Archive for the ‘Glossary’ Category

Ashigaru

Ashigaru: 足軽

An infantryman, not of the samurai class, generally armed with a yari, which formed the bulk of the large armies of the Warring Provinces Period (sengoku jidai) in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Aranie

Aranie

Course nie.

Gomabashi

Gomabashi

A carving on the ji, horimono, in the form of two short parallel grooves, which represent Buddhist ritual tongs.

Mekugi

Mekugi 目釘

The peg that passes through a hole (mekugi-ana) in both the nakago and the tsuka, and which secures the blade to the handle.

Kojiri

Kojiri

A sword fitting made of soft metal or buffalo horn, which covers the end of the saya, scabbard.

Sageo

Sageo

A cord used to secure a sword to the obi (a sash).  The sageo runs through the kurigata or a ring which serves as one on the saya.   When swords are displayed, the sageo is often tied in a elaborate knot.

Chu-kissaki

Chu-kissaki

A point of medium length, approximately the width of the blade near the point.

Ichimai

Ichimai

A blade construction style in which the blade is forged from a single piece of folded steel.

Sunobe

Sunobe


A billet of steel which will be forged into a blade. A sunobe should have an even distal taper, as well as taper in width like a sword. A sunobe may be the result of several billets forge-welded together in the case of hon-san-mai and other complex blade constructions.

Yokote

Yokote

A clearly polished line that runs perpendicular to the ha and differentiates the kissaki. The yokote should mark the plane where the geometry of the edge changes at the kissaki.

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