Editing Japanese sword (section)

== Classification ==
=== Classification by shape and usage ===
[[File:Japanese swords.jpg|thumb|A range of Japanese blade types, from left to right: naginata, ken, tantō, katana (uchigatana) and tachi (not to scale).]]
[[File:太刀 銘 正恒 附 菊桐紋散糸巻太刀拵 Blade and Mounting for a Tachi.jpg|thumb|300px|''[[Tachi]]''. The blade was made by Masatsune. Blade, 12th century; mounting, 18th century. [[Tokyo National Museum]]]]
[[File:Katana Hizen Tadayoshi I 2.jpg|thumb|300px|A ''katana'' forged by ''Hizen Tadayoshi'' I. (''[[List of Wazamono|Saijo Ō Wazamono]]'') [[Azuchi–Momoyama period]]. (top) Katana mounting, Late Edo period. (bottom)]]
[[File:脇差 Blade and Mounting for a Short Sword (Wakizashi).jpg|thumb|300px|''[[Wakizashi]]''. The blade was made by Fusamune. Sōshū school. Blade, late 15th or early 16th century; mounting, 18th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art]]
[[File:Tanto Kunimitsu MOD.jpg|thumb|180px|''[[Tantō]]'' with signature (''Mei'') of [[Shintōgo Kunimitsu]]. Complete ''[[aikuchi]]'' style ''koshirae'' (mountings) and bare blade. Blade, 13th or 14th century. Sōshu school. [[Important Cultural Property (Japan)|Important Cultural Property]]]]

In modern times the most commonly known type of Japanese sword is the ''Shinogi-Zukuri'' ''[[katana]]'', which is a single-edged and usually curved sabre traditionally worn by [[samurai]] from the 15th century onwards.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Sword|encyclopedia=The New International Encyclopaedia |year=1906|publisher=Dodd, Mead and company|editor1=Daniel Coit Gilman |editor2=Harry Thurston Peck |editor3=Frank Moore Colby |pages=765|quote=...one edged sword in general called a ''katana''. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iU8rAAAAMAAJ&q=katana&pg=PA765|access-date=2007-12-19}}</ref> Western historians have said that Japanese katana were among the finest cutting weapons in world military history, for their intended use.<ref name=Turnbull2012>{{cite book |author=Stephen Turnbull |title=Katana: The Samurai Sword |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rAFTe6JUEkQC&pg=PA4 |page=4 |year=2012 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn=9781849086585 }}</ref><ref name=Ford2006>{{cite book |author=Roger Ford |title=Weapon: A Visual History of Arms and Armor |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9WdYAAAAYAAJ |pages=66, 120 |year=2006 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn= 9780756622107 }}</ref><ref>Samurai 1550-1600, p49, Anthony J Bryant,Angus McBride</ref>

Other types of Japanese swords include: [[tsurugi (sword)|tsurugi]] or [[Commons:Category:Ken tanto|ken]], which is a straight double-edged sword;<ref>{{cite book |last=Robinson |first=B. W. |author-link=Basil William Robinson |title=The arts of the Japanese sword |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5BDrAAAAMAAJ&q=tsurugi+ |year=1961 |publisher=Faber and Faber |page=28}}</ref> [[ōdachi]], [[tachi]], which are older styles of a very long curved single-edged sword; [[uchigatana]], a slightly shorter curved single-edged long sword; [[wakizashi]], a medium-sized sword; and [[tantō]], which is an even smaller knife-sized sword. [[Naginata]], [[nagamaki]], and [[yari]], despite being polearms, are still considered to be swords, which is a common misconception; naginata, nagamaki and yari differ from swords.<ref name="Nagayama 1997 49"/><ref name="Kodansha International">{{cite book|author1=Leon Kapp |author2=Hiroko Kapp |author3=Yoshindo Yoshihara |title=Modern Japanese Swords and Swordsmiths: From 1868 to the Present |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c7YeN0F5tn4C|date=January 2002 |publisher=Kodansha International |isbn=978-4-7700-1962-2 |page=18}}</ref>

The type classifications for Japanese swords indicate the combination of a blade and its mounts as this, then, determines the style of use of the blade. An unsigned and shortened blade that was once made and intended for use as a tachi may be alternately mounted in tachi koshirae and katana koshirae. It is properly distinguished, then, by the style of mount it currently inhabits. A long tanto may be classified as a wakizashi due to its length being over {{convert|30|cm|abbr=on}}; however, it may have originally been mounted and used as a tanto making the length distinction somewhat arbitrary but necessary when referring to unmounted short blades. When the mounts are taken out of the equation, a tanto and wakizashi will be determined by length under or over {{convert|30|cm|abbr=on}}, unless their intended use can be absolutely determined or the speaker is rendering an opinion on the intended use of the blade. In this way, a blade formally attributed as a wakizashi due to length may be informally discussed between individuals as a tanto because the blade was made during an age where tanto were popular and the wakizashi as a companion sword to katana did not yet exist.{{citation needed|date=August 2014}}

