Japanese dagger. Japanese sword

The katana samurai sword is not just a sword, but the embodiment of the Japanese spirit, the personification of historical culture and the pride of the people of the Land of the Rising Sun.

This weapon is considered a real symbol of the Japanese people, their fighting spirit and will to win. Since ancient times, it has been believed that there are three main Japanese treasures. These include a jasper necklace, a sacred mirror and a sword.

For a samurai, the sword was his life partner, and even on the verge of death, the warrior did not let go of it. Also, the katana reflected the social status of its owner, being the personification of purity, and - which is typical only for the Japanese - was considered the best gift in tribute. According to Japanese mythology, the sword is not a symbol of war and death, but rather a weapon of peace.

History of the katana sword

For a long time, participating in bloody battles, the Japanese used spears. But during the reign of the Tokugawa shogunate, the usual way of warriors changed. With the advent of the technical process, swords began to be used. The art of swordsmanship is called "kenjutsu". This is not just a set of military knowledge, but also spiritual self-improvement.

The emergence of the "weapon of the soul" is associated with the historical change of its more ancient ancestor - the tati sword, which is considered the traditional weapon of the samurai. The katana is not a native Japanese sword, because its formation was influenced by other Asian cultures. The sword received its final form during the Nara and Heian periods - it is a curved blade with the same handle, sharpened only on one side - this is how we can see it in our time. To create a katana, special techniques for forging and hardening iron were used, and the handle, as a rule, was wrapped with a silk ribbon. In rare cases, swords were decorated with engraving, usually such specimens were of particular value.

Wearing a katana

The samurai katana sword is worn on the left side in a sheath, which are located behind a special belt - obi. The blade of the sword, as a rule, is directed upwards - this way of carrying has been considered generally accepted since the end of wars in the Sengoku period, when the carrying of weapons took on a more traditional character than a military one. When the possibility of a threat arose, the katana was held in the left hand, and if they wanted to express their trust, then in the right. Sitting down, the samurai put the sword not far from him. If the katana was rarely used, then it was kept at home in a sheath made of untreated magnolia wood, which prevented the appearance and further spread of corrosion.

The corner where the sword was kept was called the tokonoma. And the special stand on which it was located - katanakake. During sleep, the samurai placed his sword at the head in such a way that it could be easily grabbed at any time.

Katana proficiency

A katana is a cutting weapon that can decapitate an opponent with a single blow. The main technique of holding a Japanese sword lies in the fact that the blow is not delivered at a right angle, but along a plane. Also, to simplify the application of cutting blows, the center of gravity was located closer to the blade.

The length of the katana allowed for various maneuvers. It must be held with both hands at once. The middle of the left palm was located at the end of the handle, and the second hand squeezed the area near the guard. Participation in the swing process of two hands at once made it possible to obtain a large amplitude, which intensified the blow.

There are three types of racks for katana fencing:

• Jodan - the sword is at the top level
• Chudan - in this position, the sword should be in front of you
• Gedan - the sword is on the lower level

In order to successfully apply the mastered basics in katana fencing, you need to be able to anticipate all the movements of the enemy and accurately plan your actions in a short time.

Traditionally, training in fencing with a Japanese sword is divided into three levels:

• Omote is an open level, there is no deepening in the "hidden" sword techniques
• Chudan - Intermediate
• Okuden - closed level

In Japan, many traditional schools that teach the art of swordsmanship have survived to this day. These schools were able to continue their existence even after the ban on carrying swords, which was established by Emperor Meiji.

How is the special sharpness of Katana achieved?

The katana is considered a unique edged weapon because it has a self-sharpening function. The support on which the sword is placed allows the blade to remain sharp for a long time due to the special movement of the molecules. The process of making a blade involves the use of special equipment. Grinding consisted of ten stages, thus reducing the graininess of the surface. The blade was polished using charcoal dust.

Lastly, the blade is hardened with liquid clay. It contributed to the emergence of a special strip with a matte surface, which symbolized the border between the mirror part of the blade and the matte part. Part of the blade was wrapped in clay, while the other half of the blade was hardened in water. In this way, a different surface structure was achieved. If the master was very popular, then at this stage of production he left his signature. But at this stage, the blade was not yet considered ready. The final polishing of the blade took two weeks. When the surface of the blade acquired a mirror shine, it was considered that the work was completed.

