KOSHIRAE – The furniture of a Japanese Sword
By
Clive Sinclaire
The appreciation of Japanese swords
may take on a number of different aspects. It has always been the blade that is
considered as the main area of study and appreciation, for reasonably obvious
reasons. However, it is a difficult area of study for most non-Japanese and
takes many years to fully understand, if indeed it is possible for a foreigner
to fully understand this peculiarly Japanese cultural subject.
More easily appreciated are the other
parts that constitute the furniture of a fully mounted Japanese sword. The
mounting or furniture covers everything except the blade and is known as the
sword’s “koshirae”. The koshirae, although a single entity, is a
collaboration between a number of artisans including, scabbard and handle
makers, lacquerers, hilt binders and metal-artists. There are great efforts in
Japan to preserve the art of koshirae design and manufacture, as like many such
traditional things, there is a danger of it being lost in this modern age.
Today, all this work is co-ordinated by the polisher of the blade, or sometimes
the swordsmith himself. The purely visual art employed in koshirae, is easy for
most to appreciate at a certain level, although some of the metal mounts may get
into the highly aesthetic areas of metal texture and abstract designs.
However, here we are looking at the
various different types of mountings that may be encountered by the collector at
arms fairs or auction houses. Japanese swords are initially defined by length,
that is to say, katana or tachi (long swords) wakizashi (short swords) or tanto
(daggers or knives). There are other names, but for the sake of simplicity, we
will stay with these. Alternatively, they may also be defined by the type of
koshirae in which they are mounted, e.g. “a han-dachi katana”.
TACHI:
The tachi koshirae is designed to be worn suspended from the waist on the left
hand side. This means that the cutting edge of the blade is towards the ground
and this effects the way it may be drawn for use. Originally the tachi was made
for combat whilst mounted on horseback and the draw is from “ground to sky”.
In ancient times the top 12 inches of
the scabbard was wrapped in the same manner as the handle and this is known as
an Ito-maki-tachi (lit thread wrapped tachi). The thread wrapping on the
scabbard prevented chaffing against the armour as well as providing a convenient
grip, if required. The metal mounts on both the scabbard and handle are usually
en-suite, as is the tsuba or hand-guard. Usually the decoration of the entire
piece, both lacquer and metal work, would be decorated with family Mon (heraldic
devices).
Ito-maki tachi koshirae
There are other tachi, which apart from lacking the thread wrapped
scabbard, are of the same basic design as ito-maki-tachi. Other variations, such
as the Efu-no-tachi, a formal koshirae made for Imperil courtiers, are seldom
encountered and those that are, usually are of 20th century
manufacture. The one above has a Tiger tale cover and was probably worn when
hunting.
With the change from mounted to foot
combat, the ito-maki-tachi became somewhat obsolete, but was retained by high
ranking generals and the like. It became popular in the Edo period (1603-1868)
where it was used more as a parade sword and was also worn with certain formal
clothing. Most examples encountered today are of the late Edo period, and
earlier examples are both rare and expensive.
KATANA
and WAKIZASHI:
Unlike the tachi, the katana is worn with the cutting edge uppermost and is more
suited to combat on foot. Here the draw is from “sky to ground” and an
attacking cut may be made with the draw. As a generalisation, early katana
koshirae was rather plain in design, with black lacquered scabbards and iron
tsuba, reflecting the lower rank of many of the wearers. The scabbards of all
katana have a small retaining hook, about a foot from the top, which helps keep
the sword secure in the belt or sash. The handle is wrapped in the traditional
manner and a metal pommel and collar, often very decorative and known as Fuchi
and Kashira, are found at the handle’s extremities. Under the wrapping are
menuki which are metal hilt ornaments, said to felicitate the grip.
Katana koshirae
The katana koshirae of the Edo period became more decorative and the
metal mounts were increasingly flamboyant, reflecting the taste of moneyed
merchant class rather than the more austere taste of the ideal samurai. Also, as
this was a time of peace, with no wars for some 250 years, the severe practical
mounts of earlier times were less favoured.
Wakizashi or short swords, are most commonly found in this type of
koshirae, the obvious difference being in the length. On the top end of the
scabbard of wakizashi, are often slots inset that accommodate either ko-gatana
or kogai. These are auxiliary tools rather than weapons, the former being a
small knife with a decorative handle and the latter being a skewer type of
implement. Often these are very skilfully decorated and may be en-suite with the
other metal mounts of the sword. Occasionally these may also be found in better
quality katana koshirae.
HAN-DACHI
: This literally means “half tachi” and takes properties from both tachi and
katana koshirae. The scabbard mounts of the tachi, are to a large extent
present, but the sword is worn and used in the style of a katana. Such mounts
may also be found on wakizashi or short swords and vary greatly in quality.
