Jan., I896. ] f aipanese Swords.

13

(A BSTRACT.)

METALLURGICAL AND O T H E R F E A T U R E S OF
JAPANESE SWORDS. ~

Bv BENJAMIN SMITH LYMAN.

T h e l e c t u r e r w a s i n t r o d u c e d b y Mr. F. L y n w o o d Garri-
son, P r o f e s s o r of E c o n o m i c G e o l o g y and M e t a l l u r g y in the
Institute.
JAPANESE SWORDS.

Forging.--The s m i t h carefully selected and tested h i s

steel or iron; for, a l t h o u g h the earliest swords were m a d e
of copper or bronze, only steel and iron have b e e n u s e d for
m a n y h u n d r e d years past. P r e f e r a b l y steel alone was used,
b u t s o m e t i m e s one-third, one:half, two-thirds, or even m o r e
iron was i n t i m a t e l y u n i t e d with the steel b y w e l d i n g bars
together. T h e m e t a l w a s g e n e r a l l y Japanese, b u t in the
last 3oo y e a r s E u r o p e a n m e t a l has occasionally b e e n used,
and then s o m e t i m e s m a r k e d as m e t a l of the "Southern Bar-
barians."
In the all-steel or " p u r e - m a k e " style of forging, as dis-
t i n g u i s h e d from the " m i x e d - m a k e , " several flat pieces of
steel a m o u n t i n g all t o g e t h e r to s o m e t h i n g over a q u a r t e r of
the w e i g h t of t h e sword, are placed one on another, with an
iron rod w e l d e d as a handle to the lowest one, and are
h e a t e d in t h e fire. T o p r e v e n t the conversion of the steel
into soft iron b y " b u r n i n g , " or oxidising its carbon, and also
to keep the surface of the m e t a l free from iron oxide t h a t
would be i n j u r i o u s if h a m m e r e d in, the steel is n e v e r h e a t e d
w i t h o u t b e i n g p r e v i o u s l y covered carefully with a thin w a s h
of refractory loam and sprinkled with s t r a w ashes, an in-
genious p r e c a u t i o n t h a t is u n k n o w n in W e s t e r n countries

Abstract of a lecture delivered before the Franklin Institute, Friday,

November 8, i895.
14 L y m a n ." [ J. F. I.,

T h e metal, too, m u s t be k e p t s c r u p u l o u s l y clean and n e v e r

t o u c h e d w i t h t he hand, as t h e least s w e a t will h i n d e r per-
fect w e l d i n g and l e a ve a flaw visible in the sword.
T h e little pile of steel pl at es is h a m m e r e d on t he anvil
into a single fiat bar, 6 or 8 i nches long, by a couple of
i nch es wide, a nd p e r h a p s ½ i nch thick. T h e b a r is t h e n
d o u b l e d over, end to end, h e a t e d again and h a m m e r e d
o u t to a b a r of a b o u t t he s am e size as b e f o r e ; t h e n d o u b l e d
again, r e h e a t e d and h a m m e r e d o u t once m o r e ; and so on,
u n t i l it has b e e n folded and h a m m e r e d o u t fifteen times.
T h e n th e iron h a n d l e is c u t off. In t h a t w a y t h r e e m o r e
s u c h bars are m a de . T h e f o u r bar s are t h e n w e l d e d u p o n
o ne a n o t h e r into a s o m e w h a t larger, t h i c k e r bar, and this
a g ain is five t i m e s d o u b l e d ove r and h a m m e r e d o u t to a b o u t
t h e same dimensions. T h e o b j e c t of all this f o l d i n g and
h a m m e r i n g o u t is, of course, to s e c u r e p e r f e c t h o m o g e n -
e i t y w i t h a t h o r o u g h l y fibrous s t r u c t u r e .
It is r e a d i l y seen t h a t an i m m e n s e n u m b e r of l ayers has
b e e n p r o d u c e d t h e r e b y . T h e first d o u b l i n g gi ves 2, t h e
s e c o n d 4, a n d so on, 8, 16, 32, 64, I28 (or m o r e t h a n I25),
o v e r 25o, 500, i,ooo, 2,00o, 4,00o, 8,000, I6,o00, and t h e fif-
t e e n t h over 32,000 layers. T h e f o u r small bars t o g e t h e r
w o u l d h a v e t h e n ove r i25,00o, and t he five o t h e r fol di ngs
w o u l d give o v er 25o,ooo, 5oo,ooo, I,OOO,O00, 2,o00,o00, and
finally o v e r 4,000,000 layers.
T h e p o l i s h e d s w or d has c o n s e q u e n t l y fine lines like t h e
g r a i n of wood, and t h e y are called t h e sword's hi de or skin ;
a n d are d i s t i n g u i s h e d b y n a m e s a c c o r d i n g to t h e form, such
as: straight-grain-skin, board-grain-skin, pear-skin, like a
h a l v e d pear, pine-skin, r a g g e d like pine bark.
W h e n iron is u s e d a l o n g w i t h t h e steel, t h e r e are several
w ay s of c o m b i n i n g t h e small bar s to m a k e t h e l a r g e r o n e ;
for e x a m p l e : a steel ba r b e t w e e n two iron ones ; an iron b a r
w e l d e d on a steel one, a n d folded o v e r l e n g t h w i s e w i t h t h e
steel i n s i d e ; a b a r of iron a nd one of steel w e l d e d t o g e t h e r
a l o n g th e edge, a nd c o v e r e d b y an iron b a r as wide as b o t h
t o g e t h e r , and t h e n t he w h o l e f ol de d l e n g t h w i s e so as to
b r i n g th e steel a l ong t h e m i d d l e of one e d g e ; and e i g h t
or ten or m o r e ways, d o w n to s i m p l y a p p l y i n g an e d g e of
Jan., 1896.] Ja,#am'se Seuords. i5

