AIKUCHI - a tanto with no tsuba (guard) AOI - hollyhock, commonly used as a Mon ARA-NIE - coarse or large nie ASHI - legs (streaks of nioi pointing down toward the edge) ATOBORI - horimono added at a later date ATO MEI - signature added at a later date AYASUGI - large wavey hada (grain)
BAKUFU - military government of the Shogun BO-HI - large or wide groove BOKKEN - wooden sword for practicing sword kata BONJI - sanskrit carvings BO-UTSURI - faint utsuri BOSHI - temper line in kissaki (point) BU - Japanese measurement (approx 0.1 inch) BUKE - military man, samurai BUSHIDO -the code of the samurai
CHIKEI - dark lines that appear in the ji CHISA KATANA - short katana CHOJI - clove shaped hamon CHOJI OIL - oil for the care of swords CHOJI-MIDARE - irregular choji hamon (temper line) CHOKUTO - prehistoric straight swords CHU - medium CHU-KISSAKI - medium sized point (kissaki) CHU-SUGUHA straight, medium width temper line
DAI - great or large DAI-MEI - student smith signing his teacher's name DAIMYO - feudal lord DAISHO - a matched pair of long and short swords DAITO - long sword (over 24 inches)
FUCHI - collar on hilt FUCHI-KASHIRA - set of hilt collar (fuchi) and buttcap (kashira) FUKURA - curve of the ha or edge in the kissaki (point) FUKURE - flaw; usually a blister in the steel FUKURIN - rim cover of a tsuba FUNAGATA - ship bottom shaped nakago FUNBARI / FUMBARI - much taper of the blade from the machi to the kissaki FURISODE - shape of sword tang that resembling the sleeve of a kimono
GAKU-MEI - original signature inlaid in a cut-off (o-suriage) tang GENDAITO - traditionally forged sword blades by modern smiths GIMEI - fake signature (mei) GIN - silver GOKADEN - the Five Schools of the Koto period GOMABASHI - parallel grooves GUNOME - undulating hamon GUNOME-MIDARE - irregularly undulating hamon GUNTO - army or military sword mountings GYAKU - angled back, reversed
HA - cutting edge HABAKI - blade collar HABUCHI - the line of the hamon HADA - grain in steel, pattern of folding the steel HAGANE - steel HAGIRE -edge cracks in the hamon (fatal flaw) HAKIKAKE -broom swept portions in the boshi HAKO BA - box shaped hamon HAKO-MIDARE - uneven box shaped hamon HAKO-MUNE - square shaped blade back HAMACHI - notch at the beginning of the cutting edge HAMIDASHI - tanto or dagger with a small guard (tsuba) HAMON - temper pattern along blade edge HANDACHI - tachi mountings used on a katana or wakizashi HAZUYA - finger stones used to show the hamon and hada HI - grooves in the blade HIRA-MUNE - flat blade backridge HIRA-TSUKURI / HIRA-ZUKURI - blade without a shinogi (flat blade) HIRO-SUGUHA - wide, straight temper line (hamon) HITATSURA - full tempered hamon HITSU / HITSU-ANA - holes in the tsuba for the kozuka or kogai HO - kozuka blade HONAMI - family of sword appraissers HORIMONO - carvings on sword blades HOTSURE - stray lines from hamon into the ji
ICHI - one or first ICHIMAI - one-piece sword construction ICHIMAI BOSHI - point area (kissaki) that is fully tempered IHORI-MUNE - peaked back ridge IKUBI - boar's neck (a short, wide kissaki) INAZUMA - lightning (a type of activity in the hamon) ITAME - wood grained hada ITO - silk or cotton hilt wrapping ITOMAKI NO TACHI - tachi with top of saya wrapped with ito ITO SUGU - thin, thread like hamon
JI - sword surface between the shinogi and the hamon JI-GANE - surface steel JI-HADA - surface pattern of the hada JINDACHI - tachi JI-NIE - islands of nie in the ji JIZO BOSHI - boshi shaped like a priest's head JUMONJI YARI - a yari with cross pieces JUYO TOKEN - highly important origami for sword by NBTHK JUZU - hamon like rosary beads
