Dear Reader: In order to view all colored text and non-English text accurately, please ensure that the PUBLISHER DEFAULTS SETTING on your reading device is switched to ON. This will allow you to view all non-English characters and colored text in this book. —Tuttle Publishing THE SAMURAI SWORD A HANDBOOK THE SAMURAI SWORD A HANDBOOK John M. Yumoto TUTTLE PUBLISHING Tokyo • Rutland,Vermont • Singapore Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd., with editorial offices at 364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, Vermont 05759 U.S.A. Copyright © 1958 by Charles E. Tuttle Publishing Co., Inc. Introduction © 2008 by Charles E. Tuttle Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher. LCC Card No. 58007497 ISBN: 978-1-4629-0706-9 (ebook) Distributed by North America, Latin America & Europe Tuttle Publishing 364 Innovation Drive North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436 U.S.A. Tel: 1 (802) 773-8930 Fax: 1 (802) 773-6993 [email protected] www.tuttlepublishing.com Japan Tuttle Publishing Yaekari Building, 3rd Floor 5-4-12 Osaki, Shinagawa-ku Tokyo 141 0032 Tel: (81) 3 5437-0171 Fax: (81) 3 5437-0755 [email protected] Asia Pacific Berkeley Books Pte. Ltd. 61 Tai Seng Avenue #02-12, Singapore 534167 Tel: (65) 6280-1330 Fax: (65) 6280-6290 [email protected] www.periplus.com 12 11 10 09 08 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in Hong Kong TUTTLE PUBLISHING® is a registered trademark of Tuttle Publishing, a division of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd. Contents List of Plates 7 List of Figures 9 Introduction 11 Foreword 17 Acknowledgments 19 1 Japanese History and the Samurai Sword 21 2 Types of Swords 48 3 Parts of the Sword 54 4 Blade Shape, Construction, and Grain 92 5 The Making of the Sword 99 6 Inscriptions and Their Readings 111 7 Care and Maintenance 136 8 Appraisal and Value 138 9 Relative Point Values 141 Bibliography 171 Glossary 177 Old Provinces and Modern Prefectures 187 Index 189 List of Plates 1. A collection of swords 43 2. Daito (long sword) 43 3. Three types of wakizashi 44 4. Tanto (short sword) 44 5. Three tanto 44 6. A straight sword in ken mounting 45 7. A long sword in jindachi-zukuri mounting 45 8. A long sword in jindachi-zukuri mounting 45 9. Painting of a mid-Edo period samurai 46 10. Daito and wakizashi in buke-zukuri mounting 63 11. Kozuka (utility knife), kogai (skewer), and wari-bashi (chopsticks) 63 12. Shira-saya (plain wood scabbard) 63 13. Kyu-gunto (proto-army sword) 64 14. Police or parade saber 64 15. Two shin-gunto (neo-army sword) 65 16. Shin-gunto (neo-army sword) 65 17. Three kaigunto (naval sword) 66 18. Shikomi-zue (sword cane) 66 19. A tang with four rivet holes 75 20. A tang with an inscription 75 21. Blade with shortened tang 76 22. A tang with the results of a cutting test inscribed 76 23. Two tanto with scabbard pockets 77 24. A pair of matched tsuba 77 25. Tsuba with inlaid design 77 26. A collection of tsuba 78 27. Tsuba with gold filling 87 28. Hilts for buke-zukuri mountings 87 29. Habaki (collar) 87 30. Seppa (spacer) 87 31. A collection of fuchi and kashira (pommels) 88 32. A collection of menuki (hilt ornaments) 89 33. A set of fuchi and kashira 90 34. Purification rites by master swordsmith 103 35. Praying before the deity shelf 103 36. Heating and flattening of iron 104 37. Piling of the iron pieces 104 38. Heating of the iron pieces 104 39. Pounding of the iron 105 40. The sakite (aids) and master 105 41. Steel pieces fitted together with borax 106 42. The shaping of the sword 106 43. The rough blade is shaped 107 44. Coating of clay determines tempered pattern 107 45. Plunging the blade into water 108 46. Correcting the curvature of the blade 108 47. Grinding the blade 109 48. The tang is inscribed 109 49. A standard certificate issued by the Honnami family 110 List of Figures 1. Map of Japan showing old provinces and modern prefectures 22 2. Swordsmiths at work 27 3. Sword-bearing official of the mid-Heian period 29 4. Warriors of the Old Sword period 30 5. Inscribed titles on tangs 37 6. Edo-period samurai 38 7. Stamp found on blades of the Showa era 42 8. Tang rubbing of a Showa-era blade 42 9. Parts of the blade (shinogi-zukuri type) 55 10. Points classified by shape 55 11. Points classified by shape and size 55 12. Points classified by tempered lines 57 13. Ridge lines 58 14. Upper surface or ridge area 58 15. Grooves 60 16. Groove ends 61 17. Groove tips and chiri 61 18. Nioi and nie 62 19. Tempered-line pattern 68 & 69 20. Back ridges 71 21. Curvature, torii variety 73 22. Curvature, koshi-zori or Bizen-zori 73 23. Tang shapes 80 24. Shaoes of tang tips 80 25. File marks on tangs 82 26. Mountings 85