Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Traditional customs - Why do Japanese swords like to be called "XX character" and what does this "character" mean? What is the meaning of this "text"?

Why do Japanese swords like to be called "XX character" and what does this "character" mean? What is the meaning of this "text"?

You see the end of the know, I do not write

(a), according to the age of points, *** divided into five kinds:

1, straight sword (ancient sword). Ancient burial period to the Nara period of the sword cast, mainly for the 238 BC ~ 707 AD,

The blade of the sword of this period is straight, without bending.

2. Ancient swords. Mainly swords made in the middle Heian, Kamakura, Yoshino, and Muromachi periods, from the Heian period to the Bunroku period,

Daito genin (806) ～ Bunroku 4 (1595). This is also the period in which the Japanese swords we now see took shape, and the swords of this

period are no longer much different from those we see today.

3. New swords. Azuchi-Momoyama period, the Edo period in the middle and late period of the sword, mainly after the Keicho to the Anaga period (Edo

middle and late), Keicho first year (1596) to the third year of the 享和三年(1803)。 This was a period when many famous swords were produced.

4. Shinshin Swords. Edo period, the end of the Shogunate period of the sword, mainly for the culture of the first year (1804) ~ Keio three years (

1867). This period is most famous for the sword of human beheading, every sword is soaked with blood, some even the blood of the owner, this

period? #124;The difference was a great effort, and the number of disembowelments was extremely high.

5. Modern knives. Swords cast after the Meiji era, the first year of the Meiji era (1868) ~ now. Our people have a deep hatred

Japanese military swords are mostly out of this period (some officers will be part of the family heirloom sword on the battlefield is also very common). I recall that this was covered in some detail in Light Weapons, so I won't comment on that. In addition, due to well-known reasons, the discussion of the current

generation of military knives is prone to controversy, I am not thick-skinned, patriotic and very eager, do not want to be slapped and scolded to death, about this discussion

The discussion of this kind is not sensitive. Statement in the first ......

(ii), to the length and use to points:

1, too knife. Is specifically refers to a curved sword with a large curvature, the blade length of 2 feet (66cm) or more, 3 feet (about 1m) or less. Too

Knife and the same belongs to the sword category slightly different, the difference lies in the sheath, the knife sheath on the two feet of gold (common point is

is that there are two knife ring), with the ribbon interweaving molding, the knife hanging on the waist (this weaving is extremely complex, in the next is to get

confused, with the belt on the end of it, to make it so complicated! Silly Japanese ......). A taijutsu is basically a two-handed sword, and

samurai on horseback also wielded it one-handed. The curved shape of the blade made for a more effective downward chopping stroke, and was inherited from the curved shape of the earlier mawashi

taijutsu. The emergence of this type of sword brought about a shift in the mode of combined combat from foot to mounted. However,

I do think it's extremely silly. The advantage of the Japanese sword was that it was a two-handed sword, with great chopping power, so it would have been better to switch to a saber if the one-handed sword hadn't been turned into a common

curved sword with a long hilt that would only have gotten in the way.

2, fighting knife. Generally referred to as "sword", can be said to be the representative of the Japanese sword sword. Fighting knife and taijutsu form is basically the same

, one of the differences between the two is to fight the knife sheath mouth on both sides were inserted with a small handle and maturity: small handle is a 6 inches long (about 18cm) left

right of the knife, seldom used in combat, generally used to cut things and cut the line, swordsman novels occasionally appear with a small handle instead of the hand

sword to throw the description; maturity is inserted on the opposite side of the small handle, used to organize the hair, and the sword. The mat is inserted in the opposite side of the small handle, used to organize the hair and tickling props (really TNND, I just knew when

Can not help but want to curse, and now also can not help so, there is this feeling people may wish to join in cursing a couple of ...... ^ _ ^).

A difference in the way they are carried is different, the taijutsu is the blade down on the waist, the knife is generally the blade up on the belt

, of course, there is also a blade down on the belt, but most of the blade up on the belt (tongue-in-cheek?), the knife is the blade up on the belt. Nonsense!!!)