steel to a b a c k of iron, a v e r y i n f e r i o r m e t h o d , b u t q u i c k l y
d o n e a n d c o m m o n in w a r t i m e s .
T h e r e s u l t i n g b a r of steel, or s t e e l a n d iron, is t h e n , w i t h

- llL,II' tl,° ~.b

~_._~--

g~ ~ 1 , ~ . _ . ~ : •

• 111% ,

_ . _J'77-..~-,~
I d/~" "%\\\ .

~~Io ~'~.,

f r e q u e n t a n d p a r t i a l h e a t i n g , h a m m e r e d o u t to t h e l e n g t h
of t h e d e s i r e d blade, s o m e w h a t c u r v e d a c c o r d i n g to t h e
final s h a p e ; a n d b o t h e n d s are c u t off, w h e r e t h e m e t a l is
16 g y m a n ." [ J . F. I.,

inferior. The point is formed, and, by h a m m e r i n g t h i n n e r

towards the edge the right breadth is given, and the blade
gets its rough shape, not by any pattern, but by the smith's
practiced skill and true eye. The curve depends on the
smith's taste, or the future owner's; or, in certain cere-
monial swords, is prescribed by rules of etiquette. T h e

Kissaki ~.

Yak

Shinogi

Habaki shita
Tsubamoto
Mekugi-ana

Nakago

Tsurugi. Katana.

