Garda on Japanese swords 4 letters. Japanese samurai sword. Tachi - a sword as long as a katana

MUSO JIKIDEN EISIN RYU IAI HEIHO

Without a doubt, the most noticeable and beautiful detail of the Japanese sword is its tsuba, that is, the guard. It is difficult to say where this enduring custom came from, but for a millennium the blades of all traditional swords (including many spears and naginas) have been separated from the hilt by a flat disc. On the one hand, the classic Chinese saber “dao” has a round guard, although it is surrounded by a rather wide belt, on the other hand, the famous straight sword “jian” is equipped with an ordinary crosspiece such as waves or horns. Most likely, the transverse plate came from Korea, since it is Korean swords that most of all resemble Japanese ones, including the mount.
The idea may seem doubtful, since the tsuba gives the hands a very illusory protection, but here one should take into account the basic principles of Japanese fencing, which deny direct stands for an enemy strike, especially the European habit of taking it “on the guard”. The design of the tsuba is both simple and intricate, and all its fragments are subject to the strict norms of tradition. All the more surprising is the skill with which the manufacturers (tsubako) managed to give the small disk such a variety of forms. If we imagine some average tsuba, it is easy to notice a number of common elements that are present in the vast majority of products.

The most noticeable details in the outline of any tsuba are: the oval “seppa-dai” platform (Seppa Dai) in the center, as well as the “kogai-ana” and “kozuka-ana” windows, designed to exit the handles of the kogatana knife and the kogai hairpin, so that the owner had the ability to extract them without extending the blade. "Ana" - a hole, sometimes also called "hitsu" (Hitsu), that is, "slot". Accordingly, you can come across the terms “kogai-hitsu” and “kozuka-hitsu”, as well as the general concept of “r-hitsu” (Rio Hitsu), which implies both windows at once:

It is easy to notice the obvious differences in their clearance: kozuka-ana is always oval, while ko-gai-ana has the appearance of a shamrock. But this is a classic, and a large number of tsubs are perforated by two identical windows of one configuration or another. Occasionally there are arbitrary contours of a triangular, square or generally frivolous shape:

Also, about half of the products have only one window, and some are completely solid:

Quite often, one of the windows or both are immediately sealed with a copper (”suaka”) or tin-lead (“savari”) seal, called “hitsu-ume” (Hitsu Ume). It is not entirely clear why, but this was done in cases where the old tsuba was mounted on a katana. At the same time, the kogai-ana became unnecessary, because the katana sheath was only occasionally equipped with a kogatana knife, and never a kogai:

By the way, this is an indirect confirmation of the true purpose of the kogai hairpin as a tool for untying the tight knots of armor lacing. Therefore, the tsuba, left over from the old tachi, always have a kogai-ana, but the katana was worn with a civilian dress, without armor - and the pin became unnecessary. Also, by the location of the windows relative to the center, we can judge what type of sword the tsuba was intended for. The fact is that the kogatana is always (!) Located from the inside, closer to the body. But the different way of wearing tachi and katana (blade down or up) involves changing the positions of the windows. Some prudent tsubako cut out two kogai-ana, making the tsuba universal, since the flat “kozuka” (kogatana handle) fits freely in an equally wide hole.

It should also be remembered that the front side of the tsuba is the one that faces the handle, so that oncoming people have the opportunity to admire the fine work. Accordingly, most images (if they are correctly executed) show us exactly the “face”. However, there are other opinions on this matter, so you should not take what has been said as a standard or truth that is applicable always and everywhere.
It is quite rare to find a tsuba that does not demonstrate a pronounced “seppa-dai” platform. This oval elevation follows the shape of the “sep-pa” washers that were worn on the shank both behind the tsuba and in front of it. The idea is simple - by selecting washers of different thicknesses, the assembler achieved a tight fit of all the parts so that they were pressed by the end of the handle. But since there is something available for decoration, this should be immediately realized - the butt of the seppa was usually minted or cut into thin lace. The surface of the site itself was not decorated in any way, but it was here that the manufacturer placed a narrow column of hieroglyphs explaining the name of the master, the name of the city or region, the customer's coordinates, the day, year, month, and so on. At the same time, a huge number of beautiful copies are outrageously anonymous, acquiring the status of “mu-mei” (“without a signature”). The windows of the r-hitsu usually only lightly touch the seppa-dai, but sometimes they cut deep into the depths:

Exactly in the middle of the tsuba, we see a wedge-shaped window “nakago-ana”, through which passed nakago - the shank of the sword. In order for the tsuba not to wobble on the blade, pieces of soft non-ferrous metal (brass, copper) are almost always driven into the lower and upper corners of the nakago-ana. Slightly sawing or flattening pliable fragments, the master ensured an individual fit of this tsuba to this sword. Such tabs were called “seki-gane” (Sekigane) or “kuchi-beni” (Kuchibeni).
If the tsuba did not have this, then the fitting was carried out by chasing the edge of the nakago-ana directly. There are instances literally mutilated by a series of alterations.

There is an extremely persistent misconception regarding the size and thickness of the tsuba, and this misconception is characteristic of just those who, by occupation, are required to know about the subject in almost every way. We are talking about the manufacturers of modern replicas of “Japanese” swords, giving out hundreds and thousands of implausible fantasies, only from the side resembling nihon something. And just the tsuba suffered from their hands the most.

So, the average size of a tsuba for large swords is 75-85 mm with a thickness of 3-4 mm. Of course, at all times there were exceptions to the rules, but these numbers are correct in 99% of cases. Accordingly, the wakizashi were equipped with 60-70 mm tsubas with the same thickness, and the tanto protection was almost symbolic, literally 40-50 mm. But there are plenty of different disk shapes, although they fit into several basic types.

Round (Maru-gata)

oval (Nagamaru-gata)

Oval tsuba serve as a kind of transitional form from round to quadrangular. Sometimes it is a pure circle, slightly compressed vertically (horizontal ovals were not and are not), sometimes it is a rounded square or rectangle (Nagegaku-gata). Depending on the amount of rounding, the instance is closer to either one or the other group:

quadrangular (Kaku-gata)

Modern cinematographers have supplied dexterous ninja with straight swords with a huge square tsuba, which has concave sides, like an ace of diamonds. In fact, rectangular or square tsuba have been popular in the samurai environment at all times, but the vast majority of them are rounded. Probably, it was these products that were loved by real ninjas, since they could really serve as a step if you leaned the sword against the wall. Let their size and thickness differ upwards (slightly), but they did not arouse suspicion among vigilant “spy hunters”. This category also includes trapezoidal tsuba:

mocha (Mokko-gata)

The lobed silhouette of such a disc could serve as a hallmark of all tsubs in general, since it is he who is strongly associated with a small Japanese miracle. It is even difficult to say which forms hold the palm. In fact, mochas are round and oval tsubas that have four “slices”, exactly like a melon, by analogy with which they were named. The cutting depth of the “petals” varies from almost imperceptible to very solid. Then the form becomes “iri-mocha” (“deep mocha”):

The last two specimens show us a rather rare decorative element - small paired “udenuki-ana” holes in the lower part of the disk. There is an opinion that they symbolize the sun and the moon, and for greater persuasiveness, their edges were sometimes surrounded by gold and silver piping.