The following are types of Japanese swords:
* {{Nihongo|''[[Tsurugi (sword)|Tsurugi/Ken]]''|剣||"sword"}}: A straight two-edged sword that was mainly produced prior to the 10th century. After the 10th century, they completely disappeared as weapons and came to be made only as offerings to Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.
* {{Nihongo|''[[Chokutō]]''|直刀||"straight sword"}}: A straight single edged sword that was mainly produced prior to the 10th century. Since the 10th century, they disappeared as weapons and came to be made only as offerings to [[Shinto shrines]] and [[Buddhist temples]].
* {{nihongo|''[[Tachi]]''|太刀||"long sword"}}: A sword that is generally longer and more curved than the later katana, with curvature often centered from the middle or towards the [[tang (tools)|tang]], and often including the tang. Tachi were worn suspended, with the edge downward. The tachi was in vogue before the 15th century.
* {{nihongo|''[[Kodachi]]''|小太刀||"small [[Tachi]]"}}: A shorter version of the tachi, but with similar mounts and intended use, mostly found in the 13th century or earlier.
* {{nihongo|''[[Ōdachi]]''|大太刀||"large [[Tachi]]"}}/{{nihongo|''[[Nodachi]]''|野太刀||"field [[Tachi]]"}}: A longer version of the tachi, generally with a blade length of more than {{convert|90|cm|abbr=on}}, mostly found in the 14th century or later. 
* {{nihongo|''[[Uchigatana]]''|打刀||"striking sword"}}: A sword with a curved blade longer than {{convert|60|cm|abbr=on}} (there is no upper length limit but generally they are shorter than {{convert|90|cm|abbr=on}}), worn with the edge upwards in the [[obi (sash)|sash]]. It was developed from ''sasuga'', a kind of ''tantō'', around the 14th century, and became the mainstream replacing ''tachi'' from the 15th century onwards. 
* {{nihongo|''[[Wakizashi]]''|脇差|| "side inserted [sword]"}}: A general term for a sword between one and two shaku long ({{convert|30|and|60|cm|abbr=on}} in modern measurements), predominantly made after 1600. Generally it is the short blade that accompanies a katana in the traditional samurai ''daisho'' pairing of swords, but may be worn by classes other than the samurai as a single blade, also worn edge up as the katana. The name derives from the way the sword would be stuck at one's side through the ''[[obi (sash)|sash]]''.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=国語大辞典（新装版）|trans-title=[[Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]], Revised Edition |language=ja |location=Tokyo |publisher=[[Shogakukan]] |date=1988 }}</ref>
* {{nihongo|''[[Tantō]]''|短刀||"short blade"}}: A sword with a blade shorter than one shaku ({{convert|30|cm|abbr=on}}). ''Tantō'' are generally classified as a sword, but its usage is the same as that of a knife. Usually one-edged, but some were double-edged, though asymmetrical.

There are other bladed weapons made in the same traditional manner as Japanese swords, which are not swords, but are still classified as Japanese swords (''nihontō'') (as "tō" means "blade", rather than specifically "sword") because of the way they are made in a similar manner to Japanese swords:
* {{nihongo|''[[Nagamaki]]''|長巻||"long wrapping"}}: A sword with an exceptionally long handle, usually about as long as the blade. The name refers to the length of the handle wrapping.<ref name="Nagayama 1997 49"/>
* {{nihongo|''[[Naginata]]''|なぎなた, 薙刀||}}: A polearm with a curved single-edged blade. Naginata mounts consist of a long wooden pole, different from a nagamaki mount, which is shorter and wrapped. 
* {{nihongo|''[[Yari]]''|槍||"spear"}}: A spear, or spear-like polearm. Yari have various blade forms, from a simple double edged and flat blade, to a triangular cross section double edged blade, to those with a symmetric cross-piece (''jumonji-yari'') or those with an asymmetric cross piece. The main blade is symmetric and straight, unlike a naginata, and usually smaller, but can be as large as or bigger than some naginata blades.