rough blade is scraped off with a kind of metal draw-knife,

and filed, and is then ready to have its edge hardened, or to
be tempered.
The shape of the file and the direction of the lines it
makes have, of course, nothing to do with the quality of
the sword, but as the lines r e m a i n permanently on the tang,
Jan., I896.] Japanese Swords. ~7
under t h e hilt, t h e y serve in some degree for the identifi-
cation of the sword-maker, and special n a m e s have been
given to different a r r a n g e m e n t s of them.
T h e shapes and sizes of swords are various, and give rise
to m a n y n a m e s and w a y s of classifying.
T h e tsuruffi is the primeval sword of Japan, not used for
m a n y centuries past. It is straight, two-edged, 28 to 4 °
inches long, 2½ to 3 inches wide, and in the middle ~ inch
thick, w i t h a short point, and is m o r e for c u t t i n g than
thrusting.
T h e one-edged swords, called in general katana, are also
mainly for cutting, and are m a d e m o r e effective b y b e i n g
curved. T h e a d v a n t a g e of p r o t e c t i n g the b o d y b y the s w o r d
kept before it, in a t h r u s t i n g style of fencing with a straight,
pointed sword, a p p r e c i a t e d in E u r o p e from ancient times,
seems n e v e r to have been c o m p r e h e n d e d in J a p a n and Asia
generally, w h e r e the defence d e p e n d e d r a t h e r on h e a v y
armor.
T h e one-edged swords are the following, according to
their length, b e g i n n i n g with the l o n g e s t : tachi, s t r o n g l y
curved, h u n g b y two cords or straps, f o r m e r l y worn b y gene-
rals as a m a r k of their rank, b u t n o w s o m e w h a t rare.
Katana proper, some 3° to 33 inches long. I/Vakizaski, some
I8 to 20 inches long, with a guard. Tantd (short sword), some
II or x2 inches long. Yoroi-tdshi, or mail piercer, a b o u t 7
inches long, w i t h t w o edges for a b o u t half-way from the
point. Kuwai-ken (bosom sword), a b o u t 6 or 7 inches long,
worn by ladies. Kogatana (little katana), or paper-cutter, a
small knife inserted in the outside of the s c a b b a r d of m a n y
short swords.
Several o t h e r forms are d i s t i n g u i s h e d b y less c o m m o n
names ; and some n a m e s indicate special m o d e s of w e a r i n g
a sword r a t h e r than its form. S w o r d s are also classified
according to the shape of their main cross-section, to the
form of the back, to the grooves c u t in the blade, and to the
general curve of the blade.
Tempering.--In the tempering, the J a p a n e s e process is
again peculiar, and particularly ingenious and a d v a n t a g e -
ous. W e m u s t r e m e m b e r t h a t steel, w h e n h e a t e d red-hot
VOL. CXLI. No. 84I. 2
18 Lj, m a n : [ J. F. I.,

and s u d d e n l y cooled, b e c o m e s hard, brittle and elastic, to a

g r e a t e r or less extent, according, not m e r e l y to its composi-
tion, b u t to the degree of the h e a t and the s u d d e n n e s s and
degree of the cooling. W h e n this h a r d e n e d steel is h e a t e d
again and allowed to cool slowly, it b e c o m e s soft and malle-
able once more, in a degree p r o p o r t i o n e d to the h e a t j u s t
given, and t h a t is called " s o f t e n i n g " or " a n n e a l i n g " the
steel. T e m p e r i n g steel i m p l e m e n t s g e n e r a l l y m e a n s a
c o m b i n a t i o n of first hardening, and then, b y annealing,
r e d u c i n g the h a r d n e s s to the desired t e m p e r ; t h a t is, to the
a m o u n t of h a r d n e s s t h a t best fits the implements, each
according to its use, for resisting w e a r and tear, with the
least possible brittleness, at the s a m e time. Commonly,
with us, a sword is h a r d e n e d b y h e a t i n g it to a dull red heat,
and then p l u n g i n g it, p o i n t d o w n w a r d s , into a t u b of cold
water. T h e n it is d r a w n t h r o u g h the fire, until the previ-
ously polished surface acquires a blue tint from the thin,
superficial, iridescent film of iron oxide t h a t b e c o m e s thicker
and c h a n g e s color according to the degree of heat. T h e n
the s w o r d is allowed to cool. T h e h a r d e n i n g e x p a n d s the
steel, b u t more r a p i d l y on the surface t h a n in the interior,
occasioning strains; and so, too, with the c o r r e s p o n d i n g
contraction caused b y the annealing. Hence, the i m p l e m e n t
is apt to crack, split, b e n d or " b u c k l e , " or g e t o u t of shape,
and special p r e c a u t i o n s m u s t be taken to keep or restore
the proper form.
In Japan, the t e m p e r is given b y a single process. W h a t
is desired for the s w o r d is a hard edge, capable of b e i n g
keenly s h a r p e n e d ; b u t a b o d y and back far less brittle,
t h o u g h not soft, flexible and inelastic, like iron.
T h e blade is first coated with loam !s inch thick, a loam
t h a t bears the h e a t well, m o s t l y a red earth called rust-mud,
m i x e d with an equal q u a n t i t y of the finest p o w d e r e d river
sand and one-tenth of the finest p o w d e r e d charcoal, or w i t h
o t h e r things. M a n y smiths m a k e a secret of the composi-
tion. Before the loam c o a t i n g is q u i t e hard, a narrow s t r e a k
of it along the edge of the blade is carefully r e m o v e d w i t h
a b a m b o o rod, so as to leave the edge bare. T h e rest is
dried before the fire.
Jan., I896.] .lra/aaztesc 5~zvorars. 19

