What are the types of Japanese swords? What are the famous ones?

Japanese sword (にほんとう, Nihontou), modified from the Tang Dynasty Tang sword, also known in Japan as the sword (かたな, Katana). All known as the plane broken section of the complex body dark patterned edge, one of the world's three famous blade. Depending on the shape and size, they are categorized as taijutsu, katana (sword), wakizashi (finger pointing), and shuriken (short sword). In a broader sense, they also include Naginata, razors, swords, and guns. They have been used as weapons since ancient times and are also known for their beautiful shapes, and many famous swords are collected as works of art and carry the symbolism of the spirit of the samurai. One of the most distinctive features of Japanese swords, unlike those of other countries, is the artistic sense of the blade itself, in addition to its decorative shape. In Japan, a sword maker is called a "swordsman", "swordsmith", or "sword forger".

Sword fittings include sheaths, hilts, matches, rims, heads, mukan, tsuba, and so on.

Among them, the tsuba (つば, Tsuba) is the main accessory, the tsuba is equivalent to the general sword grid or hand guard, its role is:

Out of the sword and the sword switch.

Protects the palm and wrist during a fight.

A symbol of social status, honor and nobility.

Before the Azuchi-Momoyama period, the first two items were practical, while the third item was decorative.

Janko period

Swords from before the end of the Heian period are categorized as janko, and are different from the common Japanese swords of today in shape, either with a straight blade or with a double edge. Elder swords are extremely rare and are important archaeological material.

Iron swords have been seen in Japan since the ancient burial mound era. For example, iron swords were excavated from the Inariyama Burial Mound in Saitama Prefecture and the Zozan Burial Mound in Shimane Prefecture. The "Kinko Iron Sword" excavated from the Inariyama Burial Mound was made in 471 A.D. to commemorate the service of Emperor Yusaku, and has 115 kanji characters engraved on the blade. Most of the swords from this era are rusted.

7-8th century after the sword is more complete, famous for the Shitennoji Temple of the propylene pepper Lin sword seven-star sword, Shosoin Temple of the gold and silver inlay Zhuang Tang long knife, etc., according to the evidence that these swords are mostly China, North Korea's imports. In this era, the sword of Wu (the general name for southeastern China) was considered to be the best, and Emperor Peko wrote a poem in praise of it. At the same time, the influx of foreign forging technology led to a significant increase in the standard of Japanese forging. Shosoin has a collection of ancient swords called "Tang Daikatana" and Japanese imitations of ancient swords called "Tang-like Daikatana".

The number of swords from the early Heian period that remain is quite rare. Academics have not been able to fully elucidate the changes in the style of Japanese swords, or when and how Japan created its unique scimitar. It is generally believed that straight swords were gradually transformed into curved swords in the middle of the Heian Period (around the 10th century) after the Seikei Rebellion and the Tenkei Rebellion. At the same time, the production process was changed from hirazukuri to hosukuri, which is a diamond-shaped sword. The improved production process made the Japanese sword stronger and sharper. Typical styles of this transition period are the "Mawabaki-shaped daggers" with a blade and handle made of a single piece of iron, and the "Koiwamaru" type of sword with a two-edged structure and a curved blade, with the most famous Mawabaki-shaped daggers being the one in the collection of the Ise Jingu Shrine, which is said to have been used by Fujiwara Hidetsugu. The most famous is the one in the Ise Jingu Shrine that is said to have been used by Fujiwara Hideyogo.

The Taijutsu Era

In the late Heian Period, especially during the "Nine Years' War" and the "Three Years' War" when the samurai were most active, the samurai clans became more powerful, and the Japanese sword developed greatly. In places such as Berjian and Bizen, where high quality iron ore was produced, and in Yamashiro and Yamato, which were centers of politics and culture, different styles of swordsmiths appeared, and the swords of this period were mainly used for dueling on horseback, so most of them were taijutsu (Japanese swords). Representative works of this period include the "Kodokiri" (made by Yasuzuna of the Bakuji Kingdom, a national treasure of Japan), which was used by Yorimitsu Minamoto to kill the "Sakuton Boy" in Oyama, and the "Koukoumaru" (made by Yamashiro and Yamashiro, a national treasure of Japan), which is said to have been crafted with the help of a fox. "(made by Sanjo Sokin of Yamashiro, destroyed during World War II). In addition to Yasuzuna, Sanjo Koye Sokin of Yamashiro (present-day Kyoto) and Kubizen Tomonari are considered to be the oldest surviving swordsmen with the names of their makers engraved on their works.

The Heian period taijutsu are characterized by the following: pickaxe-zukuri, umidou (いおりむね, Iorimune), kokeshi-first, kyoinverse, narrow in the front and wide in the back, and beautifully shaped blades.

Early Kamakura period Japanese sword is similar to the end of the Heian period, the Kamakura shogunate of the establishment of the political system of martial arts, so that the sword community is very active. Emperor Toba went so far as to set up the Goban Forge, where sword makers were called upon to forge swords on a monthly basis, actively encouraging sword-making.

