Kohai999
Second Degree Cutter
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2003
- Messages
- 12,554
There are three Sacred Treasures of Japan. One of them is the sword Kusanagi, the others are the mirror, Yata, and the jewel(most likely jadeite) Yasakani. The regalia represent the three primary virtues(the sword), wisdom(the mirror), and benevolence (the jewel). Since 690, the presentation of these items to the Emporer of Japan by Shinto priests are a central part of the imperial enthronement ceremony, which is not public, and these items are by tradition only seen by the Emporer and certain priests. Because of this, no known photographs or drawings exist.
Two of the three treasures (the jewel and sword) were last seen during the accession and enthronement of Emperor Akihito in 1989 and 1993, but were shrouded in packages.
No one can specifically say exactly what Kusanagi looks like, but it is 99% likely NOT a katana, but a ken, which is more like a traditional double-edged sword. Ken are frequently depicted in Japanese art as spiritual or "divine" blades.
With this reference, we can begin to appreciate the sword in Japan's history, and its' importance. Swords are MORE important in Japanese history than guns are in American history, at least as far as mythic and legendary qualities. I know very little about "art" swords or even the important historical periods of them. For those interested in such, Rich Stein's website is THE source for basic understanding of the Japanese blade, from ALL perspectives, not just that of the martial artist or collector.
http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/nihonto.htm
However, my perspective is that of the martial artist, and one who has practiced Japanese Sword arts for over 10 years. The basic deal with Eastern vs. Western is simple. The Japanese arts have unbroken lineage(sword arts have been practiced in China, Japan and Korea for hundreds if not thousands of years without significant pause), there are massive amounts of source material, and reference.
The few Italian and German manuscripts available for reference have just in the last decade or so, been decoded and taught as a system, first through HACA(Historical Armed Combat Association headed by Hank Reinhardt, which became ARMA(Association for Renaissance Martial Arts) headed by John Clements. There is much discussion amongst those who are devotees of the European Sword arts as to how "real" ARMA's system is...I don't have an opinion about it.
Japanese styled swords are very hard to make. The methods of construction, and attention to detail required meant that until the late 1990's, the only source for good martial arts grade using swords were trial-and-error with Japanese blades(shin gunto primarily(WWII production blades), and there is a whole lot of variance between great, good, serviceable and crap and custom blades from American or Japanese makers. Real Japanese blades are very expensive, starting at $3-4k and going up quickly, unless there is an aesthetic flaw in them, which is not desireable. American blades have been around $1,000 in unpolished state and go up quickly from there. It has historically not been easy to get a good blade, and time and money required have made it more than a small hassle, many times involving the sword blade maker, the polisher, the habaki maker, the handle furniture crafter, and the craftsman who puts the whole thing together....that's a lot of mouths to feed.
In 1997, Paul Chen(Chen Chao-Po) opened the Hanwei Forge in Dalian, China. I have been told that this factory also produces tractors, but don't know if that is true or not. While these swords are in no way on par with the best Japanese or American custom made swords, they can certainly be sufficient for martial artists.
These are some of the components that a Japanese style sword are made of, and what I look for. If you are the kind of person that needs a manual to change a lightbulb, than don't take your sword apart, ask someone who might have basic shop skills to help you, or post a question in this forum:
Handle(tsuka)-The wood core of the handle is traditionally made of honoki wood, which I have been told is very similar to tulip poplar....most of the American fitted blades I have feature handle cores of poplar or alder. Not sure what the wood is for CAS Hanwei handles, but when I inspect the handles, I dismount them from the blades and check out the tang cavity for cracks trying to gauge if there are any thin spots, also try to flex the handle core. When getting a new sword, or having an older one refit, I like the classic hourglass shape, with a slight wasp-waisted center called Rikko tsuka. Before and after assembly/disassembly, I check for movement of the handle in relation to the tang. I prefer steel handle furniture(fuchi/kashira), and use teflon tape the ensure that the fuchi fits the handle core tightly. You can use a magnet to check for steel furniture while the tsuka is off of the blade if there is any doubt. The reason for steel is that it is the hardest and most durable material for fuchi/kashira and I like the patina that it develops.