Polygonal

This is not a very common form, and we only occasionally meet with oaks that have the appearance of a hexagon or an octagon. Indeed, they harmonize quite badly with the classic design of the Japanese sword, and the samurai, sensitive to such things, intuitively preferred something more natural. Diamond-shaped and cruciform silhouettes are completely rare:

aou (Aoi-gata)

It is a kind of “mocha”, formed by four characteristic “petals”, or it has symmetrical gaps in the shape of a “heart”. Such an element is known in Japan as "inome" ("boar's eye"). In general, the contour is similar to the leaf of the “aoi” plant, which is why the name came from:

Sitogi (Shitogi-gata)

This is the rarest and most unusual type of guard, which is not even a “tsuba” in the usual sense for us. A similar style was used exclusively in the mounting of precious ceremonial and ceremonial swords, a kind of executive exclusive. The name comes from an analogy with the shape of a sacrificial rice cake used in Shinto rites:

Arbitrary

This category includes products whose external design is formed by elements that the master arranged in accordance with his own imagination, without trying to rigidly fit them into one of the traditional forms. But, by and large, each such tsuba is either round, or oval, or some other, and minor protruding and depressed areas do not at all destroy the overall impression:

It should be emphasized that all the samples shown above are intended for mounting tachi, katana and wakizashi swords. But - depending on the size of the blade, the tsuba of the latter either almost do not differ from the standard, or are noticeably smaller, and are quite suitable for heavy tantos, although in reality the category of “knife” tsuba includes absolutely independent products:

It is impossible otherwise - the vanishingly small dimensions forced the artists to find extremely concise and expressive solutions. However, any of the given tsubs may well be used when mounting a small wakizashi. This category was called simply - “sho” (Sho), that is, “small”.

A very important detail, which is always taken into account when classifying tsuba, is the outer rim “mimi” (Mimi). Depending on the style, there are rims made flush with the plane of the disk, raised (dote-mimi) or narrowed (goishi). A thick bezel forged directly from the plate is called "uchikaeshi-mimi" (Uchikaeshi Mimi). According to the type of section, there are round (”maru”), square (”kaku”) or rounded (”ko-niku”) rims. Occasionally there are tsuba with an overlaid (“fuku-rin”) rim, made, as a rule, of soft metal - gold, silver, copper, brass.

Although today the main stock of surviving iron tsubas has an almost bare surface, once they were all covered with a layer of durable varnish, traces of which are present on the vast majority of specimens. Usually it is black or transparent varnish, but there are also colored varieties: red, golden, and so on. This is natural - in the rainy climate of Japan, defenseless iron would not last even a year.

Until the 16th century, most tsuba were heavy, thick forged products made of iron or non-ferrous metals, and, moreover, anonymous. The gunsmiths did not make them “to take away”, but simply completed the new sword with the corresponding tsuba. But rather quickly (by historical standards) the production of protective disks became a special kind of art, and each samurai could order a unique copy, in accordance with personal financial capabilities. In addition to such rarities, experienced tsubako accumulated a fair assortment of author's works, and the exacting warrior faced the problem of choice. As already mentioned, the “dai-sho” kits were equipped with paired tsubas and other mount details, which were created by the same hands.

From the point of view of the material, solid iron tsuba look more durable, but the openwork slotted work of the “sukashi” (Sukashi) did not weaken the structure, since not a homogeneous metal was used, but a multilayer forged package with high-carbon fragments. After the final processing, these inclusions, the so-called “tekkotsu” (Tekkotsu), clearly appeared on the edge of the plate in the form of light grains of various shapes. They are rightfully considered one of the fundamental classification features, just like watermarks on securities. Unfortunately, the figure (the thickness of the disk is slightly increased for clarity) gives us only a distant idea, and besides, there are quite a few forms of tekkotsu:

The use of pure red copper in early tsuba is not as ridiculous as it might seem at first glance. Being soft and pliable, this metal has its own characteristics. Firstly, after cold forging, the strength of the product increases many times, so much so that it even acquires some elasticity. And secondly, the unique viscosity of copper protects against a sharp blade almost better than average iron. Such a tsuba will be wrinkled, but not cut off, and the hands will remain intact.

In the future, a rare variety of bronze, the famous Shakudo alloy, which includes up to 70% gold, becomes increasingly popular as a material for tsuba, as well as other components. After a special treatment (presumably in vinegar), as well as from time to time, the surface took on a persistent, uniquely deep color, blue-black and warm at the same time, which cannot be obtained in any other way. Thanks to this, shakudo perfectly combines with other traditional alloys: the no less famous copper-silver “shibuichi” (Shibuichi) and copper-zinc-lead “sentoku” (Sentoku). The combination of sparkling cold and velvety warm tones gave rise to an amazing yin-yang harmony, which is generally characteristic of most Japanese, Chinese and Korean products.

Of course, the art of tsuba reached its peak during the Edo period. The formidable utility of military swords was replaced by sophisticated decor, and the Goto family, a concentrate of hereditary jewelers and metal artists, becomes the most prominent representative of this trend. The sophisticated, tasteful work fully met the needs of the samurai of the new formation (of course, representatives of the upper strata, since Goto were the official masters of the shogunate). A characteristic stylistic feature of their products is a high relief against a calm background and an abundance of gold. This winning manner pleased contemporaries. Many secondary schools immediately arose (for example, Ishiguro, Iwamoto), which filled the market with excellent tsubas, least of all resembling the simple and practical discs of the “epoch of the warring provinces”.

