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Insights into Japanese sword knowledge and culture
A survey of the provenance of famous swords — including Heshikiri Hasebe, Nikkō Ichimonji, Nihongō, and Hakata Tōshirō — handed down to the Kuroda clan, lords of the Fukuoka domain, traced through the connections between individuals.
This article examines the Sue-Sōshū tōkō Tsunahiro and Yasukuni, who carried on the Sōshū-den legacy in Odawara — the Hōjō clan's stronghold — during the late Muromachi period, along with their stylistic highlights and the background of demand during the Sengoku period.
This article organizes the methods and reference points for measuring nagasa, sori, motohaba, sakihaba, kasane, and weight, and explains how to combine these figures to read a sword's period, intended use, and condition.
This article traces how shintō-period tōkō moved from the production-center focus of the kotō period to a castle-town and major-city focus, organizing the discussion around the lineages of Kyoto, Osaka, Edo, Hizen, and other regions, as well as the conditions that shaped workshop locations.
How far can the tachi depicted in the Heike Monogatari and the Taiheiki be used as historical fact? We compare narrative patterns with actual tachi and lay out the steps for drawing on them in sword history.
The two-character mei that inscribes the tōkō's name concisely, and the long mei that includes dates and place of residence. This article covers the difference in position between tachi mei and katana mei, and the fate of mei after suriage.
Yaki-haba, which describes the width of a hamon, and yakidashi, which describes how the hamon rises near the hamachi. This article explains these two elements — determined by the placement of yakiba-tsuchi — together with guidance on how to view them.
This article explains the meaning and reading of zuryō names such as Mutsu-no-kami and Echizen-no-kami that appear in tōkō mei, the perspective of inferring production periods from changes in the mei, and how to approach gimei.
This article explains how tōkō who lost demand for swords due to the Sword Abolishment Edict (Haitōrei) of 1876 leveraged their forging skills to transition to kitchen knife smithing, agricultural tool smithing, and scissors smithing, with examples such as the transformation of Seki City into a cutlery production area.
An overview of sword culture in Etchū Province and the Noto and Kaga regions, the institutional structure of regional schools including goyō kaji (official smiths) and fuchi (stipends), and historical patterns of tōkō migration observed after the Battle of Sekigahara.
Why are swords counted as "ichi-furi," "hito-kuchi," and "hito-koshi"? This article draws on etymological theories from dictionaries and real examples from cultural property designation names to organize the appropriate use for each context.
