What is the name of a samurai sword? Japanese medieval swords: history, classification and manufacturing features

, , ,

The sword has always been the weapon of the nobility. The knights treated their blades as comrades in battle, and, having lost his sword in battle, a warrior covered himself with indelible shame. Among the glorious representatives of this type of bladed weapon there is also its own “nobility” - the famous blades, which, according to legend, have magical properties, for example, to put enemies to flight and protect their master. There is some truth in such tales - an artifact sword by its very appearance could inspire the companions of its owner. Here are some deadly relics in Japanese history that are known throughout the world.

Kusanagi no Tsurugi

Having carefully studied the sword, experts came to the conclusion that, most likely, this is the same legendary artifact, since the estimated time of its creation coincides with the events described in the Nihon Shoki, in addition, it also mentions the Isonokami-jingu shrine, so the relic was just lying there there for more than 1.5 thousand years until she was found. © Dmitry Zykov

A katana is a long, single-edged slashing weapon. It has a slightly curved one-sided blade, a long or short handle, and can be slightly developed in front, this allows it to be grasped with two palms. The shape of the blade allows for cutting and piercing blows. The length of the blade is 60 centimeters; the handle could be different. Weighs up to one kilogram.

The history of the katana

Such a sword appeared in the fifteenth century and existed until the end of the twentieth as a samurai weapon. Its “ancestor” was the long Japanese saber tachi. Their main difference was the way they were worn. Tati was tied with a special bandage on the belt, and the katana was tucked behind it. The first was worn paired with a tanto, the second with a wakizashi.

It was made of two types of metals. Viscous for the central part and hard for the blade. Before forging, the components were thoroughly cleaned. The handle was covered with leather and wrapped in silk fabric. This manufacturing method did not allow hands to slide along it. Handles made of wood or ivory, described in various patterns, can be seen on ostentatious and decorative sabers.

The carrying case was made of wood and varnished. Metal ones also took place; their mass production began in the twentieth century, but, nevertheless, they also had a wood lining.

The sword was part of the samurai's clothing and was worn on the left side of the body in a sheath, with the blade facing up. But after the seventeenth century, there was no particular need to take it with you every time. In addition, the blade could corrode. Therefore, they came up with a way to preserve the integrity of the sword. A mounting was worn behind the belt, which included a sheath. The sword itself was kept at home in a wooden case, which was not varnished, which allowed it to breathe, and moisture did not accumulate. Therefore, no corrosion appeared on the blade. In the 19th century, this method of making sword cases became widespread. In the 20th century, after the wearing of swords was banned, they began to be disguised. The scabbard began to be made in the form of a cane or staff.

Sword art

The use was as a quality cutting weapons, and less often stabbing. Wrapped with two or one hand. The first schools teaching young samurai were formed in the fifteenth century. The techniques of Japanese swords differ from European ones in that the axis of the sword during an attack does not go towards the enemy at a right angle, but along it, thereby cutting the enemy. A curved blade is very suitable for this type of combat.

Despite the great changes in the history of the development of the state regarding the wearing of a sword, the school of samurai art has still been preserved to this day. The most famous are Kashima Shinto Ryu, Kashima Shin Ryu and Katori Shinto Ryu.

Saber care

Cleaning the sword occurs in stages and with different tools.

Using polishing stones, nicks are removed.

Rice paper, which does not contain acid, perfectly removes the remaining oil that is used to smear the sword. Before use, rub it vigorously to make it soft so as not to scratch the blade. If you don't have it at hand rice paper, you can also use a regular napkin. Lime has cleaning and polishing properties. There are also no scratches left when using it.

The reign of the Tokugawa shogunate from 1603 was associated with the disappearance of the art of wielding a spear. The bloody wars were replaced by the era of technology and the improvement of military competition with swords. The art associated with it was called “kenjutsu”, over time it turned into a means of spiritual self-improvement.

The meaning of the samurai sword

Real samurai swords were considered not just the weapons of a professional warrior, but also a symbol of the samurai class, an emblem of honor and valor, courage and masculinity. Since ancient times, weapons have been revered as a sacred gift from the Sun Goddess to her grandson, who rules the earth. The sword was to be used only to eradicate evil, injustice and protect good. He was part of the Shinto cult. Temples and sacred places were decorated with weapons. In the 8th century, Japanese clergy participated in the production, cleaning, and polishing of swords.

The samurai had to always keep a warrior's kit with him. Swords were given a place of honor in the house, a niche in the main corner - tokonoma. They were stored on a tachikake or katanakake stand. When going to bed, the samurai put his swords at arm's length at his head.

A person could be poor, but have an expensive blade in an excellent frame. The sword was an emblem emphasizing class status. For the sake of the blade, the samurai had the right to sacrifice own life and your family.