In the middle of the Kamakura period, as a result of the emphasis on usability, the width of the blade was wide, and the overall width varied little. The blade was a hog's head cut first, and the quality of the blade was really robust. At this time, the production of short swords began to flourish.

At the end of the Kamakura period, the two invasions of the Yuan army and the collapse of the original political system brought about by the social upheaval, so that the knife industry flourished. The Japanese swords of this period were more bold than those of the middle Kamakura period. The wide width of the blade and the small variation in the width of the blade were inherited and developed, and the katana was also longer. The shuriken, the katana, and the taijutsu were all similarly longer than in other periods.

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a large number of large-sized swords called otaijutsu and nodaijutsu, which were different from the previous ones, appeared in large numbers.

After Muromachi

After the middle of the Muromachi period, the Japanese sword changed from the taijutsu, which was worn with the blade down, to the katana, which was worn with the blade up. As the demand for swords in Japan declined in peacetime, the quality of swords began to decline as they began to be produced in large quantities as trade goods. The demand for swords swelled again due to the renewed wars caused by the Ehito Rebellion, and a large number of crude products were produced to meet the demand, causing the quality of Japanese swords to decline even further.

In the Edo period, Edo (present-day Tokyo), Osaka (present-day Osaka), the forging industry around the prosperity of the famous swordsmen around the emergence. With the continuation of the peace and prosperity, the Japanese sword began to blindly pursue the beautiful edge of the text, gradually detached from the essence of practicality. In addition, this era began to tsuba, small handle, eye through, maturity and other knife decoration began to develop.

After the riots at the end of the Shogunate, the revivalists, centered on Mizushinoko Masahide and others, who advocated the revival of the ancient method of forging swords, once again developed the method of making Japanese swords, which was highly practical. The knives were then called Shinsaichi knives. Just as sword making began to flourish again, the Meiji Restoration began, and with the banning of martial arts fighting in 1873, and the abolition of the sword in 1876, which prohibited the carrying of swords by people other than police and military personnel, the Japanese sword declined rapidly. In modern times, however, the ancient method of making knives is still popular everywhere as a traditional craft.

Jyoukotou (じょうことう, Jyoukotou): Usually not included in the list of Japanese swords, it refers to the sword before the ancient sword. Straight swords are the main ones, and the reverse of the sword is occasionally seen in large swords and so on.

The ancient sword (Kodou, Kodou): refers to the Japanese sword before Keicho. Before the middle of the Muromachi period, they were mainly taijutsu.

New Swords (しんとう, Shintou) Swords made after Keicho.

Shinshintou (しんしんとう, Shinshintou): A sword made using the ancient sword forging method advocated by Masahide Mizushinko, and variously referred to as the Japanese sword of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the end of the Shogunate period.

Modern sword (げんだいとう, Gendaitou): There are also some opinions that it refers to the sword made after the abolition of the sword in Japan in 1876.

Showa sword (しょうわとう，Syouwatou)：Outside the scope of the Japanese sword as a fine art sword, it is a weapon sword that is mainly used as a military sword. There are many ways to make it.

Categorized by shape

Various types of Japanese swords are placed in different directions because the inscriptions are chiseled in different directions.

Tachi (たち, Tachi): Generally longer than a sword, the blade is also more curved. There is no mandatory way to wear a tachi, however, in order to facilitate the cavalry to draw the sword to kill the enemy on the ground, the tachi will generally be worn in the way of the edge of the blade down, and hanging below the belt. Japanese swords are divided into front and back, and the front of the taijutsu is the right side. The location of the motto is key; if you cut first and point upward, viewing the edge as the front of the sword, the motto of the taijutsu is on the right side of the blade.

Tsuka shaped sword: A sword with both a stem and a hilt (Tsuka) that existed during the transition from a straight sword to a curved sword.

Kobumaru-shaped sword: from the blade area to the object to hit the pickaxe, the sharp edge is double-edged. Slightly curved, it is a kind of sword in the transition period from straight to curved sword.

Sword (かたな, Katana): also known as a sword (うちかたな, Uchikatana), generally shorter than the taijutsu, the blade is also less curved. In order to achieve the fastest possible draw, the sword is traditionally carried with the edge facing upwards, and the sheath is inserted into the belt. If the blade is pointed upwards first, and the edge is seen as the front of the sword, the left side of the blade will be emphasized. So the front of the sword is also the left side. According to the modern classification refers to the length (blade length: the straight line distance from the first cut to the dong area) 60cm or more of the knife.

Wakizashi (わきざし, Wakizashi): also known as Wakizashi, refers to knives with a length of more than 30cm and less than 60cm.

Tantou (たんとう、tantou)：A sword with a length of less than 30cm. In addition, knives made by the "hirazukuri" method, which are more than 30cm in length but do not have a reverse blade, are often categorized as "katana".