courtesy of Mark McGee

Japan has a history that dates back thousands of years. Scientists believe the Japanese people descended from many groups that migrated to the islands from other parts of Asia, including China and Korea. As early as 4500 B.C., the Japanese islands were inhabited by fishermen, hunters and farmers. The early culture was known as “Jomon,” which meant “cord pattern.” That’s because the people made pottery decorated with rope-like designs. Scientists believe a caucasian race called the “Ainu” were the first inhabitants of what is now Japan. The Ainu still exist today, mostly in the northernmost islands of Japan called “Hokkaido.” The next major Japanese cultural changed occured about 200 B.C. The people were known as “Yayoi.” The Yayoi were mostly farmers. Scientists believe the present-day Japanese closely resemble the Yayoi in appearance and language.

War played a central part in the history of Japan. Warring clans controlled much of the country. A chief headed each clan; made up of related families. The chiefs were the ancestors of Japan’s imperial family. The wars were usually about “land.” Only 20% of the land was fit for farming. The struggle for control of that land eventually gave rise to the Samurai.

One of the important dates in the history of the Japanese warring class is 660 B.C. That’s when, according to legend, Jimmu Tenno became head of a confederation of warlike clans. Tenno was known as “The Divine Warrior.” He led his people from Kyushu to the Kinki region and conquered the people there. Tenno settled in the area of Yamato. This eventually gave rise to the Yamato dynasty and state. The leaders of Yamato believed themselves to be of divine origin.

The Yamato clans conducted many military campaigns on the Asian mainland. The targets included Korea and China. These campaigns led to the importation of Korean and Chinese culture, technology and martial arts.

Legend says that Emperor Keiko was the first person with the title of “Shogun.” The word meant “Barbarian-subduing General.” Legend continues that Keiko had a son named “Prince Yamato.” He was cunning, fearless, strong and a great martial artist. Many believe that Yamato was a role model for future Samurai.

Ancient Yayoi warriors developed weapons, armour and a code during the ensuing centuries that became the centerpiece for the Japanese Samurai. Early weapons included bows, arrows and swords. Armour included a helmet that protected head and neck, a breasplate that protected the chest, arm and shoulder protectors, and a belly wrap. Later armour included protection for the legs and thighs. Armour changed as the type of battles changed. A big change occured in the 5th century when horses were introduced to Japan. Another change occured in the 15th century because of the constancy of war and the introduction of guns into battle. The code developed from the Chinese concept of the virtues of warriors doing battle to the Samurai code of chivalry known as Kyuba no michi (“The Way of Horse and Bow”) to the Bushido (“Way of the Warrior”) code.

“Bushido” means “Way of the Warrior.” It was at the heart of the beliefs and conduct of the Samurai. The philosophy of Bushido is “freedom from fear.” It meant that the Samurai transcended his fear of death. That gave him the peace and power to serve his master faithfully and loyally and die well if necessary. “Duty” is a primary philosophy of the Samurai.

The Samurai rose out of the continuing battles for land among three main clans: the Minamoto, the Fujiwara and the Taira. The Samurai eventually became a class unto themselves between the 9th and 12th centuries A.D. They were called by two names: Samurai (knights-retainers) and Bushi (warriors). Some of them were related to the ruling class. Others were hired men. They gave complete loyalty to their Daimyo (feudal landowners) and received land and position in return. Each Daimyo used his Samurai to protect his land and to expand his power and rights to more land.

The Samurai became expert in fighting from horseback and on the ground. They practiced armed and un-armed combat. The early Samurai emphasized fighting with the bow and arrow. They used swords for close-in fighting and beheading their enemies. Battles with the Mongols in the late 13th century led to a change in the Samurai’s fighting style. They began to use their sword more and also made more use of spears and naginata. The Samurai slowly changed from fighting on horseback to fighting on foot.

The Samurai wore two swords (daisho). One was long; the other short. The long sword (daito – katana) was more than 24 inches. The short sword (shoto – wakizashi) was between 12 and 24 inches. The Samurai often gave names to their swords and believed it was the “soul” of their warriorship. The oldest swords were straight and had their early design in Korea and China. The Samurai’s desire for tougher, sharper swords for battle gave rise to the curved blade we still have today. The sword had its beginning as iron combined with carbon. The swordsmith used fire, water, anvil and hammer to shape the world’s best swords. After forging the blade, the sword polisher did his work to prepare the blade for the “furniture” that surrounded it. Next, the sword tester took the new blade and cut through the bodies of corpses or condemned criminals. They started by cutting through the small bones of the body and moved up to the large bones. Test results were often recorded on the nakago (the metal piece attaching the sword blade to the handle).