Japanese warrior kit

Japanese warriors always carried two swords with them, which indicated that they were samurai. The warrior's set (daise) consisted of a long and short blade. The long samurai sword katana or daito (60 to 90 cm) is the main weapon of the samurai since the 14th century. It was worn on the belt with the point up. The sword was sharpened on one side and also had a hilt. The combat masters knew how to kill with lightning speed, in a split second by extending the blade and making one swing. This technique was called “iaijutsu”.

A short samurai wakizashi sword (shoto or kodachi), half as long (from 30 to 60 cm), was worn on the belt with the tip up, and was used less often when fighting in cramped conditions. With the help of wakizashi, warriors cut off the heads of killed opponents or, when captured, committed seppuku - suicide. Most often, samurai fought with a katana, although special schools taught fighting with two swords.

Types of samurai swords

In addition to the daisho set, there were several types used by warriors.

• Tsurugi, chokuto - the oldest sword, used until the 11th century, had straight edges and was sharpened on both sides.
• Ken is a straight ancient blade, sharpened on both sides, used in religious rites and rarely used in battle.
• Tati is a large curved sword (point length from 61 cm), used by horsemen, worn with the tip down.
• Nodachi or odachi - an extra-large blade (from 1 m to 1.8 m), which is a type of tachi, was worn behind the rider's back.
• Tanto - dagger (up to 30 cm long).
• Bamboo swords (shinai) and wooden swords (bokken) were used for training. The training weapon could be used in combat with an unworthy opponent, such as a robber.

Commoners and men of the lower classes had the right to defend themselves with small knives and daggers, since there was a law on the right to carry swords.

Katana sword

Katana is a samurai fighting sword, included in the standard weapon of a warrior along with a small wakizashi blade. It began to be used in the 15th century thanks to the improvement of tati. The katana is distinguished by an outwardly curved blade and a long, straight handle that allows it to be held with one or two hands. The blade has a slight bend and a pointed end, used for cutting and piercing blows. The weight of the sword is 1 - 1.5 kg. In terms of strength, flexibility and hardness, the samurai katana sword ranks first among other blades in the world; it cuts through bones, rifle barrels and iron, and is superior to Arab damask steel and European swords.

The blacksmith who forged weapons never made accessories; for this purpose he had other craftsmen subordinate to him. A katana is a construction set assembled as a result of the work of a whole team. Samurai always had several sets of accessories worn on occasion. The blade was passed down from generation to generation for centuries, and its appearance could change depending on the circumstances.

History of the katana

In 710, the legendary first Japanese swordsman Amakuni used a sword with a curved blade in battle. Forged from dissimilar plates, it had a saber shape. Its form did not change until the 19th century. Since the 12th century, katanas have been considered the swords of aristocrats. Under the reign of the Ashikaga shoguns, a tradition arose of wearing two swords, which became the privilege of the samurai class. A set of samurai swords was part of military, civilian and festive costume. All samurai, regardless of rank, wore two blades: from private to shogun. After the revolution, Japanese officials were required to wear European swords, and then katanas lost their high status.

Secrets of making a katana

The blade was forged from two types of steel: the core was made from tough steel, and the cutting edge was made from durable steel. The steel was cleaned by repeated folding and welding before forging.

In the manufacture of a katana, the choice of metal, special iron ore with impurities of molybdenum and tungsten. The master buried the iron rods in the swamp for 8 years. During this time the rust was eaten away weak spots, then the product was sent to the forge. The gunsmith turned the rods into foil with a heavy hammer. The foil was then folded and flattened repeatedly. Therefore, the finished blade consisted of 50,000 layers of high-strength metal.

Real samurai katanas have always been distinguished by a characteristic hamon line, which appears as a result of the use of special forging and hardening methods. The handle of the tsuka sword was wrapped in stingray skin and wrapped in a strip of silk. Souvenir or ceremonial katanas could have handles made of wood or ivory.

Katana Proficiency

The long hilt of the sword allows it to be maneuvered effectively. To hold the katana, use a grip, the end of the handle of which must be held in the middle of the left palm, and with the right hand, squeeze the handle near the guard. The synchronized swing of both hands made it possible for the warrior to achieve a wide amplitude of the swing without spending a lot of effort. The blows were delivered vertically to the enemy's sword or hands. This allows you to move your opponent's weapon out of the attack's path so you can hit him with the next swing.

Ancient Japanese weapons

Several varieties of Japanese weapons are of the auxiliary or secondary type.