. So, the average Japanese samurai drew his sword with his backhand. So, in order to fit into this style of belt carrying, the blade of the katana

was designed to be curved, and this curved design is called a "kyokan". The center of the blade was designed to be the most curved

area, making it easier to draw. As a result, the technique of drawing and attacking at the same time was created, which is known as Battoujutsu. The famous

swordsman Tamiya Heibei, after much exploration, came up with the jutsu

jutsu (jutsu kenjutsu style ......), which originated in the art of sword drawing, but is much more effective in one-on-one combat. This type of sword had already appeared in the Kamakura period, but was shorter and called a "

bayonet". In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, when larger swords became popular, the bayonet was lengthened, giving rise to the larger taijutsu

and the prototype of the katana. During the Muromachi period, the development of the hitting sword entered a heyday and began to be associated with the ? #124;Chia*** was worn on the waist

, and this type of sword, along with the ? #124;Differential *** with the belt has continued to this day.

The picture above shows the beating knife and ? #124;Differential combination, owned by the famous general Maeda Toshiya.

It is said that this sword took part in the Battle of Kakushima. The blade is engraved with "Kouzou Ueiru" and the ?

The sword is engraved with "Koujougou" and is the work of Hidakage Bizen. #124;Differences (also known as ? #124;finger). The length of the blade 29.9-60CM. this kind of thing, this kind of thing, how to say it ...... in fact,

is the disembowelment of the special weapon. Nothing is allowed to do, usually only for suicide. Usually Japanese people are generally it as a family guardian

God like for, and to fight with people when they take down with the taijutsu or sword paired with the belt, generally can not be used

. Of course, when you're in a real hurry, you don't care about that, so naturally you'll use whatever you have, and use it to cut people down without question

:) In fact, I don't think the design of this weapon was a success either. In fact, I think the design of this weapon is not successful. It is too short to fight, too long to eat meat (and not allowed)

, most of the time it is just a decoration. Even if you can't fight to commit suicide, there is no time on the battlefield for you to disembowel yourself in peace

there is still a problem ^_^ So, if you have to bring a short weapon to the battlefield, I still insist on bringing a double-sided bladed

guys, and in addition to the function of the knife but also have the use of the survival tool in the wilderness (the modern use of the bayonet more than the ancients of the Japanese how to think of it

to me). really brain into water ......).

4, ninja knife. The appearance of this knife and the ancient knife is similar, is also a straight knife, just lengthened, reinforced handle (stepping on the knife on the high < / p>

ah, not strong points how to do); blade shorter than the average knife; sheaths are special, there are holes in the top, (easy to breathe underwater

inhalation); the knife is also tied to a 3-foot rope (the use of this can be a big one, one or two can not be said clearly).

5. Short sword. This is a kind of Japanese history appeared than ? #124; difference is shorter than the weapon (blade length of 1CM-29.9CM), mostly used for women

defense and for the honor and self-blade. The methods generally used by women to commit suicide were: 1. Kneeling squarely and then tying the legs with ribbons. 2. Holding a

knife in both hands, the blade is held flat and stabbed straight down at the throat. 2, after kneeling and tying the legs, with one hand holding the knife, the blade close to the carotid artery, the other hand to press

part of the back of the knife, and then a hard wipe. In fact, stabbing the throat is not women's "patent". Japan's late World War II "kamikaze"

members have a suicide knife, short knife for the "flat made" single blade, white wooden sheath (some sheaths painted), there is a holster

(holster with a lanyard). The knife was placed in a burlap bag and worshipped at a shrine, removed and hung around the neck during battle, and then wiped the neck or stabbed the throat after the pilot adjusted the airplane before hitting the ship

. (This section has been redacted, but as something to read for yourself,

It is better to keep the original manuscript as well ......)

Shogun with embedded Hyakubo shuriken by Kiyomitsu Nagafune (sixteenth century)

6, the big taijutsu. The Otaibutsu is also known as the Nodate. Any sword over 3 feet in length was classified as such. Kamakura samurai were proud of their strength and power

The sword with a long blade, which was a powerful weapon that they could boast of, was often seen on the battlefield. Kojiro's favorite sword,

Nagamitsu, was a three-foot-two-inches long taijutsu. Even longer swords, around five feet long, were common during the Warring States period (in horsefighting, the length of the sword was

advantageous). The book "Taiheiji," with its many exaggerated descriptions, contains many accounts of swords longer than 5 feet (about 150 cm).