Handachi-mounted wakizashi, in the
Mino-Goto style of kodogu.
Han-dachi were particularly popular at the end of the Edo period and into
the early Meiji period (1868-1877). This was a period of great unrest that
eventually saw the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate and the restoration of the
Emperor to full ruling powers. Those that supported the Imperial cause often
sported very long swords in han-dachi koshirae and they became known as Kinno-to
or “emperor supporting swords”.
DAISHO
KOSHIRAE:
During the Edo period, it became mandatory and the badge of rank, for the
samurai to wear two swords, one long one and one short. These are called Daisho
(a contraction of Daito-long sword and Shoto-short sword). The daisho koshirae
has both swords mounted in complimentary koshirae. Most often the daisho
comprises of a katana and a wakizashi. These may be in the manner of either the
katana koshirae or han-dachi koshirae mentioned above. Rarely, instead of the
wakizashi (or companion sword) the shorter sword may be a tanto or dagger. This
is said to be an indication that the pair were owned by a samurai of Hatamoto
rank (direct vassal to the shogun)
Left is a conventional daisho, whilst
the right is with a tanto, this is a daisho of the Oda family who were Hatamoto
It is said that the long sword was there to defend and fight for the
reputation and name of the clan or feudal lord, whilst the short sword was to
defend one’s own honour and used for seppuku (hara-kiri) if necessary.
Whatever the truth of this, it is certain that when fighting in a confined area
or indoors, it was more convenient to use a wakizashi than a long katana.
TANTO KOSHIRAE:
Amongst the tanto or dagger koshirae, may be found some of the highest quality
workmanship. This may be due to the fact that many of the Edo period artists in
metalwork, were patronised by the rich merchant class, who were allowed to own
tanto but not long swords. Many have fittings fashioned out of gold, silver and
other soft metals, with designs that are unbelievable in their detail and
quality. The blades may vary greatly in both age and quality, but tanto are
generally rated in the market place, at higher prices than wakizashi.
There are several styles of tanto
koshirae including one that follows that of the katana koshirae. In other words,
it is complete with a tsuba and fuchi-kashira and a wrapped hilt, in fact
identical to a katana or wakizashi, but on a smaller scale. The ko-gatana and
kogai may also be found on some tanto koshirae. Often the lacquer work and other
decorative pieces are both ornate and beautifully executed works of art.
The presence and the style of the
tsuba are the defining points in the naming of tanto koshirae. A tanto that
completely lacks a tsuba and so the handle is a flush fit into the top of the
scabbard, is know as an Aikuchi (close-fitting mouth) koshirae.
Sometimes the handle of an aikuchi has
no thread wrapping at all and instead it has the samé (ray-skin) completely
exposed. Originally it is thought that such tanto were designed for wearing with
armour, where they could not be easily caught up in the armour lacing. In such
cases only a pair of menuki will grace the samé and these would often be in the
form of the clan mon or heraldic devise. As they were worn in the centre of the
sash it was quite easy for a proud Edo period samurai, to show and boast of his
clan affiliation, by clearly showing the Mon on his tanto’s handle.
One further style was known as the
hamidashi tanto. In some ways I suppose it comes mid-way between the ordinary
tanto (with tsuba) and the aikuchi (with no tsuba). The hamidashi tanto has a
small tsuba with most of one side cut away, usually to accommodate the top of
the kodzuka. Possibly, in later examples, this was mainly the property of women
of the samurai class, and might be kept concealed in the sleeve of her kimono.
These are from left to right, aikuchi,
hamadashi and regular tanto koshirae
with a full tsuba
Many swords of all shapes and sizes were hastily mounted up in the mid 19th
century. Often with old unsigned blades, these were often quite well made, but
tend to have garish, ornate lacquer scabbards depicting dragons and the like, in
what the Japanese thought was the western idea of Japanese design. Thousands of
swords were mounted in this manner and almost literally, dumped on the docks at
Yokohama or Kobe, for export to the west. They became known as Hama-mono or
“dock things” and are still often encountered.
SHIN-GUNTO::
From the latter half of the 19th
century and early 20th century, Japan imported, amongst many other
things, military technology from the more advanced western countries. This
included varieties of sword mounts, often with D-shaped guards and silvered
metal scabbards, which had both machine-made and sometimes, old traditionally
made blades. Such swords were used by police, diplomats and a whole raft of
officialdom, as well as the armed services, but bore no resemblance to the
traditional katana or tachi koshirae. However, the type of koshirae encountered
most often I would say, certainly at arms and militaria fairs, is the mount used
by the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy in the Pacific War period (1941-45). This
sword was designed by a politician and major patron of swordmaking in the
1930’s, named Kurihara Hikosaburo. His design was modelled on the old tachi,
complete with metal fittings on the scabbard, and is known as the Shin-gunto
(new army) mount. All commissioned officers were required to wear a sword as
this was seen to boost there nationalistic spirit and reinforce their sense of
Bushido.
