Japanese The Katana

well i have an hour of spare time so ill make a detailed outline on this superb weapon.

The first sword were imported to japan. they were made of steel and had chinese workmanship and chinese koshirae*. the first sword of purely japanese design came in 646 AD. they were still called Kara Tachi** they came in two ways. the first having black laquered fittings for actual combat and decorative for ceremonies. Rayskin was used to wrap the handles from time to time but was only used for all swords during the Heian Era (794-1185) most swords of this period were called Kazari Tachi*** or Hoso Tachi**** the sword style was already adjusting to Japanese tastes and styles. as time passed they became simpler and became known as Efu Tachi, and were used by imperial gaurds during the Edo period.
* sword fittings...and old word a more modern word "toso" is used which means sword furniture
** Chinese Tachi
*** Decorative Tachi
**** Narrow Tachi

later came the Uchigatana which had is predecessors in the Heian Era. this sword was worn edge up thrust through the obi. it looked alot like the previous tachi although it had no Obitori so was called Handachi or half tachi, this particular style never went our of style for the next 300 years.

The Momoyama Era saw flashy Koshirae ususally with a red laquered saya *scabard* and kanagu in gold. however this was in response to the Tensho Era's sombre mountings of black laquered saya and and same *rayskin*.

Finally in the Edo Period Tokugawa Ieyasu moved the capital to Edo. many swordsmiths moved their shops there as well. in this period the wearing of a wakizashi and katana became the standard swords for a samurai.
a samurai had to wear duty attaire while on duty this consisted of kataginu *winged shoulders* and hakama *split skirt trousers*. while the court members wore Hitatare court attire with and Eboshi hat and a wakizashi at their hip. however these swords were quite impractical in that they had no mekugi to fasten the tsuka to the tang so therefore it couldnt be used as a weapon this was perhaps to show because of their high position they had no need to use it. also it was a serious offense to draw a sword in front of the Shogun or at any court.
commoners werent allowed to carry swords of any length although rich merchants often sported fancy tantos to show off their wealth.
then on July 18 Shoho 2 (1645) the ban of swords were lightened. a commoner could wear a sword under 1.8 shaku if one obtained a permit to do so. this enabled travellers on the Tokaido road to arm themselves against bandits and it also allowed the chief of Police to are the Okappiki, the non-samurai police.
then in the year 1871 the ban was totally lifted any one of any class could wear a sword of any length or wear their hair Chonmage or Samurai Topknot. Kirisute Gomen was also prohibited. this was the unpunished slaying of non-samurai for an real or imagined insult. then on January 1, 1877 the decree that only the military and police were allowed to carry swords was put out. it was during this period that many samurai took their beloved blades and stuck them in a walking stick inorder to carry their swords with them.
after this most swords were designed after french and german military sabers. only swords from world war 2 would see the renaissense of japanese design.

ill post more later...

 

Could you post the parts of the katana?
*Looks down at the cheese sandwich crackers shes eating*
Is the cheese supposed to be powdery and sticky?

 

generally cheese isnt supposed to be...

anyway sure


ok on a katana there are many parts...

first well focus on the tsuka *handle* now the wrapping on the tsuka is called same *rayskin* sometimes is also made out of cotton. underneath that is often gold inlays called menuki and are really only used as decorations. now the mekugi is the small round bamboo peg that is used to keep the handle attached to the tang. oh yeah under neath the same is a wooden handle. the buttcap is called the kashira. now directly under the tsuba on the tsuka is a small disc of steel called the fuchi. the tsuba is held in place by seppa which are spacers that fit between the handle and the habaki.

now on to the saya *scabbard* on the saya is the sageo which is a cord used to keep the katana in place when its stuck through the obi. thats the main parts of the koshirae of the katana

now for the actual body of the blade. the hamon is the wavy line on the katana's edge. that is basicly a temperline from when the sword was tempered. it really serves no other purpose other to enhance the beauty of the sword. the edge of the sword is called the "ha". the "ji" is the body of the sword. the "shinogi" is the blade ridge. the "shinogi-ji" is the blade flat. the "mune" is the back of the sword. the "ha-machi" is the edge notch where the handle starts. the mune-machi is the back notch. the "mei" is the signature of the maker. the nakago is the tang. and the mekugi-ana is the hole for the mekugi.

and thats about it...ill post some actual pictures to make it clearer...

 

Tang I like tang with the orange powder and the monkies running around and punching things...mmmmmmm...
OH!....well....there is also a sword that is called a Naginata, which is the same thing as a Katana but with a longer handle for better reach...very handy...

 

yuck i hated tang...


anyway the naginata isnt a sword at all rather its a polearm like the yari. its differentially tempered like a katana but is thicker wider and sits on a 6 foot pole. they were used primarily by samurai in battle but in the later year it was also used by wives protecting their houses. there is also a smaller weapon called the nagamaki naoshi. they had blade similar to a katana mounted on a pole that was about 3-4 feet in length. they also had yokote like katana, but naginata don not have yokote.

 

what kind of sword is tetsusiaga, tenseiga, and toukajin? are they katana as well?

 

well yes and no. yes they are katana's but they are really demon swords so i dont know how you would classify them. yes they have the shape of a katana but they hardly have the classic lines and traditional tempering style so...

 

i was just curious. i didnt know a katana was a sword... i thought it was the name of a character on mortal combat....*looks ashamed* i shouldv'e known

 

well they are also known as a "samurai sword" or a japanese sword, the best term for classify japaneses swords is Nihontou. that means japanese sword. there are many types of swords called "Daitou" which means large sword those types would be the No-dachi, Katana, Tachi, Handachi. "Shotou" means short sword the swords under this name are the Wakizashi, Kodachi, Tanto.

actually the word samurai means "one who serves"

 

ok, i get it now ^_^

 

hai ^_^x