KATANA LENGTH COMBAT SKIN

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. However, there have been loosely similar 'hidden' mountings, such as the shikomizue. Such mountings are not intended for actual combat, as the lack of a tsuba (guard) and proper handle wrappings were deleterious as such they would likely never make their way onto a battlefield. 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. They were externally featureless save for the needed mekugi-ana to secure the nakago ( tang), though sometimes sayagaki (blade information) was also present. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Ī shirasaya ( 白鞘), 'white scabbard', is a plain wooden Japanese sword saya ( scabbard) and tsuka ( hilt), traditionally made of nurizaya wood and used when a blade was not expected to see use for some time and needed to be stored. Tsuka-ito ( 柄糸): Tsuka-ito the wrap of the tsuka, traditionally silk but today most often in cotton and sometimes leatherĪ tsuba created by Sunagawa Masayoshi.There are also more elaborate and artistic wrapping techniques, like Jabara maki. Tsuka-maki ( 柄巻): the art of wrapping the tsuka, including the most common hineri maki and katate maki (battle wrap).Tsuka ( 柄): The tsuka is the hilt or handle made of wood and wrapped in samegawa.Tsuba ( 鍔 or 鐔): The tsuba is a hand guard.Shitodome ( 鵐目): an accent on the kurikata for aesthetic purposes often done in gold-ish metal in modern reproductions.Seppa ( 切羽): The seppa are washers above and below the tsuba to tighten the fittings.Saya ( 鞘): The saya is a wooden scabbard for the blade traditionally done in lacquered wood.

KATANA LENGTH COMBAT SKIN

Same-kawa (samegawa) ( 鮫皮): same-kawa is the ray or shark skin wrapping of the tsuka (handle/hilt).Same-hada ( 鮫肌): literally the pattern of the ray skin.Sageo ( 下げ緒): The sageo is the cord used to tie saya to the belt/obi when worn.Mekugi-ana ( 目釘穴): The mekugi-ana are the holes in the tsuka and nakago for the mekugi.On Katana orientation is at fingertips to orient the sword. On Tachi worn edge down orientation at palm to orient the sword. Menuki ( 目貫): The menuki are ornaments on the tsuka (generally under the tsuka-ito) Originally menuki were a cover for the mekugi to hold the peg/s in place.Mekugi ( 目釘): The mekugi is a small peg for securing the tsuka to the nakago.Kurigata ( 栗形): The kuri-kata is a knob on the side of the saya for attaching the sageo.Kozuka ( 小柄): The kozuka is a decorative handle fitting for the kogatana a small utility knife fit into a pocket on the saya.Kojiri ( 鐺): The kojiri is the end of the saya or the protective fitting at the end of the saya also traditionally made of buffalo horn.Koiguchi ( 鯉口): The koiguchi is the mouth of the saya or its fitting traditionally made of buffalo horn.Kōgai ( 笄): The kōgai is a spike for hair arranging carried sometimes as part of katana-koshirae in another pocket.Kashira ( 頭): The kashira is a butt cap (or pommel) on the end of the tsuka.Kaeshizuno ( 返し角): a hook shaped fitting used to lock the saya to the obi while drawing.Habaki ( 鎺): 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.Fuchi ( 縁): The fuchi is a hilt collar between the tsuka and the tsuba.katana) 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.Ĭomponents A diagram of a katana and koshirae with components identified. Koshirae ( 拵え) refers to the ornate mountings of a Japanese sword (e.g. Japanese sword mountings are the various housings and associated fittings ( tosogu) that hold the blade of a Japanese sword when it is being worn or stored. Kogai (middle) and kozuka (bottom) made by Yanagawa Naomasa in the 18th century, Edo period. Tsuba (top left) and fuchigashira (top right) made by Ishiguro Masayoshi in the 18th or 19th century. Housings and associated fittings that hold the blade of a Japanese sword Tachi mountings decorated with maki-e and metal carving.

Katana length combat