The Japanese Sword
The Myth
The Kojiki, a fundamental book of Shinto, recounts that the god Haja Susanoo – son of the god Izanagi, who, together with the goddess Izanami, created the Japanese islands – was exiled to the region of Izumo by the eight hundred myriads of gods. There he killed an eight-headed dragon in order to save a maiden (at that time there were still a few around), who had been offered in sacrifice to the monster. Having killed the dragon, he hastened to cut it into pieces with his own sword; however, when he reached the tail, he was unable to sever it, and the edge of his sword was nicked. Splitting the tail open along its entire length, Susanoo found a great sword inside it, called Tsumugari (the Well-Sharpened). He handed the sword over to the sun goddess Ameterasu, who later gave it to her grandson Ninigi when he descended from heaven to rule Japan.
The sword was eventually inherited by the emperors; the tenth of them, Suigin, had it placed in the shrine of Ise. Prince Yamato Takeru, son of the fourteenth emperor, as he was preparing to undertake his expedition against the Ainu, had the Tsumugari brought to him and carried it with him during the military campaign. One day the enemies lured the prince into a meadow and set fire to the brushwood; having learned that the Canadairs would not be able to arrive in time, Yamato Takeru promptly cut down the burning grass (or perhaps the sword itself did so magically…), thus opening a passage for himself.
From that day the sword was called Kusanagi No Tsurugi (the Grass-Cutting Sword). It is significant that this sword comes precisely from Izumo, a region rich in iron minerals.
It is presented to the emperors of Japan on the day of their enthronement, together with the mirror and the Jewel, symbols of the goddess Amaterasu.
The Origins
Ironworking, both by smelting and by forging, was known in northern China as early as the sixth century B.C. In 362 A.D. the Japanese invaded southern Korea, where they then remained for 300 years. It was therefore from nearby China that they learned the use of iron weapons, and in particular of the straight, single-edged sword, whereas until then they had used only stone and bronze. Toward the end of the fourth century, after a period of massive importation of swords from China – today found in prehistoric and protohistoric burials – Japan began producing iron swords domestically, developing its own manufacturing techniques, but above all creating entirely original forms and types.
The Sword and the Samurai
One of the first admiring references to Japanese swords is found in the writings of a Florentine merchant (Francesco Carletti), who calls them “catane” and reports that the Japanese held them in great esteem.
This was because the Japanese sword was not merely a weapon, but also a work of art, so much so that today in Japan it is called Bijitsu token (art sword). Only during periods of frequent warfare did the token undergo mass production, which certainly damaged its artistic quality, while its extraordinary effectiveness as an offensive weapon remained intact. Today, throughout the world, the Japanese sword is the object of intense collecting: highly sophisticated in Japan, and naturally much more focused on historical-exotic fascination in the West. But who was the samurai whom we see in so many films brandishing this famous sword?
Samurau is an ancient verb meaning “to serve” – “to be in the service of” – emphasizing armed service. The samurai was a man-at-arms, a kind of Manzonian bravo, at least in his origins. In the tenth century the samurai appeared in history as an organized body of warriors (Bushi), and by the twelfth century they were already an aristocracy that would hold power until the Meiji Restoration (1868). The samurai was a Bushi, and the two terms may be considered synonymous (even the corresponding ideograms almost overlap).
The symbol of the samurai was the sword (as it was, after all, for the Western knight), or rather two swords, one long and one short, which he alone could carry. The only civilians authorized to carry a weapon (but only one) were merchants and their women, naturally with a limitation on blade length, which had to be less than 2 shaku (60.6 cm). But this was not always the case: until the sixteenth century there was no limit to the length of blades that anyone could carry for self-defense. Later, the severe and class-based laws of the Tokugawa established the rules that are now familiar to everyone.
For the samurai the sword was a status symbol, but also an object venerated for its beauty and its mythical origins.
BLADES
Types
The term Nipponto refers to various types of blades, both sidearms and polearms. The true swords (Token), the exclusive prerogative of the samurai, were the Tachi and the Katana. As mentioned above, in ancient times only samurai could carry blades longer than 60 cm. These were generally displayed by men-at-arms in special combinations (Daisho) comprising two blades: Tachi and Tanto before the seventeenth century, Uchigatana and Wakizashi after the seventeenth century. Depending on the type of mounting, swords were worn suspended or inserted into the belt-sash (Obi).
Tachi
From the Heian period (782 – 1184) until early Muromachi (1392 – 1572), swords were worn hanging from their own belt, horizontally and with the cutting edge facing downward; they had a pronounced curvature and their length normally ranged between 65 and 70 cm. Some, however, could be longer.
Nodachi
A very long and heavy sword used in the early centuries of Japanese history by mounted warriors. It was a good 25% longer than a normal sword and was carried slung across the back, with the hilt above the left shoulder and the retaining cord tied to the right side.