KABUTO - helmet KABUTO-GANE - tachi style pommel cap KABUTO-WARI - helmet breaker KAEN - flame shaped boshi KAERI - turnback (refers to the boshi at the mune) KAI GUNTO - naval sword KAJI - swordsmith KAKIHAN - swordsmiths or tsuba makers monogram KAKU-MUNE - square back ridge KAMIKAZI - divine wind KANJI - Japanese characters KANMURI-OTOSHI - backridge beveled like a naginata KANTEI - sword appraisal KAO - carved monogram of swordsmith on tang (nakago) KASANE - thickness of blade KASHIRA - sword pommel or buttcap KATAKIRI - sword with one side flat (no shinogi) KATANA - sword worn in the obi, cutting edge up KATANA KAKE - sword stand KATANA-MEI - signature side that faces out when worn edge up KAWAGANE - skin or surface steel KAZUCHI MONO - mass produced swords KEBORI - line carving done on sword mounts KEN - straight double edged sword KENGYO - triangular or pointed nakago-jiri KESHO YASURIME - decorative file marks on nakago KIJIMATA - pheasant thigh shaped nakago KIJIMOMO - pheasant leg shaped nakago KIKU - chrysanthemum KIKUBA - chrysanthemum temperline (hamon) KIN - gold KINKO - soft metal sword fittings (not iron) KIN-MEI - gold inlay or gold lacquer appraiser's signature KINZOGAN MEI - same a kin-mei KINSUJI - golden line (type of activity in hamon) KINZOGAN-MEI - attribution in gold inlay on nakago KINSUJI - whitish line along hamon KIRI - paulownia KIRI HA - flat sword with both sides beveled to the edge KIRI KOMI - sword cut or nick on the blade from another sword KISSAKI - point of blade KITAE - forging KIZU - flaw KO - old or small KOBUSE - blade constructed with hard steel around a soft core KO-CHOJI - small choji hamon KODACHI - small tachi KODOGU - all the sword fittings except the tsuba KOGAI - hair pick accessory KOIGUCHI - the mouth of the scabbard or its fitting KOJIRI - end of the scabbard KOKUHO - national treasure class sword KO-MARU - small round boshi KO-MIDARE - small irregular hamon KO-MOKUME - small wood grain hada KO-NIE - small or fine nie KO-NIE DEKI - composed of small nie KOSHIATE - leather suspensors (hangers) for a sword KOSHIRAE - sword mountings or fittings KOSHI-ZORI - curve of the blade is near the hilt KOTO - Old Sword Period (prior to about 1596) KOZUKA - handle of accessory knife KUBIKIRI - small tanto for cutting the neck or removing heads KUNI - province KURIJIRI - rounded nakago jiri KURIKARA - dragon horimono (engraving/carving) KURIKATA - scabbard (saya) fitting for attaching the sageo KUZURE - crumbling or disintegrating KWAIKEN - short knife carried by women
MACHI - notches at the start of the ha and mune MACHI-OKURI - blade shortened by moving up the ha-machi and mune-machi MARU - round MARU-DOME - round groove ending MARU-MUNE - round mune MASAME - straight grain (hada) MEI - swordsmith's signature MEIBUTSU - famous sword MEKUGI - sword peg MEKUGI-ANA - hole for mekugi MEMPO - face guard or mask MENUKI - hilt ornaments MIDARE - irregular, uneven temperline (hamon) MIDARE-KOMI - uneven pattern in boshi MIHABA - width of sword blade at the machi MIMIGATA - ear shaped hamon MITOKOROMONO - matching set of kozuka, kogai and menuki MITSU KADO - point where yokote, shinogi and ko-shinogi meet MITSU-MUNE - three-sided mune MIZUKAGE - hazy line in ji commonly due to re-tempering MOKKO - four lobe shaped (a tsuba shape) MOKUME - burl like hada MON - family crest MONOUCHI - main cutting portion of blade (first six inches from kissaki) MOROHA - double-edged sword MOTO-HABA - blade width near habaki MOTO-KASANE - blade thickness MU - empty or nothing MUJI - no visible grain MUMEI - no signature (unsigned blade) MUNE - back ridge of sword blade MUNEMACHI - notch at start of mune MUNEYAKI - regions of temper along the mune MU-SORI - no curvature
N.B.T.H.K. - Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kai (sword preservation group) NAGAMAKI - halberd weapon mounted as a sword NAGASA - blade length (from tip of kissaki to munemachi) NAGINATA - halberd NAKAGO - sword tang NAMBAN TETSU - foreign steel NANAKO - raised dimpling (fish roe) NAOSHI - corrected or repaired NENGO - Japanese era NIE - bright crystals in hamon or ji NIE-DEKI - hamon done in nie NIKU - meat (blade having lots of fullness) NIOI - cloud like hamon NIOI-DEKI - composed of nioi NODACHI - large tachi worn by high officials NOTARE - wave like hamon NOTARE-MIDARE - irregular wave like hamon N.T.H.K.. - Nihon Token Hozon Kai (sword appraisal group) NUNOME - overlay metal-work
