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 = hardened 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. When a smith receives an order,
he makes several blades as candidates. Finally the customer pick one, and
the rest is kageuchi.
KANTEI = judging a blade quality or finding out a smith of the blade.
KISSAKI = tip part of the blade, => types of kissaki form, => shaping
KOSHIBA = a wide hamon at the start of it.
KOSHIRAE = whole mount of a sword.
KUWANA blades = fake signature blades made in 19th century
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.
SUMI-HADA, SUMI-GANE = a spotted appearance on the blade surface what caused of fine core steel comes up.
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
UBU-HA = 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 hardening work.
virgin edge = un-sharpened cutting edge near the tang on new swords. UBUHA.
YAKI-IRE = heat treatment to harden the cutting edge. making hamon. hardening.
YAKI-NAOSHI = re-hardening.
YAKI-OTOSHI = a hamon style that starts at a distance from the tang.
YAKI-WARE = tempering cracks.
YOROI-DOSHI = a special style of tanto that purposed to go through armours.
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.
KAERIZUNO = hook on scabbard.
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.