T h e s m i t h then holds the blade in his right hand, b y t h e

tanK, with pincers, and t h r u s t s it horizontally, edge down-
wards, into the h o t t e s t part of a s t r o n g fire of pine charcoal
of a special quality, called forge-coal, while his a s s i s t a n t - -
or he himself, with his left h a n d - - r e g u l a t e s the heat b y t h e
bellows. T h e blade is m o v e d slowly b a c k w a r d s and for-
wards, in order to be u n i f o r m l y h e a t e d t h r o u g h o u t its w h o l e
length. T h e part next the t a n g is often d r a w n g e n t l y o u t
of the fire, so t h a t the master's practised eye m a y judge, in
the carefully closed and d a r k e n e d smithy, w h e n the r i g h t
degree of h e a t has arrived. It comes in a few minutes, a n d
the sooner the better, so that the loam covering m a y n o t
have time to g e t o v e r h e a t e d t h r o u g h and through.
T h e blade is taken from the fire and p l u n g e d i m m e d i a t e l y
into cool, l u k e w a r m water, of a t e m p e r a t u r e and d u r i n g a
time d e t e r m i n e d b y the smith. E a c h smith has his o w n
way. T h e s u d d e n chilling h a r d e n s the bare edge, and
makes it c a p a b l e of g r e a t sharpness, t h o u g h v e r y b r i t t l e ;
and the color b e c o m e s w h i t e r than the darker, bluish t i n g e
of the rest of the blade. T h e loam protects the rest of t h e
blade from too g r e a t h e a t in the fire, and n o w from too sud-
den chilling in the w a t e r ; and so the desired t e m p e r for t h e
body of the sword, sufficient hardness, stiffness and elas-
ticity, w i t h toughness, too, is o b t a i n e d b y the s a m e o p e r a t i o n
that gives the still g r e a t e r hardness to the edge.
T h e n a r r o w strip left bare at the edge for h a r d e n i n g is
called the baked-edge (yakiba), and is not always of the s a m e
b r e a d t h or shape, b u t differs according to fancy, and thirty or
more varieties are d i s t i n g u i s h e d b y special names. A v e r y
broad baked-edge is not desirable, for too large a p a r t of t h e
blade w o u l d be brittle. Consequently, a narrow, s t r a i g h t hard-
ened edge, or a simple irregular one is generally p r e f e r r e d
and the commonest. A m o n g o t h e r forms there is no pre-
ference, and t h e y s h o w n o t h i n g of the q u a l i t y of the sword.
T h e y d e p e n d on the smith's or the owner's fancy, and some-
what on fashion, and in times of long peace the more compli-
cated forms are apt to be preferred. In some degree t h e y
help to identify the maker; for, t h o u g h celebrated s m i t h s u s e d
various forms, connoisseurs know which forms each m a s t e r
2o Z wJza~z : [J. F. I.

m o s t used. T h e b o u n d i n g line of the h a r d e n i n g at the

point of the blade gives rise to e i g h t or more different forms
a n d names.
T h e expansion of the edge from the s u d d e n cooling in
the b a t h causes a curved sword to b e n d s o m e w h a t further,
a n d to a degree d e p e n d e n t p a r t l y on t h e m a n n e r of d i p p i n g
the blade into the water. A s t r a i g h t sword is p l u n g e d ver-
tically downwards. A curved one is let down horizontally
into the water, w i t h the edge down, either s u d d e n l y or
slowly, either evenly or w i t h the point s l i g h t l y lower at first
and rising from the w a t e r as the t a n g goes in. If the blade
c u r v e s too much, or, by bad holding, b e n d s sidewise, it can
be h e a t e d and h a m m e r e d again, b u t w i t h no benefit to
the quality.
Smit/~'s Finishing'.--The t e m p e r e d blade is carefully
c l e a n e d and r o u g h l y g r o u n d on a coarse stone. T h e s m i t h
then, for the first time, sees w h e t h e r the blade is a success
or not. If it be satisfactory, he n e x t cuts the grooves, if any,
w i t h a steel g r a v i n g tool, g i v i n g an exactly semi-circular
cross-section. T h e grooves l i g h t e n the sword, and are
f o u n d in some of the oldest specimens. v

