A or is a

Japanese sword A is one of several types of traditionally made swords from Japan. Bronze swords were made as early as the Yayoi period (1,000 BC – 300 AD), though most people generally refer to the curved blades made from the Heian period (794–1185) to the ...

. The word is used in the West to refer to a specific type of Japanese straight, double-edged sword used in antiquity (as opposed to curved, single-edged swords such as the

katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...

). In Japanese the term ''tsurugi'' or ''ken'' ( :ja:剣) is used as a term for all sorts of international long, double-edged swords.

History

The term ''tsurugi'' (剣) designates a straight, double-edged, bladed weapon from Japan. It is a sword with two cutting edges, one on each side of its blade, unlike the '' tachi'', ''

'', ''

wakizashi The is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords ('' nihontō'') worn by the samurai in feudal Japan. Its name refers to the practice of wearing it inserted through one's ''obi'' or sash at one's side, whereas the larger '' tachi'' sword wa ...

'', or '' odachi'', which have only one cutting edge on one side of the blade. The oldest bronze sword excavated in Japan is a Chinese style dagger from around 800 BC in the

Yayoi period The Yayoi period (弥生時代, ''Yayoi jidai'') (c. 300 BC – 300 AD) is one of the major historical periods of the Japanese archipelago. It is generally defined as the era between the beginning of food production in Japan and the emergence o ...

(1000 BC – 300 AD). A large number of bronze ''tsurugi'' made around 200 B.C. in the Yayoi period were excavated from several sites, and it is thought that ''tsurugi'' were mass-produced in Japan in this period. Bronze ''tsurugi'' of this period were mainly used for religious services. The Yayoi period was the transition period from bronze to iron.Kazuhiko Inada (2020), ''Encyclopedia of the Japanese Swords''. p30. However, the iron ''tsurugi'' were usually forged from the 5th century (

Kofun period The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...

) to the 9th century (

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

). From the 10th century, the development of the curved '' tachi'' began, from which the ''

'' emerged. For a long time, ''tsurugi'' were made as weapons or for religious services, but after the 10th century, they completely disappeared as weapons and came to be made only as offerings to

Shinto shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

s and

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

s. One of the most famous ''tsurugi'' is the one made in the

(794－1185) owned by Kongō-ji and stored by

Kyoto National Museum The is one of the major art museums in Japan. Located in Kyoto's Higashiyama ward, the museum focuses on pre-modern Japanese and Asian art. History The Kyoto National Museum, then the Imperial Museum of Kyoto, was proposed, along with the Imp ...

. It is made to imitate the sword '' Fudo Myōō'' holds in his right hand, and the hilt is in the shape of a

vajra The Vajra (, , ), is a legendary and ritualistic tool, symbolizing the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force). It is also described as a "ritual weapon". The use of the bell and vajra together as s ...

, a Buddhist altar tool.現世稀なる文化財.
Kongo-ji File:Tsurugi forged by Fujiwara Kunimichi.jpg, The ''tsurugi'' forged by Fujiwara Kunimichi in 1654 during the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

. It was made into an offering to Susanoo, the main enshrined ''

kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

'' of Yasaka Shrine. File:Tsurugi forged by Fujiwara Nobutaka.jpg, ''Tsurugi'' forged by Fujiwara Nobutaka. 17th century, Edo period. Kyushu National Museum File:Yellow-Fudo-manshu.jpg, An example of

Fudō Myōō or Achala (, "The Immovable", ), also known as (, "Immovable Lord") or (, "Noble Immovable Lord"), is a wrathful deity and '' dharmapala'' (protector of the Dharma) prominent in Vajrayana Buddhism and East Asian Buddhism., Jp. rel. dict., ...

with a sword. 12th century,

. Manshu-in,

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

Nowadays it is mainly associated with very remote historical times, as well as legends and

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

. There are some similarities with some variants of Chinese '' jian'' (called ''chugokuken'' (中国剣) in Japanese).

''Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi''

The most famous example is the legendary sword ''Kusanagi no Tsurugi'' which is one of the Three

Imperial Regalia of Japan The are the imperial regalia of Japan and consist of the sword , the mirror , and the jewel . They represent the three primary virtues: valour (the sword), wisdom (the mirror), and benevolence (the jewel).

''Tsurugi-tachi''

The ''tsurugi-tachi'' (剣太刀), a straight sword with only one side of the blade sharpened throughout, was similar to the ''tsurugi'' or ''ken''. The other (back) side was only worked into a second cutting edge in the front part near the tip.

Literature

* Toshiro Suga: ''Ken, die Wurzeln des Aikido / Ken, les racines de l'Aïkido (DVD).'' Hagenow Ondefo-Verl., 2006, ISBN 978-3-939703-40-2.

References

Ancient swords of Japan {{Sword-stub

History

''Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi''

''Tsurugi-tachi''

Literature

See also

References