Episode 8: Sword Mountings:
All You Need to Know About KOSHIRAE – SAYA, TSUBA, and so forth
Welcome back to another episode of Katana Archives.
Are you fully aware of what makes up a piece of Katana? Besides its blade (Technically referred to as TO-SHIN/刀身; Blade-Body), there are a few more things to be inspected and admired in Japanese swords. Let’s take a look at them today.

INDEX
KOSHIRAE (拵え; Mountings)
1, TSUBA (鍔; Handguard)
2, KOZUKA (小柄; Small Knife )
3, TSUKA (柄; Hilt)
4, MENUKI (目貫; Hilt decor)
5, FUCHI-KASHIRA (縁頭; Pommel)
6. HABAKI (鎺; )
7, SAYA (鞘; Scabbard)
KOSHIRAE (拵え; Mountings)
The whole category, which refers to all equipment besides the blade, is called KOSHIRAE in Japanese. Below are all parts of Koshirae that you need to have a complete Samurai-style Katana.
1, TSUBA (鍔; Hand Guard)
Generally, round-shaped metal protection is equipped on the bottom end of To-Shin (Blade), called TSUBA. Below are some of our Tsuba collection. Look how much variety of Tsuba there is in the world of Katana.

Dating back to the Samurai times, especially in the Edo period (1603-1868 A.D.), Samurais would appreciate many different Tsuba. They wanted to show off their political status in public by wearing a neatly-designed Tsuba on the blade.
2, KOZUKA (小柄; Small Knife)
Samurais would often put a small knife, KOZUKA, through the hole of Tsuba. It was known for having various use such as cutting fabric, scraping wood, throwing it against the opponent, and such.

They would also put a hairpin (Typically referred to as KO-GAI/笄; Hair-tie) through the other hole. It was known to be one of Samurai’s highest traditional accomplishments to have an identical set of Kozuka, Menuki, and Ko-Gai in the ever-changing fashion trends amongst Samurais.

3, TSUKA (柄; Hilt)
TSUKA is the hilt part of Katana. It is usually comfort-oriented and practical while keeping simplicity and beauty. Rough surfaced stingray covers up the wood body on top of Nakago and thick ropes of cotton tightly binding those pieces in the right place.
There are so many sub-genres in Tsuka, which we would like to come back to in future episodes.

4, MENUKI (目貫; Hilt decor)
In the case of equipment, you hit a bamboo nail MEKUGI (目釘; peg) through the middle part of Tsuka towards the hole on Nakago to fix the tang and Tsuka. There is an attached ornament called MENUKI on each side of Tsuka.


5, FUCHI-KASHIRA (縁頭; Pommel)
Fuchi Kashira is a kind of metal fitting of the Japanese sword, which improves the handle’s strength. Fuchi Kashira is a combination of two parts; Fuchi and Kashira. Fuchi is put next to Tsuba (handguard), and Kashira is placed on the bottom grip. Fuchi Kashira had developed not only its practicality but also beauty for the decoration of the Japanese sword.

6. HABAKI (はばき)
Habaki is the equipment to help the blade kept in the right position in the scabbard. It prevents the blade from getting rusty and chipped. There are various designs of them, such as family crest and slit mark.

7. SAYA (鞘; Scabbard)
Last but not least, or if anything, Koshirae is never complete without a scabbard, SAYA. Katanas’ scabbards should also be categorized into countless different genres that could nearly equal the whole amount of today’s article, but below are some examples.


By closely inspecting a Japanese sword, you will notice how every single part of it is beautiful and sophisticated by itself.
And, you would gradually recognize how those mountings reflect Samurai’s thoughts and their smiths. That is the very reason why we love to offer you a lot of sword mountings at Samurai Gift as well.
Once you know the history behind them, you would surely be captivated by the majesty of Katana’s culture and those who had enjoyed, loved, and passed it over to the present day. We will see you in the next episode.
-SAMURAI MUSEUM-