State policy of the late 16th and early 17th centuries restricted the import of foreign goods into Japan. Chinese and "southern barbarians" (Namban), merchants from Holland and Portugal were allowed only in the port of Nagasaki. As a result, a fascination with European customs, weapons and quirks arose among a number of craftsmen. For example, Yoshitsugi was one of many who began to develop a synthetic direction, combining European elements with Chinese dragon and floral lines and swirls, which eventually led to the namban style. The work used fragile fibrous iron with a through (land) and solid (nunome) pattern, mainly from intertwined dragons, plant and animal ornaments, chased rims and decorative rectangles. Throughout the 17th century, the predominance of the artistic principle was expressed in even greater decorativeness, and at the turn of the 18th century, development finally moved along the path of sophistication of technology, color and the use of precious metals. Unjustified priority is given to easy-to-work gold (Kin), silver (Gin), the mentioned shakudo and shibu-ichi. Decorating technology is also undergoing noticeable shifts. If the surface of the old iron tsuba fully reflected the purely Japanese understanding of beauty lurking in the deliberately rough traces of forging or in cutting “under the stone”, then the appearance of the successors is too chic. The virtuosity of the engraving, the depth and precision of the relief, the irreproachability of the multi-colored backgrounds and plans drown the living nature in themselves. This is not Shibui, not Zen, and not the simplicity of the tea ceremony, but dead and cold perfection.

Summing up, it can be argued that in reality the “golden age” of tsuba was the troubled and bloody times of Muromachi and Momoyama. It was then that the largest number of iron discs were made, later recognized as classics of samurai aesthetics (styles of Owari, Onin, etc.). Not luxury and brilliance, but harsh simplicity and functionality - these are the qualities worthy of a real tsuba, at one glance at which, in the silence of the museum corridors, you can hear the frantic neighing of horses and the dry clang of fatal blades!

A huge number of tsuba specimens that have survived to this day (both mounted on swords and “free”) have long been divided by experts into a number of style groups. Each region, each dynasty of craftsmen or school introduced unique features into the products, in accordance with which, we can now quite reliably attribute objects. The presence of a signature simplifies the classification, but even without it, the totality of many obvious or almost imperceptible details can tell the biography of the plate almost without distortion. The colored inserts provide a brief overview of the most significant and common styles, a kind of “tsuba reader”, by studying which you will easily navigate the seemingly chaotic world of these amazing things.

Japanese sword (jap. 日本刀 nihonto:) - bladed single-edged chopping and cutting weapon, made according to traditional Japanese technology from multi-layer steel with controlled carbon content. The name is also used for a single-edged sword with the characteristic shape of a slightly curved blade, which was the primary weapon of the samurai warrior.

According to experts, more than 2 million Japanese swords have been made in history, of which about 100 thousand copies are currently stored in Japan, and the largest collection is located in the USA and has more than 300 thousand blades (taken out of Japan after World War II).

Japanese technology for making iron swords began to develop from the 8th century and reached its highest perfection by the 13th century. For about a thousand years, the shape of the sword remained practically unchanged, slightly changing mainly in length and degree of bend 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

Literature often uses Japanese names to refer to varieties of the Japanese sword and its details. A short glossary of the most commonly used terms:

• Tati - a long sword (blade length from 61 cm) with a relatively large bend ( sorry), was intended mainly for equestrian combat. There is a type of tachi called odachi, meaning "large" tati 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 - a long sword (blade length 61-73 cm), with a slightly wider and thicker blade and less bend compared to tachi. Visually, it is difficult to distinguish a katana from a tachi by 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, katanas are shown in the blade-up position, according to the manner in which they are worn. In ancient times, daggers were called katanas, but from the 16th century this name was transferred to swords uchigatana.
• Wakizashi - 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 a cramped room, and paired with a katana in some fencing techniques. Unlike the katana, it was allowed to be worn by non-samurai.
• Tanto (kosigatana) - 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 according to Chinese or Korean technologies. In a broad sense, the term was used in antiquity to refer to all swords. In later times it was superseded by the term ken for a straight sword.
• Naginata - an intermediate weapon between a sword and a spear: a curved blade up to 60 cm long, on a handle, the size of which could be from the ground to the waist to the height. Close in type to the glaive or palm.
• Koto - lit. "old sword" Swords produced before 1596. It is believed that after this time, many of the techniques of traditional technology were lost.
• Shinto - lit. "new sword" Swords produced from 1596 to 1868, that is, before the beginning of the industrial revolution of the Meiji period. With rare exceptions, Shinto swords are not considered highly artistic creations of blacksmiths, although they can be distinguished by luxurious finishes. According to external signs, koto swords are reproduced, but they are inferior to them in terms of metal quality.
• Gendaito - lit. "modern sword". Swords produced after 1868 to the present. Among them are present as mass-produced for the army using a simplified factory technology. grayish(lit. "sword of the Showa period"), including, sin gunto (jap. 新軍刀 shin gunto:, lit. "new army sword"), and swords forged after the resumption in 1954 of production by modern blacksmiths using traditional technologies, for which it is proposed to use the name shin sakuto (jap. 新作刀 shin sakuto:, "newly made sword") or shin gendaito(lit. "new modern sword").
• Tsuba - a guard of a characteristic rounded shape, in addition to its functional purpose (to protect the hand), it served as a decoration for the sword.
• Jamon - a line of pattern on the blade that appears after it has been hardened between the blade and the butt as a result of the formation of fine-grained crystalline structures in the metal.

Comparative table of Japanese swords

Type	Length (nagasa), cm	Width (motohuba), cm	Deflection (sorry), cm	Thickness (kasane), mm	Notes
Tati	61-71	2,4-3,5	1,2-2,1	5-6,6	Appeared in the XI century. Tachi was worn on the belt with the blade down, paired with a tanto dagger. A variation of odachi could be worn on the back.
katana	61-73	2,8-3,1	0,4-1,9	6-8	Appeared in the XIV century. The katana was worn behind the belt with the blade up, paired with a wakizashi.
Wakizashi	32-60	2,1-3,2	0,2-1,7	4-7	Appeared in the XIV century. Wakizashi were worn with the blade up, paired with a katana or alone as a dagger.
Tanto	17-30	1.7-2.9	0-0.5	5-7	Tanto was worn paired with a tati sword or separately as a dagger.
All dimensions are given for the blade, excluding the shank. Width and thickness are indicated for the base of the blade, where it passes into the tang. Data taken for swords of the Kamakura and Muromachi periods (1185-1573) according to catalogs. The length of tachi in the initial period of Kamakura and modern tachi (gendaito) reaches 83 cm.

History of the Japanese sword

Ancient swords: before the 9th century.

Straight iron Japanese swords of the 6th century. Below is a Chinese type sword with a ring pommel.