The longest documented sword was 9 feet 3 inches long. In addition, the longest surviving Nodachi sword is 7 feet 4 inches 2 minutes in total length

(about 225cm), with a curved part 3 inches 1 minute (about 9.4cm) long and a width of 1 inch 2 minutes (3.6cm). This sword is now stored in Yayoi

Hikari Shrine in Niigata Prefecture and is one of the national treasures of Japan. People don't understand how to use this kind of sword in infantry warfare, right? Let me explain: ......

In fact, there is no secret, carry the sword on your shoulder, hold the sword in your right hand, put your left arm on the back of the sword, and slash down! (Did not cut

......you ！！！！！ ...... what to do? ...... wait for death!!!)

7, small taijutsu. Small taijutsu specifically refers to taijutsu under 2 feet (66cm). In addition to the size of the difference, the other and the taiwanese sword is basically the same.

An inch long, an inch strong, Japanese history actually appeared only with a small taijutsu hacking fools - from the Nakajo stream of Tomita Kuro

Zaemon long family created by the Tomita stream of great swordsmen. Miyamoto Musashi, by contrast, was far shrewder. First, he defeated the 3-foot-2 Nagamitsu with a 4-foot-2 wooden

sword, and later, at the age of 50, he perfected the swordsmanship of using two swords, one large and one small (i.e., the Ichi-no-Taijutsu and the Ni-no-Taijutsu), which became known as "Niten-ryu" (二天一流). With his left hand, the small sword, and his right hand, the big sword, the yin and the yang were in perfect harmony (

How awesome it would be to cut someone with two swords!) . This is not all, two days first-class great swordsmen in the arms of a ? #124; poor, on the battlefield

Then take a lance or bow and arrow, simply armed to the teeth ......^_^

8, the hair of the form of taijutsu (けぬきがたたち). The Keki-gatana was a sword with an integrated hilt and blade that appeared in the middle of the Heian period

. It was also known as "Nodachi" (のだち). The hilt is characterized by a design with clear carvings, which can be seen in the grip and at the head of the hilt. Both the handle and the blade are curved, which is partly influenced by the Kwan? #124;s commonly used

fern hand blades, which were mostly used for cutting on the horse. Originally worn by military officials, the mawashi shaped swords were later restricted to use as scepters for ministers

Length: 80-100cm Weight: 0.9-1.1kg Period: Heian to North and South Dynasties (974-1391)

9, large and small half-taijutsu. The large and small half-taijutsu was a unique group of swords held by the samurai class. It appeared in the early sixteenth century.

The combination of a long sword and a short sword gave rise to the name "big and small". There are many records of the use of these two swords in the wars against Japanese invaders during the Ming Dynasty in China. For example, a Japanese pirate "hand dance double knife, knife length of more than five feet, wrist movement, open blade is very long. Their knives fly, through the body like snow,

no room to strike." Moreover, in actual use, many of the use of this group of knives of the samurai in actual combat generally first pluck a long knife

in the left hand, the Ming army officers and soldiers and he fought, only attentive to deal with his left-handed long knives, and he took the opportunity to the right hand secretly switched

short knives to sneak attack ...... (****, ghosts sly and cunning). In fact, many of these combination knives are cha ao kan? Shooting Ting? None of their actual quality is very high. Strictly speaking, most of them do not belong to the scope of this post - the discussion of Japanese flat dark text pattern swords

Two, the structure of Japanese swords and the name of each part: (see the picture below, clear enough, right?).

Still don't get it? Then just draw a picture you guys see for yourself (not a good drawing, you do not laugh). In fact, this kind of too specialized

professional things I think not many people will be interested in. And it's useless to know about this kind of stuff, so let's just take a look at it to relieve your boredom

. Just let the Japanese know, do not deceive my hall of China no one!

