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Parts of the Japanese Sword

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Hyoujinsama
July 19, 2008

Parts of the Japanese Sword Saya (Sheath. Usually made of honoki wood, a type of magnolia) -Koiguchi (Saya opening. Carps mouth. Sometimes reinforced) -Kurigata (Cord knob. Used to fasten the sage...

Parts of the Japanese Sword

Saya (Sheath. Usually made of honoki wood, a type of magnolia)
-Koiguchi (Saya opening. Carps mouth. Sometimes reinforced)
-Kurigata (Cord knob. Used to fasten the sageo to the saya)
-Sageo (The cord used to affix the katana to the obi, to tie the tsuka and sword into the saya for transport, etc)
-Kojiri (Cap at the end of the saya, used to protect the wood from damage. Sometimes horn, sometimes metal)

Tsuka (Handle. Core is also ideally honoki)
-Kashira/Fuchi (Pommel/upper grip ring. Often matching in theme)
-Tsuka-ito (Handle wrap. Ideally silk, sometimes leather. More often than not, it is cotton, immitation leather, or nylon on modern made blades)
-Samegawa (Rayskin between the tsuka core and ito. NOT MANTA RAY! Usually cow nosed ray, or a type of Japanese skate or one of the many species of shark in Japanese waters. Applied traditionally in panels or a full wrap)
-Mekugi (Security pin/rivet. Usually bamboo, though metal versions called neji menuki/mekugi, which act like Chicago screws, were sometimes used instead. Well made tsuka need one or none, as the friction of the nakago and tsuka core is enough to lock it in. Two or more is unneccessary, unless the tsuka is very poorly made. Tapered, so inswertion is directional)
-Menuki (Handle ornaments. Originally used to hide mekugi, they are now mostly for decoration, though some ryu-ha have menuki placed in the palm of the hands when gripped so that the tsuka fills the palm cavity better)

Tsuba/seppa (Handguard, used to keep the users hand from coming in contact with the blade, and not to block enemy blows/Washers to fill up space unused by tsuka and tsuba)
-Nakago-ana (Hole in the tsuba and seppa through which the nakago passes)
-Hitsu-ana (Small holes on either side of the nakago-ana and seppa-dai through which kozuka and kogai pass)
-Seppa-dai (Surface of the tsuba on which the seppa rest)

Habaki (Blade collar. Protects the ha-machi, holds the blade firmly in the saya when sheathed, keeps te fittings from sliding up onto the blade. The true heart of the sword)

Toshin (Bare blade itself)
-Shinogi (Ridgeline. Found on all Japanese style blades except for hirazukuri)
-Shinogi-ji (Facet of the side of the blade found between the shinogi and the mune. Often burnished)
-Ji (Facet of the side of the blade found between the shinogi and the ha. Blade activity is most aparent here)
-Kissaki (Tip of the blade)
-Ko-shinogi (Small portion of the shinogi found in the kissaki area. The curve bringing the shinogi to the mune)
-Yokote (Line, either geometric or polished on, separating the kissaki from the rest of the blade in shinogizukuri blades)
-Ha (Cutting edge)
-Mune (Spine. Softer than the edge. Often burnished)
-Ha-machi/mune-machi (Notch where the edge/spine drop down to meet the nakago)
-Hamon (Hardened edge. Different crystal structure from the spine, created through the clay coat and quench heat treatment)
-Ji-hada (Pattern or grain in the steel brought out by forge fold and weld techniques. Many of styles)
-Nakago (Tang)
-Mei (Signature or makers mark. Not all blades have mei [mumei], some have fake mei [gimei])
-Yasuri-mei (File marks)
-Tameshi-mei (Record of cutting test. Few blades have them. A very interesting piece of history, as some are records of tests conducted on human bodies)
-Mekugi-ana (Hole through which the mekugi fits. Found on both nakago and tsuka. Tapered)

Kozuka (Small utility knife sometimes found in the side of the saya facing the body when the blade is worn. Kozuka can reffer to the unit as a whole or just the handle)
-Kogatana (The kozuka blade. Some were made in much the same way as the katana blade. Forge folded and welded, differentially hardened, and sometimes even signed)

Kogai (A tool of many speculated uses. Hair pin, ear pick, armor pick, spit, writing tool, marker for kills, etc.)
-Wari-kogai (Split kogai used as hashi [chopsticks])

Category: Education

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Katana nihonto parts koshirae shinogu kissaki hamon saya tsuka

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BullMat55 (2 days ago) Show Hide

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wow very interesting presentation! just one question tho. If the tsuba is not used to protect the hands, what on the sword is used to protect the hands?

Hyoujinsama (2 days ago) Show Hide

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While the tsuba can stop weak strikes and small glancing blows, the thing that protects the hands is the user skill.

Hyoujinsama (5 days ago) Show Hide

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Something was recently brought to my attention. I said something about mekugi, and it was a very poor choice of words.

Please read the annotation.

Mekugi are a very important part of a sword. Do not use a sword that has no mekugi. My statement in the video was in regards to the fit of the tsuka as an individual unit, not the tsuka as a part of the complete, useable sword.

A sword with no mekugi is incomplete and should never be used.

smrtassmthrfuker (1 month ago) Show Hide

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i heard the same thing about engraving the blade

saoroy (1 month ago) Show Hide

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I've heard, the engravings on the blade of the sword, weaken its overall structure. Is this true?

Hikaru4394 (1 month ago) Show Hide

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so many unnessesary names...

deeMiyamoto (2 months ago) Show Hide

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i mostly watch thsi video to admire that katana T_T its sooo beautiful lol

aerodynamicband (2 months ago) Show Hide

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i guess this is a stupid question but is that ray skin from like a stingray

Hyoujinsama (2 months ago) Show Hide

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The hamon is a change in a crystal structure that goes all the way through the blade (Though it does change the deeper you get). If it scratches off, then it's fake. There is, however, an exception. At a certain level of polish, even real hamon dissappear.

lordtains (2 months ago) Show Hide

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So if there are scrathces on the blade, you should still be able to see the white of the hamon?

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Parts of the Japanese Sword

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