The first iron swords were brought to the Japanese islands in the 2nd half of the 3rd century by Chinese merchants from the mainland. This period of Japanese history is called Kofun (lit. "mounds", III-VI centuries). In the mound-type graves, swords of that period, albeit heavily damaged by rust, were preserved, divided by archaeologists into Japanese, Korean, and the most frequent Chinese samples. Chinese swords had a straight narrow single-edged blade with a large annular pommel on the shank. Japanese examples were shorter, with a wider straight double-edged blade and a massive pommel. In the Asuka period (538-710), with the help of Korean and Chinese blacksmiths in Japan, they began to produce their own iron, and by the 7th century they had mastered the technology of forging multilayer steel. Unlike previous examples, forged from a single iron strip, swords began to be made by forging from iron and steel plates.

At the turn of the 7th-8th centuries, Japanese swords had a bend. The legend connects the appearance of one of the first such swords with the name of the blacksmith Amakuni (English) from Yamato province. Amakuni allegedly forged the famous sword Kogarasu-Maru (Little Crow) in 703, and although there is no exact date, this sword is considered the oldest Japanese curved sword.

At the beginning of the VIII century, as a result of the strengthening of the power of the emperor in Japan, the Nara period (710-794) began. The production of weapons was placed under the control of a centralized state, blacksmiths were ordered to put signatures on their products. Purchased swords were stored in imperial warehouses, they were issued to soldiers for the duration of the war or their service. The development of the technology of local hardening of the cutting blade by applying a heat-resistant paste to the blade is noted. However, the nobility of the Nara period favored long straight and curved swords of Chinese and Korean origin, perhaps due to their luxurious jewelry finish. 44 swords were made in Korea Daito("great swords"), which the emperor over the following centuries handed over to a military leader or dignitary as a symbol of granted authority for the duration of the campaign.

Old Koto swords: IX-XVI centuries

Heian period: 9th-12th centuries

The history of the Japanese sword itself begins in the Heian period (794-1185). As a result of clan strife, Japan isolated itself from the outside world, the centralized power of the state weakened, real power passed from the emperor to large feudal lords. In the 10th century, the samurai class was finally formed, professional warriors who fought at that time mainly on horseback. The swords of this period are characterized by a long blade with a small tip.

Straight swords were replaced with curved ones, and if at first the bend was made in the handle area with an almost straight blade, then by the end of the period the maximum deflection shifted to the area of ​​1/3 of the total length from the end of the shank (“lumbar bend”). In accordance with the bend, the top of the sword is formed in a characteristic way, kissaki. Kissaki includes a point with an adjacent area separated from the body of the blade by a transverse straight edge. Blade edge in area kissaki takes on an arcuate appearance (early samples of kissaki had an inclined cut of the edge in the form of a straight line).

The classic section of the Japanese blade is shinogi-zukuri: edge (sharp side face - sinogi) stretches along the entire blade to the top. Thanks to the stiffening rib, the blade optimally combines strength and relatively low weight, and in order for the side edges of the blade to converge to the cutting edge of the blade at the sharpest possible angle, the rib sinogi shifted from the center of the blade to the butt. The section in the region of the butt looks like an obtuse angle. The greatest thickness ( kasane) blade reaches near the tang: 5.5-8.5 mm, typical kasane about 7 mm.

By the end of the Heian period, both Japanese sword manufacturing technology and its appearance had developed. Description of the sword-tati according to the certificate:

Blade with a rib, strongly tapering in length from the base to a small top kissaki; pronounced "lumbar bend"; blade length 80 cm; steel surface texture similar to wood sawing; wavy line of jamon along the blade; shank with the signature of the master.

In the 11th century, Japanese swords began to be highly valued and exported to China.

Kamakura period: XII-XIV centuries

sword manufacturing technology

Blacksmiths-gunsmiths

Blacksmiths had a high social status in Japanese society, many of them are known by name thanks to the lists. Lists of ancient blacksmiths begin with the name Amakuni from the province of Yamato, who lived, according to legend, at the beginning of the 8th century during the reign of Emperor Taiho (701-704).

In the old days (Koto sword period, circa 900-1596) there were about 120 blacksmithing schools, which over the centuries produced swords with characteristic stable features developed by the founding master of the school. In modern times (Shinto sword period, 1596-1868), 80 schools are known. There are about 1,000 outstanding blacksmith craftsmen, and in total over a thousand years of the history of the Japanese sword, more than 23 thousand gunsmiths were recorded, of which most (4 thousand) during the period of koto (old swords) lived in the province of Bizen (modern Okayama Prefecture ) .

Since the 10th century, craftsmen have engraved their name on the blade tang - mei, often supplementing the inscription with the date of manufacture and the name of their province. The earliest known dated sword was made by a craftsman named Yukimasa in 1159. The following fact testifies to respect for the masters: when obsolete long swords-tachi were shortened (to the length of a katana) by trimming the shank, the inscription with the name of the master was often transferred to a new shank.

steel smelting

In Japan, the erosion product of natural iron ore deposits is often found near riverbeds, mixed with silt and other sediments. The iron in this sand mixture is only about 1%. Iron sand was mined due to its greater density, washing out light impurities with a plentiful stream of water.

The early smelting technology was not perfect: ore sand was loaded into a small pit and melted on charcoal prepared from special types of wood to burn out harmful sulfur- and phosphorus-containing impurities in iron and saturate it with carbon. Due to the low temperature, it was not possible to completely separate the molten iron from impurities in the slag, the result was obtained in the form of sponge iron ingots ( tamahagane) at the bottom of the hole. More powerful and productive Tatar ovens ( tatara beeches), preserving in general the smelting method itself, appeared in the 15th century.

Ingots of iron were flattened into thin plates, cooled rapidly in water, and then broken into pieces the size of a coin. After that, the selection of pieces took place, pieces with large inclusions of slag were discarded, the rest were sorted according to the color and granular structure of the fault. This method allowed the blacksmith to select steel with a predictable carbon content ranging from 0.6 to 1.5%.

Further separation of slag residues in steel and a decrease in carbon content occurred in the process of forging - joining individual small pieces into a blank for a sword.

Blade forging

Section of a Japanese sword. Shown are two common structures with excellent combination in the direction of the steel layers. Left: Blade metal will show texture itame, on right - masame.

Pieces of steel with approximately the same carbon content were piled on a plate of the same metal, heated to 1300 ° C and welded together with hammer blows. After that, the blank was forged: after flattening the blank, it was folded in half, then again flattened and folded in the other direction. As a result of repeated forging, a multi-layer steel is obtained, finally cleaned of slags. With a 15-fold folding of the workpiece, almost 33 thousand layers of steel are formed - a typical Damascus density 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, a blacksmith forges at least two bars: from hard high-carbon steel ( kawagane) and softer low-carbon ( shingane). From the first, a U-shaped profile about 30 cm long is formed, inside which a bar is inserted shingane, not 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 furnace at 700-1100 °C and welds the component parts by forging, after which he increases the length of the workpiece to the size of a sword by forging.

