Yurie Endo 遠藤由利江 8 Kamakura period

7| Overview of the Kamakura Period Swords (鎌倉時代刀概要)

 
 

0-timeline - size 24 Kamakura Period

The circle above indicates the time we discuss in this section

Introduction Of  The Five Main Sword School (Den)

There are five major sword schools (Den): Yamashiro Den (山城), Bizen Den (備前), Soshu Den (相州), Yamato Den (大和), and Mino Den (美濃).  During the Heian period, Yamashiro Den was the main and most active school.  A school called Ko-bizen (meaning Old Bizen) during the Heian period is a part of Bizen Den.   However, we take the Ko-bizen separately since their style is slightly different from the later Bizen Den but somewhat close to the Yamashiro Den as we see it later.

During the Heian period, the swordsmiths of Yamashiro Den lived around Kyoto, the capital of Japan then.  In the early Kamakura period, Yamashiro Den maintained the similar sword style they created in the Heian period.  Bizen Den appeared in the middle Kamakura period.  Soshu Den appeared in the late Kamakura period in Kamakura area.  Mino Den appeared in the Muromachi period, which comes much later.

The Early Kamakura Period (鎌倉) 

We divide the Kamakura period into three stages: the early, the middle, and the late Kamakura period. The sword style in the early Kamakura period was almost the same as in the previous Heian period.  Yamashiro Den was continuously the most active school through the early Kamakura period.

The Middle Kamakura Period 

In the middle Kamakura period, we have three different styles of the sword to discuss: the Yamashiro Den style, the Bizen Den style, and the Ikubi-kissaki (猪首切先) style, which was new at that time.  We can say that among the Ikubi-kissaki swords, seldom sees the mediocre sword.

The previous section described the Kamakura Bakufu (鎌倉幕府: government) had political and military power, yet the emperor was still on the throne in Kyoto.  Emperor Gotoba raised an army and attacked the Kamakura government to regain political control.  This war (1221) is called Jyokyu-no-Ran (承久の乱).  The war changed the look of swords to a sturdier shape.  This style is what we call the Ikubi-kissaki.

The Late Kamakura Period (after the Mongolian Invasion)

During the late Kamakura Period, Soshu Den emerged in addition to Yamashiro Den and Bizen Den.  After the two Mongolian Invasions called Genko (元寇) in 1274 and 1281, longer and broader swords with longer Kissaki began to appear.  The Soshu Den swordsmiths forged this type of sword

Engravings on Sword

Engravings on a sword in the Ko-to era (Heian to Keicho era) has three purposes.  One is to reduce the weight of the sword.  Hi, Bohi, Gomabashi (wide, narrow, short, or long grooves) are examples.  The second is for religious purposes, for which swordsmiths often carved Buddhistic figures.  The third is for decoration.  In the Shin-to era (from Keicho time and after), it became mainly for decoration purposes.

The figures below are examples of the engravings.

8 Hi, Suken, Bonji                    8 gomabashi            8 Hi

Suken                           Bonji (sanskrit)             Gomabashi                          Hi

Yurie Endo 遠藤由利江 2 | Time line

1 | Timeline

Let’s look at the diagram below.  At the beginning of each chapter, a timeline like the one below will be shown.  It will be a good reference to see which time period the subject matter is being discussed.

0-timeline - size24 original 1

From the Jomon period to the Nara period, the short top line is the time we call the Joko-to period in terms of the history of Japanese swords.  The term “Japanese sword” we use today refers to the swords made after the Heian period (平安 794-1185).  Usually, Joko-to is in the category of archaeological study.  In the next chapter, we will discuss Joko-to.  The bottom timeline and short descriptions below are the timelines we see in Japan’s general history books.  The middle timeline is more specific for the sword study.  My discussion will follow the middle timeline.  The timeline diagram will appear at the beginning of each chapter for easy reference.  The swords I discuss in this book are grouped together based on the shape, style, and trend of the time.

The difference between Tachi (太刀),  Katana (刀),  Wakizashi (脇差), Tanto (短刀)

Swords made before the Muromachi period (before 1392) are called Tachi (太刀).　　Swords made after the Muromachi (室町) period are called Katana (刀) and Wakizashi (脇差).  Katana and Wakizashi were worn together. Tanto is a short dagger.  Tantos were made throughout time.  The difference between Tachi and Katana is how they were worn.  Tachi was suspended from one’s waist belt, the blade side facing down.  Katana and Wakizashi (called Daisho 大小 means large and small) were thrust between the belt and body two together, the blade side up.  Usually, Tachi is longer than Katana. Wakizashi is shorter than Katana.  Tanto is the shortest.  When you face the swordsmith’s inscribed name, if the blade comes on the right, that is Tachi.  When you face the swordsmith’s inscribed name, if the blade comes on the left, that is Katana and Wakizashi.   

           　　　　　　　Tachi   >  Katana >  Wakizashi   >  Tanto

22 tachi & Katana

Ko-to (古刀)   Shin-to (新刀)   Shinshin-to (新々刀)   Gendai-to (現代刀)

Ko-to is the swords made between the Heian period (794-1192) and the beginning of the Keicho Era (1597-1614).  Shin-to is the swords made between the Keicho Era (1596-1614) and the Tenmei Era (1781-1789).  Shin Shin-to is the swords made during Bakumatu time (幕末期 1781-1868).  Gendai-to is from the Meiji Restoration (明治1868) through today.  Even though the names of the eras or time changed overnight due to the political or dynastical changes through history, the changes in the sword style were always gradual.   

In general history, the Bakumatsu time is simply the last part of the Edo period.  However, for the sword classification, the Bakumatsu time is from around the Tenmei era (天明 1781) through the beginning of the Meiji 1868.