• Yumi or o-yumi - combat bows (from 180 to 220 cm), which are oldest weapon Japan. Bows have been used in combat and in religious ceremonies since ancient times. In the 16th century they were supplanted by muskets brought from Portugal.
• Yari - a spear (5 m long), a weapon popular in the era of civil strife, was used by infantry to throw the enemy off a horse.
• Bo is a military fighting pole, nowadays classified as a sporting weapon. There are many options for the pole, depending on the length (from 30 cm to 3 m), thickness and cross-section (round, hexagonal, etc.).
• Yoroi-doshi was considered a dagger of mercy, resembled a stiletto and was used to finish off opponents wounded in battle.
• Kozuka or kotsuka - a military knife mounted in a sheath combat sword, was often used for economic purposes.
• Tessen or dansen uchiwa - a commander's battle fan. The fan was equipped with sharpened steel spokes and could be used in an attack, as a battle hatchet and as a shield.
• Jitte - an iron war club, a fork with two teeth. Used during the Tokugawa era as a police weapon. Using jitte, police intercepted samurai swords in battles with violent warriors.
• Naginata is a Japanese halberd, a weapon of warrior monks, a two-meter long pole with a small flat blade at the end. In ancient times, it was used by foot soldiers to attack enemy horses. In the 17th century it began to be used in samurai families as a feminine
• Kaiken is a combat dagger for aristocratic women. Used for self-defense, and also by dishonored girls for suicide.

During the period of internecine civil wars made in Japan firearms, flintlock (teppo) guns, which became considered unworthy with the rise of the Tokugawa. Since the 16th century, cannons also appeared in Japanese troops, but the bow and sword continued to occupy the main place in the samurai’s weapons.

Katana-kaji

Swords in Japan have always been made by people of the ruling class, often relatives of the samurai or courtiers. With the growing demand for swords, feudal lords began to patronize blacksmiths (katana-kaji). Making a samurai sword required careful preparation. The forging of swords resembled a liturgical ceremony and was filled with religious activities to protect the owner from evil forces.

Before starting work, the blacksmith observed a fast, abstained from bad thoughts and actions, and performed a ritual of cleansing the body. The forge was carefully cleaned and decorated with shime - ritual attributes woven from rice straw. Each forge had an altar for prayer and for moral preparation for work. If necessary, the master dressed in kuge - ceremonial clothing. Honor did not allow an experienced craftsman to make low-quality weapons. Sometimes a blacksmith would destroy a sword he might have spent several years crafting because of a single flaw. Work on one sword could last from 1 year to 15 years.

Japanese sword production technology

The melted metal obtained from magnetic iron ore was used as weapon steel. Samurai swords, considered the best in the Far East, were as durable as Damascus swords. In the 17th century, metal from Europe began to be used in the production of Japanese swords.

The Japanese blacksmith formed the blade from a huge number of iron layers, thin strips with different carbon content. The strips were welded together during melting and forging. Forging, stretching, repeated folding and new forging of metal strips made it possible to obtain a thin beam.

Thus, the blade consisted of many fused thin layers of different carbon steel. The combination of low-carbon and high-carbon metals gave the sword special hardness and toughness. At the next stage, the blacksmith polished the blade on several stones and hardened it. It is not uncommon for samurai swords from Japan to take several years to complete.

Murder at a Crossroads

The quality of the blade and the skill of the samurai were usually tested in battle. Nice sword allowed to cut three corpses laid on top of each other. It was believed that new samurai swords should be tested on humans. Tsuji-giri (killing at the crossroads) is the name of the ritual of testing a new sword. The victims of the samurai were beggars, peasants, travelers and just passers-by, whose number soon numbered in the thousands. The authorities posted patrols and guards on the streets, but the guards did not perform their duties well.

Samurai, who did not want to kill innocents, preferred another method - tameshi-giri. By paying the executioner, one could give him the blade that he used during the execution of the condemned man.

What is the secret of the sharpness of the katana?

A real katana sword can sharpen itself as a result of the ordered movement of molecules. Simply by placing the blade on a special stand, the warrior would again receive a sharp blade after a certain period of time. The sword was polished in stages, through ten reducing grits. Then the master polished the blade with charcoal dust.

On last stage The sword was hardened in liquid clay, as a result of this procedure a matte, thin strip (yakiba) appeared on the blade. Famous masters left their signature on the tail of the blade. After forging and hardening, the sword was polished for half a month. When the katana had a mirror shine, the work was considered completed.

Conclusion

A real samurai sword, the price of which is fabulous, is usually handmade ancient master. Such tools are difficult to find, as they are passed down in families as heirlooms. The most expensive katana have mei - the mark of the master and the year of manufacture on the shank. Many swords were decorated with symbolic forging, drawings that ward off evil spirits. The sword sheath was also decorated with ornaments.

The name "samurai" can be considered conditional. It is familiar to a European, who understands this type of sword primarily as a katana, but this form of sword came to Japan itself from Korea, and in Japanese chronicles of the 7th-13th centuries. such a sword was called “Korean”. The ancient Japanese sword - tsurugi - had a long handle and a straight, double-edged blade. They wore it obliquely behind their back and uncovered it, grabbing the handle with both hands at once. Since the 3rd century AD. The tsurugi becomes sharpened on only one side, and some types have a massive counterweight on the handle. Curved blades in Japan began to be made in the Heian era (the first serious mention of them dates back to 710), that is, almost simultaneously with the appearance of the classical saber in the Middle East. By the 12th century, with the growth of power and the strengthening of the samurai class, the curved blade, which was the service weapon of the samurai, completely replaced the straight one in Japan.