I like gold plated menuki(handle charm/decoration) because gold is inert, and if you do a lot of practice with your sword, and the menuki are reactive metal(anything but gold, pretty much, lol) they oxidize, and look/smell nasty. I use reverse menuki that act as palm swells rather than being under your fingertips.
Due to the fact that I prefer reverse menuki, usually have a decent sword re-wrapped at some point, and full rayskin(same') wrap done. Just about all of the Hanwei swords use panels of rayskin, and the "lesser" Chinese manufacturers do these big panels of rayskin without any taper, so you can see the demarkation line under the wrapping cord(ito). Tradition dictates that the butt of the wrapp be exposed on one side to prove that it is a full same wrap, which I cannot stand aesthetically. I have a slightly offset seam under the ito done. The purpose of a full wrap is like duct tape over the wooden handle core, reinforcing it, and making it stronger. I prefer black silk ito over white same for a "traditional" look. I always spray clear lacquer(Duplicolor) over the ito, it reduces the amount of sweat that the ito absorbs and makes it harder, but still somewhat pliable....this is all personal choice, just sharing what I do/prefer.
I like a plain mokko tsuba(guard) in steel. The highly figured guards tend to chew up your hands when contact is made, and the other metals tend to deform with contact. The hard thing about steel tsuba is fitting to the tang(nakago) it is a bear to peen oversized holes to size. Copper brass and nickel silver are very easy by comparison. I prefer an extremely tight unitized handle platform so that everything works in concert, and there is no rattle. The Hanwei swords are very good about not rattling for the most part, until you have sheathed them about 5,000+ times...when things loosen up, I usually build up the seppa(spacers) with adhesive aluminum tape, and if it gets really loose, will make a new oversized seppa....usually this only occurs with a sword used for BOTH cutting and waza/suburi practice(forms practice and swinging practice).
I always replace the mekugi(peg) with a new one I make from japanese knitting needles, available at Michael's Crafts or any stocked knitting supply store.
I prefer habaki(blade collar) made out of copper, because it is traditional, looks good, and is the next strongest down from steel. Brass and nickel silver are acceptable for habaki, I just don't like the materials. The habaki is the "key" for Japanese style blades, it acts as both a collet for blade tension and as a shock absorber....if there is any part of a Japanese style blade that is worth extra money out of the box, it is a custom made and fit habaki for that blade.
The Blade(To Shin) The Japanese consider the blade the MOST important part of the sword, it is like the barrel for firearm. Just as accuracy comes from the barrel for shooting, the blade is the "business end" of a sword. For collectors, they usually store the blade in a "rest-scabbard"(shira saya, or white scabbard) and have a set of "battle mounts" as well.
For hard using, cutting swords my first heretical statement and non-traditional position is a preference for blades forged from barstock. In the case of American smiths, Howard Clark and his 1086M and L6 are my standard...have used them extensively and know what to expect of them. Whatever the Chinese use for the CAS Hanwei swords seems to work about as well as anything, depending upon the individual sword.
Each sword is different, this is true for the guys making them one-at-a time, it is true for factory swords. They have to be tested by the user. Without getting into details that would unnecessarily arm the ignorant, I make sure the sword is superficially safe, and then test the edge on paper. Observe the hamon(if it has one) for activity, and note details that may indicate that shortcuts to manufacture have been taken, and if seen, reject the sword out of hand.