Other edged weapons or tools that are made using the same methods as Japanese swords:
* Arrowheads for war, [[Ya (arrow)#Yajiri or yanone .28war arrowhead.29|yajiri]] (or yanone).
* {{nihongo|''Kogatana''|小刀||"small blade"}}: An accessory or utility knife, sometimes found mounted in a pocket on the side of the scabbard of a sword. A typical blade is about {{convert|10|cm|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|1|cm|abbr=on}} wide, and is made using the same techniques as the larger sword blades. Also referred to as a "Kozuka" (小柄), which literally means 'small handle', but this terminology can also refer to the handle and the blade together. In entertainment media, the kogatana is sometimes shown as a throwing weapon, but its real purpose was the same as a 'pocket knife' in the West.<ref name="Suenaga 1975">{{cite book | title = Nihonto no Soe Kogatana | year = 1975 | first = Masao | last = Suenaga | language=ja}}</ref>

=== Classification by period ===
{{main|Japanese sword#History}}
Each Japanese sword is classified according to when the blade was made.:<ref name="nagoyatrans">[https://web.archive.org/web/20201029155106/https://www.touken-world.jp/tips/10024/ Transition of kotō, shintō, shinshintō, and gendaitō.] Nagoya Japanese Sword Museum Touken World</ref>
* ''Jōkotō'' ({{lang|ja|上古刀}} "ancient swords", until around 900 A.D.)
* ''Kotō'' ({{lang|ja|古刀}} "old swords" from around 900–1596)
* ''Shintō'' ({{lang|ja|新刀}} "new swords" 1596–1780)
* ''Shinshintō'' ({{lang|ja|新々刀}} "new new swords" 1781–1876)
* ''Gendaitō'' ({{lang|ja|現代刀}} "modern or contemporary swords" 1876–present)

Historically in Japan, the ideal blade of a Japanese sword has been considered to be the ''kotō'' in the [[Kamakura period]], and the swordsmiths from the [[Edo period]] to the present day from the ''Shinto'' period focused on reproducing the blade of a Japanese sword in the Kamakura period. There are more than 100 Japanese swords designated as [[National Treasure (Japan)|National Treasures in Japan]], of which the ''Kotō'' of the Kamakura period account for 80% and the ''tachi'' account for 70%.<ref name="toukenkaku">[https://web.archive.org/web/20200927012659/https://www.touken-world.jp/tips/10006/ 日本刀の格付けと歴史.] Touken World</ref><ref name="sankei170702">[https://web.archive.org/web/20171102185636/https://www.sankei.com/column/news/170702/clm1707020008-n1.html 鎌倉期の古名刀をついに再現 論説委員・長辻象平.] [[Sankei Shimbun]]. July 2, 2017</ref>

Japanese swords since ''shintō'' are different from ''kotō'' in forging method and steel. This was due to the destruction of the Bizen school due to a great flood, the spread of the Mino school, and the virtual unification of Japan by [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]], which made almost no difference in the steel used by each school.<ref name="toukenshin"/><ref name="toukenutsu"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.swordsofnorthshire.com/the-secrets-and-traditional-methods-of-forging-japanese-swords|title=The Secrets and Traditional Methods of Forging Japanese Swords}}</ref> Japanese swords since the ''Shintō'' period often have gorgeous decorations carved on the blade and lacquered ''[[maki-e]]'' decorations on the scabbard. This was due to the economic development and the increased value of swords as arts and crafts as the [[Sengoku period]] ended and the peaceful [[Edo period]] began.