Both in European and in our literature there is sufficient confusion in the names of samurai swords. It is known that the samurai carried two swords - long and short. Such a pair was called daisho (literally "larger and smaller") and consisted of a daito ("larger sword"), which was the main weapon of the samurai, and a seto ("smaller sword"), which served as a spare or additional weapon used in close combat, for cutting off heads or hara-kiri, if the samurai did not have a kusungobu dagger specially designed for this. True, the custom of wearing two swords finally developed only in the 16th century. A long sword has a blade length of more than two shaku (shaku = 33 cm), a short sword - from one to two shaku (that is, 33-66 cm). The long sword is the most famous in Europe, usually called the "katana". But this is not entirely correct. A katana is a long sword that is worn in a sheath, tucked into the belt with the blade facing up, and is drawn from the sheath, unsheathed, in a downward motion. This method of wearing a sword appeared in the 14th-15th centuries. and became the main, most convenient one (by the way: wearing a katana in your belt with the blade up allows you to conveniently pull it out not only with your right, but also with your left hand). Until that time, the word “katana” meant a long dagger or a short sword tucked into the belt, and a long one was called " Tati". Tati was worn on his side in a sling tied to a sheath in which he was placed with the blade down, exposed from the bottom up. This method of carrying a long sword was suitable when samurai fought mainly on horseback, but for those on foot it was significantly less convenient. In addition, etiquette required that a long sword be removed when entering a house, and removing a sword in a sheath from a belt is much simpler and more convenient than unhooking them from the sling each time and then tying them back. From the 14th-15th centuries, when such swords began to be worn mainly in the belt, wearing a sword on a sling began to be considered rather ceremonial, and therefore the tati himself and his scabbard were treated much more richly, because they were ceremonial. The short sword, which was always carried in a sheath at the waist, was called a katana or tanto when worn in conjunction with a tachi. And when worn in conjunction with a long katana, it was called wakizashi. So the name of samurai swords mainly reflects the way they were worn, and the larger and smaller swords drawn from their scabbards, no matter what they were called, had the same length and shape, except perhaps very early forms the smaller sword (back when it was still called a katana) had a barely noticeable curvature and seemed almost straight.

The length of a daito is 95-120 cm, a seto is 50-70 cm. The handle of a long sword is usually designed for 3.5 fists, and a short one for 1.5. The blade width of both swords is about 3 cm, the thickness of the back is 5 mm, while the blade has a razor sharpness. The handle is usually covered with shark skin or wrapped in such a way that the handle does not slip in the hands. The weight of a long sword is about 4 kg. The guard of both swords was small, only slightly covering the hand, and had a round, petal or multifaceted shape. It was called "tsuba". The tsuba of the small sword could have additional slots for inserting additional knives into its sheath - throwing kozuka and utility kogai. The production of tsubas has literally turned into an artistic craft. They could have a complex openwork shape and be decorated with carvings or relief images.

In addition to the daisho, a samurai could also wear a nodachi - a “field sword” with a blade long more than a meter and a total length of about 1.5 m. It was usually worn behind the back like a tsurugi or on the shoulder, holding it with the hand. With the exception of length, nodachi was structurally no different from daito, which we will further call katana.

The rider could hold the katana with one hand, but in battle on the ground, this sword was preferred to be held with both hands because of its weight. Early katana techniques involved wide circular slashing movements, but later they became much more developed. The katana could be used to stab and chop equally easily. The long handle allows you to actively maneuver the sword. In this case, the main grip is the position when the end of the handle rests in the middle of the palm, and the right hand holds it near the guard. The simultaneous movement of both hands allows you to describe a wide amplitude with the sword without much effort.

Both the katana and the straight European sword of a knight weigh a lot, but the principles for performing chopping blows are completely different. The European method, aimed at piercing armor, involves maximum use inertia of the sword's movement and delivering a blow "with a sweep". In Japanese fencing, the person leads the sword, not the person's sword. There, the blow is also delivered with the force of the whole body, but not from a normal step, but from an additional step, in which the body receives a powerful push forward (greater than when turning the body). In this case, the blow is applied “fixed” to a given level, and the blade stops exactly where the master wants it, and the force of the blow is not extinguished. And when the master of the sword chops into small slices a head of cabbage or a watermelon lying on the stomach of his student, or cuts off half a lemon clutched in his teeth (often also blindly, blindfolded), then what is first of all demonstrated is his ability to catch a shot. And if such a blow does not hit the target, then it no longer pulls the owner along with it, as is the case with a European sword, but gives him the opportunity to change direction or strike the next one, especially since the short step allows him to deliver powerful blows at every step - today's A Kendoka with a black belt can perform three vertical sword strikes per second. Most of the blows are delivered in the vertical plane. There is almost no division into “block strike” accepted in Europe. There are knocking blows to the enemy's hands or weapons, throwing his weapon away from the line of attack and making it possible to deal a damaging blow to the enemy at the next step. They retreat forward when fighting with katanas. Leaving the line of attack while simultaneously striking is one of the most frequently used combinations. After all, we must keep in mind that a direct blow from a katana can cut through almost anything, and Japanese armor is simply not designed to “withstand” direct blows. A duel between true masters of the samurai sword can hardly be called a duel in the European sense of the word, because it is built on the principle of “one blow on the spot.” In kenjutsu there is a “duel of hearts”, when two masters simply stand motionless or sit and look at each other, and the one who first jerks to the weapon loses...

