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Japanese Samurai Swords -
Classification of
Samurai Swords
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Sometimes, the katana is used with a smaller sword known as Wakizashi or tantō. Together, they are called a daishō (which means big and small), and wearing them was a symbol exclusive for the samurai warriors only as it represented their honor and power.
Through the course of time, the length of
samurai sword had been altered to suit the ease of use during combat.
Generally, the blade length is greater than 60 cm (23.6 inches) and it is
moderately curved. Samurai warriors wore this sword with the cutting edge
up.
How to Check for Authenticity of Samurai Swords
Owning a samurai sword either as part of a decoration, collection or for martial arts activity, brings also honor to some people. But with so many out in the market now, how does one find a real one over replicas?
A Japanese steel called "Tamahagane” is used in making the Samurai sword. Thus, to test if it’s really made from a metal, a magnet can be used. Most replicas are made of aluminum and do not react with the magnet.
Another way to check for authenticity is to use a magnifying lens and check on the temper line or hamon. Tiny dots or specks are to be found along the border of such line. If it’s smooth, it’s likely to be a fake.
Going to a renowned store that has the reputation for selling authentic samurai swords
is the best and most convenient way to stay safe. You can try to get recommendations from friends and associations who are considered experts on the field.
As a general precaution, the sword must be treated with extreme care during handling. It should never be considered a toy and played around with. It should be kept away from kids and shouldn’t be handled at all by them.
The blade of the samurai sword is extremely sharp and may cause injury if mishandled. When cleaning the blade, it should be positioned with the edge away from you and it should never be touched. Even when sheathing or drawing out the sword, the blade should always be positioned away and never towards the person.
The blade of the sword must be well- oiled, powdered and polished to prevent rust from developing. The choji oil, which is 99% mineral oil and 1% clove oil for fragrance, is the traditional oil used. However, the salts in the oil can also be a food for molds so it should be inspected and aired frequently.
When storing, the sword is kept inside the scabbard and it’s placed in a horizontal position with the sharp edge up. In such manner, the condition of the scabbard and the sword’s edge are preserved. The sword must fit well into the scabbard. If it starts to loosen up, it must be fixed to avoid accidental unsheathing and possible injury.
Classification of Samurai Swords:
Samurai Swords Length and Types of Mountings
Statistically, there were around 1 1/2 million swords existing before
World War II. Around 1/3 of them were over 2 feet in length (daito). At
present, there are more samurai swords in the United Sates than there are
in Japan. Japan has no more than 100,000 swords today. Around 250,000 to
350,000 swords has been brought into United States as war souvenirs by
returning servicemen after the end of Pacific War during the occupation of
Japan. Most of them are long sword (daito) which is formerly used by
Japanese commissioned and non-commissioned officers. Around 70% of the
long sword are in United States today. Swords of buke-zukuri type,
neo-army (shin-gunto) type, proto-army type (kyu-gunto) type, police
sabers, army parade sabers, navy types, ken and jindachi-zukuri types have
been brought into United States.
Samurai swords can be classified by length or by the types of mountings.
Classifications of swords by length
Japanese use the shaku to measure the length of the cutting edge of the
samurai swords. 1 shaku = 11.903542 inches.
Long Sword (Daito): over 2 shaku in length; there are the longer of the
two swords commonly worn by the samurai; difficult to temper a daito
because of its length.
Medium Sword (Wakizashi): 1~2 shaku in length; worn by samurai as
auxiliary sword, or by non-samurai, who were allowed to wear no more than
one sword of this length.
Short Sword (Tanto): less than 1 shaku in length; the shorter of the two
swords worn by the samurai as auxiliary swords. Women and tradesmen used
them as protective weapons. Commonly called as hara-kiri knives. They are
usually the hira-zukuri (without ridgeline) types.
Classifications of Swords by mountings
Ken mountings: The oldest type known for swords of the ancient sword
period. Straight, either single or double-edged blades.
