Kizu is an evidence of repeated forging The Japanese sword’s main material is the tamahagane (steel made from iron or black sand). As it is forged repeatedly, there are cases where impurities are not completely removed or small mistakes during the forging and tempering process can cause kizu (flaws) in Read More
The hi groove is a part of the chiseling in the Japanese sword And its original purpose is to make the sword lighter and more resistant to bending. As time went on, decorative factors as well as practical ones were added to the sword-making. The width and depth of the Read More
Even those seeing a Japanese sword for the first time are captivated by the vividness of the hamon (blade pattern). The hamon refers to the part that is tempered with extra heat, so it is actual proof that the sword went through the tempering process. The swordsmiths could simply stretch Read More
The blade of the Japanese sword is made by heating the tamahagane (steel for making swords) to high temperature then hitting it flat with a mallet. They use a chisel to create the rift in the blades, fold it, then hit it again with a mallet. This process is repeated Read More
As mentioned in the article about the craftsmanship of the Japanese sword, the Japanese sword was originally a straight sword with no curve at all, and was used for purposes of striking, plunging, and stabbing. As the methods of battle evolved, the function of chopping down became more common. The Read More
The sharp edge of the Japanese sword is called “kissaki”. It is also called “boshi”, but boshi can refer to the kissaki itself or the hamon at the kissaki. Kissaki is used more often to avoid this confusion, so here we will go with “kissaki”. When buying and selling Japanese Read More
Japanese has a word “tsukuri-komi” which refers to the structure and style of the sword blade. In a previous article about the sword’s appearance, I mentioned that the tachi had a strong back-bend whereas the uchigatana had a strong bend at the edge. The angle of the bend, the thickness Read More
The Japanese sword is praised as “beauty in use”. Its appearance is so simple with no unnecessary features, but in fact it has many skills woven into one piece of work. When we look at those details, we are drawn further into the charm of the Japanese sword as we Read More
