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swords in this period were generally belived to have the most sharp blades
swords in this period were generally belived to have the most sharp blades
ever. This is one reason because of in Edo period a lot of these long Tachi
ever. This is one reason because of in Edo period a lot of these long Tachi
were shortened to fit size when put them on the waist (and to fulfil the Shogun edicts about swords length). The same happend to Nagamaki, Naginata and sometimes even to
were shortened to fit size when put them on the waist (and to fulfil the Shogun edicts about swords length). The same happend to Nagamaki, Naginata and sometimes even to Omiyari, the long-bladed Yari.
Omiyari, the long-bladed Yari.
Muromachi Era (1394-1595)
After the dynastic war a short period of peace followed. But the Ashikaga Shogun was “de facto” powerless, and the true power was held by the Daimyo.
This very dangerous situation unavoidably left room for troubles. The battle for the true power began in 1467 with the so-called Onin-war That started the Sengoku-jidai - 'the age the country at war'. The whole country was in a constant state of war for almost a hundred years, until ‘’’Oda Nobunaga’’’, ‘’’Toyotomi Hideyoshi’’’, and finally ‘’’Tokugawa Ieyasu’’’ managed to gain the power, and pacify the country.
In Muromachi Era samurai gradually began to use Uchigatana instead of Tachi. They still used Tachi in this stage and the shapes looks like the first stage of Kamakura Era, that is, Mihaba is narrow and Kissaki is small. But Sori (curvature) is different. In Kamakura Era, the center of Sori is near Nakago or little upper, but the center of Sori in Muromachi Era moved ahead. Curved around ‘’’Monouchi’’’, the last part of the blade toward the point, is a characteristic often found of sword in Muromachi Era. This curvature is called ‘’’Sakizori’’’.
This is a transitional period from Tachi to Katana, so starting from now it is hard to distinguish between the two types. Sword smith made both, and often the shape is not enough to make the difference. The only way to distinguish in between is to watch at the ‘’’Mei’’’, the swordsmith’s signature. The Mei must face out from the body when worn. Tachi were worn edge down and Uchigatana edge up. So the position of the Mei on the tang says us which type of blade it is. If no signature is present, the difference is often merely in the mounting type.
The swords of this era can be divided to three groups:
*Early Muromachi (1394-1466)
As the armies grew, the mounted soldiers became ever rarer, and the main force of armies consisted of foot soldiers. Even if many Tachi were still made, the time of the Katana was already dawning. Shorter blades were easier to carry and faster to draw. The centre of curvature of the blade moved to the center as the blades were increasingly designed for a fast draw and to be used on foot. Most swords were 69,7-72,7 cm in length and narrowed towards the point.
*Middle Muromachi (1467-1554)
As the mobility of troops became strategically more important, the swords got even shorter. Most swords manufactured in this period were 60-65 cm long and had the same width all the length of the blade. Such blades were suitable for chopping with one hand and for quick-draw. These Katana are referred to as ‘’’Katate-uchi’’’. Katate means one hand. There is no difference of width between Monouchi and and ‘’’Habakimoto’’’ and the shape has a strong appearance. Nakago became to be short to be suitable for one-hand grip.
The Katana is replacing the Tachi. The ever-increasing need for swords also meant that not all swords were manufactured to the same high standards as before. The term ‘’’Kazuuchimono’’’ or ‘’’Taba-gatana’’’ was used to denote the mass-produced swords from the quality swords. Kazu-uchi means mass-produced and Taba-gatana means they were sold in a bundle as such swords were sold this way inside Japan and exported to Ming-dynasty China in their ten of thousand… These swords are disliked by collectors due to their low quality, but this doesn’t mean at all they weren’t very effective.
Wakizashi also became to be made and the length are about 40cm. They were made by ‘’’Hira-zukuri’’’ and have no Sori. Shinto deities and Buddhas or Sanskrit characters engraved on the blade. These engravings are called ‘’’Horimono’’’. This type of Wakizashi is characteristic of in this period.
A particular type of Tanto, called ‘’’Yoroi-doshi’’’ (armor-piercing began to be made. Yoroi-doshi is to stab enemy through a crevice of armor and the cross-section triangular. Very thick but not broad, with a very strong Kissaki, not very long.
*Late Muromachi (1555-1595)
In the 12th year of Tenmon, a.D. 1543, the face of warfare in Japan was changed forever. This year the Portuguese first introduced firearms to Japan ,named Tanegashima Teppo from the isle in the southern Kyushu where the first portugueses casually landed. Japanese Daimyo immediately realized the potential of such a weapon, and soon Japan begun the country with the higher number of arquebuses all around the world. A Teppo is very effective and needs much less training in front of a ‘’’Yumi’’’ the Japanese bow.
Even if the early guns were not accurate and it took a long time to reload, ‘’’Oda Nobunaga’’’ used them very effectively in the battle of ‘’’Nagashino’’’ in 1573. The mounted troops of the ‘’’Takeda’’’ clan - considered to be the finest in the country and invincible - were heavly beated by men that were simples ‘’’Ashigaru’’’, but trained to use gunlocks.
The mounted troops were powerless. The battlefield belonged to tight formations of footsoldiers, armed with guns. Some armour became heavy and thick to protect from bullets. In the meantime the swords became longer, heavier and more robust, lacking in elegance.
After the death of Oda Nobunaga, the country was unified under Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Sengokujidai started his last run.