The metal involved in the manufacturing process of weapons had a special structure. Its feature is layering. There were several ways to obtain high-quality steel. They were determined under the influence of many external factors.

Samurai katana sword in our time

Having long lost its combat significance, the katana sword has become a real find for lovers of Asian culture. This weapon is the oldest handmade creation. Genuine copies, most often, are inherited and carry the function of a relic. But not everyone has the opportunity to purchase the best katanas, since only a true connoisseur of edged weapons can distinguish a fake from the original. So how much does a real samurai katana sword cost? The cost of swords made in Japan is at least 1 thousand dollars, and the price of rarer specimens can reach up to 9 thousand dollars. Thus, the most expensive Japanese sword in history is the Kamakura sword of the 13th century, which was sold at auction for 418 thousand dollars.

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

History of the katana

Such a sword appeared in the fifteenth century and lasted until the end of the twentieth as a weapon of the samurai. His "ancestor" was a 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 thrust behind it. The first was paired with a tanto, the second with a wakizashi.

It was made from 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 method of manufacture did not allow hands to slide over 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 20th century, but, nevertheless, they also had a wooden lining.

The sword was part of the clothing of the samurai and was worn on the left side of the body in a sheath, blade 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 mount was worn behind the belt, which included a scabbard. The sword itself was kept at home in a wooden case, which was not varnished, which made it possible for it to breathe, moisture accumulated in it. Therefore, no corrosion appeared on the blade. In the nineteenth century, this method of making sword cases became widespread. In the twentieth century, after the ban on wearing swords, they began to disguise them. The sheath began to be made in the form of a cane or staff.

The art of swordsmanship

The use was as a cutting weapon, and less often as a stabbing one. Wrapped around 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 the attack does not go to the enemy at a right angle, but along, thereby cutting the enemy. For such a construction of the battle, it is the curved blade that is very suitable.

Despite the great changes in the history of the development of the state regarding the wearing of the sword, the samurai art schools have survived to this day. The most famous are Kashima Shinto Ryu, Kashima Shin Ryu and Katori Shinto Ryu.

Saber care

The implementation of cleaning the sword occurs in stages and with different tools.

With the help of polishing stones, notches are removed.

Rice paper, which does not contain acid, perfectly removes the remnants of oil that is smeared on the sword. Before use, it is strongly rubbed to make it soft so as not to scratch the blade. If you don't have rice paper handy, you can also use a regular paper towel. Lime has cleaning and polishing properties. When using it, it also does not leave scratches.

Although many associate only the samurai sword with Japan, they are wrong. Some of the most diverse and famous Japanese swords are katana, wakizashi, tachi, tanto dagger, rare ken, various types of spears of yari and naginata halberd. Tati is a long sword (blade length from 61 cm) with a relatively large bend (sori), intended mainly for equestrian combat. There is a kind of tachi called odachi, that is, a “large” tachi with a blade length of 1 m (from 75 cm from the 16th century). Visually, it is difficult to distinguish a katana from a tachi by the blade, they differ, first of all, in the manner of wearing. Tachi is usually longer and more curved (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). Tati, unlike the katana, was not tucked behind the obi (cloth belt) with the blade up, but hung on the thigh in a bandage designed for this, with the blade down. To protect against damage by armor, the scabbard often had a winding.


Kosigatana is a small sword that does not have a guard. The length of the blade is up to 45 cm. Sometimes a tanto dagger is worn instead or in addition. Naginata is an intermediate weapon between a sword and a spear: a strongly curved blade up to 60 cm long, mounted on a handle the length of a person. Since the naginata was adopted by the samurai, it was usually and most often used by women to protect themselves from attack during the absence of men. It was most widely used during the reign of the Kamakura and Muromachi era emperors.
Yari is a Japanese spear that was not designed for throwing. The yari has been used by warriors since ancient times. The design of the yari somewhat resembles an ordinary sword. Simple artisans (not craftsmen) were engaged in the manufacture of yari, since structurally this weapon did not require great skill and was made "from a single piece." The length of the blade is about 20 cm. Yari was used by both samurai and ordinary soldiers.
When the word "sword" is pronounced, the imagination draws a long, straight blade. But long swords were predominantly cavalry weapons and became noticeably widespread only in the Middle Ages. And even then they were much less common than short swords that served as infantry weapons. Even the knights girded themselves with long swords only before the battle, and at other times they constantly wore daggers.
Stylet

