© Copyright Robert Cole 2014 - No copying or distributing - Note: Missing graphics

Blades

Every aspect of the blade was created and prided by swordsmiths as personal style.

The classic appraisal view, taken for centuries, has become a technical necessity:

The blade is held straight in the air, at full arm extension, cutting edge to the left. During observation, the blade area nearest the tang, is considered as "lower," while the area toward the point is called "upper." The lower and upper is examined at appraisal (covered in the APPRAISAL OF BLADES) by casting the eye from the base notches slowly to the point, turning the sword, cutting edge to the right, and slowly from the point to the base.

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        - full blade, upper to lower //////

The body of the sword blade is the MI. The tang is NAKAGO.

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      full sword body

The cutting edge is the HA. The backridge is the MUNE. The backridge of the NAKAGO is the NAKAGO-MUNE.

The shape and height of ridge lines is pertinent to style. MUNE are seen made three sided MITSU-MUNE, round MARU-MUNE), flat HIRA-MUNE, and the more normal IHORI-MUNE or single ridged.

The cutting edge at the tip is the FUKURA. KISSAKI, sword tip, mainly refers to the plane of the sword tip bounded on one side by the FUKURA.

The plane that supports the cutting edge is called the JI.

The plane that supports the MUNE is called the SHINOGI-JI and the ridge line between the MUNE and the HA is called the SHINOGI.

The first six inches from the tip area is known as the MONOUCHI "stroking part" or cutting section. This area is of the highest importance because it was structurally the most difficult to make an it also had to withstand any abuse. The greatest care and effort went into the creation of the MONOUCHI section.

The lines enclosing the KISSAKI are called the KO-SHINOGI and the YOKOTE.

The notches at the NAKAGO are called MACHI. HA-MACHI on the HA, MUNE-MACHI on the MUNE.

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