Well, with the names of the various parts figured out, let's take a look at the making of the various attachments other than the blade. (This can

is a long, long story ah, Tianjian headache in ......). How to say, the Japanese knife maker only tube hit the blade, he hit a good blade, with soft

wood to be wrapped can be sold - that is, we buy a knife can only buy a Japanese knife knife strip, sheath ah, the tsuba ah what

all need to look for their own another person with another. The production of these accessories can be divided into wood, gold, lacquer three arts. These are

Japanese traditional arts and crafts strengths, but also the Japanese plane dark patterned edge in the knife and Damascus knife can be compared to the power of

Source ...... (too long, and, say the attachment can not help but talk about the culture of the tsuba, and the tsuba culture is inevitably involved

Japanese "sexual culture", the culture of the tsuba is not only the culture of the sword. Japan's "sexual culture", so, here on a one-off it, interested friends please refer to recent issues of "light weapons" on Mr. Xu

Yao-hua's several articles to start, here I can be a little lazy, hehehe).

Additionally, there are specific rules for the placement of Japanese swords, basically as follows: (with blade): A Taijutsu-placed on a rack dedicated

to Taijutsu (resting on the floor), with the head of the hilt slanting downward, sheath slanting upward, blade slanting downward, and the overall

slant leaning against the rack (the positive placement method); it may also be placed on a normal Japanese sword rack, with the blade downward The handle of the knife is on the left, and the tip of the knife is on the right

side (a slight pendulum method); B fighting knife-placed in the ordinary Japanese knife frame, the edge on the building down, the handle of the knife is on the left, and the tip of the knife is on the right; C rib difference

-same as the fighting knife; D saber-94, 98-type saber can be used in both cases; the other sabers are the same as the fighting knife.

Three, the origin of the Japanese sword and the famous craftsmen:

The origin of the Japanese sword can be called 『Goki Seven Roads』, five that is, the gi: Yamato, and Izumi, Hanoi, Yamashiro, ?tsu five countries

; Seven Roads refers to? #124;Yamadori, Hokuriku Province, ? #124; Kaido, Sanyo-do, Sanin-do, Nankai-do, and Saikaido, the seven provinces and sixty-five countries. Specifically

? #124;Sanyo-do: Rikuo, Hagou, Hazen, Rikuchu, Rikuzen, Iwashiro, Iwaki, Shimono, Ueno, Shinano, Mino, Hida

Hida, Omi

Hokuriku-do: Sado, Echigo-kou, Echiguchu, Noto, Kaga, Echizen, Wakasa

Hokurikaido: Hitachinoki, Yasuho, Kamiso, Shimoso, Musashi, Sagami, Izu, Kofi, Suruga, Tonoe, Mikawa, Ono

Harima, Iga, Ise, Shima

Sanyo: Harima, Mimasaka, Bizen, Bizen, Bizen, Bizen, Bizen, Yasuho, Suo-no-Mori

Sanyo: Tamba, Tango-no-Mori, Tanma, Ima, Inkuma, Bogakko, Izumo, Iwami

> South Sea Route: Kii, Awaji, Sanuki, Awa, Iyo, Tosa

West Sea Route: Toyotomi, Toyoho, Chikuzen, Chikugo, Hizen, Hizen, Hizen, Hyuga, Ohsumi, Satsuma

One of them is the most famous of all, the five dens (五伝). The five dens are Yamashiro dens (山城伝, Yamato dens, Aishu dens, Mino dens, and Bizen dens (備前伝). Below

We will introduce the characteristics of Goden and its famous swordsmiths.

1. Yamashiro-den. Most of them have straight blades and are characterized by straight lines of blade text. Representative swordsmiths include Sanjo Sokin, Laikoku Toshi, Laikoku Kou, Ume

Tadamitsu, Hizen Tadayoshi, and Iga Mori Kindo.

2. Yamato Den. Basically, it is a katame muscle (katame plate-like forged muscle). The representative swordsmiths are Chikanin Ichiban, Dangma, Teshigakure Echizen

Mae Yasutsugu, Sendai Kokubo, and Minami Kishiguni.