In the 16th century, the cords lengthened somewhat and acquired a closed guard. The direct successor of the legionary sword - a short sword - "landsknecht" - remained the most massive weapon of the European infantry until the appearance of bayonets at the end of the 17th century.
"Landsknecht"
The greatest drawback of daggers was not modest length, but insufficient penetration power. Indeed: the Roman sword reached 45 cm from the palm, but the long sword of European knights of the 12th century was also only 40-50 cm. After all, it is desirable to cut with the middle of the blade. Even shorter were katanas, scimitars and checkers. The cutting blow is applied with a section of the blade as close as possible to the handle. Blades of this type were not even equipped with a guard, as it could catch on the enemy's clothes.
So, from a practical point of view, the dagger was not short. But he did not pierce the armor either. The small weight of the dagger did not allow them to reflect the blows of heavy weapons.
But the blow of a short piercing blade could be delivered very accurately and suddenly. Great strength for fighting with short swords was not required, but only a very experienced and dexterous warrior could effectively use this weapon.
Pugio
In the middle of the century, the legionary sword not only did not disappear, but did not change at all. Under the name of stylet or cord, it continued to be the most widespread type of bladed weapon in Europe. Cheap, light and compact cords were used by both nobles and residents of medieval cities as “civilian” weapons. Medieval infantry also wore short swords for self-defense: pikemen and crossbowmen.
Cleaver

On the other hand, pig steel was very soft. The saber, forged from Asian Damascus, simply cut through the saber from English steel. Elastic, but soft blades of the 16th century blunted literally “on the air”. The soldiers were forced to spend all their leisure time with a grindstone in their hand. DAGA
Since the daga served, first of all, to repel blows, the guard was its main detail. This was especially noticeable among European dagas of the 16th century, the guard of which was a large bronze plate. Such a guard could be used as a shield. Sai - Okinawa, trident stiletto with a faceted or round central blade and two outward-curving side blades.
Misericordia
Another question is that daggers were not usually adapted specifically for throwing. They did not have the overbalance to the point necessary for throwing weapons. To defeat the enemy at a distance, there were special knives.
shurikens
The variety of shapes of small projectiles is so great that they are practically unclassifiable. Unites all the "throwing iron", perhaps, only one property: the soldiers never used it. Never before the phalanx, along with archers and slingers, did knife throwers go. Yes, and the knight preferred to practice throwing a dagi that was completely unsuitable for this purpose, and not to carry a special knife with him.
The knife could not withstand competition from other projectiles. Its penetrating power was insufficient against the lightest armor. Yes, and he flew far, inaccurately and too slowly.
Kansashi is a Japanese female combat stiletto in the form of a hair clip with a blade 200 mm long. Served as a secret weapon. Guan Dao is a Chinese edged weapon - a glaive, often mistakenly called a halberd, consisting of a long shaft with a warhead in the form of a wide curved blade; weight within 2-5 kg. for combat samples and from 48 to 72 kg. - for weapons used during the Qing period to conduct examinations for military positions (the so-called ukedao). total length

The Japanese samurai had a sword. But did they only fight with swords? It will probably be interesting to get acquainted with their arsenal in detail in order to better understand the traditions of ancient Japanese military art.

Let's start by comparing the arsenal of a Japanese samurai with that of a medieval knight from Western Europe. The difference in both the quantity and quality of their samples is immediately evident. The arsenal of the samurai will first of all be much richer. In addition, many types of weapons will be practically incomparable with European ones. In addition, what we consider to be true is in fact very often just another myth. For example, everyone has heard about the fact that the sword is the “soul of the samurai”, since they wrote about it more than once. However, was it their main weapon, and if so, was it always so? Here is a knight's sword - yes, indeed, it has always been a symbol of chivalry, but with a samurai sword, everything is far from so simple.

