DRAWING OSHIGATA

"There are various Ways. There is the Way of salvation by the law of Buddha, the Way of Confucius governing the Way of learning, the Way of healing as a doctor, as a poet teaching the Way of Waka, tea, archery and many arts and skills. Each man practices as he feels inclined".

                                                                                                                Miyamoto Musashi - Go Rin No Sho

I read another quote from Ginsaku Kataoka sensei, himself quoting an old sword book which said,

"If the person who does not make oshigata, even if he handles swords his entire life, it is usual for him not to be able to appraise the signature, If your teacher is a person that does not take oshigata, you should remove yourself from that group”.

I have always greatly admired those skilled at the traditional "ancillary" arts of the Japanese sword, such as polishing, hilt wrapping, habaki making etc. Watching any of these artisans at work in Japan has always stirred a desire to participate rather than to watch in me, but it was never to be. I would not wish to do any of these things in a halfhearted or amateur manner or without the full and proper training from a recognised teacher, as I see this as often putting a sword at some risk and never doing the job 100%. Obtaining this training is difficult, of course, and requires a full commitment that my circumstances do not allow. However, living with and spending time with polishers and their students, I was introduced into the drawing of oshigata. I was very fortunate and given lessons by a senior student of a polisher, who has a justified reputation for producing stunning oshigata. He also supplies me with all the necessary implements and when I do an oshigata that I am pleased with, I send it to him for criticism and correction. It usually is returned with crossings out and scribbled comments all over! To me, oshigata drawing provided a perfect vehicle for participating in one of the traditional, albeit very minor, "arts of the Japanese sword", with complete involvement and no possibility of doing any damage to a blade.

For several years now, I have been attempting to draw oshigata, with only very limited success. Having drawn all of my own collection, I now borrow swords from people to draw theirs. I can see only a very gradual improvement since my first faltering steps and I seldom draw oshigata that I am happy with, but I enjoy the process and continue to strive for improvement. I am now drawing my own collection again and when comparing the latest with the earlier, it is amazing to see how different they sometimes turn out to be! My seldom-realised aim is to make a faithful representation of a blade and by so doing, create a small piece of art myself. Strangely, it seems in my case, the better the sword, the better the resulting oshigata.

I feel that it is better for me to draw oshigata only in the traditional manner that I have been shown. This involves sitting on tatami (ideally) and using only paper and drawing implements. I feel comfortable in being above the blade in this manner. It is not necessary for anyone else to adopt such eccentric practices, sitting at a table like any ordinary civilised person, will produce exactly the same results. Modern "quickie" methods, however, I avoid for a number of reasons. Pressure sensitive paper certainly produces an accurate reproduction of an inscription, but cannot show yasuri-mei or hamon and I object strongly to the "smoky candle" approach, as I never wish to have a naked flame anywhere near a blade. None of these lazy methods are able to show any details or hataraki of a blade and the finished products cannot be considered as beautiful representations of a sword, by any measure. Similarly, I have argued the merits of drawing oshigata over photographing a blade on a number of occasions. It seems tome that unless a photographer has the understanding and skills of Fujishiro Okisato then his picture will invariably turn out second rate. It also seems that many of these photographers have more interest in the technicality of the equipment than in understanding and appreciating the sword. However, I don’t see it as a competition, just for me.

Oshigata are supposed to be a faithful representation of a blade, part drawing and part tracing. In ancient times, oshigata were drawn completely in ink and gave a reasonable idea of a blade’s shape, size, horimono hamon and any inscriptions but lacked many of the details of more modern versions. These early oshigata, especially those collections put together by the Honami, Umetada and Takeya family of polishers represent important records of many early blades. In fact, some of these early ink drawn documents are considered Important Cultural Objects in their own right. There is also no doubt that some of the oshigata drawn by well known sensei for sword magazines or published in books, are highly skilled and beautiful. The fact that it is possible to enjoy the sword that is depicted demonstrates the accuracy and subtleties of these oshigata masterpieces. From a more down to earth level, the drawing of an oshigata is a very good learning experience. The process involves extremely close inspection of all of the sword’s characteristics for a longer time than is possible on any other occasion. If one spends an hour drawing a kissaki and boshi for instance, it is most likely that you will know that boshi very well at the end of it. I have frequently handed a sword back to a collector having borrowed it to draw an oshigata and remarked on a certain feature that he had not been previously aware of. There is a certain, almost adulterous pleasure to know another man’s sword more intimately than he does himself!