Uchigatana
This type of blade replaced the Tachi in the middle of the Muromachi period (1392 – 1572) and remained in use until the end of the Edo period (1600 – 1867). Its length was from 60.2 cm upward. Being generally shorter than the Tachi, the Katana was worn inserted into the Obi with the cutting edge facing upward.
The term Katana, which in earlier times actually designated the Tanto, is also used for certain sabres forged as Tachi but then shortened through a procedure called Suriage, which involves cutting the tang. Another name for the Katana is Daito*;* or, if it is particularly long, Okatana.
Chiisagatana
These are blades between 55 and 59 cm long, generally of great value because they were intended to be worn with a particular ceremonial garment at court.
Wakizashi
The length of these swords, which were worn like the Katana, varies from 30.3 cm (1 shaku) to 60.6 cm (2 shaku). The shorter ones, between 36 and 40 cm, are called Ko Wakizashi. During the Momoyama period (1573 – 1599), and until the end of the Edo period (1600 – 1867), this type of blade was worn together with the Katana, thus forming the samurai’s Daisho.
Tanto
Blades less than 30.3 cm long (1 shaku), also called Koshigatana.
Aikuchi/Hamidashi
Tanto with particular mountings.
Kaiken
Daggers with a blade about 13 cm long, carried by women.
Yoroidoshi
A blade between 23 and 30 cm long, capable of penetrating between the lamellae of armor and used for that purpose. It was worn inserted vertically into the Obi, behind the back, but also on the right side, with the cutting edge facing upward; for this reason it was also called Metazashi, meaning precisely “for the right side”.
Hachiwara
It was not properly a blade, yet it was carried as such; it was about 30 cm long and square in section, fitted with a hook at the forte to parry sword blows and possibly break the blade. It corresponded to the Western weapon called the “left-hand dagger”.
Superstitions
In Japan there were numerous superstitions concerning sword blades.
Some referred to particular events that might happen to the object, others to marks present on the blade, and still others to the length of the blade itself, whose variations could have auspicious or inauspicious meanings. The marks left by the forging process on the surface of the blade were interpreted according to the laws of divination: flaws, or groups of particles that could form between the separation lines on the blade surface, became, in the eyes of the haruspex, animals, constellations, celestial bodies, and so on, from which the most varied omens were derived: disloyalty by servants, risk of blindness for the owner of the sword or for his relatives, death, domestic tragedies, poor health, fires, death by assassination, loss of lawsuits, suicide, and so forth; but also good health, fortune, long life, social success, …
The most interesting superstition concerns the length of the sword. The cutting edge, measured from the base (Ha machi) to the end of the point, was ideally divided into 10 sectors, corresponding to the 10 Hakkei trigrams, namely: Zai (health) - Bio (illness) – Ri (separation) – Gi (loyalty) – Kan (good position) – Go (sins) – Gai (injuries) – Kitsu (fortune) – Zai (health) – Bio (illness).
The total length of the sword (blade + tang) was then divided by the length of the tang, and the quotient multiplied by two. The resulting number was then compared with the trigram scale: if it fell within an inauspicious interval, the tang or the blade was shortened until a favorable value was reached. According to the above criteria, a blade length equal to four times the tang was inadvisable.
MOUNTINGS
Koshirae (mountings)
This term generally means the mounting of a Japanese blade. According to type and intended use, blades may have three types of Koshirae: Jindachizukuri, Bukezukuri, Shirazaya.
The Jindachizukuri mounting, or Jindachi, typical of Tachi swords, was worn both with field dress and ceremonial dress. It was worn hanging from the belt*,* with the cutting edge facing downward. The type used at the imperial or shogunal court was always richly decorated, even with precious elements. The war mounting was simpler, but was nevertheless worn with certain ceremonial garments.
The Bukezukuri mounting (Buke means “warrior house”) became the most widespread from the fifteenth century onward and is characterized by the absence of suspension elements; in fact the sword is worn inserted into the Obi, with the cutting edge facing upward. This type also includes the particular Handachi mounting (that is, “half Tachi”, or more properly “almost Tachi”), which lacked suspension elements and was therefore worn inserted into the Obi. The mountings of Tanto blades are distinguished mainly by their size or by the presence or absence of the guard (Tsuba). They have the following names: Tanto, Hamidashi (with small Tsuba), Aikuchi (without Tsuba), Kaiken (without Tsuba).
The mounting called Shirazaya (or Shira saya), literally “white scabbard” – that is, an unfinished mounting – is the simplest of all, and consists of a scabbard and a hilt made from a single coherent piece of magnolia. Its function is to ensure the perfect conservation of the blade by protecting it from atmospheric agents, and for this reason it has a larger section than mountings intended for use.