M a n y s m i t h s adorn t h e i r swords w i t h e n g r a v i n g , espe-

cially with dragons, gods, flowers, Chinese or J a p a n e s e char-
aeters and S a n s c r i t l e t t e r s , or the n a m e of the sword itself, if
it h a v e one. But, as such e n g r a v i n g s o m e t i m e s serves to
conceal blemishes in the blade, it is not always liked by
connoisseurs.
T h e s m i t h drills a hole t h r o u g h the t a n g for the bamboo
or metallic peg t h a t holds the hilt on. H e s o m e t i m e s cuts
his n a m e on the tang, and the c u s t o m existed already about
,2oo years ago, b u t has often been neglected. Poor swords
c o m m o n l y h a v e no m a k e r ' s n a m e ; but, again, some famous
m a k e r s would not p u t their n a m e s on, because, t h e y said,
a n y b o d y t h a t u n d e r s t o o d swords would recognise theirs by
the quality. W i t h the n a m e on the t a n g are often given
t h e title and the date, and s o m e t i m e s the owner's n a m e and
t h e n a m e of the sword itself, if it already h a d one when
f o r g e d ; and, again, poems, p i t h y sayings, or wishes. It
s h o u l d be r e m e m b e r e d t h a t inscriptions of makers' names
are s o m e t i m e s counterfeited.
Jan., 1896.] Japanese Swards. 21
T h e m o s t f a m o u s sword-maker was M a s a m u n e (about
A.D. i29o); and, next, his pupil, M u r a m a s a (about 134o); t h e n
Yoshimitsu (about 1275); and M u n e e h i k a (about 990). Of
M a s a m u n e ' s swords it is often said t h e y are so fine t h e y will
cut a hair f a l l i n g in the air, or cut in two the very hard-
skinned adzuki bean as it falls; or, if held in a s t r e a m ,
will cut in two a sheet of paper floating down. T h e swords
of M u r a m a s a are said to be so finely t e m p e r e d as to cut
hard iron like a melon.
T h e first reported h u m a n s w o r d s m i t h is said to have been
A m a k u n i , of Uda, in Y a m a t o (about 60 B. C.); b u t the oldest
known swords, some of t h e m still extant, were made b y
another s m i t h of the same n a m e and place, a b o u t _k. D. 702.
The E m p e r o r G o t o b a (II84) g r e a t l y favored the art of
sword-making, and even practised it himself. In general,
the art flourished in times of m a n y wars, p a r t i c u l a r l y in t h e
t h i r t e e n t h and f o u r t e e n t h centuries, the age of the best
swords. F o r the past 300 years of peace mainly, skill in
sword-making has declined. Old swords, so-called, d a t e
from before t h a t time, t h a t is, before 16o3.
Grinding.--The final g r i n d i n g and polishing of swords is
a trade quite distinct from the smith's. T h e g r i n d e r holds
the blade horizontally before h i m in b o t h hands, protected
by cloths w o u n d a b o u t it, w i t h a n a r r o w portion left uncov-
ered between. H e rubs it back and forth on a small whet-
stone well w e t with water, m o v i n g by degrees t h r o u g h t h e
whole l e n g t h of the blade, except the t a n g ; first, w i t h
coarser stones, then w i t h finer, up to four, six or eight, for
ordinary work, or, for very fine work, fifteen stones ; g i v i n g
to it m a n y days and even weeks, as well as g r e a t patience,
skill and care. T h e cross-section of the blade should be l e f t
convex on b o t h sides; otherwise, the edge is too easily
broken.
Lastly, the blade is polished with a p o l i s h i n g stone, and
with a stone p o w d e r as fine as flour, or with the finest pow-
dered steel, forge cinder and oil, as also w i t h a small, r o u n d
rod of w r o u g h t iron, u n t i l the polish is perfect. W i n t e r is
preferred to s u m m e r for polishing, as n e w l y polished swords
are t h o u g h t to rust too easily in s u m m e r .
22 L yman ." [J. F. I.,

