![]() "Shinogi" is the ridge line on the side of the blade (between the blade and the ridge). As result of clay tempering, Mune is generally softer than the edge, to keep flexibility of the blade, so it’s not brittle when cutting against hard objects. ![]() Mune is the back of the katana, in Japanese it is called “棟”, means “Ridge”. They refer to the cutting edge of the katana blade. “Ha” (刃) means “Edge” in Japanese, “Hasaki” (刃先) is another way of saying it. It takes polishing to make it look clear, and if you touch it with your hand you will feel the little hump. The Japanese name is 横手.Yokote was the result of forming the Kissaki during the forging process, technically speaking all Shinogi-zukuri (鎬造) katana should has Yokote. Yokote is the dividing line between the sword's body and the kissaki. There are many types of Boshi as well, but noted that only clay tempered Katana has Boshi, because it’s part of the hamon. So it is one of the feature that reflects the craftsmanship of the swordsmith, or in this case, the togishi (研師), the craftsman who specialized in katana polishing. Bring out hamon line in this small area will require tremendous amount of time to polish. The hamon line in the Kissaki part is called Boshi, in Japanese it’s called 帽子, literally means “Cap” or “Hat”. Traditionally Kissaki has different forging method and process, and in different era there are different types of Kissaki, it’s one of the factor to identify the sword age. There are different types of Kissaki, classified by length there are Okissaki (大切先, longest one), Chukissaki (中切先, middle and most common one) and Kokissaki (小切先, shortest one). Kissaki refers to the sharp point, the tip of a Katana, generally speaking it is the sharpest part of a katana. The other type is shirasaya, basically the plain wooden saya without any decorative elements, used to store the blade for long time. Generally speaking there are 2 types of Saya, the ones with many fitting, looking alluring, is for taking the katana out for use. ![]() Most saya are made of wood, covers with lacquer and beatiful pattern, drawings. Saya is the part used to protect the steel blade and is also known as the sword's scabbard. A good tsuka should be tight and secure, no loose parts, and provide comfortable gripping to the user. The core of the handle is mostly made of wood, secured with mekugi pins, cover with samegawa, then wrapping with cords. The “Tsuka” (handle / hilt) refers to the gripping part of the sword, and the “tang” (nakago) is stored inside. Most modern katana are made of modern steels like carbon steel, manganese steel, T10 steel etc. The making of tamahagane is very costly in terms of labour and time, it’s a luxury to use it nowadays. In ancient Japan, traditional katana should be made of Tamahagane (玉鋼), essentially it’s a type of high carbon steel. The blade is the main component of a Katana, and it is impossible to have a Katana without a blade, because the word “katana” literally means “one sided blade. With these knowledge, you will know better how to custom your own katana. so we've put together a guide of the most commonly seen terminologies to help you understand what these words mean. It's easy to get lost in all the terminology, for Japanese katana, basically there is a specific name for every detail. There are many parts of a katana, and it can be confusing for those who are new to this piece of art.
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