I test the cuts on differing thicknesses of wara, from one matt roll to four mat rolls depending upon how hard it is expected the sword will be pushed. At my dojo, we use Mugen Dachi mats exclusively. If the sword is to be used for anything over 4 mat roll futomaki(big, big multi-mat rolls) will roll a core of hard, thick walled green bamboo from my backyard into a 2 mat roll. This bamboo is very unusual in that the nodes are almost solid, and very difficult to cut, glancing blows are often a result, which torques the blade. For the two L-6 blades I own(Bradshaw, through tempered, and CAS Hanwei Preying Mantis) I "slapped" the sides of the mat with the ha(blade flat) like trying to hit a single line drive with a baseball bat. If bending were to occur, that would have been the time for it. Neither bent. This would probably have caused a permanent bend in lesser blades, as the ha is not configured for this kind of abuse.
Competition is done in front of an audience, often family members. If something catastrophic happens to a sword blade, there is a good chance that someone will be injured. EVERY JSA artist that I know takes every aspect of testing and safety as seriously as any component of training. This cannot be emphasized enough. I have not seen one accident that resulted in the loss of control of a sword blade at a competition, and hope I never do. It would be a shame of formidable, and unforgiveable magnitude.
In the last 10 years, have owned 12 or more cutting swords. Got rid of a Criswell because the edge was so obtuse it would not cut butter. ALL of the other swords including a 1086m Clark wakizashi have been bent, except the L-6's and my CAS Hanwei Shinto Elite Katana, and Wind & Thunder wakizashi. If they bend repeatedly and easily, I sell them off for cheap. All swords bend at some point if you drive them hard enough, if they don't they break. This is simply fact.
Many of my contemporaries will hold "unbending" practice after class, and would rather suffer disqualification at competition for a bent sword rather than sacrifice the perceived edge from what they consider a "tuned" or preferred blade. I would prefer that maybe the blade not bend, and not cut as well for me. As I have placed mid-pack with highly experienced and usually-winning cutters for the last 3 years or so, they are probably onto something that I cannot accept at this time.
The reason for bar stock preference is relatively simple. Forge folded blades are much more expensive, and can be lower quality performance wise. I have found the Chinese blades to be softer when forge folded compared to their bar stock bretheren, and American made blades are MUCH more expensive(but almost always very high quality). The Japanese made martial arts swords that I have seen had flaws(kizu), usually a cold shunt in the middle of the blade and they were still around $5,000.
The second bit of heresy runs completely counter to the Japanese culture of reverence for the sword blade. I view them as somewhat disposable(at least the ones that I USE). When you are trying to push yourself and your tools to the highest level of performance, something frequently breaks down. The Bradshaw katana gets used for the crazy cuts that are known to likely trash a blade, the dodan(multiple mats cut on the horizontal) and the yokonarabi(multiple mats cut on the diagonal). The CAS Shinto Elite is used for the futomaki, and has cut a 5 mat roll, which is all that I have attempted so far...that is about 14" in diameter. The CAS Preying Mantis will take up some of the duty of both swords as I get used to it, and the CAS Shinto will provide backup. There is a joke at my dojo that I will need a caddy for the next competetive West Coast tai kai, which is in November in Bakersfield.
When you buy inexpensive but good using swords that get bent occasionally, they also get dull over time from the abrasive nature of wara. As the Japanese style blade has a lack of secondary bevel, you can only use a diamond hone to freshen the edge for so long before it needs a new polish to set a new and clean sharp edge. IF you can find a polisher who will simply bring the edge back up for a few hundred dollars this is worthwhile if there have not been too many bends, but it may just make sense to get a new sword....always a quandry, and not easily answered. The advantage of the very good casting that CAS does, is that you get very usable furniture to incorporate into new projects, or old projects requiring new materials.
As I have destroyed more than a few blades with this attitude, I would not even think of using something remotely valuable or historically significant for my cutting. That would be a virtually criminal act of arrogance and showboating, even though I have seen others do it. When we talk about "destroy", two different things could happen. One is when you "scoop" a cut, and the handle twists in your hand, and you bear down on the blade with strength at the same time, the blade twists like a cork screw, and is pretty close to impossible to get out that twist, and it takes a set and gets worse over time. The other thing is when you torque the blade just so or hit something hard like concrete with a vigorous cut, and chip the blade...now there is a stress fracture, and the blade is compromised to the point of being untrustworthy....