There is some variation and
customisation in these mounts, but they are readily identifiable and most have a
brown metal scabbard, a brass tsuba and a brown thread wrapped hilt. The metal
mounts are decorated with cherry blossom designs. Some may be found with leather
foul-weather covers on the scabbards and occasionally also on the handles.
Unfortunately the majority (maybe 85%) have machine made blades, which are of
little interest to the Japanese sword collector. A minority contain old family
blades, or contemporary blades made with traditional techniques, and are of fine
quality.
In order to avoid having to plough
through hundreds of such swords without finding anything of interest, I have an
“initial cull” hint which may be useful. Swords with a small silver mon on
the pommel end of the hilt, the kabuto-gane, or that have pierced tsuba, are
usually worth looking at, as they often have hand-made blades. The mon may even
give some idea of the original owner’s family name, but it was sometimes
disfigured to prevent this identification and the associated shame of surrender.
The Imperial Naval Sword was similar
to the shin-gunto but usually has black samé under the hilt wrapping. It also
has two ring hangers, rather than the one on the IJA sword. Occasionally they
may also be found with polished samé scabbards which are rather attractive,
whilst others might have the leather foul-weather cover. Such naval swords are
called Kyu-gunto and are vastly outnumbered by the Shin-gunto.
SHIRA-SAYA:
Whilst not strictly a koshirae, many swords are found in shira-saya (lit. white
scabbards). These plain wood scabbards and handles are storage mounts, rather
than the practical mounts previously discussed. Often the blades have been
separated from their koshirae, which have become lost over the years, and so the
shira-saya has served as an important preservation mount.
Today, when a sword is polished,
halfway through the process, when the shape has been set and will not be
altered, the polisher will have the shira-saya made. Even if the koshirae is
present, we do not risk putting the blade back into its old koshirae, as it is
almost impossible to clean the inside of an old scabbard without damaging it.
This is especially true if it has a good lacquer finish and obviously we do not
want to risk damage to the new polish. Should the original koshirae be present,
therefore, we have a wooden replica of the blade (called a tsunagi) made and
inserted in the koshirae. This allows it to be preserved and displayed alongside
the blade in shira-saya.
Sometimes on the outside of the
shira-saya, Japanese brushed ink writing is found. This is called saya-gaki and
is often highly esteemed and written by famous appraisers. It will sometimes be
an attribution to an unsigned blade or comments on a signed blade by a
recognised sword appraiser. This is still done today, but recently I have
encountered fake saya-gaki where the signature of a very famous appraiser has
been forged. Often, for those that can appreciate Japanese calligraphy, genuine
saya-gaki are an added attraction to a sword.
Shira-saya with saya-gaki and tachi koshirae
NAGINATA and YARI:
Both naginata and yari are pole arms and blades are generally made by
swordsmiths. There are some very old ones, dating back to the 11th
century still in existence.
The naginata is a curved, glaive like
weapon and is more like a sword than most yari. They were the favoured weapon of
warrior monks in the early days and lighter, smaller ones were used by women in
the Edo period. (today the martial art of naginata-do is still mainly practised
by women). Mounted on poles with metal fittings, polished naginata may also be
found in shira-saya. They are also sometimes shortened and reshaped to be
mounted as a sword.
Yari are spears and may be found in
several different shapes and sizes. Interestingly, Japanese spears are designed
for cutting as well as the more common thrusting action associated with spears
of other cultures. Again they are mounted on wooden poles, some as long as 8 or
9 feet and, as with the naginata, they should have wooden scabbards. One in my
own collection has the scabbard covered in black bear fur and this is not as
uncommon as one might think. Metal cross-shaped protrusions are seen on some
yari poles and these act a “sword catchers” or deflectors in combat.
The most common decoration on the
mounts of naginata and yari are family mon in lacquer. These may be found on
both the poles and scabbards. The majority of spears extant today, were carried
by the retainers of the great samurai lords in formal processions. The Mon on
their pole arms announced to all which clan they came from and so the yari
carrier (yari-moche) was an important position in the hierarchy.
Originally written and published in
Classic
Arms & Militaria.
Adapted for this website with
additional illustrations, May 2008
Clive Sinclaire
Bexley, Kent, UK