Firstly, this is not a sword, but a saber. We just traditionally call the samurai blade a sword. And secondly, he was far from always his main weapon! And here it would be best to remember ... the legendary musketeers of Alexandre Dumas! They were called so because their main weapon was a heavy matchlock musket. However, the heroes of the novel use it only during the defense of the Saint-Gervais bastion. In the remaining chapters of the novel, they make do with swords. This is understandable. After all, it was the sword, and then its light version - the sword, that were symbols of chivalry and belonging to the nobility in Europe. Moreover, even a peasant could wear a sword in Europe. Bought and wear! But to master it, you had to study for a long time! And only the nobles could afford it, but not the peasants. But the musketeers fought by no means with swords, and the situation was exactly the same with the Japanese samurai. The sword among them became especially popular in the years of ... peace, that is, in the Edo era, after 1600, when it turned from a military weapon into a symbol of the samurai class. There was no one to fight with the samurai, it was beneath their dignity to work, so they began to hone their fencing art, open fencing schools - in a word, cultivate the art of antiquity and promote it in every possible way. In a real battle, samurai, of course, also used swords, but at first they did it only as a last resort, and before that they used a bow!

Like the French nobles, the samurai did not part with their swords both in the days of peace and in the days of war, and even a sidelong glance was considered as an insult! Woodcut by Utagawa Kunisada (1786 - 1865).

An ancient Japanese verse said, “Bow and arrows! Only they are the stronghold of the happiness of the whole country! And these lines clearly show how important kyudo, the art of archery, was for the Japanese. Only a noble warrior in ancient Japan could become an archer. His name was yumi-tori - "bow holder". The bow - yumi and arrow I - were among the Japanese sacred weapons, and the expression "yumiya no miti" ("the way of the bow and arrows") was synonymous with the word "bushido" and meant the same thing - "the way of the samurai." Even the purely peaceful expression “samurai family” literally means “bow and arrow family” when translated from Japanese, and the Chinese in their chronicles called the Japanese “Big Bow”.

A fragment of the scroll "Heiji no Ran" depicts a rider in a white o-yoroi, armed with a bow and sword. The scroll was created at the beginning of the 14th century.

In the Heike Monogatari (The Tale of Heike), a well-known Japanese military chronicle of the 14th century, for example, it is reported that in 1185, during the Battle of Yashima, the Minamoto no Kuro Yoshitsune (1159 - 1189) commander fought desperately to return the bow, which he accidentally dropped into the water. The enemy warriors tried to knock him out of the saddle, his own warriors begged him to forget about such a trifle, but he fearlessly fought the first, and did not pay attention to the second. He took out his bow, but his veterans began to openly resent such recklessness: “It was terrible, lord. Your bow may be worth a thousand, ten thousand gold pieces, but is it worth risking your life?”

To which Yoshitsune replied: “It’s not that I didn’t want to part with my bow. If I had a bow like my uncle Tametomo's, which could only be drawn by two or even three people, I might even deliberately leave it to the enemy. But my bow is bad. If the enemies knew that it was I who owned it, they would laugh at me: “Look, this is the bow of the Minamoto commander Kuro Yoshitsune!” I wouldn't like it. So I risked my life to get him back."

In Hogan Monogatari (The Tale of the Hogan Era), which tells about the hostilities of 1156, Tametomo (1149 - 1170), Yoshitsune's uncle, is said to be an archer so strong that the enemies, having taken him prisoner, knocked him out chisel hands out of the joints to make it impossible to shoot a bow in the future. The title of "archer" was an honorary title for any distinguished samurai, even when the sword and spear replaced the bow. For example, the military leader Imagawa Yoshimoto (1519 - 1560) was given the nickname "The First Archer of the East Sea".

The Japanese made their bows from bamboo, while unlike the bows of other peoples who also used bamboo for this, they were very large in size and at the same time also asymmetrical, since it was believed that with such a warrior it would be more convenient to aim and shoot. Moreover, such a bow was especially convenient for shooting from a horse. The length of the yumi usually exceeds the English "longbows", as it often reaches 2.5 meters in length. There are cases that there were bows and even longer. So, the legendary archer Minamoto (1139 - 1170) had a bow 280 cm long. Sometimes the bows were made so strong that one person could not pull them. For example, yumi, intended for naval battles, had to be pulled by seven people at once. The modern Japanese bow, as in ancient times, is made from bamboo, various woods and rattan fibers. The usual distance of an aimed shot is 60 meters, well, in the hands of a master, such a weapon is capable of sending an arrow up to 120 meters. On some bows (at one of the ends), the Japanese strengthened the tips, like spears, which allowed this type of weapon, which was called yumi-yari (“spear bow”), to combine the functions of a bow and a spear.