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$13,837.85

DELIVERY TIME : Approx. 1-1.5 months
*We ship from Tokyo, Japan. There might be delay in shipment depending on countries.
SHIPPING TO :
USA, UK, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Germany , Hong Kong, France, Australia
*Please contact us prior to purchase if your country isn’t listed.
INCLUDED : NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate, Shirasaya Case, Koshirae Mounting, Traditional Sword Carrying Case, Sword Maintenance Kit, Full Exportation Support
Category |
Katana (SHINTO) |
Age |
Early Edo Period (Late 17th century) |
Swordsmith |
Awataguchi Omi no Kami Tadatsuna (粟田口近江守忠綱) |
Certificate |
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate
|
Location |
Settsu province (Today’s Osaka prefecture) |
Blade Size |
Cutting Edge Length: 68.2 cm ( 26.8 inches)
Curvature: 0.8 cm ( 0.31 inches)
|
More photos& videos available on request. Please feel free to contact us.
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$11,147.16

DELIVERY TIME : Approx. 1-1.5 months
*We ship from Tokyo, Japan. There might be delay in shipment depending on countries.
SHIPPING TO :
USA, UK, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Germany , Hong Kong, France, Australia
*Please contact us prior to purchase if your country isn’t listed.
INCLUDED : NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate, Koshirae Mounting, Shirasaya Case, Traditional Sword Carrying Case, Sword Maintenance Kit, Full Exportation Support
Category |
Katana( SHINTO) |
Age |
1682: Early Edo Period |
Swordsmith |
Kunihira (國平) |
Certificate |
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate |
Location |
Settsu province (Today’s Osaka) |
Blade Size |
Cutting Edge Length: 68.7 cm ( 27.0 inches)
Curvature: 1.9 cm( 0.74 inches) |
More photos& videos available on request. Please feel free to contact us.
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$11,531.54

DELIVERY TIME : Approx. 1-1.5 months
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SHIPPING TO :
USA, UK, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Germany , Hong Kong, France, Australia
*Please contact us prior to purchase if your country isn’t listed.
INCLUDED : NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate, Shirasaya Case, Koshirae Mounting, Traditional Sword Carrying Case, Sword Maintenance Kit, Full Exportation Support
Category |
Katana( KOTO) |
Age |
early Muromachi period (1394-1429) |
Swordsmith |
Suketsugu (助次) |
Certificate |
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate
|
Location |
Yamato province (Today’s Nara prefecture) |
Blade Size |
Cutting Edge Length: 70.9 cm (27.9 inches)
Curvature: 2.8 cm ( 1.10 inches)
|
More photos& videos available on request. Please feel free to contact us.
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$16,912.93

DELIVERY TIME : Approx. 1-1.5 months
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INCLUDED : NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate, Koshirae Mounting, Traditional Sword Carrying Case, Sword Maintenance Kit, Full Exportation Support
Category |
Katana( SHIN SHIN TO) |
Age |
1860: The end of the Edo period |
Swordsmith |
Morioka Jyu Yamauchi Fujiwara Kunikazu
(盛岡住山内藤原國多) |
Certificate |
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate
|
Location |
Morioka province (Today’s Iwate prefecture) |
Blade Size |
Cutting Edge Length: 70.0 cm ( 27.5 inches)
Curvature: 1.51 cm ( 0.59 inches)
|
More photos& videos available on request. Please feel free to contact us.
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$9,225.23

DELIVERY TIME : Approx. 1-1.5 months
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SHIPPING TO :
USA, UK, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Germany , Hong Kong, France, Australia
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INCLUDED : NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate, Shirasaya Case, Koshirae Mounting, Traditional Sword Carrying Case, Sword Maintenance Kit, Full Exportation Support
Category |
Katana( SHINTO) |
Age |
1624-1645: Early Edo period |
Swordsmith |
Echizen Jyu Hyuga no Kami Fujiwara Sadatsugu
(越前住日向守藤原貞次) |
Certificate |
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate
|
Location |
Echizen province (Today’s Fukui prefecture) |
Blade Size |
Cutting Edge Length: 71.3 cm (28.0 inches)
Curvature: 1.5 cm ( 0.59 inches)
|
More photos& videos available on request. Please feel free to contact us.
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$8,456.46