There are many that have seen my work who will readily testify that I am no expert in this field and it may be presumptuous of me to write this paper. However, I simply record some of my thoughts and methods, which may give some small help to those wishing to make an oshigata record of their collection, for instance. Obviously, an oshigata also may represent a permanent record of your sword and might be viewed as a useful and necessary security aid, in case of loss or theft. When, as a collector, it becomes necessary to sell or trade a sword, an oshigata retained, may provide you with fond memories of your old sword.

Firstly, it is necessary to prepare oneself, as once started, I prefer not to be interrupted. Preparation includes having all necessary thin paper (the Japanese type is ideal) drawing implements, erasers, magnets, magnifying glasses and clips, to hand. Your sword viewing light will need to be in place, as well as uchiko and nugui-game standing by, a silk cloth and a copy of Hawleys Japanese Swordsmiths (the large brown revised edition). Last, but not least, you will need the sword that is in a reasonable state of polish for everything other than nakago only oshigata.

Some time spent looking at the sword first will not be wasted. It will then be necessary to plan your oshigata. Having decided whether it will be of Nakago only (one or both sides) full length or Nakago plus kissaki and mono-uchi, work out the positioning that you want on the paper. For the purposes of this discussion we will assume that we want one side of the nakago and both sides of the kissaki plus mono-uchi of a katana and that we are drawing it on a normal A4 size piece of paper.

Of prime importance is to make sure that the paper does not move once it is on the sword, as this will mean starting the oshigata all over again. I wrap the middle part of the sword in a large silk cloth, so that the nakago and first few inches or so of the blade are exposed, as well as the mono-uchi and kissaki. This wrapping allows free handling of the sword later on but for now, is placed inside the large Hawleys book allowing the unwrapped portions to be exposed on either side. This holds the sword firmly and safely in place throughout the drawing. Alternatively, heavy cushion filled with lead-shot weight work, but this may give some movement when the slight pressure of the nakago rubbing is taking place - others use different titles to Hawley’s! On no account should one attempt to draw an oshigata with a sword still in the saya or partially withdrawn. There is a grave risk that it may slip out and damage the sword or the koi-guchi of the saya and it is considered to be very bad etiquette.

I prefer to draw the outline of the kissaki and upper section of the blade first. This is my most common area for making a mistake and it is very frustrating, having spent maybe an hour or more on the nakago, to make a slip here and have to start over again. I also prefer to draw this part of the sword when the blade is positioned at my left-hand side, parallel to me. For drawing the various lines, shinogi, mune, kissaki fukura, ko-shinogi etc., I use a black wax crayon from Japan, called a "Copee-pencil", rather than the rounded Sekkaboku, or pine wax disc, used for the nakago. This seems easier, especially for the shinogi and the ko-shinogi.

Lay the paper over the blade so that you can see exactly where it will appear and the fold the paper over the mune. The paper then needs to be secured here by some method. Traditionally small cloth bags full of lead shot are placed on the surface of the blade and these are surpassingly effective. I use small photographic clips which have soft cloth in their jaws and which can do no damage to the sword's polish at all. At least two will be required, one just in front of the kissaki and one at the other extremity of where you are drawing. I then take the Copee-pencil and using the side of the pencil, trace the mune line from the bottom end towards the kissaki, going as far as possible in the one stroke before encountering the second clip. I then draw the mune part of the kissaki which is on the other side of the clip. This process is then repeated with the ridge line that is the peak of the mune, at the top of the iori. It is important to draw this line in as it not only gives an indication of the height of the mune, but also provides a more aesthetically pleasing finish. I think you need to be over the blade when doing this drawing which is another reason I prefer to sit on the floor. After this, carefully holding the paper so that it does not move, the clip near the kissaki is moved so that the undrawn part may be completed. Alternatively, this can be drawn in at the end after everything else is completed.

After the back side of the blade is finished, make a small fold in the paper, right at the very point of the kissaki. This should also reveal the first couple of centimeters of the fukura or curve of the kissaki. This is one of the most difficult areas to get right. Small strokes, one or two centimeters at a time, moving down the fukura from the point towards the yokote are best, it is almost impossible to do in one stroke and is best not attempted. When you reach the yokote area and there is no more curvature, a straight line can be drawn right along the ha-saki (cutting edge) towards the bottom end of the blade, using one stroke unhesitatingly. You should now have the outline of the blade and need to draw in the shinogi. Locate the shinogi through the paper and holding the Copee-pencil horizontal, draw in the shinogi, from the base to the kissaki, usually in one stroke, taking care at the change of direction caused by the ko-shinogi in the kissaki. Do not move the paper yet.

You will not be able to trace in the yokote as this is not a proud line, but you should be able to see it through the paper. Make a very small mark at either end of the yokote to show where it meets the ko-shinogi and the ha-saki, this will be drawn in a little later.

