Types of Swords :

To - Sword, of the curved, single-edged type.
Ken - Sword, usually refers to the straight double-edged type.
Aikuchi - A dagger with no tsuba, typically worn by women.
Tanto - A knife-sized short sword, typically less than 1 shaku in length.
Shinai - Bamboo practice sword, used for Kendo.
Bokken - Hardwood replica of sword.
Bokuto - Hardwood replica of sword.
Suburito - Wooden sword, usually heavy.
Gun-to - War sword, usually refers to those made just prior to and during WWII.
Shinken - A real blade.
Koto - " Old sword ". Blades before about 1600.
Shinto - New swords, from about 1600 to 1870.
Shin Shinto - Modern blades.
Iai-to - Practice sword for Iaido, usually not sharp.
Daisho - Great small, the set of two swords, daito and shoto.
Daito - Great sword, larger of the set of two, daisho along with shoto.
Shoto - The smaller of a pair of daisho, the other is the daito.
Tachi - Old style sword ( koto ) mounted edge down.
Kodachi - Equivalent to shoto, lit. " small tachi " with the same fittings as a tachi.
Uchi-gatana - Inside sword, forerunner of katana, worn in belt.
Katana - Same as daito. Mounted edge up.
Wakizashi - Equivalent to shoto, the shorter sword in a daisho pair, typically less than 2 shaku in length.

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Shaku = 30.2 cm. or 11.9 inches.
Sun = 1/10 of a shaku.
Bu = 1/10 of a sun, 0.3 cm
Nagasa - Measure of length of blade from kissaki to mune machi in a straight line
Sori - Measure of curve of blade from nagasa to mune at deepest point.

Omote - For tachi. That side that faces out from the hip when it is in the saya in its usual mounting. This side is signed by the swordmaker.
Ura - For tachi. Side that faces the hip.
Sashi-omote - ( Katana ) Side facing out.
Sashi-ura - ( Katana ) Side facing hip.
Tachi-mei - The side with the signature.
Katana-mei - The side with the signature.
 

Fittings of the Katana :

Saya - The scabbard.
Kojiri - the ornament at the end of the scabbard.
Sageo - The cord used to secure the sword to the obi ( belt ).
Kurikata - The knob through which the sageo is passed.
Mekugi - The pin which holds the handle to the sword.
Saguri - the ornament which helps secure the scabbard when drawn.
Tsuka - The handle.
Kashira - The pommel at the end of the handle.
Tsuka-Ito - The braid for wrapping the handle.
Same - The ray skin which wraps handles under the tsuka-ito.
Tsuba - The handguard.
Fuchi - The cap at the end of the tsuka where it meets the tsuba.
 

Tang :

Nakago - The tang of the blade.
Nakago-Jiri - The end of the nakago.
Mei - The swordsmith's' signature on the nakago.
Yasuri-mei - File marks on tang.
Hitoe - Back of tang, meets mune at mune machi. Also called nakago-mune.
Mekugi-Ana - The hole in the nakago for the mekugi.
Mune-Machi - The notch on the back of the blade to stop the habaki ( collar ).
Ha-Machi - The notch on the cutting edge of the blade to stop the habaki.
 

Blade :

Tsuba-moto - 1/3 of blade nearest tsuba.
Chu o - Middle 1/3 of blade.
Mono-uchi - 1/3 of blade nearest tip, cutting area.
Katahaba - Measurement at the thickest part of blade.
Ha - The cutting edge of the sword.
Mune - The back of the sword. Mune types : Mitsu-mune ( 3 surfaces ), Maru-mune ( rounded ), Iori-mune ( standard 2 surface ).
Shinogi - Line of blade between shinogi ji and jigane.
Shinogi-Ji - The part of the blade between the shinogi and the mune.
Ji - The area between the shinogi-ji and the yakiba.
Hiraji - Area of blade between hamon and shinogi.
Jigane - Refers to the steel material. Jigane = skin steel. Shingane = core steel. These have different carbon contents.
              Appearance of the jigane is controlled by the smith's folding technique. Can be of different patterns, courseness, etc.
Hamon - The shape or style of the yakiba.
Hira - Face of the blade between shinogi and ha, includes hiraji and hamon.
Yakiba - The tempered edge of the blade.
Habuchi - Boundary of the yakiba.
 

Tip :

Yokote - Line between edge plane and tip plane.
Mitsukado - Point where shinogi, yokote, and ko shinogi meet.
Ko-shinogi - Shinogi line through tip area.
Kissaki - The point of the sword.
Fukusa - Cutting edge in tip area.
Boshi - The shape of the temper in the point.

 

The Shirasaya

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