Military Swords of Imperial Japan (Guntō)

The name of each part of a Guntō

Table of contents　| Changes of a Koshirae | 　Scabbard, Spring clip & tassel　|　Mounting metal parts

Search in a page　　　　Tsuka　| 　Hilt binding　| 　Tsuba & Seppa　|　Name of a blade　|　Tachi & Katana

The prototype of a new Guntō

　　The new Guntō of the army and the navy made the model the Hyōgo Kusari Tachi and the Tachi of the Kamakura period.

Hyōgo Kusari Tachi Koshirae: About 900 years before

The name of each part of a Guntō Koshirae

Ex.Type 98

　　　　
　　　　　Kabuto-gane Fuchi Tsuba Kuchigane Haikan ※1 　　　　　　　　　　　　　Semegane　　　　 Ishizuki

　　　　　　Same-gawa 　　　　　　Seppa Tosho
　　　　　(Ray skin) 　　　　　(Washers)※ (Tassel)

Sarute Tsukaito Menuki Mekugi 　　　　　Wooden scabbard enter into a metaled scabbard.
(Knot-loop) (Metal ornaments) (Peg)

　　※1 Army Type 94 & naval Tachi has two Haikan　　 ※2 The "inner scabbard" of the magnolia is inserted in iron or
　　　　aluminum scabbard.Type 98 Guntō "informality mounting " has covered wooden scabbard by leather. And it equips
　　　　with an informal suspension mount and Semegane, a throat, and a chape are nothing.Type 3 Guntō omits a knot
　　　　loop and Seme-gane.
　　

Tsuka (Ex. Type 98 and Type Tachi)

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Kabuto-gane 　　Mekugi Peg-hole Fuchi

　　　　　　　　　　　　Knot-loop receptacle　　Oyatsubu Same-gawa Menuki Kyōgi Chusō (Clip)

The rayskin of the hilt of a navy sword applies black Japanese lacquer.

A hilt pastes together the magnolia of two sheets which carved the shape of the swod-tang with boiled rice paste.
The rayskin(Same-gawa) is wound around the whole hilt for reinforcement the Tsuka-ito, and the hilt , and the skid of grip hand. By informality and second-half type mounting, the rayskin is stuck only on the side of the hilt.

Rayskin: A grain is large and a thing with parents' grain is an article of excellent quality. The rayskin of an army
　　　　　 sword is still cloth. The rayskin of a navy sword applies black Japanese lacquer.
Kyōgi: Thin layer-like tree. It sticks for the upper and lower sides of a hilt and a Tsuka-ito winding, and
　　　　 beginning. The standard of assignment is inscribed when rolling a Tsuka-ito.
Peg: Bamboo goods. It inserts, after uniting the peg-hole of a tang, and the peg-hole of a hilt, and a blade and a
hilt are fixed.

Hilt binding styles

　　　　　　　　　　
　　　　　　　　　　　　Army: Morohinerimaki 　　Navy: Morohinerimaki or Hiramaki

Type 94,98: Morohinerimaki is a standard	Type Tachi: There is much Hiramaki
Type 98: Ikkanmaki is rare	Type 3: Ikkanmaki is a standard

A Tsuba(guard) and a Seppa (washers)

The grace of a Guntō mounting is decided by the kind and number of sheets of a washers.
Furthermore, an army sword has grace in the guard of a openwork.
The first-class mounting(Koshirae) has four-kind the washers of eight sheets. The kind and number of sheets of a washers are omitted by the Koshirae manufactured in the second-the third grade and middle-last stage at the wartime.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　for Armies　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　for Navies

　Right and left of the upper row　

← Mallow-shaped big washers
　　　　　Rising sun big washers →

Lower berth:
Three-sort smallness washers.
Right and left from a center:
Kikuza, Tateshino, Ko-kizami

　　　　　　　　　Center of the upper row: Tsuba   upper row: right and left: Big washers(Dai-seppa)
　　　　　　　　　Lower berth:   Three sorts of small washerses(Ko-zeppa)
　　　　　　 Right and left from a center:   Kiku-kizami (Kikuza), Tate-kizami (Tateshino) and Ko-kizami

　Three sorts of small washers (Seppa)
　From a top: Ko-kizami, Tateshino and Kikuza

The common number of the reverse side of a washers (Example 2737)

　

　Tatekizami of a small washers has big influence on the　
　grace of a Koshirae

鍔・切羽細部　Details of a guard and washers

The name of a blade

　　　　　　　　　　　 Nakago　　　棟区(むねまち) 　　　　　　　　　Hacho　　　　　Sori
　　　　　　　　　　 (Tang)　　　　Munemachi (Blade length) (max curve)　

　　　　　　 Nakago-jiri Mekugi-ana   Ha-machi       Jigane          Ha            Hamon        Yakiba        Yokote Kissaki
　　　　　　 (Tang end) (Peg hole) (Lower blade surface)       　(Edge)      (Tenpered line) (Tenpered edge)        (Point)

　　　　　　　　　　　　Yasuri-me　　 Habaki            Mune        Shinogi-ji    　　Shinogi
　　　　　　　　　　　　(File mark)   (collar)        (Back edge) (Upper blade surface) (Ridgeline)　        Ko-shinogi

　　　　　　　　　　　　　Mei (Signature) Ura-mei　　Tachi-mei

There are two kinds of swords, a "sword" and a "Tachi." It is a "Tachi-Mei" although the swordsmith Mei is minced to the front with the photograph. It is called "Mei" to have cut fine reversely of this photograph.
Therefore, the blade which has minced the "Mei" is a "sword=Katana " and the blade which has minced the "Tachi-Mei" is
a "Tachi-sword=Tachi."
The manufacture time etc. by the side of opposite of a Mei is called a "Ura(back) Mei."

　　　
　　　　　

A Tachi and a Katana

Tachi

Katana (Uchigatana)

Tachi: The form of the old sword from the Heian period to the Muromachi period. The Tachi turned the edge downward and
　　　　 hung it at a level with a hip girdle with the belt picking string(Obitori).
　　　　 It is easy to draw a Tachi on horseriding. Once it draw a sword, it becomes two steps of operation of cutting
   to an enemy.
Uchigatana: It shifted to the Muromachi period and an on foot game, and the edge was turned up, and it put to the hip
   girdle, and became one step of operation which cut while drawing an enemy. The name of "Uchigatana" was named
   by the method of this operation. All the swords of the Edo period are Uchigatana-mountings.
         Since a Uchigatana-mounting is aslant put between the waist-belt, a blade is short compared with a Tachi.
Wakizashi: Blade length is a short sword of 60cm or less. The townspeople were able to carry the Wakizashi at the Edo
   period.

The display of a Japanese sword has formal manners.
How to place the photograph published upwards is formal.
The side which is visible to the front, respectively is the surface of "a Tachi and a Katana.

The outline of a Japanese sword

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　November 26, 2013　

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