The Art of the Japanese Sword - Yoshindo Yoshihara

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      THE STEEL AND STRUCTURE OF THE JAPANESE SWORD - PAGE 44

      SWORD MOUNTINGS: KOSHIRAE AND SHIRASAYA - PAGE 51

      THOUGHTS ON THE JAPANESE SWORD - PAGE 64

      CHAPTER I

      KANSHO

       APPRECIATING THE JAPANESE SWORD

      A painting from 1129 showing Prince Arisugawa examining a sword. Notice that the sword rests on the sleeve of the prince’s kimono. He is being very careful not to touch the blade with his bare skin, a custom that is followed even today. Screen from the Kitano-Tenmangu shrine, Kyoto. Reprinted with permission.

      Yoshindo holds the sword upright at arm’s length to examine the overall shape and proportions.

      Examining all of the critical but subtle details in a Japanese sword is a demanding task that requires good lighting and a properly polished sword in good condition at the outset. There are three major aspects to consider when viewing a sword: its shape, the surface of the steel, and the pattern on the hardened cutting edge.

      The sword is held upright at arm’s length so that its overall shape can be easily perceived. Details to notice are the length, the degree of tapering from the base of the blade to the point, the degree of curvature, and the shape and size of the point. The thickness of the blade, along with its weight and balance, should also be noted.

      To examine the surface of the steel, a good light source should be placed above and behind the observer as the flat side of the blade is viewed. Points to notice include the color of the steel (which will be rather dark in comparison to most modern steels) and the jihada, which is the texture or visible pattern on the surface. This is the result of the folding of the steel as it is forged. Depending on how a smith folds and forges the steel, one of several different patterns may be visible. A series of fairly straight lines running along the blade’s length is called “masame hada”; a pattern resembling wood grain is “itame hada”; and a very fine and complex pattern resembling the grain of a wood burl is called “mokume hada.” There are many variations on these patterns, depending on how the steel was made and the sword forged.

      Yoshindo is examining the surface of the steel, looking down at the sword with the light coming from behind and overhead.

      One of the most prominent aspects of a Japanese sword is its hamon, the area of hardened steel along the cutting edge. After forging, Japanese swords undergo a process that results in the formation of a very hard steel called martensite along the edge. Because the crystalline structure of the martensite that makes up the hamon is different from that of the softer steel in the upper body of the sword, the hamon stands out. A good hamon is clearly visible, with a continuous boundary along the body of the sword; it should be present along the entire length of the sword as well as on its point.

      To view the hamon, hold the sword slightly below a focused light source such as a bare incandescent or halogen bulb. Around the light reflected on the blade, it is usually possible to see the distinct white line that defines the boundary between the hard martensite edge and the softer upper body of the sword. Many intricate details can usually be seen along this boundary line and within the hamon.

      Examining a Japanese sword is an active process: not only must the blade be held in the proper position to examine each part of the sword, but it must be moved continuously so that the light reflected from the focused source moves along the surface of the steel, revealing its features (the jigane and jihada), as well as the details of the hamon. Learning to perceive all of the important aspects of the sword is a task that requires some practice.

      To view the hamon, the blade is aimed just below a focused light source such as a bare bulb. Around the light reflected on the blade, the line defining the hamon boundary, as well as all the details in the hamon, should become very clear.

      Japanese swords require regular maintenance to remain in good condition. It can take a professional polisher a significant amount of time to polish a new sword or restore an old one, and the resulting finish on the sword must be carefully preserved. Many customs or rules have been developed in Japan to take care of these swords. These rules should be carefully observed to preserve a sword in good condition.

      In accordance with Japanese custom, a person bows to the sword before looking at it.

      The sword bag is untied and the sword is removed.

      A Japanese sword is stored in a specially designed cloth bag. When first picking up a sword, it is customary to bow to the sword before removing it from the bag.

      The cloth ribbon securing the mouth of the bag is untied, and the sword and scabbard are removed from the bag. The hilt is then gripped securely with the fingers of one hand, while the thumb of the same hand pushes the scabbard to separate it from the hilt gently and securely. Using this technique ensures that the sword comes out of the scabbard slowly, rather than in a sudden movement that could damage the scabbard or injure the person holding the sword.

      If the scabbard is very tight, use both hands and both thumbs to ease the sword slowly out of the scabbard, with the thumbs acting as a brake. Once the blade can move freely, remove it completely from the scabbard. To minimize damage to the highly polished surface, the sword should be drawn from the scabbard slowly, with the cutting edge turned upward toward the ceiling. The blade should slide only along its back surface as it is pulled out. If the blade were removed with the cutting edge down, it would cut through the scabbard; sliding it out on its side would eventually produce visible scratches along the polished surface.

      Once the sword is out of the scabbard, the blade is usually removed from the hilt so that all of its features, including the tang, may be examined. The tang is secured in the wooden hilt by a bamboo rivet called a “mekugi.” A hammer-like tool called a “mekugi-nuki” is used to loosen this rivet and push it out of the hilt from one side. Since the bamboo rivet is tapered, its smaller end is pushed flush with the surface of the hilt; the rivet is then removed from the other side.

      A Japanese sword is designed to fit snugly into the mouth of the scabbard, so the hilt must be loosened before the blade is pulled out. To begin to remove the sword, Yoshindo grasps the hilt with his right hand and pushes on the scabbard with his right thumb to ease it away from the hilt. This precaution will prevent a tightly fitting sword from suddenly jumping out of the scabbard. The right thumb and right hand on

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