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Appreciation ・ Beginner
A beginner quiz on hamon (temper line) types formed by quenching: suguha (straight), gunome (rounded undulations), choji (clove-shaped), midare (irregular), and notare (wavy). Check the /appreciation diagram for shapes.
The hamon is the boundary line between the hardened martensitic edge steel and the softer unhardened body, formed during the quenching (yaki-ire) heat treatment when clay-coated blades are rapidly cooled. Polishing reveals the pattern, but the shape itself is determined at quenching. See the hamon line on the /appreciation anatomy diagram.
Suguha (straight hamon) is the simplest form, running in an almost straight line, characteristic of the Bizen and Yamashiro traditions. Gunome has repeating rounded undulations, choji resembles clove flowers, and notare has large gentle waves. The topmost line on the /appreciation hamon diagram is suguha.
The choji hamon features repeating bulges resembling clove (choji) flower buds, characteristic of Bizen-den koto blades. Large gentle waves describe notare, evenly spaced small rounded undulations describe gunome, and a straight line is suguha. The third row on the /appreciation hamon diagram shows choji.
Midare (irregular) describes hamon with complex, varied undulations — it is also used as a broader term encompassing irregular patterns like choji and gunome variants. Uniform waves describe notare, a nearly straight line describes suguha, and large gentle waves also describe notare. The fourth row on the /appreciation diagram shows an example of midare.
Notare features large, gentle undulating waves characteristic of the Soshu tradition. Choji has clove-shaped bulges, midare has irregular intense variation, and suguha is nearly straight. The bottom row on the /appreciation hamon diagram shows notare.
Gunome, choji, midare, and notare all belong to the midare (irregular hamon) family, as opposed to suguha (straight). There is no required temperature difference from suguha, they are not limited to any single era, and hamon classification is unrelated to nakago shape — it is purely based on the shape of the tempered boundary line.