3. Sagisuden. Small particles can be seen in the messy edge of the burnished blade (non-straight lines of the blade text). The representative swordsmiths are Shinto Gokokumitsu, Masakatsu, Sadamune Shigekei, Naoyin, and Kiyomaro

4, Mino Den. The blade is interspersed with a sharp edge pattern. The representative swords of the ancient sword period are Kanji, Kanjyo, Muramasa, and others. The new sword period is Masatsugu,

Daodao, Omura Gabe and others.

5. Bizen-den. This school of burning edge visible white lines. Among them, Tomonari, Masahiro, Baohei Kawauchi Mori Kunisuke, Sukihiro, and Mizu

Shinoko Masahide are more famous.

Muramasa and Masamune, whom we often refer to, were famous swordsmiths of the Goden ancient sword period.

Short Sword, Threatening Sword Fighting Sword Fighting Sword Fighting Sword

Table--Etsukemen consoled by Muramasa Sakuyuki Inscription: no Inscription: no Inscription Table: Muramasa, Myoho Renge Kyo.

Ri - Bungame Gen. year August day. Table: Murakasa, Myoho-renge-kyo.

Ri - the 13th day of the 10th year of the reign of Bunkyo (Note: These four swords were specially uploaded as a gift from a friend. (Note: These four swords were uploaded by a friend as a gift. Unfortunately, the representative blade of "Muramasa", "Hakataiba", was not photographed clearly

)

Muramasa belongs to the Mino Den school of swordsmiths. The distinctive feature of this school is that the blade is cast with a sharp edge pattern. The first generation of Muramasa

was a folkloric branch of the descendant disciples of the authentic Japanese smelting and forging craftsmen, and his successors were also very good forgers.

Their work is decorated with ornate patterns, and it's all razor sharp.

There are a few words about the "Muramasa Sword". Muramasa has been called "evil sword" and "demon sword" since the Edo period

. It was in the middle of the Muromachi period that it made its official debut as a swordmaker's name. It should be noted that Muramasa was not the name of a single swordsman, and that at least 3 or 4 people used Muramasa as a name for their swords at the same time (the first generation Muramasa being the most famous, of course).

The work of the first Muramasa. This sword is worth 8,800,000 yen

Legend has it that after killing 1000 people or a demon, Muramasa will turn into Chunyu with the protection of the gods, and the Chunyu sword is said to have the power of the gods and spirits

The amount of power can be used to kill people by flying the sword, but there are many taboos against using it, and once you violate them, the power will be gone and you will turn back to Muramasa. Therefore, the "Murakumo

Murakumo Demon Sword" should actually be "Chunyu Demon Sword". Therefore, there is no real "Muramasa Demon Sword" in the world, it is only a weapon in the legend

The reason that all Muramasa were later called "Demon Swords" was because Tokugawa Ieyasu banned them.

First, Tokugawa Ieyasu's grandfather, Matsudaira Kiyoyasu, was killed by his own retainer, the samurai Abe

Yoshichiro Abe, in the fourth year of the Tenmon era, when he was fighting the Oda family, with a "Chikko Murakumasa," a sword that cut him from his right shoulder to his left abdomen. The left side of his stomach was broken and his intestines flowed out, and he died a horrible death...?

Next in line was Ieyasu's father, Hirotaka Matsudaira. In the 14th year of the Tenno period, Hirotaka's thigh was cut off by his vassal Iwamatsu Hachiya with a sword

and it was a Muramasa (I don't have a record of which Muramasa he used, so I hope to be able to tell you if you have any information).

Later, Ieyasu's first son, Nobuyasu, was suspected by Oda Nobunaga of colluding with the Takeda clan and committed hara-kiri ...... using another Muramasa

! (Tokugawa Ieyasu had high hopes for this son, and he was really tolerant, obeying such orders ......). Later, in the battle of Sekigahara, Tokugawa Ieyasu himself had his finger chopped off by Muramasa's gun. Therefore, Ieyasu was extremely bitter towards Muramasa ...... ordering the destruction of all Muramasa

swords, and all those who wielded them were considered to be in contempt of the Shogunate and were sentenced to capital punishment. (Misery ......)