S w o r d s o u g h t to be carefully oiled and r u b b e d now and

t h e n , as often as twice a y e a r in Japan, and v e r y v a l u a b l e
swords, perhaps, once a month. Otherwise, m o i s t u r e in
t h a t d a m p climate condenses on t h e m and causes rust.
A b o v e all, t h e y o u g h t not to be k e p t u n c o v e r e d b y a scab-
b a r d of some kind. F o r this reason t h e y c a n n o t well be
d i s p l a y e d in m u s e u m s . E v e r y sword, in the course of years,
n e e d s a slight grinding, from time to time, and the selec-
tion of a good g r i n d e r is v e r y important, and some grinders
h a v e g r e a t reputations.
Sword-grinders, with their close and p r o t r a c t e d obser-
vation of swords in grinding, b e c o m e almost incredibly
skilful in d e t e c t i n g the signs of the q u a l i t y of a blade, and
in r e c o g n i s i n g the m a k e of the n u m e r o u s celebrated mas-
ters. T h e m o s t f a m o u s connoisseurs b e l o n g to the sword-
g r i n d i n g family of H o n n a m i , w h o h a v e been the imperial
s w o r d appraisers for the past 550 years.
N o t only do the shape of the blade and its point, the form
o f the limit to the h a r d e n e d edge, and the file m a r k s of the
t a n g give indications of the origin of a sword, b u t it is as-
t o n i s h i n g h o w m a n y clues are f o u n d b y an e x t r e m e l y close
e x a m i n a t i o n of the surface of the metal, t h o r o u g h l y homo-
geneous, close-grained and i n t r a c t a b l e as it s e e m s at first
view.
T h e more s t r o n g l y the w h i t i s h color of the h a r d e n e d edge
c o n t r a s t s with the bluish tinge of the rest of the blade, the
b e t t e r the metal and its forging ; yet the limit b e t w e e n the
t w o colors should not be hard and sharp, b u t softly b o u n d e d ;
and that is partly caused b y a weak, c l o u d y g l i m m e r in
i r r e g u l a r spots (called nioi, vapor) along the union of the
b r i g h t e r h a r d e n e d and the dark u n h a r d e n e d portions. P a r t l y
in the one, often to the v e r y edge, and partly in the other,
t h e y are found in all blades, and only in a p o o r o n e are rare.
T h e y arise d u r i n g the hardening, and vary in n u m b e r and
c h a r a c t e r according to the q u a l i t y of the metal and of the
f o r g i n g and to the t e m p e r a t u r e of the last heating, and can-
n o t be counterfeited. It is t h o u g h t b e s t they should not be
u n i f o r m l y scattered, b u t in thicker and t h i n n e r groups, like
t h e clouds in the sky.
Jan., 1896.] .fapctucse Sz~ords. 23

If the loam covering, while the blade is m o v e d back and

forth d u r i n g the h e a t i n g , becomes t h i n n e r in some spots or
loose, so that the heat of the fire and subsequently the chil-
ling of the bath work more strongly, there arise in the sur-
face of the blade isolated, cloudy spots, called tobiyahi or yu-
]tasl~iri. T h e y cannot be produced on purpose, are rare, and
are seen with satisfaction.
T h e "grain " on the surface of good swords should be
soft and tender, " as if water rippled over the metal."
A certain degree of heat very favorable for the harden-
inff,as well as especial success in the chilling, produces on
the surface of the lighter colored, hardened edge minute
shining points, called nic. According to some, they arise
from bubbling in the water. T h e y are often very difficult
to perceive, and sometimes even a eonnoisseur requires a
magnifying glass to discern them. T h e y are reckoned a
sign of good quality, and occur on most of the better blades,
and especially in large n u m b e r on Masamune's.
O n many, though not all, good blades, and particularly
on those of Bizen, but never on bad blades, there appears a
weak glimmer, called z~tsuri(not to be confounded with the
nioi),runninff parallel to the hardened edge inside the darker
metal, and resembling "the colors of the rainbow alongside
one another and the halo of the moon."
There are other siffns stillmore difficultto detect ; such as
certain small cloud specks or points, and a narrow local glim-
mer along the boundary of the hardened edge, and ex-
tremely fine shining lines or rows of minute points in the
J~ioi.
N e i t h e r the q u a l i t y nor the q u a n t i t y of a n y one of all
these signs is decisive, b u t r a t h e r t h e i r combination.
Testing.raThe u s u a l J a p a n e s e tests of a sword are on the
h u m a n b o d y ; on corpses of b e h e a d e d convicts, or in the
b e h e a d i n g ; or by ruffians, on b e g g a r s and peaceable way-
farers; or even on a doff. But H i i t t e r o t t , from whose elab-
orate a c c o u n t m a n y of the foregoing facts a b o u t J a p a n e s e
blades h a v e been taken, in his zeal, tested some good swords
on metal. W i t h a blade of Mino he cut t h r o u g h , at one
blow, w i t h o u t i n j u r y to the edge, five tempd coins piled one
 24 L y m a n ." [ J. F. I,,
on another, in all a full ½ inch thickness of bronze, and I•
inches wide. T h e same sword, struck u p o n a piece of h a r d
w r o u g h t iron a b o u t ¼ inch thick and over ½ inch wide, cut
a b o u t is inch deep and became notched. A t a second
s t r o n g e r blow it cut a b o u t the same depth and broke in two