Japanese swords are still commonly seen today; antique and modern forged swords can be found and purchased. Modern, authentic Japanese swords (''nihontō'') are made by a few hundred swordsmiths. Many examples can be seen at an annual competition hosted by the All Japan Swordsmith Association,<ref>{{cite web|title= All Japan Swordsmith Association|url= http://www.tousyoukai.jp/english/index.shtml|access-date= 2010-02-16|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100219113644/http://www.tousyoukai.jp/english/index.shtml|archive-date= 2010-02-19|url-status= dead}}</ref> under the auspices of the Nihontō Bunka Shinkō Kyōkai (Society for the Promotion of Japanese Sword Culture).<ref name="NBSK2009">[http://www.nbsk-jp.org/english/newsletter2009.html Nihonto Bunka Shinko Kyokai Public Foundation: NBSK newsletter (September 2009)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213195056/http://www.nbsk-jp.org/english/newsletter2009.html |date=2010-12-13 }} Retrieved 2010-02-16.</ref> However, to maintain the quality of Japanese swords, the Japanese government limits the number of Japanese swords a swordsmith can make in a year to 24 (up to 2 swords per month). Therefore, many of the swords called "Japanese sword" distributed around the world today are made in China, and the manufacturing process and quality are not authorized.<ref name="sankei1806221"/><ref name="sankei1806222"/>
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=== Classification by school ===
Many old Japanese swords can be traced back to one of five provinces, each of which had its own school, traditions, and "trademarks" (e.g., the swords from Mino province were "from the start famous for their sharpness"). These schools are known as ''Gokaden'' (The Five Traditions).<ref>{{cite book | title = The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords | isbn = 4-7700-2071-6 | year = 1997 | publisher = Kodansha International | first = Kokan | last = Nagayama | page = 217 }}</ref> In the ''Kotō'' era there were several other schools that did not fit within the Five Traditions or were known to mix elements of each ''Gokaden'', and they were called {{transliteration|ja|wakimono}} (small school). There were 19 commonly referenced {{transliteration|ja|wakimono}}. The number of swordsmiths of ''Gokaden'', as confirmed by signatures and documents, were 4005 in Bizen, 1269 in Mino, 1025 in Yamato, 847 in Yamashiro and 438 in Sōshū.<ref name="rekishi200964">''歴史人'' September 2020. pp.64–65. {{ASIN|B08DGRWN98}}</ref> These traditions and provinces are as follows:

