Classifications
of Swords
The
Culture of Japanese Swords
Outfit
and Accessories
Military
Swords
Spears
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The Culture of Japanese Swords
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Each Samurai warrior kept two
swords on his person - a long sword, or Katana, and a short
sword, or Wakizashi. These swords were his principal weapons
gut they also were an expression of his class and personality.
The Samurai's outfit was very important, so he took much care
in selecting scabbards, hand guards, and other accessories.
The sword was contained in a weapon scabbard. Sword hand guards
have become very important collector's item today.
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| A Set of
Katana and Wakizashi #1 |
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Usually
a Samurai carried a set of sword which consisted of a
long sword, or Katana, and a mid-sized sword, or Wakizashi.
The Katana pictured has a 70cm Shin-tou blade signed "Hizen,
Tadayoshi," and the Wakizashi has a 45cm long Ko-tou blade.
The outfit,"Koshirae," showed the owner's fine taste.
The Katana outfit has a dragon design on the Tsuba, Fuchi-kashira,
and Menukis. The Wakizashi is outfitted with gorgeous
gold lion and peony flower. |
Persons who gained status in Japanese
society in the late Edo Period (late 18th and early 19th century),
such as rich merchants and prominent farmers, were allowed to
carry Wakizashis, so the number of Wakizashis which exist today
is larger than the number of Katanas. Just how many swords were
made in Japan is not know, but probably each Samurai family
owned several so before the Katana-gari which was the ban of
the weapon for farmer's class of the late 16th century several
millions were made Swords were the most efficient weapons foe
self defense of every class of people for many years in Japan,
so after the Haito-rei which is the ban of carrying the swords
for every class by the Meiji government in the 1870's, many
swords were kept at home.
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Observation
about Swords
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Swords were one of the refined
cultural possessions of the Japanese people for many years,
not only of the Samurai but also of many sophisticated people.
Kantei-kai is a contest to guess
the age, school, smith, and place of manufacture of a sword
without seeing any of the sword's markings and from visual
examination of only the sword blade. Hobbyist contestants
look for the following features:
a) total shape - length, thickness,
and curve.
b) iron skin - several style of surfaces.
c) edge - the style or pattern of the heated parts
d) tip - the style, size, and deepness of the tip's heated
parts.
e) tang - the color of the rust and rasp trace.
f) flaws and defects - There are two kinds of faults: structural
defects and artistic defects. If there is a fissure or cut
at the edge of the blade the blade will be easy to break in
combat.
When a sword blade shows that
is polished many times during its lifetime, its condition
is called "Tsukare," which means tiredness.
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Martial
Arts [Ken-Dou and Iai-Dou]
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There are two kinds of martial
arts which trained the use of the swords: Ken-do and Iai-do.
Ken-do trains how to fight and the person being trained wears
a protector and fights with a sword mad eof bamboo. The cross
sectional shape of the grip of his bamboo sword is round.
Iai-do teaches the skill of drawing a sword and striking with
it. The cross sectional shape of the sword grip is oval. Iai-do
teaches several techniques of how to respond in many different
situations of combat.
A Japanese sword is difficult
to break, is sharp, is light weight, and is easy to use for
both cutting and thrusting. During the first Japan-China War
in the late 19th century and in the Russo-Japanese War which
followed the effectiveness of the sword was re-evaluated.
Iai-do is good for both men and women to correct their posture.
"Hagakure" (literally it is
"the shadow of the leaves") is a text of the Bushi, a class
of the Samurais, which says, " The way to be a Bushi is finding
how to die." Loyalty and faith are most important. The Ken,
or sword, is the spirit of the Bushi. To die for one's lord
and for Ken is for their honor. To be killed by the Ken is
an honorable way to die.
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Modern
Sword-making and Sword Permits
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The possession of a sword in
Japan is legal if the sword has a registration paper issued
by The Cultural Agency. If one transfers a sword to someone
then the registration paper must be changed. To get the paper
newly one needs to bring the sword to certain authorities
for review.
Only those who are licensed
as sword smiths by The Cultural Agency can make modern swords.
The smiths are permitted to make two swords per month, but
it is very difficult for them to make a living from this work.
A Japanese sword blade is composed of iron of three different
qualities - the surface is beautiful, the edge is hard, and
the center is stiff. Forging a blade is time-consuming work
for the smith, and many hours will be spent polishing the
blade. There are about three hundred licensed sword smiths
in Japan.
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