This is a pair of fuchi and kashira made for a daisho (large and small swords worn by samurai as a set). A fuchi is a metal cap that fits around the base of the wooden sword hilt; the kashira fits at top of the hilt. This pair is made from shakudo. Their surfaces are decorated with a punched nanako pattern. The detailed inlaid hawks on each piece are made from gold.
2. These three pieces comprise a set that includes a tsuba, along with a fuchi and kashira. They are decorated with grains of rice made from gold drops and leaves made from shakudo. The rice plants were inlaid on the iron tsuba, and the clouds and moon were carved out at the top. The moon on the tsuba is gold leaf, and there are gold raindrops around the clouds. The fuchi and kashira are made of shakudo; their surfaces are decorated with a nanako pattern.
3. This is a pair of menuki, ornaments to fit on either side of the sword hilt. One is a deer, and the other is a mythical figure holding a turtle. Both are carved from shakudo and have inset gold details.
MITOKOROMONO: ADDITIONAL SWORD FITTINGS
4. A mitokoromono set comprising three items used for sword mountings. This type of set includes a pair of menuki, a kozuka (the hilt for a small utility knife), and a kogai (an implement used for arranging the samurai’s hair). In this set, the menuki are gold shi-shi (lions); the kogai and kozuka also display shi-shi on a shakudo surface.
5. A mitokoromono set. The menuki in this set are carved birds made of gold and shakudo. The gold-edged kogai and kozuka are made of shakudo decorated with a punched nanako pattern; they are decorated with carved shakudo birds and plum trees with blossoms of inlaid gold.
ITOMAKI NO TACHI KOSHIRAE
This type of tachi koshirae, which was first seen from the late Kamakura period to the Muromachi period, was used for formal attire in the Edo period. As it is the mounting for a tachi, which was worn edge-down, it has an attached belt to suspend the sword from the waist. The two hangers, or ashi, on the scabbard were used to attach the scabbard to the belt. The braiding around the hilt extends into the upper part of the scabbard. The detail photos show the hilt and the bottom of the scabbard.
DAISHO KOSHIRAE
By the Edo period, samurai wore a paired set of swords (a katana and a wakizashi) called a “daisho.” This is an example of a daisho koshirae. The large and small blades are mounted in matching koshirae, but there are often subtle differences between the two in a daisho set. The detail photo shows the hilt of the small koshirae, in which the Tokugawa mon (crest) is featured as a decorative element on the menuki, fuchi, kurikata, tsuba, and kojiri.
KATANA KOSHIRAE
Two katana koshirae are shown here. The katana koshirae is worn through the obi (sash) with the edge up. The upper example is very elaborate, with many fine details. The Tokugawa mon, or crest, appears on some of the metalwork and on the body of the scabbard, which is covered with lacquered same (ray skin). The lower koshirae is less elaborate, but also has a scabbard covered with lacquered same; the same under the hilt wrapping is lacquered black as well.
AIKUCHI: TANTO KOSHIRAE
Aikuchi tanto koshirae do not have a tsuba. The koshirae above, which dates from the latter part of the Edo period, features very elaborate metal-and lacquerwork on the scabbard. The decorative theme consists of ho-o (phoenix) birds and clouds in gold over a black lacquered scabbard and hilt. The inset photos show details of this koshirae.
Two aikuchi tanto koshirae. The koshirae at left has a scabbard with carved ribs featuring designs of vines made of makie and mother-of-pearl inlay over black lacquer. The hilt is wrapped with a type of fiber. At right is a simple but very elegant koshirae with a smooth black lacquered scabbard and a hilt wrapped in ray skin. This is a formal type of koshirae.
THOUGHTS ON THE JAPANESE SWORD
JIM SANDLER
Jim Sandler is a sword enthusiast living in San Francisco, California. He works as an administrator for a nonprofit foundation focusing on environmental issues and new green technologies. Jim’s participation in Japanese martial arts as a young man led him to cultivate an interest in Japanese swords. Having inherited a passion for art collection from his parents, whose avocation is modern art, Jim focused his interest on Japanese swords. He collects both old and modern blades, along with their accompanying koshirae.
I find that there is something quite strange about holding a piece of steel in my hands. Here is something that is created from nature, yet is totally unnatural, an object that gives a sense of artificial permanence in a world that is constantly in flux. Steel, in most of its functional forms, can be cold and unfeeling. Yet, when shaped by an artist’s hand, it can give an impression of spirituality and vitality, becoming something that is both inanimate and alive at the same time. A knife or sword blade has many of these contradictory aspects flowing through its form. However, a sword is very different from a bronze sculpture, as it is a tool whose main function is to kill another human being. For me, this is both scary and thrilling. As I pass an unsheathed sword to a fellow sword enthusiast, I am always aware that I am relinquishing my power over their life and giving them power over mine.
All knives and swords have some of these characteristics. A sword wielded by a knight in the Middle Ages has a particular shape and majesty all its own, and definitely possesses the ability to kill. A good hunting knife can have aggressive contours, yet feel wonderfully balanced in the hand. The European rapier has elegance and subtlety combined with a lethal thrusting range. Such distinct characteristics come from the practical usefulness of these blades, combined with the personal touches imbued in them by their creator. For me, however, the Japanese sword takes everything to a higher level. There is a commitment by these smiths to create something that is so lethal that it becomes beautiful—not to mention the intriguing use of heat and steel alloys to produce a sword that is light, sturdy, and supple.
When I first started to learn about the Japanese sword, I was fascinated by the reverence that enthusiasts showed for the blades and the swordsmiths that produced them. Smiths of ages past are revered for their sword-making skills, yet each subsequent generation seems to have produced smiths that excelled in crafting noteworthy blades.
For a thousand years the sword seemed to evolve with Japan’s politics and fighting styles, yet it remained faithful to certain higher principles. Like fine wines that have to be produced within particular parameters that are recognized by all wine experts, the Japanese sword adheres to its own set of values. One that appeals to me most is that the sword must have practical use as a weapon. Because of this, the range of options in which to manipulate the shape, weight, and balance of the blade is very small. If there is too much tweaking or