After Ieyasu banned swords, the term demon sword was generalized, and almost all Muramasa were called demon swords. However, many samurai at the time did not

have the heart to destroy their beloved swords, and preserved them by changing the inscription of the Sesshu Muramasa to Masamune. This is the reason why some

Masamune pieces are often seen nowadays with the Murakamasa character.

Besides the fact that the forgeries we see today were intentionally forged by later generations for profit, there is another historical reason: at the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, many of the Shogunate opponents engraved their own swords with the Murakamasa motto as a sign of their determination to oppose the Shogun, and also for good luck

(in the hope that they would behead the Shogun themselves). Therefore, we should also be careful to identify the ......

Among the existing demonic swords, the most famous one is called "Myoho Muramasa". The sword is engraved with a dragon on its body, and the part of the scabbard that is inserted into the sword

is engraved with the words "Myoho Rennyo Sutra," which suggests that Muramasa had a deep connection with the Nichiren sect. This sword was forged in the 10th year of the Eisho period (1513), making it the work of the third generation of Muramasa.

And the Masamune belongs to Sagisu-den. The characteristics of Sagisu-den's famous swords are even more prominent, mainly the tiny particles visible in the messy edge of the burnished blade (the non-straight line of the blade text

). First of all, there are several "Masamune" inscriptions, but we will only talk about the first generation of Sagisu "Masamune" (the most

famous one, like Seishu Muramasa), i.e., Okazaki Goro Masamune, also known as "Goro", and the "Goro", which is the name of the first generation. Goro Okazaki, also known as "Goro Iaido 'Shoso'. It is the most famous "ghost genius" in the history of Japanese

honorable sword world. The era in which he lived was the "Kaji" period of Japanese history. The knives made by him are few in inscriptions

and rare, and most of the inscriptions are two-character inscriptions; the blade text is a mess of mutual eyes and a small mess, and the holmium holmium of the ground muscle is collapsed and the soup goes to the gold line, which is different from the other "Shoso"

and the price of the sword is more than ten million yen as early as possible. The Sangju "Shoso" founded the Shoso sect, and there were so many talented disciples after that that there were later

the so-called "Shoso Ten Tetsu".

There are not many knives made by Masamune, and among them, those with "all burnt" blades are even rarer, and the ground pattern of the blade belongs to the "rice bran muscle", which is

composed of small dots of grayish-white color. No one has been able to imitate the authentic form of the base pattern, and this is the place where the authentic technique is unique in the world.

The famous swords of these two schools are now national treasures and extremely rare. In particular, after Muramasa and Tokugawa Ieyasu banned swords, the genuine ones were almost

" in the Human Chopping Trial Chopping.... ...And so on and so forth, and so on and so forth. Well, remember their names:

The ancient swordsmen of the period are: Nagafune Hidemitsu, Hatsuyo Kanemoto, Nijii Kanemoto, Mihara Masakatsu, and Nagafune Motoshige.

The New Sword period, on the other hand, had: Nagasoya Toratsu, Tabara Nagayuki, Rokuou Mamoru Tadayoshi, first-generation Tsuda Sukuhiro, first-generation Sendai Kokubo,

first-generation Hizen Tadayoshi, Nagasoya Koushō, and first-generation Nagamichi.

Here is a special mention of Nagasenya Toru Irido Kōri - this son was originally an armorer, but after middle age he specialized in making swords, and was called

the first master of the new sword period. It is a master level character also ...... his sword in his living time is worth a lot of silver, as if the general

daimyo level players want to have a not only to prepay the full amount but also queuing up the look, and after the death is more speculation of the price rose

up to the sky (look at the Japanese people speculation to do the work of the tea utensils to know). This is a point Mr. Ma should know ...... well).

After talking about the famous knife work, and then talk about a Japanese knife related to our country's term - "counting dozen things". During the Ming Dynasty, China ordered

a large number of Japanese sword strips without blade mounts from Japan for use in equipping the military. Due to the huge number of manufacturing craftsmen rushed day and night, so that the quality of a serious

decline, many for the crude "Ippon-made". These swords, which were no longer ordered in large quantities in the true sense of the word, were often shipped in bundles of many pieces.

These swords were made in the same way that the Japanese army was made. In view of this situation and the way they were manufactured, the Japanese called this type of customized product "katana" or "