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Aperçus sur les connaissances et la culture du sabre japonais
The eleven-year Onin War not only devastated Kyoto's sword culture but also redirected demand to provincial smiths in Bizen and Yamato. This article explores how the conflict drove mass production, quality shifts, and distribution changes during the transition to the Sengoku period.
An in-depth look at the sashigane, the traditional L-shaped ruler used by swordsmiths to measure and design blade curvature. Explains how each dimension—sori, nagasa, motohaba, sakihaba—is measured and how modern smiths use these tools to achieve the ideal sword geometry.
An in-depth look at the apprenticeship system of sayashi, the craftspeople who make scabbards for Japanese swords. Covers how they acquire woodworking, lacquering, and metal-fitting skills over years of training, the master-apprentice relationship, and the modern succession crisis facing this craft.
A detailed explanation of shitaji tanren (base forging) and sunobe (drawing out), the earliest stages in Japanese sword forging. Covers tamahagane selection, the initial consolidation and folding of steel, and how these foundational processes establish the skeletal form of the blade before the final shaping stages begin.
How Japanese sword regulations were established from the Taika Reforms through the formation of the Ritsuryo state. Examining the origins of weapon control through Emishi campaigns and internal conflicts, and the straight sword culture of the Asuka-Nara period as evidenced by Shosoin artifacts.
A comprehensive explanation of the togishi's (sword polisher's) work in revealing the true value of Japanese blades. This article explores the Honami family's history spanning the Muromachi period, the techniques of kesho-togi and shitaji-togi polishing, the cultivation of connoisseurship through polishing, and examines the contemporary world of togishi including the critical issue of finding successors.
From Yayoi-period bronze swords to kofun-era ring-pommel blades and the imperial regalia Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, this article traces the evolution of Japan's ancient double-edged swords in terms of form, function, and religious significance.
A metallurgical exploration of the yakiire (quenching) process that creates the hamon on Japanese swords. Covers martensite transformation, critical temperature, cooling rate differentials, water vs. oil quenching, and the microscopic reality of nie and nioi in blade patterns.
In the Boshin War that sparked the Meiji Restoration, samurai of the former shogunate clashed with modern rifles while bearing swords. This article traces the swords of the Shinsengumi, the last stand at Aizu, and the path to the eventual sword ban.
An overview of the life and techniques of Echizen Yasutsugu, the favored swordsmith of the Tokugawa shogunate in the early Edo period. Covers his experimental use of nanban iron (Dutch steel), his receipt of the Tokugawa hollyhock crest, and the full lineage of the Yasutsugu school.
The hyogo-gusari tachi was the supreme formal sword mounting used by aristocrats and warriors from the Heian through Kamakura periods. Suspended by gold or silver chains and adorned with elaborate metalwork, it represents the apex of nihonto as decorative art. This article examines surviving National Treasure examples alongside the form's structure, significance, and history.
A complete history of the Ichimonji school that flourished in Bizen (present-day Okayama) during the Kamakura period. Covers the characteristics of sub-schools including Fukuoka Ichimonji, Yoshioka Ichimonji, and Katayama Ichimonji, their mastery of clove pattern blade tempering, and surviving national treasures and important cultural properties.
