tour 2 of 10
Japanese Swords: Cutting Edge
Manufacture of the blade
The manufacture of Japanese swords requires
great skill and the most successful swordsmiths were well known and
respected. This colour woodblock by the artist Ogata Gekko
(1859-1920) is of The Swordsmith of Mt
Inari, who lived during the Heian period (AD
794-1185).
Japanese sword
blades have a hard skin but a relatively soft core. This was
achieved by combining steels of different quality and folding the
mixture several times while hot. It was then hammered into shape,
heated until red hot then quenched in cold water. As well as
hardening the blade, this process created natural decorative
features. These included a crystalline wave pattern known as the
hamon, a cloudy white
effect called the nioi
(aspect of colour of blossoms on distant trees) and a continuous
band of bright crystals called
nie (boiling). Polishing
was just as important as the initial manufacturing process. It was
carried out using as many as twenty different types of stone and
made the blade's surface completely
even.
By convention, blades
are divided into four types according to their length:
tachi (great sword) and
katana (sword) are more
than 60 cm in length.
Wakizashi (companion
sword) are 30-60 cm and
tantō (short sword, or
dagger) are about 30 cm. The
samurai
traditionally wore a pair of swords, one long and one short, known
as a
daishō.