Japanese sword mountings


Japanese sword mountings are the various housings and associated fittings that hold the blade of a Japanese sword when it is being worn or stored. refers to the ornate mountings of a Japanese sword used when the sword blade is being worn by its owner, whereas the shirasaya is a plain undecorated wooden mounting composed of a saya and tsuka that the sword blade is stored in when not being used.

Components

  • Fuchi: The fuchi is a hilt collar between the tsuka and the tsuba.
  • Habaki: The habaki is a wedge-shaped metal collar used to keep the sword from falling out of the saya and to support the fittings below; fitted at the ha-machi and mune-machi which precede the nakago.
  • Kaeshizuno: A hook-shaped fitting used to lock the saya to the obi while drawing.
  • Kashira: The kashira is a butt cap on the end of the tsuka.
  • Kōgai: The kōgai is a spike for hair arranging carried sometimes as part of katana-koshirae in another pocket.
  • Koiguchi: The koiguchi is the mouth of the saya or its fitting; traditionally made of buffalo horn.
  • Kojiri: The kojiri is the end of the saya or the protective fitting at the end of the saya; also traditionally made of buffalo horn.
  • Kozuka: The kozuka is a decorative handle fitting for the kogatana; a small utility knife fit into a pocket on the saya.
  • Kurigata: The kuri-kata is a knob on the side of the saya for attaching the sageo.
  • Mekugi: The mekugi is a small peg for securing the tsuka to the nakago.
  • Mekugi-ana: The mekugi-ana are the holes in the tsuka and nakago for the mekugi.
  • Menuki: The menuki are ornaments on the tsuka ; Originally menuki were a cover for the mekugi to hold the peg/s in place. On tachi, worn edge down orientation at palm to orient the sword. On katana, orientation is at fingertips to orient the sword.
  • Sageo: The sageo is the cord used to tie saya to the belt/obi when worn.
  • Same-hada: Literally, the pattern of the ray skin.
  • Same-kawa : same-kawa is the ray or shark skin wrapping of the tsuka .
  • Saya: The saya is a wooden scabbard for the blade; traditionally of lacquered wood.
  • Seppa: The seppa are washers above and below the tsuba to tighten the fittings.
  • Shitodome: An accent on the kurikata for aesthetic purposes; often in gold-coloured metal on modern reproductions.
  • Tsuba: The tsuba is a hand guard.
  • Tsuka: The tsuka is the hilt or handle; made of wood and wrapped in samegawa.
  • Tsuka-maki: The wrapping on the tsuka, including the most common hineri-maki and katate-maki. There are also more elaborate and artistic wrapping techniques, such as Jabara maki.
  • Tsuka-ito: Tsuka-ito is the wraping cord of the tsuka, traditionally silk but today typically cotton and sometimes leather.

    ''Shirasaya''

A, "white scabbard", is a plain wooden Japanese sword saya and tsuka, traditionally made of honoki wood and used when a blade was not expected to see use for some time and needed to be stored. They were externally featureless save for the needed mekugi-ana to secure the nakago, though sometimes was also present. The need for specialized storage is because prolonged koshirae mounting harmed the blade, owing to factors such as the lacquered wood retaining moisture and encouraging corrosion.
Such mountings are not intended for actual combat, as the lack of a tsuba and proper handle wrappings were deleterious; as such they would likely never make their way onto a battlefield. However, there have been loosely similar "hidden" mountings, such as the shikomizue. Also, many blades dating back to earlier Japanese history are today sold in such a format, along with modern-day reproductions; while most are purely decorative replicas, a few have functional blades.

''Shirasaya'' gallery

''Koshirae''

The word koshirae is derived from the verb, which is no longer used in current speech. More commonly "tsukuru" is used in its place with both words meaning to "make, create, manufacture." A more accurate word is, meaning sword-furniture, where are the parts of the mounting in general, and "kanagu" stands for those made of metal. are the "outer" mountings, as opposed to, the "body" of the sword.
A koshirae should be presented with the tsuka to the left, particularly in times of peace with the reason being that one cannot unsheathe the sword easily this way. During the Edo period, many formalized rules were put into place: in times of war the hilt should be presented to the right allowing the sword to be readily unsheathed.
Koshirae were meant not only for functional but also for aesthetic purposes, often using a family mon for identification.