There were and are many schools of kenjutsu, as the art of sword fighting is called in Japan. Some convert Special attention to instantly leave the line of attack, accompanied by a vertical strike ("Shinkage-ryu"), others pay great attention to placing the left hand under the blade of the sword and combat techniques carried out using this technique ("Shinto-ryu"), others practice working with two swords at the same time - big in the right hand, small in the left ("Nito-ryu") - such fighters are called "reto zukai". Some people prefer cutting blows in a horizontal plane with a detour around the enemy - there is a lot in common between kenjutsu and aikido techniques. You can hit with the handle, you can grab the sword with a reverse grip, you can use trips and sweeps in close combat. The features of the samurai sword allow you to use almost all techniques for working with long bladed weapons.

In the 17th century, after the unification of the country under the rule of the Tokugawa house, a trend began to transform kenjutsu into kendo - a method of sword fighting into the Way of the Sword. Kendo paid a lot of attention to the moral self-improvement of the individual, and is now one of the most popular sports in Japan, which no longer uses the real military weapon, and its sports equivalents are made of wood or bamboo. For the first time, a wooden sword that follows the contours of a real one (bokken, or bokuto) was introduced by the legendary master of the 17th century. Miyamoto Musashi. True, such a wooden sword was still a formidable weapon that could easily split a skull. Samurai often kept bokken at home, at their head. In the event of a surprise attack, it was possible to use it to disarm and capture the enemy without shedding blood, simply, for example, by breaking his arms or breaking his collarbone...

Compared to the technique of fighting with a long Japanese sword, the technique of fighting with a short sword is less known. Here you can find lashing blows with a brush, built on the same principle of a fixed blow, and a suspended position of the sword, which fans of Slavic-Goritsky wrestling love to flaunt, and frequent blows with the handle to the solar plexus. Naturally, compared to a long sword, there are more thrusting blows, since this weapon is still intended for close-range combat.

A lot has been written about the place of the sword in Japanese society and Japanese culture. The sword was and remains one of the symbols of the imperial dynasty, an object of Shinto cult, one of the symbols of nurturing the national spirit. Before starting to make a real traditional Japanese sword, the Japanese blacksmith performed a long preparatory ritual, reminiscent of the preparation of a Russian icon painter for painting a church or creating an icon important to him: fasting, cleansing baths, long prayers, dressing in clean, ceremonial clothes, celibacy .

Perhaps in no other country in the world was sword etiquette so developed. As in other regions, a blade tucked into the belt on the right side or placed to the right of oneself signified trust in the interlocutor, because from this position the sword was more difficult to bring into combat readiness. When entering a house, a long sword was left at the entrance on a special stand, and entering inside with this sword meant demonstrating extreme disrespect. It was possible to hand over a sword to someone, both for display and for storage, only with the hilt towards oneself - turning the sword with the hilt towards the enemy meant disrespect for his abilities as a fencer, since a real master could instantly take advantage of this. When demonstrating weapons, the sword was never completely exposed, and it could only be touched with a silk scarf or a sheet of rice paper. Drawing a sword, striking the scabbard against the scabbard, and, even more so, rattling the weapon was tantamount to a challenge, which could be followed by a blow without any warning. As in Europe, swords could have names and were passed down from generation to generation. And the best Japanese gunsmiths often did not specifically brand their swords, believing that the weapon itself tells about who created it, and a person who is not able to understand this has no need to know who created the sword. The word "sword" was often taboo, and, for example, "wakizashi" literally means "stuck in the side"...

Speaking about the features of the manufacturing technology of a samurai sword, it is worth noting the weaknesses of this process, namely, while gaining greater hardness and power along the axis of the blade, this type of sword is more vulnerable if hit on its flat side. With such a blow you can break a katana even with a short mace (or Okinawan nunchucks, which were specially used to break samurai swords). And if a European sword usually breaks at a distance of a palm or two fingers from the guard, then a Japanese sword breaks at a distance of 1/3 or 1/2 of the length of the blade from the guard.

The Japanese sword is a bladed single-edged chopping weapon, produced using traditional Japanese technology from multilayer steel with controlled carbon content. The name is also used to designate a single-edged sword with the characteristic shape of a slightly curved blade that was the main weapon of the samurai warrior.