Ancestral arrow and case for it.

The shafts of the arrows were made of polished bamboo or willow, and the plumage was made of feathers. The tip of the yajiri was often a real work of art. They were made by special blacksmiths, and often they signed their tips. Their shapes could be different, for example, bifurcated moon-shaped tips were very popular. Each samurai had a special "ancestral arrow" in his quiver, on which his name was written. It was used to recognize the dead on the battlefield in the same way as in Europe it was done by the coat of arms on the shield, and the winner took it as a trophy. Tsuru - bow string - was made from plant fibers and rubbed with wax. Each archer also had a spare string with him - a gen, which was put in a quiver or wound around a special tsurumaki coil ring that hung on his belt.

Katakura Kadetune - a samurai in black o-yoroy armor and with the same black bow with a characteristic braid. On a belt the coil for a spare bowstring. The back flag of the sashimono depicts a Buddhist bell. Sendai City Museum.

Much kyudo, according to European concepts, lies beyond the reasonable understanding of reality and is inaccessible to a person with a Western mentality. So, for example, it is still believed that the shooter in this half-mystical art plays only the role of an intermediary, and the shot itself is carried out, as it were, without his direct participation. At the same time, the shot itself was divided into four stages: greeting, preparation for aiming, aiming and launching an arrow (moreover, the latter could be fired standing, sitting, kneeling). A samurai could shoot even while riding a horse, and not from a stationary position, but at full gallop, like the ancient Scythians, Mongols and North American Indians!

An ancestral arrow (left) and two tsuba guards on the right.

According to the rules, the bushi warrior received an arrow and a bow from his squire, got up from his seat and assumed the appropriate posture, demonstrating his dignity and complete self-control. At the same time, breathing was required in a certain way, which achieved “peace of mind and body” (dojikuri) and readiness to shoot (yugumae). Then the shooter stood at the target with his left shoulder, with a bow in his left hand. The legs were supposed to be placed at the length of the arrow, after which the arrow was placed on the bowstring and held with the fingers. Meanwhile, relaxing the muscles in his arms and chest, the samurai raised his bow over his head and pulled the string. It was necessary to breathe at this moment with the stomach, which allowed the muscles to relax. Then the shot itself was fired - khanare. The samurai had to concentrate all his physical and mental strength on the “great goal”, the desire for one goal - to connect with the deity, but by no means on the desire to hit the target and not on the target itself. Having fired, the shooter then lowered the bow and calmly walked to his place.

Archery gloves.

Over time, yumi turned from a weapon of a noble rider into a weapon of a simple infantryman, but even then he did not lose respect for himself. Even the advent of firearms did not detract from its importance, since the bow was faster and more reliable than the primitive muzzle-loading arquebus. The Japanese knew crossbows, including Chinese ones, multiply charged doku, but they were not widely used in their country.

By the way, horses and riders were specially trained in the ability to swim across rivers with a turbulent current, and at the same time they had to shoot from a bow! Therefore, the bow was varnished (usually black) and also dyed. Short bows, similar to the Mongolian ones, were also well known to the Japanese, and they used them, but this was difficult because the Buddhists in Japan were disgusted with such things as the hooves, sinews and horns of dead animals and could not touch them, and without this they could make a short but powerful enough bow is simply impossible.

