MOKUME HADA 杢目肌
This is a very fine pattern with many visible circular motifs.
NASHI-JI HADA 梨子地肌
This type of pattern is very fine and difficult to see.
NIOI AND NIE
The hamon of the Japanese sword is formed when the cutting edge is selectively hardened and the body of the sword remains relatively soft. This means that there are two types of steel in a typical Japanese sword: the harder steel in the edge area (the ha), and the softer steel in the body of the sword (the ji). Where these two types of steel come together and mix, a clear visible boundary is formed between them. This boundary usually appears as a line composed of very tiny crystalline particles called “nioi.” The individual particles forming the line are too small to be resolved by the eye, and the resulting line appears continuous and unbroken. The nioi line is usually white, and clearly separates the hamon from the ji. Sometimes the boundary is composed of larger particles called “nie.” This is the same as nioi, but the individual nie particles are large enough to be clearly seen by eye. Many hamon are composed of nioi, but also contain some nie particles. If the nie particles are visible in the ji above the hamon, they are called “ji nie.” The exact appearance and composition of the nioi and nie lines and particles depend on what the swordsmith does, the steel he uses, and the details of how he performs yaki-ire.
A hamon with a very complex nioi line. The clear white line defining the hamon boundary is composed of microscopic nioi particles.
A hamon containing nioi and many nie particles. Many distinct nie particles can be seen in the white area of the hamon, and discrete nie particles can be seen just inside the hamon area. Nie particles can sometimes be seen in the body of the sword as well; here, large clear nie particles (ji nie) are visible above the hamon, up to and above the shinogi.
Above the hamon, the steel shows a white appearance. This effect is called “utsuri.”
SWORD MOUNTINGS: KOSHIRAE AND SHIRASAYA
Japanese swords are mounted in one of two ways: they can be preserved or protected in a simple unfinished wooden scabbard called a “shirasaya,” or in a koshirae, a functional traditional mounting that includes a lacquered scabbard, sword guard, other metal components, and a braided hilt wrapping.
When new swords are made today, the smith usually has them put into a custom-made shirasaya. If the owner wants a traditional practical koshirae, it must be commissioned from another group of sword craftsmen after the smith has finished his work. Most old Japanese swords seen in the West today are mounted in shirasaya because their koshirae have deteriorated over the years. Older swords must be re-polished periodically; when this is done they can then be mounted in new shirasaya to protect the newly polished blade. Thus, most of the Japanese swords one sees today will be in shirasaya.
Shown at left is a complete practical and functional mounting, or koshirae. This includes a lacquered scabbard, a braided hilt wrapping, and a sword guard (tsuba), as well as other metal components.
At right is a simple shirasaya. This unadorned, unfinished wood scabbard is not suitable for practical use of the sword. The writing on the shirasaya, called “saya-gaki,” is an inscription added by the owner or maker of the sword. The saya-gaki contains information such as the sword’s maker, its length, the date it was made, and the owner’s name.
KOSHIRAE COMPONENTS
TSUBA: SWORD GUARDS
1. A simple iron tsuba from the Muromachi period with carved and inlaid skull and bone images. This is signed by Kaneie, one of the earliest smiths to use decoration on his tsuba.
2. An iron tsuba made by a smith in the Muromachi period. The simple iron plate is decorated with the carved outline of a dragonfly.
3. An elaborately carved tsuba from the Edo period showing the outline of a crane.
4. An iron tsuba decorated with images of gods and a kabuto (helmet). The images are carved out of the iron body of the tsuba in very good detail, and gold leaf is used for color in places. This was made during the Edo period.
5. A copper tsuba with a silver rim made in the Momoyama period. This tsuba has colored metal in its body and rim, and is decorated with punch work and filing. There are simple circular filed lines in the body of the tsuba.
6. This tsuba, also from the Momoyama period, uses brass and extensive, well-delineated engraved lines for decoration.
7. These two images show both sides of an iron tsuba made by Natsuo at the end of the Edo period. The engravings show a peony and rain.
8. This tsuba is made from shakudo (a copper and gold alloy) with a beautiful black patina. The decorative motif, a regular series of black dots, is called “nanako” (fish eggs). Each dot is made with a single chisel punch. The two inlaid shi-shi (lions) are made of gold and shakudo. This was made during the Bakumatsu era (1800–1850) that occurred toward the end of the Edo period.
9. This is a gendai (modern) tsuba made by Toshiyuki Tamaoka. It is signed “Toshiyuki” and dated 2009, and is described as a “Yoshindo sukashi zogan tsuba.” It has cherry blossoms carved out of the iron body of the tsuba in the sukashi style. The rim and some of the cherry blossoms are highlighted with gold wire inlay (zogan). Yoshindo refers to an area in Kyoto that is famous for cherry blossoms in the early spring.
KODOGU: EXAMPLES OF SWORD FITTINGS