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

Forging forms the blade of the blade to a thickness of about 2.5 mm (near 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 (from the side of the blade) of the diagonal cut is forged to the short (butt), as a result of which the metal structure at the top provides increased strength in the strike zone of the sword, while maintaining hardness and thus the possibility of very sharp sharpening.

Blade hardening and polishing

The next important step in the manufacture of the sword is the heat treatment of the blade to harden the cutting edge, as a result of which the jamon pattern appears on the surface of the sword, which is 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 tempering.

For heat treatment, the blade is covered with an uneven layer of heat-resistant paste - a mixture of clay, ash and stone powder. The master kept the exact composition of the paste a secret. 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, due to which a pattern was prepared. jamon. The blade with dried paste is heated evenly along its length to approx. 770 ° C (controlled by the color of the hot metal), then immersed in a container of water with the blade down. Rapid cooling changes the structure of the metal near the blade, where the thickness of the metal and thermal protective paste is the smallest. The blade is then reheated to 160°C and cooled down again. This procedure helps to reduce the stresses in the metal that have arisen during hardening.

The hardened area of ​​the blade has an almost white tint compared to the rest of the blade's darker grey-bluish surface. The boundary between them is clearly visible in the form of a patterned line. jamon, which is interspersed with shiny crystals of martensite in iron. In ancient times, the jamon looked like a straight line along the blade, in the Kamakura period the line became wavy, with bizarre curls and transverse dashes. It is believed that in addition to the aesthetic appearance, the wavy heterogeneous line of the jamon allows the blade to better withstand shock loads, damping sharp 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 recalls jamon, but its appearance is not a consequence of the formation of martensite, but an optical effect as a result of 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 a successful heat treatment for some technologies.

When the blade is heated during the hardening process to a temperature of more than 770 °, its surface becomes rich in shades and rich in pattern details. However, the strength of the sword may suffer. Only the blacksmiths of the Sagami province during the Kamakura period managed to combine the fighting qualities of the sword with the luxurious design of the metal surface; high-quality swords from other schools are distinguished by a rather strict style of blade design.

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 engrave his name and other details on the unpolished tang. The sword was considered ready, the remaining operations for attaching the hilt ( tsuki), guards ( tsuba), the application of jewelry belonged to the category of auxiliary procedures that did not require magical skill.

Blade after forging and hardening before polishing.

Blade of the 16th century. Slightly wavy pattern is clearly visible jamon and less pronounced utsuri near the butt.

fighting qualities

The fighting qualities 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 possibilities of the sword for different situations. For example, sharpening a sword for the greatest sharpness (for tricks with cutting handkerchiefs in the air) will be unsuitable for cutting through armor. In antiquity and the Middle Ages, legends were circulated about the capabilities of weapons that could not be demonstrated in modern times. Below are collected individual legends and facts on the capabilities of the Japanese sword.

Modern evaluation 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" was created (jap. 日本美術刀剣保存協会 Nippon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, NBTHK, nippon bujutsu to: ken hozon kyo: kai), one of his tasks was an expert assessment of the historical value of the sword. In 1950, Japan passed the law "On Cultural Property", 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 award of the highest titles (the top two titles are within the competence of the Ministry of Culture of Japan):

• National Treasure ( kokuho). About 122 swords have the title, mostly tachi of the Kamakura period, katanas and wakizashi in this list less than two dozen.
• Important cultural asset. The title has about 880 swords.
• A very important sword.
• Important sword.
• A highly guarded sword.
• Protected 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 (if not related to souvenirs). The actual quality of the sword is certified by the Society for the Preservation of Artistic Japanese Swords (NBTHK), which issues an expert opinion according to the established pattern.

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

Notes

1. There are discussions in the literature about whether to call Japanese samurai-shaped swords produced using non-traditional Japanese technologies. The article uses the well-established term "sword", however, some believe the term "saber" is more correct to refer to a curved single-edged weapon (according to the current Russian GOST R 51215-98 (Cold weapons, terminology) "Japanese sword" refers to sabers - "contact blade cut - cutting and piercing-cutting weapon with a long curved single-edged blade")
2. Valery Khorev. Japanese sword. Ten centuries of perfection. Chapter 1. Pages of history. - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2003. - S. 27. - ISBN 5-222-02406-7.

The traditional Japanese sword (nihon-to) attracts lovers of edged weapons not only with its exquisite shape and noble radiance of the blade, but also with a very intricate frame that surprised European connoisseurs with its originality. She emphasized and complemented the advantages of the blade, while performing both utilitarian and purely decorative functions.

The frame had to be comfortable, reliable and beautiful; correspond to the rank of the owner and the tastes of the era. It consisted of a fairly large number of parts; various materials were used for its manufacture: a scabbard and a hilt were cut from white magnolia wood; shark or stingray skin (so-called same), Japanese lacquer (urushi) of black, red or gold color, decorative silk or leather cords, as well as various metal details decorated with jewelry skill were widely used.

The number and name of such decorative metal plates depended on the type and size of the sword. As a rule, all Japanese swords have the following characteristic removable metal parts: habaki - a soft metal sleeve that separates the blade from the blade and prevents the blade from accidentally slipping out of the scabbard; futi (ring near the guard), kashira (`heel` of the hilt), menuki (small funny figures under the silk braid of the hilt).

Sword-tachi of the 16th century. with an iron guard in the form of a mocha with a characteristic cut-out silhouette of inome-bori

The scabbard also had the appropriate pads, usually made in the same style and manner as on the handle, but already non-removable. The sheaths of many swords (mostly swords of the uchigatana type, which were worn behind the belt with the blade up) had special grooves for a small kozuka knife, used for both domestic and combat purposes - throwing, piercing the joints of enemy armor, marking the corpses of defeated enemies and etc. Sometimes a kozuka knife was paired with a multi-purpose pointed kogai hairpin, also adapted for throwing or for penetrating under the protective shell plates.

However, the main decoration of the samurai sword was usually its tsuba (guard), which is usually a flat metal plate with a diameter of 5-8 cm and from 2 to 5-6 mm thick. In the center of the guard, a groove (nakago-ana) was sawn for the shank of the sword (nakago), on the sides of it there are often one or two more holes (hitsu-ana) in the form of an irregular oval - for a kozuka knife and a kogai hairpin. Between these holes on a small field (seppadai) on some tsuba one can find brief hieroglyphic signatures of the masters who created them. The signature of the famous master served as an additional decoration. Usually this signature was placed on the side of the guard that was closer to the handle and was closed with a thin copper gasket - seppa.

