. The Archaeological journal. , and we know at once byinspection that it is a Shinto blade, being made as amatter of fact about 1660. There were only two smithsof this name, the other having worked in the latter halfof the fourteenth century. Also in Shinto blades thehorimono or engraving occurs more frequently and ismore elaborate. In some cases an indication of the ageof a blade may be obtained by noting the reduction inthickness of the blade as compared with the tang producedby many sharpenings and polishings. The type of blade varied according to the province inwhich it was made, and as th
. The Archaeological journal. , and we know at once byinspection that it is a Shinto blade, being made as amatter of fact about 1660. There were only two smithsof this name, the other having worked in the latter halfof the fourteenth century. Also in Shinto blades thehorimono or engraving occurs more frequently and ismore elaborate. In some cases an indication of the ageof a blade may be obtained by noting the reduction inthickness of the blade as compared with the tang producedby many sharpenings and polishings. The type of blade varied according to the province inwhich it was made, and as there are hundreds of instancesof smiths of the same name Init working in differentprovinces and producing swords of different types, it isnecessary to know something of the types peculiar to theprovinces. For example, besides the great Masamuneof Soshii there were smiths of that name working inEchizen, Yamato, Bingo, and other provinces. The fourprincipal types are those of Bizen, Sagami, Seki, and PLATE II. To face par/c 1. THE rAKEDASlII. 2. THE SHoUr TSUICURI. JAPANESE SWORD HLADES. 227 Bingo. There are in existence a nuni])ei- of sliort pceiiisor uta which are intended to be committed to memory,and they give some brief particulars of tlie chai-acteristicsof different provinces and smiths. From these we learnthat Bizen blades have a consideryble degree of curva-ture, that the boshi is short, and the back of the two-sided type; also that the blades are thick and ratliernarrow. The swords made in Sagami (Soshu) are thinand wide and also con3ideral)ly curved, nwku-me grainingis usual, and they have a tln-ee-sided back. The Sekiblades have a narrow shinogi, the shape of the bladelooked at on the flat tends to become barrel-shaped, orrather wider at the middle, and the yokote is i)laced lowdown, making the head of the blade long. In the Bingoswords, especially those made at Miharain that province,the shinogi is said to be takakii (see previous pa])er,pp. 14 and 15), the blad
Size: 1188px × 2103px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorbritisha, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, bookyear1844