O - large OBI - belt sash O-CHOJI - large choji hamon O-DACHI - very long sword (over 30 inches) O-KISSAKI - large kissaki O-MIDARE - large irregular hamon OMOTE - signature side of the nakago O-NIE - large nie O-NOTARE - large wave patterned hamon ORIGAMI - appraisal certificate ORIKAESHI MEI - folded signature OROSHIGANE - specially processed steel for making swords O-SEPPA - large seppa (usually on tachi) OSHIGATA - rubbing of the signature on the nakago O-SURIAGE - a shortened tang with the signature removed
SAGEO - cord used for tying the saya to the obi SAGURI - catch-hook on saya SAIHA/SAIJIN - retempered sword SAKA - slanted SAKI - tip or point SAKI-HABA - blade width at yokote SAKI ZORI - curvature in the top third of the blade SAKU - made SAME' - rayskin used for tsuka (handle) covering SAMURAI - Japanese warrior or the warrior class SANBONSUGI - "three cedars" (hamon with repeating three peaks) SAN-MAI - three-piece sword construction SAYA - sword scabbard SAYAGAKI - attribution on a plain wood scabbard SAYAGUCHI - mouth of the scabbard (koi-guchi) SAYASHI - scabbard maker SEKI-GANE - soft metal plugs in the tsuka hitsu-ana SEPPA - washers or spacers SHAKU - Japanese unit of measure approximately one foot SHAKUDO - copper and gold alloy used for sword fittings SHIBUICHI - copper and silver alloy used for sword fittings SHIKOMI-ZUE - sword cane SHINAE - ripples in steel due to bending of blade SHINAI - bamboo sword used in Kendo SHINGANE - soft core steel SHINOGI - ridgeline of the blade SHINOGI-JI - sword flat between the mune and shinogi SHINOGI-ZUKURI - sword with shinogi SHIN-SHINTO - New-New Sword Period (1781 to 1868) SHINTO - New Sword Period (1596 to 1781) SHIRASAYA - plain wood storage scabbard SHITODOME - small collars in the kurikata and/or kashira SHOBU ZUKURI - blade where shinogi goes to the tip of the kissaki (no yokote) SHOGUN - supreme military leader SHOTO - short sword (between 12 and 24 inches) SHOWATO - sword made during the Showa Era (usually refers to low quality blades) SHUMEI - red lacquer signature SHURIKEN - small throwing knife SORI - curvature SUDARE-BA - bamboo blinds effects in hamon SUE - late or later SUGATA - shape of sword blade SUGUHA - straight temper line SUKASHI - cut out SUN - Japanese measure, approx. one inch SUNAGASHI - activity in hamon like brushed sand SURIAGE - shortened tang
TACHI - long sword worn with cutting-edge down TACHI-MEI - signature facing away from body when worn edge down TAKABORI - high relief carving TAKANOHA - hawk feather style of yasurime TAMAHAGANE - raw steel for making swords TAMESHIGIRI - cutting test TAMESHI-MEI - cutting test inscription TANAGO - fish belly shaped nakago TANAGO-BARA - fish belly shaped nakago TANTO - dagger or knife with blade less than 12 inches TATARA - smith's smelter for making sword steel TO - sword TOBIYAKI - islands of tempering in the ji TOGARI - pointed TOGI - sword polish or polisher TORAN - high wave like hamon TORII-ZORI - sword curve in the middle of the blade TSUBA - sword guard TSUCHI - small hammer/awl for removing mekugi TSUKA - sword handle TSUKA-GUCHI - mouth of handle TSUKA-ITO - handle wrapping or tape TSUKAMAKI - art of wrapping the handle of a sword TSUKURI / ZUKURI - sword TSUKURU - made by or produced by TSUNAGI - wooden sword blade to display fittings TSURUGI - double edged, straight sword
UBU - original, complete, unaltered tang (nakago) UCHIGATANA - fighting katana UCHIKO - fine powder used to clean sword blades UCHIZORI - curved inward UMABARI - horse needle UMA-HA - horse teeth hamon UMEGANE - plug used to repair kizu URA - side of the nakago facing toward the body URA-MEI - signed on the ura (usually the date) UTSURI - reflection of temperline in ji
WAKIZASHI - short sword (blade between 12 and 24 inches) WARE - opening in the steel WARI-BASHI / WARI-KOGAI - chop-sticks
YAKI DASHI - straight temperline near the hamachi YA-HAZU - arrow notch shaped hamon YAKIBA - hardened, tempered sword edge YAKIDASHI - hamon beginning just above the ha-machi YAKIHABA - width of yakiba YAKI-IRE - fast quenching of sword (tempering) YAKIZUME - temperline in boshi with no turnback YANONE - arrow head YARI - spear YASURIME - file marks on nakago YOKOTE - line between ji and kissaki YOROIDOSHI - armor piercing tanto
ZOGAN - inlay ZUKURI - sword |