There were many schools of gunsmiths who specialized specifically in the forging of guards and other metal accessories; some of these schools are named after their founder. Among them, the most famous are the schools of Myotin, Umetada, Kaneye, Goto, Shoami, Soten, etc. Other famous schools were named the same as the provinces or cities where they were located: Nara, Higo, Choshu and Goshu, Kinai, Ito, Yanagawa, Hirado...

In different eras, there was a different fashion for different styles of decorative design. Thus, early tsuba (before the 15th century) were thin round or oval wrought iron plates, usually devoid of any decor. Tsuba XV - early XVI century. often had a strict and concise decor: dark gray, almost black, patina and a slotted image (sukashi-bori) of a samurai coat of arms, a hieroglyph, a Buddhist symbol, or even some kind of vegetable, such as a black radish.

Artistic guards of later eras amaze the imagination with their masterly use of a wide variety of materials and an abundance of techniques for processing them: engraving, notching, relief carving, appliqué, cloisonné, or combining them with cut-out silhouettes, straight or inverted.

Guards could have the shape of a circle, oval, rhombus, square, rounded cross (mocha-gata), chrysanthemum flower (kiku-gata), mallow flower (aoi-gata) or even an indefinite shape invented by the master himself. Tsuba were forged not only from iron, but also from copper, bronze, brass, silver and gold, as well as from special alloys, which, with appropriate processing, gave beautiful patinas of a wide variety of colors and shades.

The surface of the guard could be smooth or worked using mokume techniques, resembling a layered structure of wood; nanako - fine grain, literally - `fish caviar`; itosukashi - a thin thread-like pattern, karakusa - openwork engraving in the form of intertwining plants and flowers. As for the decorative motifs found on tsuba, it is simply impossible to list them all: animals (horses, `Chinese lions`, tigers, cats, dogs), birds (cranes, phoenixes, eagles, peacocks, crows, geese, cormorants), weapons and insects (crickets, praying mantises, dragonflies, mosquitoes, flies, spiders), various sea creatures, flowers and plants, natural phenomena and famous landscapes, samurai coats of arms and combat accessories, images of gods, demons, dragons, as well as heroes of the Japanese military and courtiers chronicles.

Each gunsmith who made accessories for swords tried to give his products a unique, individual look, attracting the eye and capturing the attention of the contemplator. That is why the ancient Japanese tsuba cause an indescribable passion of collectors around the world.

The Japanese sword is a bladed single-edged slashing and cutting weapon made according to traditional Japanese technology from multi-layer steel with a controlled carbon content. The name is also used to refer to a single-edged sword with the characteristic shape of a slightly curved blade, which was the main weapon of the samurai warrior.
Let's try to understand a little about the variety of Japanese swords.
By tradition, Japanese blades are made of refined steel. Their manufacturing process is unique and is due to the use of iron sand, which is refined under the influence of high temperatures to obtain iron with higher purity. Steel is mined from iron sand.
The bending of the sword (sori), performed in different versions, is not accidental: it was formed in the course of the centuries-old evolution of weapons of this type (simultaneously with changes in the samurai equipment) and constantly varied until, in the end, the perfect form was found, which is continuation of a slightly curved arm. The bend is obtained partly due to the peculiarities of heat treatment: with differentiated hardening, the cutting part of the sword is stretched more than the back.
Just like the Western blacksmiths of the Middle Ages, who used zone hardening, Japanese masters harden their blades not evenly, but differentiated. The blade is often straight from the beginning and gets a characteristic curve as a result of hardening, giving the blade a hardness of 60 HRC, and the back of the sword - only 40 HRC.

Dai-sho

Daisho (jap. 大小, daisho:, lit. "big-small") - a pair of samurai swords, consisting of a seto (short sword) and daito (long sword). The length of the daito is more than 66 cm, the length of the seto is 33-66 cm The daito served as the main weapon of the samurai, the seto served as an additional weapon.
Until the early period of Muromachi, the tati was in service - a long sword that was worn on a sword belt with the blade down. However, since the end of the 14th century, it has been increasingly replaced by katana. It was worn in a scabbard attached to the belt with a ribbon of silk or other fabric (sageo). Together with tachi, they usually wore a tanto dagger, and paired with a katana, a wakizashi.
Thus, daito and shoto are both classes of swords, but not the name of a specific weapon. This circumstance has led to the misuse of these terms. For example, in European and domestic literature, only a long sword (daito) is mistakenly called a katana. The daisho was used exclusively by the samurai class. This law was sacredly observed and repeatedly confirmed by decrees of military leaders and shoguns. Daisho was the most important component of the samurai costume, his class certificate. Warriors treated their weapons accordingly - they carefully monitored its condition, kept it near them even during sleep. Other classes could only wear wakizashi or tanto. Samurai etiquette required taking off a long sword at the entrance to the house (as a rule, it was left with a servant or on a special stand), the samurai always carried a short sword with them and used it as a personal weapon.

katana

Katana (jap. 刀) is a long Japanese sword. In modern Japanese, the word katana also refers to any sword. Katana is the Japanese reading (kun'yomi) of the Chinese character 刀; Sino-Japanese reading (onyomi) - then:. The word means "a curved sword with a one-sided blade."
Katana and wakizashi are always carried in sheaths, tucked into the belt (obi) at an angle that hides the length of the blade from the opponent. This is the accepted way of carrying in society, formed after the end of the wars of the Sengoku period in the early 17th century, when carrying weapons became more a tradition than a military necessity. When the samurai entered the house, he took out the katana from his belt. In case of possible conflicts, he held the sword in his left hand in a state of combat readiness or, as a sign of trust, in his right. Sitting down, he put the katana on the floor within reach, and the wakizashi was not removed (his samurai wore a sheath behind his belt). Mounting a sword for outdoor use is called a kosirae, which includes the lacquered scabbard of the sai. In the absence of frequent use of the sword, it was kept at home in a shirasai assembly made of untreated magnolia wood, which protected the steel from corrosion. Some modern katanas are originally produced in this version, in which the scabbard is not varnished or decorated. A similar installation, in which there was no tsuba and other decorative elements, did not attract attention and became widespread at the end of the 19th century after the imperial ban on carrying a sword. It seemed that the scabbard was not a katana, but a bokuto - a wooden sword.