But in Western Europe, the feudal lords did not recognize the bow as a military weapon. Already the ancient Greeks considered the bow a weapon of a coward, and the Romans called it "insidious and childish." Charlemagne demanded that his soldiers wear a bow, issued the appropriate capitularies (decrees), but he did not succeed much in this! A sports equipment for training muscles - yes, a hunting weapon - to earn a living in the forest, combining a pleasant pastime with useful work - yes, but to fight with a bow in your hands against other knights like himself - yes, God forbid! Moreover, bows and crossbows were used in European armies, but ... they recruited commoners for this: in England - peasant yeomen, in France - Genoese crossbowmen, and in Byzantium and the crusader states in Palestine - Muslim Turkopoulos. That is, in Europe, the main weapon of a knight was originally a double-edged sword, and the bow was considered a weapon unworthy of a noble warrior. Moreover, horseback archers in European armies were forbidden to shoot from horseback. With a noble animal, which was considered a horse, you had to first get off, and only after that take up the bow! In Japan, it was the opposite - it was from the very beginning that the bow was the weapon of noble warriors, and the sword served for self-defense in close combat. And only when the wars in Japan stopped, and archery by and large lost all meaning, the sword came to the first place in the samurai's arsenal, in fact, which by that time had become an analogue of the European sword. Of course, not in terms of his combat characteristics, but in terms of the role that he played in the then Japanese society.

And with spears, the situation was about the same! Well, why does a warrior need a spear when a powerful and long-range bow is at his service ?! But when spears in Japan became a popular weapon, there were so many types of them that it was simply amazing. Although, unlike Western European knights, who used spears from the very beginning of their history, in Japan they received them only in the middle of the 14th century, when infantrymen began to use them against samurai horsemen.

Senzaki Yagoro Noriyasu is one of the 47 loyal ronin who runs with a spear in his hand. Woodcut by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798 - 1861)

The length of the spear of the Japanese infantry yari could be from 1.5 to 6.5 m. Usually it was a spear with a double-edged tip ho, however, spears with several points at once are known, with hooks and moon-shaped blades attached to the tip and taken away from it to the sides .

The rarest kuradashi yari spear of blacksmith Mumei. Edo period, circa 1670. Next to it is a suitably shaped case.

Using the yari spear, the samurai struck with his right hand, trying to pierce the enemy’s armor, and with his left he simply held his shaft. Therefore, it was always varnished, and the smooth surface made it easy to rotate in the palms. Then, when long yari appeared, which became a weapon against cavalry, they began to be used rather as a striking weapon. Ashigaru foot warriors were usually armed with such spears, resembling the ancient Macedonian phalanx with long pikes lined one to one.

The tip of the yari spear and its case.

Well, if the tip of the spear broke, then they didn’t throw it away, but turned it into such an elegant tanto-yari dagger.

The shapes of the tips varied, as did their length, of which the longest reached 1 m. In the middle of the Sengoku period, the shaft of the yari lengthened to 4 m, but it was more convenient for riders to control spears with short shafts, and the longest yari remained the weapon of the ashigaru foot soldiers. Another interesting type of polearm such as a pitchfork was the sasumata sojo garama or futomata-yari with a metal tip like a slingshot, sharpened from the inside. It was often used by samurai police officers to detain intruders armed with a sword.

Sasumata sojo garama

In Japan, they also came up with something resembling a garden trident cultivator and called kumade (“bear paw”). In his representations, one can often see a chain wrapped around the shaft, which must have been attached to the wrist or to armor so that it would not be lost in battle. This weapon curiosity was used during the storming of castles, during boarding, but in a field battle with its help it was possible to hook an enemy warrior by the kuvagat horns on a helmet or by cords on armor and pull them off a horse or from a wall. Another version of the "bear's paw" was a mace with outstretched fingers, and entirely made of metal!

The kumade mace is a striking fusion of two styles of Chinese and Japanese island weapons.

The police also used the sode-garami (“tangled sleeve”), a weapon with hooks diverging from the shaft, with which they caught on the sleeves of the criminal so that he could not use his weapon. The way to work with it is simple to genius. It is enough to approach the enemy and forcefully poke him with the tip of the sode-garami (it doesn’t matter whether he is injured or not!) so that his hooks with the ends bent like fishhooks dig into his body.

Sode-garami tip.

It was in this way that murderers, robbers and violent revelers were captured in Edo times. Well, in battle, sode-garami tried to hook the enemy by the lacing on the armor and pull him off the horse to the ground. So the presence of a large number of cords on Japanese armor represented a "double-edged sword." In certain cases, for their owner, it was simply deadly! The navy also used something similar to it - the uchi-kagi grappling hook.