====Yamato school====
[[File:Tachi - Shishio.jpg|thumb|300px|A Yamato school ''tachi'', ''Shishiō''. 12th century, [[Heian period]]. [[Important Cultural Property (Japan)|Important Cultural Property]].]]
The Yamato school is a school that originated in [[Yamato Province]] corresponding to present-day [[Nara Prefecture]]. Nara was the capital of ancient Japan.
Since there is a legend that it was a swordsmith named [[Amakuni]] who first signed the tang of a sword, he is sometimes regarded as the founder and the oldest school.
However, the founder identified in the material is Yukinobu in the [[Heian period]]. They forged the swords that were often worn by monk warriors called ''[[sōhei]]'' in Nara's large temples. The Yamato school consists of five schools: ''Senjuin, Shikkake, Taima, Tegai, and Hōshō''.
Each school forged swords under the supervision of a different temple. In the middle of the [[Muromachi period]], swordsmiths moved to various places such as [[Mino province|Mino]], and the school disappeared. Their swords are often characterized by a deep curve, a narrow width from blade to back, a high central ridge, and a small tip. There are direct lines on the surface of the blade, the ''[[Hamon (swordsmithing)|hamon]]'' is linear, and the grain at the boundary of the hamon is medium in size. It is often evaluated as a sword with a simple and strong impression.<ref name="rekishi200966">''歴史人'' September 2020. pp.66–67. {{ASIN|B08DGRWN98}}</ref>
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====Yamashiro school====
[[File:三日月宗近, Tachi Mikazuki Munechika.jpg|thumb|300px|A Yamashiro ''Sanjō'' school ''tachi'', ''Mikazuki Munechika'', by Sanjō Munechika. Late 10th century, Heian period. [[National Treasure (Japan)|National Treasure]]. This sword is one of the "[[Tenka-Goken|Five Swords under Heaven]]".]]
The Yamashiro school is a school that originated in [[Yamashiro Province]], corresponding to present-day [[Kyoto Prefecture]]. When [[Emperor Kanmu]] relocated the capital to [[Kyoto]] in 794, swordsmiths began to gather. The founder of the school was Sanjō Munechika in the late 10th century in the Heian period. The Yamashiro school consisted of schools such as ''Sanjō, Ayanokōji, Awataguchi, and Rai''. At first, they often forged swords in response to aristocrats' demands, so importance was placed on aesthetics and practicality was not emphasized. However, when a domestic conflict occurred at the end of the Heian period, practicality was emphasized and a swordsmith was invited from the Bizen school. In the [[Kamakura period]], ''tachi'' from a magnificent ''rai'' school became popular among samurai. After that, they also adopted the forging method of Sōshū school. Their swords are often characterized as long and narrow, curved from the base or center, and have a sparkle on the surface of the blade, with the ''hamon'' being straight and the grains on the boundary of the ''hamon'' being small. It is often evaluated as a sword with an elegant impression.<ref name="rekishi200968">''歴史人'' September 2020. pp.68–69. {{ASIN|B08DGRWN98}}</ref>
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====Bizen school====
[[File:Tachi Sword - Nagamitsu.JPG|thumb|300px|A Bizen ''Osafune'' school ''tachi'', by Nagamitsu. 13th century, [[Kamakura period]]. National Treasure.]]
The Bizen school is a school that originated in [[Bizen Province]], corresponding to present-day [[Okayama Prefecture]]. Bizen has been a major production area of high-quality iron sand since ancient times. The Ko-bizen school in the mid Heian period was the originator. The Bizen school consisted of schools such as ''Ko-bizen, Fukuoka-ichimonji, Osafune,'' and ''Hatakeda''.
According to a sword book written in the Kamakura period, out of the 12 best swordsmiths in Japan who were convened by the Retired [[Emperor Go-Toba]], 10 were from the Bizen school.
Great swordsmiths were born one after another in the ''Osafune'' school which started in the Kamakura period, and it developed to the largest school in the history of Japanese swords.
Kanemitsu and Nagayoshi of the ''Osafune'' school were apprentices to [[Masamune]] of the Sōshū school, the greatest swordsmith in Japan. While they forged high-quality swords by order, at the same time, from the Muromachi period, when wars became large-scale, they mass-produced low-quality swords for drafted farmers and for export.
The Bizen school had enjoyed the highest prosperity for a long time, but declined rapidly due to a great flood which occurred in the late 16th century during the [[Sengoku period]]. Their swords are often characterized as curved from the base, with irregular fingerprint-like patterns on the surface of the blade, while the ''hamon'' has a flashy pattern like a series of [[clove]]s, and there is little grain but a color gradient at the boundary of the ''hamon''. It is often evaluated as a sword with a showy and gorgeous impression.<ref name="rekishi200970">''歴史人'' September 2020. pp.70–71. {{ASIN|B08DGRWN98}}</ref>
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====Sōshū school====
[[File:Katana - Kiriha Sadamune.jpg|thumb|300px|A Sōshū school ''katana'' modified from a ''tachi'', ''Kiriha Sadamune'', by [[Hikoshiro Sadamune|Sadamune]], son of [[Masamune]]. 14th century, Kamakura period. Important Cultural Property.]]
The Sōshū school is a school that originated in [[Sagami Province]], corresponding to present-day [[Kanagawa Prefecture]]. Sagami Province was the political center of Japan where the [[Kamakura shogunate]] was established in the Kamakura period. At the end of the 13th century, the Kamakura shogunate invited swordsmiths from Yamashiro school and Bizen school, and swordsmiths began to gather. [[Shintōgo Kunimitsu]] forged experimental swords by combining the forging technology of Yamashiro school and Bizen school. [[Masamune]], who learned from Shintōgo Kunimitsu, became the greatest swordsmith in Japan. From the lessons of the [[Mongol invasion of Japan]], they revolutionized the forging process to make stronger swords. Although this forging method is not fully understood to date, one of the elements is heating at higher temperatures and rapid cooling. Their revolution influenced other schools to make the highest quality swords, but this technique was lost before the [[Azuchi–Momoyama period]] (''Shintō'' period). The Sōshū school declined after the fall of the Kamakura shogunate. Their swords are often characterized by a shallow curve, a wide blade to the back, and a thin cross-section. There are irregular fingerprint-like patterns on the surface of the blade, the ''hamon'' has a pattern of undulations with continuous roundness, and the grains at the boundary of the ''hamon'' are large.<ref name="rekishi200972">''歴史人'' September 2020. pp.72–73. {{ASIN|B08DGRWN98}}</ref>

====Mino school====
[[File:刀 関（孫六）兼元, Katana forged by Seki Kanemoto (Magoroku Kanemoto).jpg|thumb|300px|A Mino school ''katana'', by Seki Kanemoto (Magoroku Kanemoto). 16th century, [[Muromachi period]].]]
The Mino school is a school that originated in [[Mino Province]], corresponding to present-day [[Gifu Prefecture]]. Mino Province was a strategic traffic point connecting the [[Kantō region|Kanto]] and [[Kansai region|Kansai]] regions, and was surrounded by powerful ''[[daimyo]]'' (feudal lords). The Mino school started in the middle of the Kamakura period, when swordsmiths of the Yamato school who learned from the Sōshū school gathered in Mino. The Mino school became the largest production area of Japanese swords after the Bizen school declined due to a great flood. The production rate of ''katana'' was high, because it was the newest school among five big schools. Their swords are often characterized by a slightly higher central ridge and a thinner back. There are irregular fingerprint-like patterns on the surface of the blade, the ''hamon'' are various, and the grain on the border of the hamon are hardly visible.<ref name="rekishi200974">''歴史人'' September 2020. pp.74–75. {{ASIN|B08DGRWN98}}</ref>
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