* Tachi is a long sword (blade length from 61 cm) with a relatively large bend (sori), intended mainly for mounted combat. There is a type of tachi called odachi, that is, a “large” tachi with a blade length of 1 m (from 75 cm from the 16th century). In museums they are shown in the blade-down position.
* Katana is a long sword (blade length 61-73 cm), with a slightly wider and thicker blade and less curvature compared to tachi. Visually, it is difficult to distinguish a katana from a tachi based on the blade; they differ primarily in the manner of wearing. Gradually, from the 15th century, the katana replaced the tati as a weapon for foot combat. In museums they are shown in the position with the blade up, according to the manner of wearing. In ancient times, daggers were called katanas, but since the 16th century this name was transferred to uchigatana swords.
* Wakizashi is a short sword (blade length 30.3-60.6 cm). Since the end of the 16th century, paired with a longer katana, it forms the standard set of samurai weapons, daisho (“long and short”). It was used both for fighting in close quarters and in tandem with a katana in some fencing techniques. Unlike the katana, non-samurai were allowed to wear it.
* Tanto (koshigatana) - dagger or knife (blade length< 30,3 см). В древности кинжалы называли не «танто», а «катана». Меч тати, как правило, сопровождался коротким танто.
* Tsurugi is a straight, double-edged sword, common in Japan until the 10th century. Many samples do not belong to real Japanese swords (nihonto), as they are made using Chinese or Korean technology. In a broad sense, the term was used in ancient times to refer to all swords. At a later time, it was replaced by the term ken to designate a straight sword.
* Naginata is an intermediate weapon between a sword and a spear: a strongly curved blade up to 60 cm long, mounted on a handle as long as a person’s height.
* Koto - lit. "old sword" Swords produced before 1596. It is believed that after this time many techniques of traditional technology were lost.
* Shinto - lit. " new sword" Swords produced from 1596 to 1868, that is, before the industrial revolution of the Meiji period. With rare exceptions, Shinto swords are not considered highly artistic creations of blacksmiths, although they may have luxurious finishes. Externally they resemble koto swords, but are inferior in metal quality.
* Gendaito - lit. "modern sword" Swords produced after 1868 to the present. Among them there are both showato (literally “sword of the Showa period”), mass-produced for the army using simplified factory technology, including shin-gunto (Japanese shin gunto:?, lit. “new army sword”), and swords , forged after the resumption of production in 1954 by modern blacksmiths according to traditional technologies, for which it is proposed to use the name shin-sakuto (Japanese shin sakuto:?, “newly made sword”) or shin-gendaito (lit. “new modern sword”).
* Tsuba is a guard with a characteristic round shape, except functional purpose(to protect the hand) served as a decoration for the sword.
* Hamon - a pattern line on a blade that appears after it is hardened between the blade and the butt as a result of the formation of fine-grained crystalline structures in the metal.

Samurai sword

Japanese technology for making swords from iron began to develop in the 8th century and reached its highest perfection by the 13th century, making it possible to produce not just military weapons, but a real work of art that cannot be fully reproduced even in modern times. For about a thousand years, the shape of the sword remained virtually unchanged, changing slightly mainly in length and degree of bending in accordance with the development of close combat tactics. The sword, being one of the three ancient regalia of the Japanese emperor, also had ritual and magical significance in Japanese society.

Terminology

Japanese names are often used in literature to refer to varieties of Japanese swords and their parts. Brief dictionary most frequently used concepts:

Comparison table of Japanese swords

History of the Japanese sword

Ancient swords. Until the 9th century.

The first iron swords were brought to the Japanese islands in the 2nd half of the 3rd century by Chinese traders from the mainland. This period of Japanese history is called Kofun (lit. “mounds”, III - centuries). The kurgan-type graves preserved, although heavily damaged by rust, swords from that period, divided by archaeologists into Japanese, Korean and, most commonly, Chinese designs. Chinese swords had a straight, narrow, single-edged blade with a large ring-shaped pommel on the tang. Japanese examples were shorter, with a wider, straight, double-edged blade and a massive pommel. During the Asuka period (-), with the help of Korean and Chinese blacksmiths, Japan began to produce its own iron, and by the 7th century they mastered composite technology. Unlike previous samples, forged from a solid iron strip, swords began to be made by forging from iron and steel plates.

In the old days (the period of Koto swords, around 2000), there were approximately 120 blacksmith schools, which over the centuries produced swords with characteristic stable features developed by the founding master of the school. In modern times (the period of Shinto swords - gg.) 80 schools are known. There are about 1000 outstanding masters of the blacksmith's craft, and in total, over a thousand years of the history of the Japanese sword, more than 23 thousand swordsmiths have been recorded, of which most (4 thousand) during the koto (old swords) period lived in the province of Bizen (modern Okayama Prefecture ).

Iron ingots were flattened into thin sheets, cooled rapidly in water, and then broken into coin-sized pieces. After this, a selection of pieces was carried out, pieces with large inclusions of slag were discarded, and the rest were sorted by color and granular structure of the fault. This method allowed the smith to select steel with a predictable carbon content ranging from 0.6 to 1.5%.

Further release of slag residues in steel and reduction of carbon content was carried out during the forging process - joining individual small pieces into a blank for a sword.