Tsuka and Saya (Hilt and Scabbard)
The two fundamental elements of the mounting are the hilt (Tsuka) and the scabbard (Saya), both made of two halves of magnolia wood fixed together with rice glue. Usually, in working mountings, the Tsuka is covered with Same, tanned ray skin (…the fish…). It is then wrapped with a braid made from a silk or cotton tape (Tsuka ito). The Tsuka is pierced by a hole (Mekugi ana) for the passage of the small peg that fixes it to the blade (Mekugi).
The Saya is always lacquered, both for decorative and conservation purposes: the lacquer used in this work perfectly protects the wood – and consequently the blade – from atmospheric agents. The decorations of the Saya vary according to fashions and intended uses. In the thickness of the scabbard, on the Omote side or the Ura side, depending on the case, a recess is made for the insertion of certain accessories such as the Kogatana and the Kogai.
Tosogu (fittings)
In working mountings, Tsuka and Saya are enriched with fittings. The names of these fittings may change depending on the type of blade mounted. The term Kodogu refers to this set, excluding the Tsuba:
Fuchi Kashira – hilt collar and pommel
They are made of metal and mounted as a pair according to the style and subject of the decoration. In some mountings the Kashira is made of black buffalo horn. The two holes on the side have decorative eyelets.
Menuki – decorative hilt-thickening elements
Always made as a matching pair, they are inserted between the Same and the Tsuka ito. Their function is precisely to thicken the Tsuka at opposite and asymmetrical points in order to improve the grip. In principle, they should be in keeping with the decoration of the hilt (Kozuka), the hairpin/skewer (Kogai), and so on. At times they could display the crest of the house.
Tsuba - guard
It is the most important element of the Tosogu, not so much for its function of protecting the hand as for its artistic value. The range of shapes that characterize the Tsuba is quite varied; this element is made fundamentally of metal and has the following elements common to almost all models: a central oblong opening (Nakago ana) – one or two openings symmetrical to the Nakago ana for the passage of the hilt (Kozuka), the skewer (Kogai), etc., called (Ryobitsu) – and an undecorated flat surface on which, on the hilt side, the swordsmith’s signature may be placed. In the oldest Tsuba there are two holes of different sizes used for the passage of a leather or fabric sword knot. The decoration should generally be consistent with that of the Fuchi/Kashira pair.
Habaki – blade collar**
It is a very important element for the conservation of the blade. It is made directly on the blade by hammering a strip of copper at the level of the steps that separate the blade from the tang. After hammering, it is suitably shaped and finished externally. When the sword is sheathed, its function is to close the mouth of the scabbard, while at the same time preventing any play between blade and housing.
Kogatana – small knife
It is found in the mountings of short blades. It is improperly known as Kozuka, a term that in reality designates only the handle (Kozuka = Ko tsuka, that is, “small hilt”). The blade of the Kogatana is inserted into the scabbard from the Ura side.
Kogai – skewer/hairpin
Present both in the mountings of short blades and of Katana, this skewer is inserted into the scabbard on the Omote side.
Waribashi – chopsticks
They have the shape of a Kogai (which they replace in the mounting), divided lengthwise.
Umabari – horse lancet
It is a kind of scalpel, forged in a single piece, usable to deflate horses’ abdomens in case of food fermentation. Apparently similar to the Kogatana, it is often provided with a double-edged blade and a lozenge-shaped section.
Koiguchi – reinforcing collar at the mouth of the scabbard
It means “carp mouth” and is the reinforcing collar at the mouth of the scabbard. It is usually made of black buffalo horn; in Bukezukuri mountings it is set into a rebate fitted into the mouth so as not to create any discontinuity. It may, however, also be made of metal in Jindachi and Handachi mountings.
Uragawara – reinforcement for the Kogatana recess
A thin plate of horn, copper, or another metal, inserted into the scabbard to reinforce the mouth of the Kotegana recess.
Kurigata – cord knob on the scabbard
Set into the Omote side of the scabbard, it is the loop through which the Sageo is passed – a fabric cord used as a safety restraint for the sword in Bukezukuri mountings.
Soritsuno – safety catch for the scabbard
A small hook glued to the scabbard a few centimeters from the Kurigata, with its concavity facing the mouth. Its function is to prevent the scabbard from slipping out of the Obi.
Ashigane – suspension bands for Jindachi mountings
Suspension bands used to support the scabbard in Jindachizukuri mountings.
Shibabiki and Semegane – bands along the scabbard
They are made of metal and are applied transversely to the scabbard in Jindachi and Handachi mountings. The Semegane hold the Amaoi in place.
Kojiri – scabbard end cap
Present in Bukezukuri mountings, it is generally made of horn. In Jindachi and Handachi mountings it takes the name Ishizuki.
Amaoi – extensions of the Ishizuki
They have the function of reinforcing the scabbard.