Wakizashi

Wakizashi (jap. 脇差) is a short traditional Japanese sword. Mostly used by samurai and worn on the belt. It was worn in tandem with a katana, also plugged into the belt with the blade up. The length of the blade is from 30 to 61 cm. The total length with the handle is 50-80 cm. The blade is one-sided sharpening, small curvature. Wakizashi is similar in shape to a katana. Wakizashi were made with zukuri of various shapes and lengths, usually thinner than those of the katana. The degree of convexity of the section of the wakizashi blade is much less, therefore, compared to the katana, this sword cuts soft objects more sharply. The handle of the wakizashi is usually square in section.
The bushi often referred to this sword as the "guardian of one's honor". Some fencing schools taught to use both the katana and the wakizashi at the same time.
Unlike the katana, which could only be worn by samurai, the wakizashi was reserved for merchants and artisans. They used this sword as a full-fledged weapon, because by status they did not have the right to wear a katana. Also used for the seppuku ceremony.

Tati

Tachi (jap. 太刀) is a long Japanese sword. Tati, unlike the katana, was not tucked behind the obi (cloth belt) with the blade up, but hung on the belt in a sling designed for this, with the blade down. To protect against damage by armor, the scabbard often had a winding. The samurai wore the katana as part of their civilian clothing and the tachi as part of their military armor. Paired with tachi, the tantō were more common than the katana short sword wakizashi. In addition, richly decorated tachi were used as ceremonial weapons at the courts of the shoguns (princes) and the emperor.
It is usually longer and more curved than a katana (most have a blade length of over 2.5 shaku, that is, more than 75 cm; the tsuka (handle) was also often longer and somewhat curved).
Another name for this sword - daito (Japanese 大刀, lit. "big sword") - is sometimes mistakenly read in Western sources as "daikatana". The error is due to ignorance of the difference between on and kun reading of characters in Japanese; the kun reading of the hieroglyph 刀 is "katana", and the on reading is "that:".

Tanto

Tanto (jap. 短刀 tanto:, lit. "short sword") is a samurai dagger.
“Tan to” for the Japanese sounds like a phrase, because they do not perceive tanto as a knife in any way (a knife in Japanese is hamono (jap. 刃物 hamono)).
Tanto was used only as a weapon and never as a knife, for this there was a kozuka worn in pair with a tanto in the same sheath.
Tanto has a one-sided, sometimes double-edged blade from 15 to 30.3 cm long (that is, less than one shaku).
It is believed that tanto, wakizashi and katana are, in fact, "the same sword of different sizes."
Some tanto, which had a thick triangular blade, were called yoroidoshi and were designed to pierce armor in close combat. Tanto was used mostly by samurai, but it was also worn by doctors, merchants as a weapon of self-defense - in fact, it is a dagger. High society women sometimes also wore small tanto called kaiken in their kimono belt (obi) for self-defense. In addition, tanto is used in the wedding ceremony of royal people to this day.
Sometimes tantō were worn as shōto instead of wakizashi in daishō.

Odachi

Odachi (Jap. 大太刀, "big sword") is one of the types of Japanese long swords. The term nodachi (野太刀, "field sword") means a different type of sword, but is often mistakenly used instead of odachi.
To be called an odachi, a sword must have a blade length of at least 3 shaku (90.9 cm), however, as with many other Japanese sword terms, there is no precise definition of odachi length. Usually odachi are swords with blades 1.6 - 1.8 meters.
Odachi completely fell out of use as a weapon after the Osaka-Natsuno-Jin War of 1615 (the battle between Tokugawa Ieyasu and Toyotomi Hideyori - son of Toyotomi Hideyoshi).
The Bakufu government issued a law that prohibited the possession of a sword over a certain length. After the law went into effect, many odachi were cut to fit the established norms. This is one of the reasons why odachi are so rare.
Odachi were no longer used for their intended purpose, but were still a valuable gift during the Shinto ("new swords") period. This became their main purpose. Due to the fact that their manufacture requires the highest skill, it was recognized that the reverence inspired by their appearance is consistent with prayer to the gods.

Nodachi

Sephiroth with the Nodachi sword "Masamune"

Nodachi (野太刀 "field sword") is a Japanese term referring to a large Japanese sword. The main reason that the use of such swords was not widespread was that the blade is much more difficult to forge than the blade of a sword of ordinary length. This sword was worn behind the back due to its large size. This was an exception because other Japanese swords such as the katana and the wakizashi were worn tucked into the belt, with the tachi hung blade down. However, nodachi was not snatched from behind. Due to its great length and weight, it was a very difficult weapon.
One of Nodachi's assignments was to fight riders. It is often used in conjunction with a spear because with its long blade it was ideal for hitting an opponent and his horse in one fell swoop. Due to its weight, it could not be applied everywhere with ease and was usually discarded when close combat began. The sword with one blow could hit several enemy soldiers at once. After using the nodachi, the samurai used a shorter and more convenient katana for close combat.

Kodati

Kodachi (小太刀) - Literally translated as "little tachi", this is a Japanese sword that was too short to be considered a daito (long sword) and too long to be a dagger. Due to its size, it could be drawn very quickly and also swordd with it. It could be used where movement was constrained or when attacking shoulder to shoulder. Since this sword was shorter than 2 shaku (about 60 cm), it was allowed during the Edo period to be worn by non-samurai, usually merchants.
Kodachi is similar in length to wakizashi, and although their blades differ considerably in design, kodachi and wakizashi are so similar in technique that the terms are sometimes (erroneously) used interchangeably. The main difference between the two is that kodachi are (usually) wider than wakizashi. In addition, kodachi, unlike wakizashi, was always worn in a special sash with a downward bend (like tati), while wakizashi was worn with the blade curved up behind the obi. Unlike other types of Japanese weapons, no other sword was usually carried along with the kodachi.

Kaiken

Kaiken (jap. 懐剣, before the spelling reform kwaiken, also futokoro-gatana) is a dagger worn by men and women of the samurai class in Japan, a kind of tanto. Kaiken were used for indoor self-defense, where long katanas and medium length wakizashi were less useful and effective than short daggers. Women wore them in an obi belt for self-defense or (rarely) for suicide (jigaya). It was also possible to carry them in a brocade bag with a drawstring, which made it possible to quickly get a dagger. Kaiken was one of the wedding gifts for a woman. Currently, it is one of the accessories of the traditional Japanese marriage ceremony: the bride takes a kaiken so that she is lucky.

Kusungobu, yoroidoshi, metezashi.

Kusungobu (jap. nine sun five bu) - a straight thin dagger with a blade 29.7 cm long. In practice, yoroidoshi, metezashi, and kusungobu are one and the same.