Blade forging

Cross section of a Japanese sword. Shown are two common structures with excellent combinations in the direction of the steel layers. Left: The metal of the blade will show texture. itame, on right - masame.

Pieces of steel with approximately the same carbon content were poured onto a plate of the same metal, in a single block everything was heated to 1300°C and welded together with hammer blows. The process of forging the workpiece begins. The workpiece is flattened and folded in half, then flattened again and folded in half in the other direction. As a result of repeated forging, multilayer steel is obtained, finally cleared of slag. It is easy to calculate that when the workpiece is folded 15 times, almost 33 thousand layers of steel are formed - the typical density of Damascus for Japanese swords.

The slag still remains a microscopic layer on the surface of the steel layer, forming a peculiar texture ( hada), resembling a pattern on the surface of wood.

To make a sword blank, the blacksmith forges at least two bars from hard high-carbon steel ( kawagane) and softer low-carbon ( shingane). From the first, a U-shaped profile approximately 30 cm long is formed, into which a block is placed shingane, without reaching the part that will become the top and which is made of the best and hardest steel kawagane. Then the blacksmith heats the block in a forge and welds the component parts together by forging, after which he increases the length of the workpiece at 700-1100°C to the size of a sword.

With more complex technology welded up to 4 bars: from the hardest steel ( hagane) form the cutting blade and apex, 2 bars of less hard steel go to the sides, and a bar of relatively soft steel forms the core. The composite structure of the blade can be even more complex with a separate welding of the butt.

Forging is used to shape the blade of the blade to a thickness of about 2.5 mm (in the area of ​​the cutting edge) and its edge. The upper tip is also straightened by forging, for which the end of the workpiece is cut diagonally. Then the long end (on the blade side) of the diagonal cut is forged to the short one (butt), as a result of which the structure of the metal at the top provides increased strength in the striking zone of the sword, while maintaining hardness and thereby the possibility of very sharp sharpening.

Blade hardening and polishing

Next important stage sword manufacturing is the heat treatment of the blade to strengthen the cutting edge, as a result of which a hamon pattern appears on the surface of the sword, specific to Japanese swords. Up to half of the blanks in the hands of the average blacksmith never become real swords as a result of failed hardening.

For heat treatment, the blade is covered with an uneven layer of heat-resistant paste - a mixture of clay, ash and stone powder. The exact composition of the paste was kept secret by the master. The blade was covered with a thin layer, the thickest layer of paste was applied to the middle part of the blade, where hardening was undesirable. The liquid mixture was leveled and, after drying, scratched in a certain order in the area closer to the blade, thanks to which a pattern was prepared jamon. The blade with the dried paste is heated evenly along its length until approx. 770°C (controlled by the color of the hot metal), then immersed in a container of water with the blade down. Sudden cooling changes the structure of the metal near the blade, where the thickness of the metal and heat-protective paste is thinnest. The blade is then reheated to 160°C and cooled again. This procedure helps reduce stress in the metal caused by hardening.

The hardened area of ​​the blade has an almost white tint compared to the rest of the blade's darker gray-bluish surface. The border between them is clearly visible in the form of a patterned line jamon, which is interspersed with shiny martensite crystals in iron. In ancient times, the hamon looked like a straight line along the blade; during the Kamakura period, the line became wavy, with fancy curls and transverse lines. It is believed that in addition to aesthetic appearance, the wavy, heterogeneous line of the hamon allows the blade to better withstand impact loads, damping sudden stresses in the metal.

If the procedure is followed, as an indicator of the quality of hardening, the butt of the blade acquires a whitish tint, utsuri(lit. reflection). Utsuri reminds jamon, but its appearance is not a consequence of the formation of martensite, but an optical effect resulting from a slight change in the structure of the metal in this zone compared to the nearby body of the blade. Utsuri is not a mandatory attribute of a quality sword, but indicates successful heat treatment for certain technologies.

When the blade is heated during the hardening process to a temperature of more than 770°, its surface acquires a richness of shades and a richness of pattern details. However, this may damage the strength of the sword. Combine fighting qualities Only the blacksmiths of the Sagami province during the Kamakura period succeeded in creating a sword with a luxurious design of the metal surface; high-quality swords of other schools are distinguished by a rather strict manner of design of the blade.

The final finishing of the sword is no longer carried out by a blacksmith, but by an artisan polisher, whose skill was also highly valued. Using a series of polishing stones of varying grits and water, the polisher would polish the blade to perfection, after which the smith would stamp his name and other information onto the unpolished tang. The sword was considered ready, the remaining operations were to attach the handle ( tsuki), guards ( tsuba), applying jewelry was classified as an auxiliary procedure that did not require magical skill.

