
On the street, the samurai carried a katana in a scabbard called a saya. Mounting for the sword was called kosirae. If there was a need, then the warrior did not part with the katana at all. However, in Peaceful time the long sword was left at home. There it was stored in a special shirasai assembly, which was created from untreated magnolia wood. She was able to protect the blade from corrosion.
When compared to a katana Russian counterparts, then it most of all resembles a checker. However, thanks to the long handle, the former can be used with two hands, which is a distinctive feature. Useful property katana can be called that with its help it is also easy to deliver stabbing blows, since the bend of the blade is small, and the blade is sharp.
Wearing
The katana was always worn to the left of the body in a sheath. The obi belt securely fastens the sword and prevents it from falling out. In society, the blade should always be higher than the handle. This is a tradition, not a military necessity. But in armed conflicts the samurai held the katana in his left hand, that is, in a state of combat readiness. As a sign of trust, as already mentioned, weapons were transferred to right hand. The Japanese katana sword replaced the tati by the end of the 14th century.
Usually, everyone chose a handle decorated with decorative elements, and no one chose an ugly and unfinished one. However, at the end of the 19th century, it was forbidden in Japan to carry swords, all but wooden ones. And the raw handle began to gain popularity, since the blade was not visible in the sheath, and the sword could be mistaken for a bokken. In Russia, the katana is characterized as a two-handed saber with a blade of more than 60 cm.
However, not only the katana was used by the samurai. There are lesser known and popular types of Japanese swords. They are written about below.
Vikadzasi
This is a short Japanese sword. The traditional type of edged weapons was quite popular among the samurai. Often it was worn in a pair just with a katana. The length of the blade actually made it not a sword, but rather a dagger, it is about 30-60 cm. The entire wakizashi was about 50-80 cm, depending on the previous indicator. The slight curvature made it look like a katana. Sharpening was one-sided, like most Japanese swords. The convexity of the section is much larger than that of the katana, so soft objects were cut sharper. A distinctive feature is the handle of a square section.
Wakizashi was very popular, many fencing schools taught their pupils to use it and a katana at the same time. The sword was called the guardian of his honor and was treated with special respect.
However, the main advantage of the katana was the free wearing of wakizashi by absolutely everyone. If only samurai had the right to use a long sword, then artisans, workers, merchants and others often took a short sword with them. Due to the considerable length of the wakizashi, it was often used as a full-fledged weapon.
Tati
The long Japanese sword, which was replaced by the katana, was quite popular at one time. The fundamental differences between them could be identified even at the stage of creating the blade - a different design was used. Katana has much better performance, however, tachi deserves attention. It was customary to wear a long sword with the blade down, a special dressing fixed it on the belt. The scabbard was most often wrapped around to avoid damage. If the katana was part of civilian clothing, then the tachi was exclusively military. Paired with him was a tanto sword. Also, tati was often used as a ceremonial weapon on various events and in the courts of shoguns and emperors (the former can still be called princes).
Compared with the same katana, the tachi has a more curved blade and is also longer, about 75 cm. The katana is straight and relatively short. The handle of the tachi, like the sword itself, is rather strongly curved, which is the main distinguishing side.
Tati had a second name - daito. In Europe, it is usually pronounced "daikatana". Error due to misreading of hieroglyphs.
Tanto
Paired with tati was a short sword, which could also be attributed to daggers. Tanto is a phrase, so in Japan it is not considered a knife. There is also another reason. Tanto was used as a weapon. However, the kozuka knife was worn in the same sheath as it. The length of the blade is within 15-30 cm. Most often, the blade was one-sided, but sometimes double-edged ones were created, but as an exception.
Interestingly, wakizashi, katana and tanto are the same swords, only different in length. There was a variety of yoroi-doshi, which had a trihedral blade. He was needed to pierce armor. Tanto was not banned for use ordinary people, therefore, not only samurai wore it, but also doctors, merchants and others. In theory, a tanto, like any short sword, is a dagger. Another variety was the kaiken, which was shorter in length. It was most often worn by ladies from high society in an obi belt and used for self-defense. The tanto did not disappear; it remained in the traditional wedding ceremonies of royal people. And some samurai wore it instead of a wakizashi in conjunction with a katana.
Odachi
In addition to the above types of long sword, there were less known and common ones. One of these is odachi. Often the term is confused with nodachi, which is described below, but these are two different swords.
Literally, odachi means "big sword". Indeed, the length of its blade exceeds 90.9 cm. However, there is no exact definition, which is also observed with other species. In fact, any sword that exceeds the above value can be called odachi. The length is about 1.6 m, although it often exceeds it, the hilt of the Japanese sword was considerable.
Swords have not been used since the Osaka-Natsuno-Jin War of 1615. After it, a special law was issued prohibiting the use of edged weapons of a certain length. Unfortunately, a meager amount of odachi has survived today. The reason for this is that the owners cut their own edged weapons in order to comply with the standards. After the ban, swords were used as a gift, as they were quite valuable. This became their purpose. The high cost was due to the fact that the manufacture was extremely difficult.
Nodachi
Literally, the name means a field sword. Nodachi, like odachi, had a huge length. It made creation difficult. The sword was worn behind the back, since only this method was possible. The distribution of nodachi did not receive just due to the complexity of manufacturing. In addition, when fighting, he also required skill. The complex technique of possession was determined by the large size and huge weight. It was almost impossible to draw a sword from behind in the heat of battle. But where was it used then?
Perhaps the best use was fighting horsemen. long length and the sharp end made it possible to use the nodachi as a spear, moreover, striking both a person and a horse. The sword was also quite effective when dealing damage to several targets at once. But for close combat, nodachi is completely unsuitable. Samurai, if necessary, discarded the sword and picked up a more convenient katana or tachi.
Kodati
The name translates as "little tati". Kodachi is a Japanese edged weapon that cannot be attributed to either long or short swords. It is rather something in between. Due to its size, it can be easily and quickly snatched and perfectly fenced. The versatility of the sword, due to its size, made it possible to use it in close combat, where movements are constrained and at a distance.
Kodachi is best compared to wakizashi. Although their blades are very different (the former has a wider one), the technique of possession is similar. The length of one and the other is also similar. Kodachi was allowed to be worn by everyone, as it could not refer to long swords. It is often confused with wakizashi for the reasons described above. Kodachi was worn like a tati, that is, with a downward bend. The samurai who used it did not take second edged weapons in daisho due to its versatility. The Japanese combat sword was not required in a bundle.
In Japan, a large number of swords were created, for which there was no exact definition. Some, relating to small ones, could be worn by all people. The samurai usually chose the types of swords that he used in a bunch of daisho. Swords crowded out each other, as the new ones had the best performance, a prime example serve as tachi and katana. Qualitatively made by great craftsmen, these swords were real works of art.
Loading...