 

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Samurai Dates of Importance

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• 660 B.C. — Legend says Jimmu Tenno became Japan’s first emperor and set up the ruling Yamato State. Weapons and armour develop.
• 400′s A.D. — Horses introduced into Japanese fighting.
• 500′s A.D. — Buddhism arrived in Japan; becomes a powerful philosophy for rulers and warriors.
• 500′s A.D. — Soga clan dominated the Yamato court.
• 645 A.D. — Taika Reforms began.
• 702 A.D. — Taiho law codes established the Great Council of State.
• 710 A.D. — Nara rule began with first permanent capital.
• 781 A.D. — Emperor Kammu came to power and moved capital to Kyoto a few years later.
• 794 A.D. — Heian period began.
• 858 A.D. — Fujiwara family gained control of imperial court.
• 935 A.D. — Taira Masakado revolted and proclaimed himself “The New Emperor.” Other Samurai leaders exerted their influence across the land and changed the history of Japan.
• 1180-85 A.D. — Minamoto Yoritomo takes up arms against the Taira clan in The Gempei War.
• 1192 A.D. — Yoritomo became first permanent shogun of Japan and set up his Samurai government in Kamakura.
• Late 1200′s A.D. — Mongols invade Japan. The Samurai defeat the Mongols after many years of fierce fighting. The Samurai developed a style of formation combat and depended more on the sword as a primary weapon in battle.
• 1318 A.D. — Go-Daigo became the 96th Emperor of Japan. He attempted to overthrow the Hojo regents, but gave rise instead to a new dynasty of Shoguns, the Ashikaga family, who set up their government in the capital city of Kyoto.
• 1400′a A.D. — Master swordsmen established schools to teach their style of ken-jutsu.
• 1467-77 A.D. — The Onin War saw the decline of the Shogun’s power and began the Sengoku Jidai (“The Age of the Country at War”) which lasted 150 years.
• 1542 A.D. — Portuguese guns were introduced into Japan.
• 1560 A.D. — Oda Nobunaga began the process of unifying Japan. Toyotomi Hideyoshi continued the quest after Nobunaga’s death.
• 1592 A.D. — Hideyoshi invaded Korea on his way to invading China, but died in 1598 before succeeding.
• 1603 A.D. — The Tokugawa family began ruling Japan. The regime lasted more than 200 years.
• 1605 A.D. — Miyamoto Musashi, Japan’s most famous Samurai, began his musha-shugyo (warrior pilgrimage). Musashi fought and won more than 60 sword fights before the age of 30. He founded the Individual School of Two Skies and taught for many years. At the age of 60, Musashi wrote Gorin No Sho (“The Book of Five Spheres”), the most famous writing about the Japanese Sword Arts. He also wrote “The 35 Articles on the Art of Swordsmanship.”
• 1615 A.D. — Tokugawa Ieyasu drew up the “Buke Sho Hatto” (Rules for Martial Families) before his death. It gave Samurai 13 guides to living as a warrior during peace time.
• 1630 A.D. — Japan cut its ties with the outside world.
• 1854 A.D. — Commodore Matthew Perry opened trade between the United States and Japan.
• 1867 A.D. — Emperor Mutsuhito regained his traditional powers and took the name Meiji. It was the beginning of the Meiji Restoration. Meiji (Mutsuhito) set up his new capital city in Edo (Tokyo).
• 1868 A.D. — Emperor Meiji introduced the “Five Articles Oath” which began the dismantling of the Samurai class.
• 1873 A.D. — Emperor Meiji established an army based on conscription; an army open to anyone.
• 1876 A.D. — Emperor Meiji declared a new law that ended the wearing of swords. The Samurai had lost their profession and their right to wear swords. Their position as a special class ended after almost 1,000 years.