Continued on Post # 17.
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
Two of the three treasures (the jewel and sword) were last seen during the accession and enthronement of Emperor Akihito in 1989 and 1993, but were shrouded in packages.
No one can specifically say exactly what Kusanagi looks like, but it is 99% likely NOT a katana, but a ken, which is more like a traditional double-edged sword. Ken are frequently depicted in Japanese art as spiritual or "divine" blades.
With this reference, we can begin to appreciate the sword in Japan's history, and its' importance. Swords are MORE important in Japanese history than guns are in American history, at least as far as mythic and legendary qualities. I know very little about "art" swords or even the important historical periods of them. For those interested in such, Rich Stein's website is THE source for basic understanding of the Japanese blade, from ALL perspectives, not just that of the martial artist or collector.
http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/nihonto.htm
However, my perspective is that of the martial artist, and one who has practiced Japanese Sword arts for over 10 years. The basic deal with Eastern vs. Western is simple. The Japanese arts have unbroken lineage(sword arts have been practiced in China, Japan and Korea for hundreds if not thousands of years without significant pause), there are massive amounts of source material, and reference.
The few Italian and German manuscripts available for reference have just in the last decade or so, been decoded and taught as a system, first through HACA(Historical Armed Combat Association headed by Hank Reinhardt, which became ARMA(Association for Renaissance Martial Arts) headed by John Clements. There is much discussion amongst those who are devotees of the European Sword arts as to how "real" ARMA's system is...I don't have an opinion about it.
Japanese styled swords are very hard to make. The methods of construction, and attention to detail required meant that until the late 1990's, the only source for good martial arts grade using swords were trial-and-error with Japanese blades(shin gunto primarily(WWII production blades), and there is a whole lot of variance between great, good, serviceable and crap and custom blades from American or Japanese makers. Real Japanese blades are very expensive, starting at $3-4k and going up quickly, unless there is an aesthetic flaw in them, which is not desireable. American blades have been around $1,000 in unpolished state and go up quickly from there. It has historically not been easy to get a good blade, and time and money required have made it more than a small hassle, many times involving the sword blade maker, the polisher, the habaki maker, the handle furniture crafter, and the craftsman who puts the whole thing together....that's a lot of mouths to feed.
In 1997, Paul Chen(Chen Chao-Po) opened the Hanwei Forge in Dalian, China. I have been told that this factory also produces tractors, but don't know if that is true or not. While these swords are in no way on par with the best Japanese or American custom made swords, they can certainly be sufficient for martial artists.
These are some of the components that a Japanese style sword are made of, and what I look for. If you are the kind of person that needs a manual to change a lightbulb, than don't take your sword apart, ask someone who might have basic shop skills to help you, or post a question in this forum:
Handle(tsuka)-The wood core of the handle is traditionally made of honoki wood, which I have been told is very similar to tulip poplar....most of the American fitted blades I have feature handle cores of poplar or alder. Not sure what the wood is for CAS Hanwei handles, but when I inspect the handles, I dismount them from the blades and check out the tang cavity for cracks trying to gauge if there are any thin spots, also try to flex the handle core. When getting a new sword, or having an older one refit, I like the classic hourglass shape, with a slight wasp-waisted center called Rikko tsuka. Before and after assembly/disassembly, I check for movement of the handle in relation to the tang. I prefer steel handle furniture(fuchi/kashira), and use teflon tape the ensure that the fuchi fits the handle core tightly. You can use a magnet to check for steel furniture while the tsuka is off of the blade if there is any doubt. The reason for steel is that it is the hardest and most durable material for fuchi/kashira and I like the patina that it develops.