Samurai sword

The Japanese technology for making iron swords began to develop from the 8th century and reached its highest perfection by the 13th century, allowing you to make 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 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:

Comparative table of Japanese swords

Type of	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. Worn on the belt with the blade down, paired with a tanto dagger.
katana	61-73	2,8-3,1	0,4-1,9	6-8	Appeared in the XIV century. 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. Worn blade up paired with a katana.
Tanto	17-30	1.7-2.9	0-0.5	5-7	Worn in tandem with a tachi sword or separately as a knife.
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. The data are taken for the swords of the Kamakura and Muromachi periods (- years) according to the catalogs. The length of tachi in the initial period of Kamakura and modern tachi (gendai-to) reaches 83 cm.

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 merchants from the mainland. This period of Japanese history is called Kofun (lit. "mounds", III - 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 (- years), with the help of Korean and Chinese blacksmiths in Japan, they began to produce their own iron, and by the 7th century they mastered composite technology. Unlike previous examples, forged from a single iron strip, swords began to be made by forging from iron and steel plates.

In the old days (the period of koto swords, about - BC), there were about 120 blacksmith schools that 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 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 ).

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 was carried out, 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 isolation of slag residues in steel and a decrease in the carbon content was carried out 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 poured onto a plate of the same metal, everything in a single block is heated to 1300 ° C and welded together with hammer blows. The forging process begins. The workpiece is flattened and doubled, then flattened again and doubled in the other direction. As a result of repeated forging, a laminated steel is obtained, finally cleaned of slags. It is easy to calculate that 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, the blacksmith forges at least two bars of 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 the furnace and welds the component parts by forging, after which he increases the length of the workpiece at 700-1100 ° C 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 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 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 strengthen 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 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, 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 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; during the Kamakura period, the line became wavy, with bizarre curls and transverse lines. 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 of 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.

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 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" (NBTHK) was created, one of its 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, mainly tachi of the Kamakura period, katanas and wakizashi in this list less than 2 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 quality of the sword itself is certified by the Japanese Sword Protection Society (NTHK), which issues an expert opinion according to the established model.

At present, 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.

Sources

The article is based on the materials of 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 p. ISBN 5-901555-01-5
• A. G. Bazhenov, "Examination of the Japanese sword", - S.-Pb., 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 site www.katori.ru.

Notes

1. The term "tati" was established in Russian-language literature. Russian phonetics does not allow to accurately convey the sound, English phonetics reproduces the name as tachi.
2. There is no exact standard for deflection for tati. At the beginning, the tati sword had an almost saber curvature; by the 14th century, the blade straightens. The deflection of the "sori" is standardly measured as the maximum distance from the butt to a 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. The definitions of the types of Japanese swords are given in the book by A. Bazhenov "Expertise of the Japanese sword" according to the explanation of the Japanese association NBTHK ("Society for the Preservation of Artistic Japanese Swords"), which is responsible for the certification of Japanese blades.
4. Although the tachi is on average longer than the katana, it is not uncommon for the katana to be longer than the tachi.
5. These lengths are obtained by converting the traditional Japanese measure of length shaku (30.3 cm, approx. cubit length) into cm.
6. That is, until the end of the Momoyama period. Traditionally, Japanese history is divided into unequal periods, defined by the names of the settlements that became the residence of the emperor.
7. Aoi Art Tokyo: Japanese auction house specializing in Japanese swords.
   Japanese Sword Ginza Choshuya Magazine: Japanese sword shop, releases a catalog every month.
8. The Kogarasu-Maru sword is in the unusual kissaki-moroha style popular during the Nara period. Half of the blade is double-edged to the tip, the other half with a blunt butt. A central hollow runs along the blade, the blade itself is very slightly curved, but there is a rather strong bending of the shank in relation to the blade. There is no signature on the sword. Stored in the collection of the imperial family. See photo in Bazhenov's book "The History of the Japanese Sword".
9. "Lumbar bend" ( koshi-zori) is so named 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 shiny, clean fracture color indicates a carbon content above 1% (high carbon steel).
16. The forging process of the sword is described according to the booklet of the All Japan Swordsmiths Association and the book "The Craft of the Japanese Sword" (see sources), which describes the ancient technology restored by a modern master.