TERMS
GLOSSARY
words in capital letters are Japanese words
about blades
CHIKEI = grains
made of JINIE.( for advanced people )
DAI-SHO = a pair of
koshirae (sword mounts) with katana and wakizashi.
FUMBARI =
conscious width and thickness that becoming larger at the base.
HADA = layer pattern. => steel
HADORI = 1, the modern polishing style of blades.
=> TOGI 2, a white pattern that enhances
hamon on the modern styled polishing. => HADORI
HAGIRE =
one kind of cracks on the hamon.
HAMON = tempered
pattern
HANIKU = meat in the hamon area, => shaping
HIRANIKU = meat of the cutting surface, => shaping
JIFU =
1, distinguished area made of dense CHIKEI.( for
advanced people ) 2, spots of different steel on the blade surface.
JINIE =
the particles on the steel.( for advanced people
) => CHIKEI, JIFU
KAGEUCHI = a shadow product blade for special
order.
KANTEI =
judging a blade quality or finding out a smith of the blade.
KISSAKI = tip part of the blade,
=> types of kissaki form, => shaping
KOSHIRAE = whole
mount of a sword.
MADOAKE = a part polishing to see the quality
of the blade.
MIZUKAGE =
one kind of starting of UTSURI.
NAGINATA/ NAGAMAKI =
a long handled single edged blade.
NAGASHI = lines
with needle rubbing on the shinogi-ji and on the back of kissaki.
NAKAGO = tang
NAMAZU-HADA
= a spotted appearance that made of two different
coloured steels.
NASHIJI-HADA =
one kind of steel, an appearance of full of JINIE.
NIE and NIOI =
particles that make hamon pattern.
OSHIGATA =
a hand trace of blades.
polishing = a final work of TOGI
, a modern style and a classical style.
SASHIKOMI = the classical polishing style of blades.
=> TOGI
SATSUMA-AGE
= a special shaped blade filed out from broken
blade.
SAYAGAKI = an inscription on shirasaya scabbard
as certification.
shadow = UTSURI
shaping = a
base work of TOGI
SHIRASAYA = plain wood scabbard and handle, for
preservation.
SUN'NOBI = It means "longer than regular size".
So it is used as "sun'nobi tanto", means a large tanto what usually longer
than 30cm. Do not confuse with SUNOBE.
SUNOBE = 1,(= SUNOBE blade)
2, the process of drawing out the steel block to the length of the blade.
SUNOBE blade = a
blade made of the modern steel which was not made by fold welding.
TAMAHAGANE =
material of Japanese swords, pure steel made by "TATARA".
TATARA = the traditional method to make pure steel
from iron sand and charcoal.
TOGI = polishing,
actually shaping and polishing. => process
of the polishing work
UBUHA = virgin edge.
UCHIKO = fine
powder for treatment of the blade, made from fine polishing stone.
URUSHI = traditional Japanese resin made from
a kind of tree, it is used as lacqure or paste.
UTSURI = shadow
of hamon. It is one result of tempering.
virgin edge =
un-sharpened cutting edge near the tang on new swords. UBUHA.
YAKI-IRE = heat treatment
to harden the cutting edge. making hamon. tempering.
YAKI-NAOSHI
= re-tempering.
YAKI-OTOSHI
= a hamon style that starts at a distance from the tang.
YAKI-WARE
= tempering cracks.
about TSUBA & fittings
BASHIN =
one kind of accessory knife, straight double edged.
HABAKI = it settles
the blade in the scabbard.
HAMA-MONO, HAMA-YUKI =
fine art for foreign tourists in 19c, but no samurai spirit.
KAIKEN =
a small tanto koshirae for ladies amulet sword or secret dagger in the
cloths.
SHAKUDO = black colour alloy made of copper and
gold.
SHIBUICHI = brown colour alloy made of copper
and silver.
TEKKOTSU = one
kind of the appearance of steel tsuba, like ridges or lumps. The cores
become visible by wearing.
TOSHO/KO-TOSHO =
one kind of the tsuba style, a good steel with one point cut out design.
YAMAGANE = unrefined
copper, dark brown copper.
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