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Samurai Terms

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Batto-jutsu 

A sword-drawing art that includes cutting rolled straw targets 

Bo-jutsu 

Staff fighting 

Budo 

Martial or Fighting Arts 

Bushido 

The Way of the Warrior 

Chokuto 

Straight sword used in Japan’s early history 

Daimyo 

Feudal landowner 

Daisho 

Samurai’s two swords (one long – katana, one short – wakizashi) 

Edo Period 

1600 – 1867 when Tokugawa government ruled Japan

Giri 

Samurai’s duty 

Gunpai 

War fan 

Hakama 

Divided skirt-pants Samurai wore 

Heian Period 

782 – 1184 when Japan’s capital was located in Kyoto 

Iai-jutsu 

Art of Drawing the Sword 

Kamakura Period 

1185 – 1332 when the capital of Japan was in Kamakura. Known as the “golden age” of the Japanese sword. 

Kampaku 

Regent 

Katana 

Long sword 

Ken 

Sword – refers specifically to an ancient, two-edge sword made before the ninth century 

Ken-jutsu 

Art of the Sword 

Koto 

Swords made before the Edo Period 

Kyo-jutsu 

Bow and arror fighting 

Kyuba no michi 

The Way of the Horse and Bow 

Kyu-jutsu 

Japanese archery 

Mei 

Name of a sword 

Momoyana Period 

1573 – 1599 when Samurai began wearing daisho. Also beginning of the Shinto (new sword) period. 

Mon 

Family crest worn on montsuki 

Montsuki 

Kimono top Japanese wore at formal occasions 

Muramasa 

Sword maker 

Muromachi Period 

1392 – 1572 when constant civil wars greatly increased the production of swords. 

Musha-shugyo 

Warrior pilgrimage 

Naginata 

Long pole with curved blade on one end 

Naginata-jutsu 

Way of the Naginata 

Nambokucho Period 

1333 – 1391 when two emperors were vying for power in Japan 

No-dachi 

Long sword 

Ronin 

Master-less Samurai 

Ryu 

Particular school or style of martial arts 

Samurai 

Member of the warrior class 

Sensei 

Teacher 

Seppuku 

Ritual suicide 

Shin Shinto 

“New New Sword” – any sword made after Meiji Restoration (1870) 

Shinto 

“New Sword” – any sword made between 1596 and 1870 

Shogun 

Barbarian subduing General (war lord) 

So-jutsu 

Spear fighting 

Sohei 

Warrior monks 

Tachi 

Long, deeply curved sword that mounted Samurai used in ancient Japan 

Uchigatana 

“Inside sword” – a term for the longer of two swords Samurai wore 

Wakizashi 

Short sword 

Zanshin 

Samurai’s sensing danger 

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Samurai Bibliography

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• Harry Cook – “Samurai: The Story of a Warrior Tradition” (Sterling Publishing)
• Darrell Craig – “Iai: The Art of Drawing the Sword” (Charles Tuttle Co.)
• Donn Draeger – “The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan” (Weatherhill Inc.)
• Miyamoto Musashi – “The Book of Five Rings” (Shambhala Inc.)
• Masayuki Shimabukuro – “Flashing Steel” (Frog Ltd.)
• Nicklaus Suino – “The Art of Japanese Swordsmanship” (Weatherhill Inc.)

Parts of the sword
Saya – the scabbard
The saya is the scabbard, or case, in which the sword is held. Usually made of wood. The act of sheathing the sword correctly without causing injury to oneself or tarnishing the blade is called no to. The art of drawing the sword from the saya, performing various cuts, and returning it is called Iai do. More decorative saya may be wrapped with ito and decorated with crests. Ninja would sometimes have a saya that was slightly longer than the blade of the sword so metsubushi or blinding powder can be hidden inside. Often the bottom piece of the saya could be removed so it could be used as a snorkel. Throwing darts were also sometimes hidden inside the saya.

Sageo – the belt cord
The sageo had several uses, including tying back the sleeves of the kimono or binding the hakama when confrontation was imminent. With respect to the sword, it was tied into the obi or belt and used to keep the saya from slipping out or being lost. The ninja had a much longer sageo which would be carried in the teeth when climbing so the sword would not get in the way.