Before finishing with this part of the blade, any horimono need to be drawn. Simple hi or grooves are reasonably straightforward. These are drawn in the same manner as the shinogi and other lines, although it will be necessary to rub slightly around either end to show the shape of the finish. When drawing a Bo-hi, it may be possible to use a small piece of Sekkaboku actually in the groove itself, in which case the drawing is done with a feeling of pushing out towards the edges of the Hi from the inside. With bonji, it will be necessary to rub all around it, in the same manner as the end or Tome of the Hi or for the characters of the nakago. Other horimono, such as dragons or figures, vary in difficulty the deeper they are carved. Initially a light rub will show you the limits of the horimono and prevent you rubbing on too much unnecessary white space. After this foundation, further light rubbing should reveal more detail until you are satisfied you can go no further. You may need to vary the angle of the Sekkaboku to access some of the nooks and crannies. but it should always be held lightly. You will only ever get an approximation of such a carving, but nonetheless they will add greatly to the presentation of your oshigata. Care should be taken to rub very lightly, as it can be easy to tear the paper with an over enthusiastic effort.

It is now safe to remove the clips and move the paper. Usually the two locating marks for the yokote are joined by placing them on the mune ridge line and ruling between them.  Some prefer to use a similar method for drawing the shinogi line itself and the edge of the fukura may be used to draw in the ko-shinogi, being exactly parallel to it. Although not usual, sometimes it is possible to see part, if not all of the hamon's outline through the paper. If this is the case it is certainly worth drawing in the parts that you can see very lightly with a pencil, if only to provide markers for when it is done properly later. It seems that this applies to the darker ha-bouchi of shinshinto more than most.

After carefully aligning the blade in relation to your first drawing, the other side of the blade may be drawn in exactly the same manner. Alternatively, both sides of the blade may be drawn as though they were joined together. This displays a common mune central ridge line and is as though the blade were opened up, so that both sides lay flat alongside each other. This is quite a good way of drawing and sometimes works quite easily. In this case, as you wrapped the paper round the sword at the very beginning, it must be kept like this all the time. After the one side is drawn the blade is simply turned over and the reverse is ready.  The only draw back is that, with the more movements being made, there is possibly more chance of the paper slipping and moving.

For the time being, I now leave the outline of the blade and start work on the nakago. The sword is moved through 90 degrees from the previous position (still in Hawleys) so that you are looking down the length of the nakago from the nakago-jiri. It will prove more convenient to have it protruding over the edge of the table so that the nakago is in space.  Once again, this is carefully lined up on the paper in relation to those parts already drawn. It is considered correct form to include at least the habaki-moto area of the blade when drawing the nakago. The paper is wrapped around the nakago and blade and the aforementioned clips are used to secure the blade part of the oshigata. On the nakago itself, I use small magnets. These should not be used on the polished part of the blade as they may easily tear through the thin paper and cause damage to the polish, but I think that they are safe enough on the nakago. I place one at the top, one in the middle and a small round one near the nakago-jiri. On a very long nakago, I may also place one on the other side, underneath, to provide additional purchase.

Once the paper is secure on the nakago, we may at last begin the drawing. Firstly the outline of the nakago is drawn. Again, it is important do both sides in a single downward stroke. The nakago-jiri can then be drawn in with particular care, as this is also a difficult area. The habaki-moto area is then drawn, including the mune as with the rest of the blade. It will not be possible at this stage to draw the small lines or notches at the very top of the nakago without great difficulty and the risk of moving the paper, but the shinogi may be shown, again using the same method as for the rest of the sword, employing the horizontal Coupee-pencil again.

The Sekkaboku or pine wax, used for the rubbing of the nakago, comes in disc shaped tablets. I break up one of these into several smaller pieces to allow more flexibility around any inscriptions and keep a couple of others complete. They also vary somewhat, some being softer than others or drier and you should make yourself aware of their consistency and the effect when used. With a larger broken piece, starting at the top of the nakago, begin the rubbing. The first rub should be done very lightly indeed, describing small circular movements horizontally from left to right. You should avoid rubbing vertically up and down the nakago, as this will produce an unsatisfactory finish. This is the foundation of your nakago oshigata and will produce a light grey coloured result but you will be able to see where everything is located (mekugi-ana and the characters of any inscriptions). The action should be repeated several times, allowing the wax to build up and giving a darker colour to the body of the nakago whilst the mekugi-ana and inscriptions become ever more apparent in contrast. Obviously one should avoid having any wax in the white parts, wherever possible. Finally, having completed this intermediate stage, the finishing follows. I will take an unbroken Sekkaboku and rub over the nakago slightly more "deeply" than the previous actions.