I like gold plated menuki(handle charm/decoration) because gold is inert, and if you do a lot of practice with your sword, and the menuki are reactive metal(anything but gold, pretty much, lol) they oxidize, and look/smell nasty. I use reverse menuki that act as palm swells rather than being under your fingertips.
Due to the fact that I prefer reverse menuki, usually have a decent sword re-wrapped at some point, and full rayskin(same') wrap done. Just about all of the Hanwei swords use panels of rayskin, and the "lesser" Chinese manufacturers do these big panels of rayskin without any taper, so you can see the demarkation line under the wrapping cord(ito). Tradition dictates that the butt of the wrapp be exposed on one side to prove that it is a full same wrap, which I cannot stand aesthetically. I have a slightly offset seam under the ito done. The purpose of a full wrap is like duct tape over the wooden handle core, reinforcing it, and making it stronger. I prefer black silk ito over white same for a "traditional" look. I always spray clear lacquer(Duplicolor) over the ito, it reduces the amount of sweat that the ito absorbs and makes it harder, but still somewhat pliable....this is all personal choice, just sharing what I do/prefer.
I like a plain mokko tsuba(guard) in steel. The highly figured guards tend to chew up your hands when contact is made, and the other metals tend to deform with contact. The hard thing about steel tsuba is fitting to the tang(nakago) it is a bear to peen oversized holes to size. Copper brass and nickel silver are very easy by comparison. I prefer an extremely tight unitized handle platform so that everything works in concert, and there is no rattle. The Hanwei swords are very good about not rattling for the most part, until you have sheathed them about 5,000+ times...when things loosen up, I usually build up the seppa(spacers) with adhesive aluminum tape, and if it gets really loose, will make a new oversized seppa....usually this only occurs with a sword used for BOTH cutting and waza/suburi practice(forms practice and swinging practice).
I always replace the mekugi(peg) with a new one I make from japanese knitting needles, available at Michael's Crafts or any stocked knitting supply store.
I prefer habaki(blade collar) made out of copper, because it is traditional, looks good, and is the next strongest down from steel. Brass and nickel silver are acceptable for habaki, I just don't like the materials. The habaki is the "key" for Japanese style blades, it acts as both a collet for blade tension and as a shock absorber....if there is any part of a Japanese style blade that is worth extra money out of the box, it is a custom made and fit habaki for that blade.
The Blade(To Shin) The Japanese consider the blade the MOST important part of the sword, it is like the barrel for firearm. Just as accuracy comes from the barrel for shooting, the blade is the "business end" of a sword. For collectors, they usually store the blade in a "rest-scabbard"(shira saya, or white scabbard) and have a set of "battle mounts" as well.
For hard using, cutting swords my first heretical statement and non-traditional position is a preference for blades forged from barstock. In the case of American smiths, Howard Clark and his 1086M and L6 are my standard...have used them extensively and know what to expect of them. Whatever the Chinese use for the CAS Hanwei swords seems to work about as well as anything, depending upon the individual sword.
Each sword is different, this is true for the guys making them one-at-a time, it is true for factory swords. They have to be tested by the user. Without getting into details that would unnecessarily arm the ignorant, I make sure the sword is superficially safe, and then test the edge on paper. Observe the hamon(if it has one) for activity, and note details that may indicate that shortcuts to manufacture have been taken, and if seen, reject the sword out of hand.
I test the cuts on differing thicknesses of wara, from one matt roll to four mat rolls depending upon how hard it is expected the sword will be pushed. At my dojo, we use Mugen Dachi mats exclusively. If the sword is to be used for anything over 4 mat roll futomaki(big, big multi-mat rolls) will roll a core of hard, thick walled green bamboo from my backyard into a 2 mat roll. This bamboo is very unusual in that the nodes are almost solid, and very difficult to cut, glancing blows are often a result, which torques the blade. For the two L-6 blades I own(Bradshaw, through tempered, and CAS Hanwei Preying Mantis) I "slapped" the sides of the mat with the ha(blade flat) like trying to hit a single line drive with a baseball bat. If bending were to occur, that would have been the time for it. Neither bent. This would probably have caused a permanent bend in lesser blades, as the ha is not configured for this kind of abuse.