Jindachi-zukuri mountings: For the long sword of the Old Sword period and
were 4 ~ 5 feet in length. There were two rings on the scabbard because
the swords worn suspended from the hip by cords. Many imitations of these
mountings copied in the past one hundred years in some areas of Japan.
Buke-zukuri mountings: Come from the New Sword period. The handle is bound
with narrow tape or leather thongs. There were no rings attached to the
scabbards because the words were worn on the left hip, inserted between
the hip and the sash and not suspended. The full length of this mounting
was 3 ½ ~ 4 ½ feet. This is the most common and is of great interest to
connoisseurs. There have pockets for a kozuka (utility knife), a kogai
(skewer), or a set of wari-bashi (split chopsticks) near the mouth of the
scabbard. At the most, only two of these three itens were carried in the
pockets of a scabbard.
Shira-saya mountings: Made of plain wood and were used to protect the
blade or to replace a damaged mounting. It has no guard. It is also called
as yasume-zaya (resting scabbard). This type is convenient for protecting
a blade or an original mounting. A substitute blade (tsunagi) of wood or
bamboo will be inserted to preserve the mounting when a blade is not kept
in its original mounting.
Gunto (Army and navy swords) and their mountings
Kyu-gunto (proto-army sword) mountings: The scabbard was chrome plated.
The handle was wrapped with shark or giant-ray skin and bound with
gold-colored wire. There was a strip of metal starting at the base to the
top of the hilt.
Shin-gunto (neo-army sword) mountings: The scabbard of this type resembles
that of jindachi-zukuri mounting but is made of brown-colored metal and
usually covered with leather when used in combat area. The handle, which
is bound by leather thongs or cord, resembles that of buke-zukuri type.
The handle usually has cherry-blossom designs on its pommels and
ornaments. Blue color of tassel is for company grade; red is for field
grade; red and gold is for general grade.
Kaigunto (naval sword) mountings: Three types of swords used by the
officers of the Japanese navy: (1) about 15 inches long short sword;
(2)long and bears a close resemblance to the jindachi-zukuri type or
new-army type; having two rings attached to its dark scabbard. (3) long,
but narrow and looks like a police saber.
Shikomi-zue (Sword cane) mountings: Made after the Meiji Restoration and
most of them are of a poor grade.
Mountings
Including all the fittings and furniture of the sword exclusive of the
blade. Mountings are classified by:
Scabbard (Saya): It is made of wood to protect the blade. It is lacquered
or inlaid usually. Some scabbards have pockets that we mentioned before.
Guard (Tsuba): It is made of steel, copper, silver or some other metal to
protect the palm of the hand when holding the sword. It is usually has
patterns or designs on both sides. More decorative design with maker’s
signature will usually at the front side and the backside is usually less
decorative. People like to do collection of tsuba because of the beautiful
craftsmanship displayed in their construction. The front side of tsuba
always face toward the hilt when mountings are assembled.
Hilt or handle (Tsuka): It is made of wood and is wrapped in ray skin and
taped that made of silk, leather, or cotton and may be either broad flat
tape or cords wound in sets.
Collar (Habaki): It is made to prevent the blade from rattling in the
scabbard and from slipping out of the scabbard.
Spaces or washers (Seppa)
Pommel or metal sleeve (Fuchi)
Rivet hole of the hilt (Mekugi-ana)
Hilt ornaments (Menuki): A hilt has a pair of menuki with identical
designs or companion or counterpart designs.
Pommel at base (Kashira)
Commonly, the samurai-sword blades are divided into the hira-zukuri type
(without ridgeline) and the
shinogi-zukuri type (with ridgeline). There are eight different types of
the common samurai-sword blades:
Shinogi-zukuri, which is the most common and mostly found in long swords (daito).
Kanmuri-otoshi.
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Making of the Blade |
Legends of Yamato Province |
Samurai Warriors in History |
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