The chiselling of the inscription often raises a tegane-makura (pillow) and sometimes this prevents the wax from highlighting a character or a stroke of a character. This seems to be a particular problem with later swords, especially gendai-to where the characters may be fresh and deeply cut. Where this occurs it may be necessary to touch up areas around the inscription with a soft lead pencil such as a 4B or a charcoal pencil. Often all that is required is a single dot or a very small amount of shading. In the latter case, shade away from the stroke of the character rather than towards it, avoiding a slip onto the white area that we wish to preserve. Whilst touching up, you may wish to shade over the entire nakago if it has remained too light. In this case, using the same soft lead pencil one can shade over the entire nakago, but care should be taken not to obscure the yasurime. This all should be done with a light touch. (I am fortunate in that I have a large angle poise light with a built in magnifier to assist in this detailed operation).  To assist in this, Westerners may find it useful to previously have drawn all the characters of an inscription on a separate piece of paper. They will then be able to tell where all the strokes come and not be confused by white space, which may need pencilling over.  A familiarity with the kanji is a minimum requirement.

An area of particular difficulty with nakago inscriptions is kinzogan-mei (gold inlay) such as attributions or cutting tests. Although these will occasionally take to rubbing, normally, as they are flat and flush with the surface of the nakago, they will not reproduce. In this situation, the area around the inscription must be left unrubbed and white and the calligraphy copied in exactly when the rest of the work is completed. I have heard that others will paint the inscription in white on a dark background, using liquid paper or something similar. I have never found this to be satisfactory myself.

Finally, the border between the top of the rusty nakago and polished part of the blade, the sabigiwa, should be drawn, fading into a neat but natural looking line, rather than an untidy or ragged one, At last the hamon in the habaki-moto area, the yakidashi, may be drawn in by eye.

The entire nakago oshigata may now be tidied up and any small lines outside of the required areas may be removed. For this I use a putty type eraser that is available from all art shops. This putty will remove marks by actually lifting the wax from the paper and requires no rubbing, which may tear the paper. I also find that by lightly dabbing this over the inscription, the whiteness is emphasised by the removal of minute particles of the Sekkaboku not readily visible to the naked eye, that have strayed in there.

As the nakago is now completed, we may proceed to the hamon on the rest of the blade. If you were lucky, you may have been able to pencil in some of the highlights when drawing the outline, but the chances of this are slim. Take the paper off of the sword and remove the sword from the securing book, handling the sword by the silk wrap, which stays on. I then place the paper on a clipboard with a sheet of white paper to provide a solid base on which to draw. Measurements should now be taken of where certain features occur. I use certain reference points such as the distance from the yokote, the distance between the ha-saki (the edge) and the shinogi or the relationship to a horimono. I use an adjustable measure or a geometrical compass with which to place these features of the hamon. These points should be marked by a small faint dot in the appropriate place. They may then be joined up with a well sharpened soft pencil, using a very light touch and should represent the centre part of the nioi-guchi. This will provide a foundation for further more detailed drawing. Next, using the same soft pencil, details of the nioguchi may be drawn, making special note of any clusters of nie, which will need special attention. It will not be possible to show every single nie, but a suggestion of them will be made with a very sharply pointed pencil. I have heard that by touching your tongue with the lead, the nie "point" will appear softer and look better.

I prefer to start this detailed drawing at the boshi and work down the blade. This provides a good fixed point at which to start and the yokote is also a close reference point. It is very important to get the boshi correct as this area best shows the swordsmith's skill and may be a distinctive characteristic of the school or tradition. When the nioiguchi is finished, the various hataraki or activities within the hamon, may be drawn in. These should also be measured to ensure that their placement is correct and initially drawn in quite lightly. One should try to make these look as natural as possible, rather than stiff and forced. Be careful with ashi and avoid drawing lines vertical to the ha-saki, even thought the ashi appear to be at 90 degrees or so to the ha-saki. These should always be drawn in short parallel lines to achieve a natural look. Finally, a black crayon or even an ink brush is used to show the outside border of the hamon (the border with the jihada) which provides a good contrast to the rest of the blade.

Having completed the oshigata, I store mine in plastic folders that can be filed in a ring-binder file, providing accessibility and visibility, without having to finger them too much. Plain white cartridge paper provides a good backer for them. Everyone is capable of the satisfying task of drawing oshigata, all that is necessary is a degree of patience and the ability to handle a sword safely.

Finally, to prove that I am not a complete dinosaur, recently I have taken to having my oshigata scanned onto an Apple Mac computer. It is amazing how the oshigata may be cleaned up, straightened up and generally improved by this method, especially necessary if they are to be printed or published.

Clive Sinclaire 2008

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