Competition is done in front of an audience, often family members. If something catastrophic happens to a sword blade, there is a good chance that someone will be injured. EVERY JSA artist that I know takes every aspect of testing and safety as seriously as any component of training. This cannot be emphasized enough. I have not seen one accident that resulted in the loss of control of a sword blade at a competition, and hope I never do. It would be a shame of formidable, and unforgiveable magnitude.
In the last 10 years, have owned 12 or more cutting swords. Got rid of a Criswell because the edge was so obtuse it would not cut butter. ALL of the other swords including a 1086m Clark wakizashi have been bent, except the L-6's and my CAS Hanwei Shinto Elite Katana, and Wind & Thunder wakizashi. If they bend repeatedly and easily, I sell them off for cheap. All swords bend at some point if you drive them hard enough, if they don't they break. This is simply fact.
Many of my contemporaries will hold "unbending" practice after class, and would rather suffer disqualification at competition for a bent sword rather than sacrifice the perceived edge from what they consider a "tuned" or preferred blade. I would prefer that maybe the blade not bend, and not cut as well for me. As I have placed mid-pack with highly experienced and usually-winning cutters for the last 3 years or so, they are probably onto something that I cannot accept at this time.
The reason for bar stock preference is relatively simple. Forge folded blades are much more expensive, and can be lower quality performance wise. I have found the Chinese blades to be softer when forge folded compared to their bar stock bretheren, and American made blades are MUCH more expensive(but almost always very high quality). The Japanese made martial arts swords that I have seen had flaws(kizu), usually a cold shunt in the middle of the blade and they were still around $5,000.
The second bit of heresy runs completely counter to the Japanese culture of reverence for the sword blade. I view them as somewhat disposable(at least the ones that I USE). When you are trying to push yourself and your tools to the highest level of performance, something frequently breaks down. The Bradshaw katana gets used for the crazy cuts that are known to likely trash a blade, the dodan(multiple mats cut on the horizontal) and the yokonarabi(multiple mats cut on the diagonal). The CAS Shinto Elite is used for the futomaki, and has cut a 5 mat roll, which is all that I have attempted so far...that is about 14" in diameter. The CAS Preying Mantis will take up some of the duty of both swords as I get used to it, and the CAS Shinto will provide backup. There is a joke at my dojo that I will need a caddy for the next competetive West Coast tai kai, which is in November in Bakersfield.
When you buy inexpensive but good using swords that get bent occasionally, they also get dull over time from the abrasive nature of wara. As the Japanese style blade has a lack of secondary bevel, you can only use a diamond hone to freshen the edge for so long before it needs a new polish to set a new and clean sharp edge. IF you can find a polisher who will simply bring the edge back up for a few hundred dollars this is worthwhile if there have not been too many bends, but it may just make sense to get a new sword....always a quandry, and not easily answered. The advantage of the very good casting that CAS does, is that you get very usable furniture to incorporate into new projects, or old projects requiring new materials.
As I have destroyed more than a few blades with this attitude, I would not even think of using something remotely valuable or historically significant for my cutting. That would be a virtually criminal act of arrogance and showboating, even though I have seen others do it. When we talk about "destroy", two different things could happen. One is when you "scoop" a cut, and the handle twists in your hand, and you bear down on the blade with strength at the same time, the blade twists like a cork screw, and is pretty close to impossible to get out that twist, and it takes a set and gets worse over time. The other thing is when you torque the blade just so or hit something hard like concrete with a vigorous cut, and chip the blade...now there is a stress fracture, and the blade is compromised to the point of being untrustworthy....
Continued on Post # 17.
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
Last edited:
Along with having the unbroken lineage, of course.