Fighting qualities

The combat quality of the best Japanese swords cannot be assessed. Due to their uniqueness and high price testers do not have the opportunity to test and compare them with the best work of gunsmiths from other regions of the world. It is necessary to distinguish between the capabilities of the sword for different situations. For example, sharpening a sword for maximum sharpness (for tricks with cutting handkerchiefs in the air) will be unsuitable for cutting through armor. In ancient times and the Middle Ages, legends were spread about the capabilities of weapons that could not be demonstrated in modern times. Below are some legends and facts about the capabilities of the Japanese sword.

Modern assessment of Japanese swords

After the surrender of Japan in World War II, the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition issued an order to destroy all Japanese swords, but after the intervention of experts, in order to preserve historical relics of significant artistic value, the order was changed. The Society for the Preservation of Artistic Japanese Swords (NBTHK) was created, one of its tasks was to provide an expert assessment of the historical value of the sword. In 1950, Japan passed the Law on Cultural Heritage, which, in particular, determined the procedure for preserving Japanese swords as part of the cultural heritage of the nation.

The sword evaluation system is multi-stage, starting with the assignment of the lowest category and ending with the awarding of the highest titles (the top two titles are under the purview of the Japanese Ministry of Culture):

• National Treasure ( kokuho). About 122 swords have the title, mostly tachi from the Kamakura period, katana and wakizashi in this list are less than 2 dozen.
• Important cultural property. About 880 swords have the title.
• A particularly important sword.
• An important sword.
• A particularly guarded sword.
• Guarded sword.

In modern Japan, it is possible to keep a registered sword with only one of the above titles, otherwise the sword is subject to confiscation as a type of weapon (unless it is classified as a souvenir). The actual quality of the sword is certified by the Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Sword (NTHK), which issues an expert opinion according to the established standard.

Currently in Japan, it is customary to evaluate a Japanese sword not so much by its combat parameters (strength, cutting ability), but by criteria applicable to a work of art. A high-quality sword, while maintaining the properties of an effective weapon, should provide aesthetic pleasure to the observer, have perfection of form and harmony of artistic taste.

Sources

The article was written based on materials from the following publications:

• Sword. Kodansha encyclopedia of Japan. 1st ed. 1983. ISBN 0-87011-620-7 (U.S.)
• A. G. Bazhenov, “History of the Japanese sword”, St. Petersburg, 2001, 264 pp. ISBN 5-901555-01-5
• A. G. Bazhenov, “Examination of the Japanese sword,” St. Petersburg, 2003, 440 p. ISBN 5-901555-14-7.
• Leon and Hiroko Kapp, Yoshindo Yoshihara, “The Craft of the Japanese Sword.” Translation into Russian on the website www.katori.ru.

Notes

1. The term “tati” has been established in Russian-language literature. Russian phonetics does not allow you to accurately convey the sound; English phonetics reproduces the name as tachi.
2. There is no exact deflection standard for tati. At the beginning, the Tati sword had an almost saber-like curvature; by the 14th century the blade straightened. The sori deflection is standardly measured as the maximum distance from the butt to the straight line between the tip of the sword and the base of the blade. The handle is not taken into account in the calculation of curvature.
3. Definitions of the types of Japanese swords are given in A. Bazhenov’s book “Examination of the Japanese Sword” according to the explanation of the Japanese association NBTHK (Society for the Preservation of Artistic Japanese Swords), responsible for the certification of Japanese blades.
4. Although the tachi is on average longer than the katana, it is not uncommon for the length of the katana to exceed the length of the tachi.
5. These lengths are obtained by converting the traditional Japanese length measure shaku (30.3 cm, approx. elbow length) into cm.
6. That is, until the end of the Momoyama period. Traditionally Japanese history is divided into unequal periods, determined by the names of the settlements that became the emperor’s habitat.
7. Aoi Art Tokyo: Japanese auction house specializing in Japanese swords.
   Japanese Sword Ginza Choshuya Magazine: A store selling Japanese swords, publishes a catalog every month.
8. The Kogarasu-Maru sword is made in the unusual kissaki-moroha style popular during the Nara period. Half of the blade is double-edged to the tip, the other half has a blunt edge. There is a central groove running along the blade; the blade itself is very slightly curved, but there is a rather strong bend in the shank in relation to the blade. There is no signature on the sword. Kept in the collection of the imperial family. See photo in Bazhenov’s book “History of the Japanese Sword”.
9. "Lumbar curve" ( koshi-zori) was named so because the maximum deflection of the blade when wearing a sword comfortably fit the body just in the lumbar region.
10. The butt can be flat or semicircular, but such examples are extremely rare among real Japanese swords.
11. A. G. Bazhenov, “History of the Japanese sword”, p. 41
12. A. G. Bazhenov, “History of the Japanese sword”, p. 147
13. Sword. Kodansha encyclopedia of Japan.
14. A. Bazhenov, “Examination of the Japanese sword”, pp. 307-308
15. A brilliant clear color of the fracture indicates a carbon content greater than 1% (high carbon steel).
16. The process of forging a sword is described according to the booklet of the All-Japan Association of Swordsmiths and the book “The Craft of the Japanese Sword” (see sources), which describes the ancient technology restored by a modern master.