Ishi-tsuki

Shiba-hikl

San no seme

Watari

N i no Habaki

I c h i no

Himotsuke
Me:

I c h i no~
___Obi-himo
Tsuka-
Wata~ kashin

O ~,-,s e p p a The Hilt (Tsuka).

Chin
Ko )

Eai.

~.Sarute
Musubi,
kane
o kane
Tachi. The Guard (Tsuka).

at the point struck. A good S a t s u m a blade could only cut

t h r o u g h four tem2d, and broke at the t h i r d blow on t h e
w r o u g h t iron, after g e t t i n g large n o t c h e s by the two o t h e r
blows w i t h o u t c u t t i n g v e r y deep; b u t an inferior K i y o t o
sword, t h a t could only cut t h r o u g h t h r e e tempd, e n d u r e d
t h r e e blows on the w r o u g h t iron.
Jan., 1896.] Jr~ipanese Swords. 25
Mounting.--The finished blade m a y be m o u n t e d w i t h a
hilt, a guard, a ferrule and a scabbard, and the scabbard h a s
certain fittings. T h e different parts have each its own
name, and m a n y of t h e m are m a d e h i g h l y artistic, particu-
larly the guard, the metallic ferrules a b o u t the hilt and
scabbard, and the metallie h a n d l e of the small knife
inserted in the outside of the scabbard of m a n y short
swords. T h e knife is used as a last resource, to t h r o w at

Scabbard for Tachi.

the e n e m y in battle, or to cut his t h r o a t w h e n he is down,
and in peace is used as a paper-cutter. T h e r e is likewise a
small metallic skewer i n s e r t e d in the scabbard of those
swords. I t is used, in the h e a t of battle, to stick t h r o u g h
the ear into the h e a d of a slain e n e m y for f u t u r e identifica-
tion, or to carry his h e a d for p r e s e n t a t i o n to the victor's
lord. Occasionally the skewer is split l e n g t h w i s e into two
parts, and can be used as chopsticks.

Brocade Bag o v e r a S w o r d .

Etiquette.--The J a p a n e s e owner of the sword honored it

highly, a n d m a n y and m i n u t e were the rules of e t i q u e t t e as
to the w a y of t r e a t i n g and w e a r i n g it; and t h e y were m o s t
s t r e n u o u s l y insisted upon in former days, t h o u g h t h e y have
now m o s t l y fallen into disuse.

In fine, the J a p a n e s e sword m u s t be a d m i t t e d to be as

beautiful and i n t e r e s t i n g an object as the processes of its
26 L y,nan. [ J. F. I.,

m a n u f a c t u r e are ingenious and skilful. T h o u g h n o t of the

m o s t effective form, it m u s t always rank high a m o n g the
w e a p o n s that will ever b e needful as long as m e n exist w h o
are naturally, or b y training, so deficient in good-will or
reason as to be a m e n a b l e only to forcible restraint.

Kurigata Hangata Kojiri

Fumaguchi
Scabbards (Saya)

[ J a p a n e s e swords are discussed b y the a u t h o r m o r e fully

in the Proceedings of the N u m i s m a t i c and A n t i q u a r i a n
Society, of Philadelphia, for I89O-9I. T h e illustrations
herewith, copied from J a p a n e s e books, h a v e been kindly
loaned b y that Society.~