These are therefore some famous katana names that have appeared either on the big screen or in books. Such is the fame of these Japanese katana names that some people who actually acquire real katanas and need names for them are tempted to use some of these as inspiration for their real new sword names. If you want to be a real-life Japanese Samurai, compete with a toy katana, then your toy sword will need a new name.
Today, a number of Muramasa swords are still well-preserved and are occasionally shown in exhibitions and museums across Japan. According to the legend, Nichiren adorned the sword with juzu, a type of Buddhist rosary which is where the name Juzumaru comes from. The purpose of the juzu was to cleanse evil spirits and so Juzumaru is believed to have magical cleansing properties. It’s currently owned by the Honkōji Temple, Amagasaki, and is viewed as an important Buddhist relic.
Appearing at the beginning of the 16th century, Uchigatana is a weapon mostly used by samurai class. Therefore, the sword is relatively short and light, which makes it easily be hold by one hand. It’s usually confused between Uchigatana and Tachi though when compared, Uchigatana draws distinct differences in terms of use and feel.
Therefore the bokken was mainly used to get newbies familiar with the basic movement and strike patterns. In a famous legend, he defeatedSasaki Kojirowith a bokken he had carved from an oar while traveling on a boat to the predetermined island for the duel. However, as with all things, there are variations the bokken is available as wakizashi or tantō as well.
It translates to “field sword” or “great sword,” and not surprisingly, it’s much longer than the katana but equally ineffective when fighting inside cramped spaces. This weapon, whose name translates as “Eight Mirror Sword,” is wielded by Nanao Ise by virtue of her family lineage. When in its shikai form, Shinken Hakkyoken looks like a well-designed medium sword with a blunt edge.
In the Nanboku-chō period, long weapons such as ōdachi were popular, and along with this, sasuga lengthened and finally became katana. The oldest katana in existence today is called Hishizukuri uchigatana, which was forged in the Nanbokuchō period, and was dedicated to Kasuga Shrine later. From the Heian period (794-1185), ordinary samurai wore swords of the style called kurourusi tachi (kokushitsu no tachi, 黒漆太刀), which meant black lacquer tachi. The hilt of a tachi is wrapped in leather or ray skin, and it is wrapped with black thread or leather cord, and the scabbard is coated with black lacquer. On the other hand, court nobles wore tachi decorated with precisely carved metal and jewels for ceremonial purposes.
Now let’s jump from the biggest Japanese sword to the smallest one. Its massive size renders it completely useless inside buildings or for close-quarter fights. For this reason, the nodachi sword was the perfect counter against mounted units. You could say it was an overpowered weapon against cavalry.
Two antique koshirae, katana , wakizashi , in the form of a daishō . A Sōshū school katana modified from a tachi, Kiriha Sadamune, by Sadamune, son of Masamune. A Yamashiro Sanjō school tachi, Mikazuki Munechika, by Sanjō Munechika. This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia with only minor checks and changes (see for details of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. Over its long history, the Mikazauki Munechika has been owned by several important Japanese families. During the mid-16th century, the Mikazuki Munechika belonged to the Ashikaga family and the sword was used by shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru to defend himself until he died during an attack on the palace by the Miyoshi family.
Japan saw this as a threat to national security and felt the need to develop their military technology. As a result, clan leaders took power as military elites, fighting one another for power and territory. name generator necromancer As dominant figures took power, loyalty and servitude became an important part of Japanese life – this became the catalyst for the honour culture that is often affiliated with Japanese people.