Fuchi Kashira – the fittings
Kashira is the fitting on the butt of the tsuka. It is sometimes very ornate, sometimes very plain, but is almost always considered a signature of the sword’s creator. The same is true of Fuchi, the fitting just under the tsuba. They often featured engravings of dragons, clouds, trees or other various scenes which would be a mark of the creator’s artistry.Their function is twofold; to hold the tsuka together and to hold the ito in place around it.

Nakago – the tang
The nakago is the part of the blade that his held inside the tsuka. it is usually held in place by two bamboo pins. This is often referred to as a tang. The deeper the nakago, the more sturdy the sword will likely be.

Tsuka – the hilt
The tsuka is the part of the sword it’s user would hold. It is usually made of wood, covered in rayskin and wrapped in ito cord. These days most katana feature an 11-inch tsuka, but traditional swords had a tsuka of up 15 inches or even longer. The length of the tsuka allows the user’s hands to be farther apart, increasing the control and cutting power of the sword. The cutting power comes from wringing the hands around the tsuka as the cut is performed.

Same – rayskin
The rayskin which covers the tsuka is usually white in color and has hundreds of little bumps on it for gripping.

Ito – wrapping
Ito is the name given to the cord wrapped around the tsuka. It is wrapped in a very specific way. Only cord wrapped this way is called ito.

Menuki – charms
If you look under the ito and on top of the same, you will see charms that are held onto the tsuka. These charms were again often a trademark of the individual who made the sword.

Mekugi – the bamboo pins
If you examine the tsuka, you can see clearly two bamboo pins. These hold the nakago in place.

Tsuba – the cut guard
There are many different kinds of tsuba and to some the making of tsuba is an art in itself. This is the part of the sword which separates the tsuka from ken, or the blade. It protects the hands from slipping onto the blade and also protects the hands from being cut by an enemy. There were also swords called shirasaya, which did not have tsuba.

Habaki – the collar
Habaki is the name given to the square piece, usually brass or iron, which wraps around the base of the blade and is connected to the tsuba. It works with the nakago to keep the blade firmly in place.

Ken – the blade
The blade of the samurai sword is a true work of art, and even today in Japan people carry on ancient family traditions of sword making, even if only as a hobby. The forging process for the samurai sword was remarkable and included using pure, high-carbon steel, heating it and folding it over 200 times, covering it in clay, heating it to 3,000 degrees and cooling it off in water. The samurai sword’s blade was so powerful that it could cut a person clean in half. For this reason, there was no room for error in the japanese sword arts! The samurai sword is also remarkably light in contrast to swords of other cultures. After some time of evolution, the current curved blade design was found to be superior and more resistant to breaking than a straight blade was. Really there are many kinds of blades, the style we are accustomed to seeing is very popular because it is used in iai do and kenjutsu. Because the steel is made with high-carbon steel it is very important never to let your fingers touch. This will cause the blade to rust. Also, it should always be oiled. This will protect it from patina and rust that come with age.

Hamon – the wave frost
The heat tempering and fast cooling of the blades causes the edge to produce a find wave pattern, called a hamon. The pattern of the hamon should be random and unpredictable. If the waves are consummate, then the hamon did not come from cooling.

Hada – The Grain
The grain of the blade is difficult to see, but if you observe the blade in the right light you can see it, although just barely. There are many different types of grain.

Hi – the blood groove
Historically speaking, there are many different kinds of hi and there is some debate as to their purpose, if they have a purpose at all. Today, the most common hi we see is called a bo hi. This is the groove which runs along the blade toward the flat edge. Some say it was originally used to give blood a place to run along the blade so it could be easily cleaned using chuboree, blade cleaning techniques. Other say it was there strictly for aesthetic purposes. There are two kinds of hi; a standard hi ends just short of the habaki, an extended hi terminates at the nakago.

Yaiba – the cutting edge
Yaiba is the name given to the cutting edge of the blade. This is where the hamon appears. The blade of the samurai was so sharp that it could cut through bone easily. Yaiba is also one half of the character ‘shinobu’or ‘nin’ which means ‘to endure’ and is one half of the kanji for ‘ninjutsu.’

Kissaki – the tip
The rounded part of the blade at the end where the point is is called kissaki. This part is used to ‘tsuki’ or thrust the sword into the enemy. It can also be used to make surgically accurate cuts to vital areas. Phony swords often have a squred kissaki.