Naginata

Naginata (なぎなた, 長刀 or 薙刀, literal translation - “long sword”) is a Japanese melee weapon with a long oval handle (namely, a handle, not a shaft, as it might seem at first glance) and a curved one-sided blade. The handle is about 2 meters long and the blade is about 30 cm. In the course of history, a shortened (1.2-1.5 m) and lightweight version became much more common, which was used in training and showed greater combat capability. It is an analogue of the glaive (although often mistakenly called a halberd), but much lighter. The first information about the use of naginata dates back to the end of the 7th century. In Japan, there were 425 schools where they studied the technique of fighting naginatajutsu. It was the favorite weapon of the sohei, warrior monks.

Bisento

Bisento (jap. 眉尖刀 bisento:) is a Japanese melee weapon with a long handle, a rare variety of naginata.
The bisento differs from the naginata in its larger size and different style of address. This weapon must be worked with a wide grip, using both ends, despite the fact that the leading hand should be near the guard.
There are also advantages to the bisento fighting style over the naginata fighting style. In combat, the back of a bisento blade, unlike a katana, can not only repel and deflect a blow, but also press and control. The Bisento is heavier than the katana, so its slashes are more forward than fixed. They are applied on a much larger scale. Despite this, the bisento can easily cut off the head of both a person and a horse, which is not so easy to do with a naginata. The weight of the sword plays a role in both piercing and pushing properties.
It is believed that the Japanese took the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthis weapon from Chinese swords.

Nagamaki

Nagamaki (jap. 長巻 - “long wrap”) is a Japanese melee weapon consisting of a pole handle with a large tip. It was popular in the XII-XIV centuries. It was similar to the owl, naginata or glevia, but differed in that the lengths of the hilt and tip were approximately equal, which allows it to be classified as a sword.
Nagamaki are weapons made in various scales. Usually the total length was 180-210 cm, the tip - up to 90-120 cm. The blade was only on one side. The handle of the nagamaki was wrapped with cords in a crossed manner, like a katana handle.
This weapon was used during the Kamakura (1192-1333), Namboku-cho (1334-1392) periods and during the Muromachi period (1392-1573) reached its greatest prevalence. It was also used by Oda Nobunaga.

Tsurugi

Tsurugi (Jap. 剣) is a Japanese word meaning a straight double-edged sword (sometimes with a massive pommel). Similar in shape to tsurugi-no-tachi (straight one-sided sword).
It was used as a combat weapon in the 7th-9th centuries, before the appearance of one-sided curved tati swords, and later for ceremonial and religious purposes.
One of the three sacred relics of Shinto is the sword Kusanagi-no-tsurugi.

Chokuto

Chokuto (Jap. 直刀 chokuto:, "straight sword") is the common name for an ancient type of sword that appeared among Japanese warriors around the 2nd-4th century AD. It is not known for sure whether chokuto originated in Japan or was exported from China; it is believed that in Japan the blades were copied from foreign designs. At first, swords were cast from bronze, later they began to be forged from a single piece of low-quality (there was no other then) steel using a rather primitive technology. Like its Western counterparts, the chokuto was primarily intended for thrusting.
The characteristic features of the chokuto were a straight blade and one-sided sharpening. The most common were two types of chokuto: kazuchi-no-tsurugi (a sword with a hammer-shaped head) had a hilt with an oval guard ending in an onion-shaped copper head, and a koma-no-tsurugi (“Korean sword”) had a hilt with a head in ring shape. The length of the swords was 0.6-1.2 m, but most often it was 0.9 m. The sword was worn in a sheath covered with sheet copper and decorated with perforated patterns.

Shin-gunto

Shin-gunto (1934) - Japanese army sword, created to revive samurai traditions and raise the morale of the army. This weapon repeated the shape of the tati combat sword, both in design (similar to tati, the shin gunto was worn on the sword belt with the blade down and the cap of the kabuto-gane handle was used in its design, instead of the kashiro adopted on katanas), and in the methods of handling it. Unlike tachi and katana swords, which were made individually by blacksmiths using traditional technology, shin gunto was mass-produced in a factory way.
Shingunto was very popular and went through several modifications. In the last years of World War II, they were mainly associated with the desire to reduce production costs. So, sword hilts for junior army ranks were already made without braid, and sometimes even from stamped aluminum.
For naval ranks in 1937, their own military was introduced - kai-gunto. He represented a variation on the theme of shin-gunto, but differed in design - the braid of the hilt was brown, on the hilt there was black stingray leather, the scabbard was always wooden (for shin-gunto - metal) with black trim.
After the end of World War II, most of the shin gunto was destroyed by order of the occupying authorities.
Ninjato, Shinobigatana (fictional)
Ninjato (jap. 忍者刀 ninjato:), also known as ninjaken (jap. 忍者刀) or shinobigatana (jap. 忍刀) is a sword used by ninja. It is a short sword forged with much less care than a katana or tachi. Modern ninjato often have a straight blade and a square tsuba (guard). Some sources claim that the ninjato, unlike the katana or the wakizashi, was used for cutting only, not stabbing. This statement may be erroneous, since the main opponent of the ninja was the samurai, and his armor required an accurate piercing blow. However, the main function of the katana was also a powerful cutting blow.

Shikomizue

Shikomizue (Jap. 仕込み杖 Shikomizue) is a weapon for "hidden warfare". In Japan, it was used by the ninja. In modern times, this blade often appears in movies.
Shikomizue was a wooden or bamboo cane with a hidden blade. The blade of the shikomizue could be straight or slightly curved, because the cane had to exactly follow all the curves of the blade. Shikomizue could be both a long sword and a short dagger. Therefore, the length of the cane depended on the length of the weapon.

zanbato, zambato, zhanmadao

The Japanese reading of zhanmadao characters is zambato (jap. 斬馬刀 zambato :) (also zanmato), however, it is not known whether such a weapon was actually used in Japan. However, the zambato is mentioned in some contemporary Japanese popular culture.
Zhanmadao or mazhandao (Chinese 斬馬刀, pinyin zhǎn mǎ dāo, literally “sword to cut horses”) is a Chinese two-handed saber with a wide and long blade, used by infantrymen against cavalry during the Song dynasty (the mention of mazhandao is present, in particular, in the "Biography of Yue Fei" dynastic history "Song shi"). The tactics of using mazhandao, according to the Song Shi, are attributed to the famous military leader Yue Fei. The infantry detachments, which were armed with mazhandao, which acted before the formation of the main part of the troops in loose formation, tried to cut the legs of enemy horses with its help. Similar tactics were used in the 1650s by the troops of Zheng Chenggong in battles with the Qing cavalry. Some foreign researchers claim that the mazhandao saber was also used by the Mongol army of Genghis Khan.