Types of ''koshirae''

''Tachi''

The tachi style koshirae is the primary style of mounting used for the tachi, where the sword is suspended edge-down from two hangers attached to the obi. The hilt often had a slightly stronger curvature than the blade, continuing the classic tachi increase in curvature going from the tip to the hilt. The hilt was usually secured with two pegs , as compared to one peg for shorter blades including katana. The tachi style koshirae preceded the katana style koshirae.

''Katana''

The katana style koshirae is the most commonly known koshirae and it is what is most associated with a samurai sword. Swords mounted in this manner are worn with the cutting edge up as opposed to the tachi mounting, in which the sword is worn with the cutting edge down.

''Han-dachi'' (half ''tachi'')

The koshirae was worn katana-style but included some tachi related fittings such as a kabuto-gane instead of a kashira.

''Aikuchi''

The aikuchi is a form of koshirae for small swords in which the hilt and the scabbard meet without a crossguard between them. The word literally means ai + kuchi, in reference to the way the hilt fits directly against the scabbard. Originally used on the koshigatana to facilitate close wearing with armour, it became a fashionable upper-class mounting style for a tantō from the Kamakura period onwards.

''Shikomizue''

The or is a Japanese swordstick. It is most famous for its use by the fictional swordmaster Zatoichi.
The sword blade was placed in a cane-like mounting as concealment. These mountings are not to be confused with the Shirasaya, which were just plain wooden mountings with no decoration other than a short description of the contents.
According to Hatsumi Masaaki, Some shikomi-zue also concealed metsubushi, chains, hooks, and many other things. Shikomi-zue could be carried in public without arousing suspicion, making them perfect tools for shinobi. However, this is a debatable topic in koryu circles.

''Kaiken''

The is an 8–10 inch long, single- or double-edged dagger without ornamental fittings housed in a plain mount, formerly carried by men and women of the samurai class in Japan. It was useful for self-defense indoors where the long katana and intermediate wakizashi were inconvenient. Women carried them in their kimono either in a pocket-like fold or in the sleeve for self-defense or for suicide by means of slashing the jugular veins and carotid artery in the left side of the neck.

''Koshirae'' gallery

Parts of the ''koshirae''

''Saya''

is the Japanese term for a scabbard, and specifically refers to the scabbard for a sword or knife. The saya of a koshirae are normally manufactured from very lightweight wood, with a coat of lacquer on the exterior. Correct drawing and sheathing of the blade involves contacting the mune rather than ha to the inside of the scabbard. The saya also has a horn knob on one side for attaching a braided cord, and may have a shitodome to accent the as well as an end cap made from metal. Traditionally the koiguchi and kojiri were made from buffalo horn.
The Saya is divided in parts:
  • '
A is a hanging cord made of silk, cotton or leather that is passed through the hole in the of a Japanese sword's saya. There are a number of different methods for wrapping and tying the sageo on the saya for display purposes. Other uses for the sageo are tying the sword to the samurai and hojojutsu. The samurai felt the sageo formed a spiritual bond between them and the sword, and they were very particular about tying it correctly when the sword was not in use.
  • Kuri-kata
The kurikata is a knob that is attached to the scabbard of a Japanese sword. The sageo that secures the saya of the sword to the obi goes through a hole in the kurikata.
  • Kojiri
The is the end cap of the scabbard or the protective fitting at the end of the scabbard.
  • Kogatana and kozuka
Kogatana, a small utility knife that fits into a pocket on the scabbard, the kozuka is the decorative handle for the kogatana.
  • '
The kōgai is a spike for hair arranging that fits into a pocket on the saya.
The is a small knife that is a variation of the kogatana. It fits into a pocket on the saya.