DELIVERY TIME : Approx. 1-1.5 months
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USA, UK, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Germany , Hong Kong, France, Australia
*Please contact us prior to purchase if your country isn’t listed.
INCLUDED : NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate, Shirasaya Case, Koshirae Mounting, Traditional Sword Carrying Case, Sword Maintenance Kit, Full Exportation Support
Category |
Katana( SHINTO) |
Age |
Early Edo Period (Early-Mid 17th century) |
Swordsmith |
Yoshu Fujiwara Kunimasa (予州藤原国正) |
Certificate |
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate
|
Location |
Iyo province (Today’s Ehime prefecture) |
Blade Size |
Cutting Edge Length: 69.7 cm ( 27.4 inches)
Curvature: 0.9 cm ( 0.35 inches)
|
More photos& videos available on request. Please feel free to contact us.
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$4,612.62

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INCLUDED : NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate , Koshirae Case, Shirasaya Case, Traditional Sword Carrying Case, Sword Maintenance Kit, Full Exportation Support
Category |
Wakizashi (SHIN SHIN TO)
|
Age |
Ka-Ei era (1848-1854) |
Swordsmith |
Ise Daijo Kaneshige (木下伊勢大掾兼重) |
Certificate |
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate |
Location |
Kashu province (Today’s Ishikawa prefecture) |
Blade Size |
Cutting Edge Length : 32.4 cm ( 12.7 inches)
Curvature: 0.6 cm (0.23 inches)
|
More photos& videos available on request. Please feel free to contact us.
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$4,458.86

DELIVERY TIME : Approx. 1-1.5 months
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SHIPPING TO :
USA, UK, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Germany , Hong Kong, France, Australia
*Please contact us prior to purchase if your country isn’t listed.
INCLUDED : NBTHK Hozon Certificate, Shirasaya Case, Traditional Sword Carrying Case, Sword Maintenance Kit, Full Exportation Support
Category |
Wakizashi ( SHINTO) |
Age |
Early Edo Period (Early-Mid 17th century) |
Swordsmith |
Kashu Jyu Fujiwara Kagehira (賀州住藤原景平) |
Certificate |
NBTHK Hozon Certificate |
Location |
Kaga province(today’s Ishikawa prefecture) |
Blade Size |
Cutting Edge Length : 32.4 cm (12.7 inches)
Curvature : 0.1 cm(0.03 inches)
|
More photos& videos available on request. Please feel free to contact us.
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$10,378.39

DELIVERY TIME : Approx. 1-1.5 months
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USA, UK, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Germany , Hong Kong, France, Australia
*Please contact us prior to purchase if your country isn’t listed.
INCLUDED : NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate , Shirasaya Case, Traditional Sword Carrying Case, Sword Maintenance Kit, Full Exportation Support
Category |
Wakizashi (KOTO)
|
Age |
Mid-Late Nanbokucho period (Mid-Late 14th century) |
Swordsmith |
Attributed to Omiya (大宮: Unsigned) |
Certificate |
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate |
Location |
Bizen province (Today’s Okayama prefecture) |
Blade Size |
Cutting Edge Length : 56.6 cm ( 22.2 inches)
Curvature: 1.4 cm ( 0.55 inches)
|
More photos& videos available on request. Please feel free to contact us.
-
$4,228.23

DELIVERY TIME : Approx. 1-1.5 months
*We ship from Tokyo, Japan. There might be delay in shipment depending on countries.
SHIPPING TO :
USA, UK, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Germany , Hong Kong, France, Australia
*Please contact us prior to purchase if your country isn’t listed.
INCLUDED : NBTHK Hozon Certificate for the blade, Koshirae Mounting , Traditional Sword Carrying Case, Sword Maintenance Kit, Full Exportation Support
Category |
Tanto (SHIN SHIN TO)
|
Age |
Late Edo Period (Mid-Late 19th century) |
Swordsmith |
Attributed to Mito Masakatsu (水戸正勝:Unsigned) |
Certificate |
NBTHK Hozon Certificate |
Location |
Mito domain (Today’s Ibaraki prefecture) |
Blade Size |
Cutting Edge Length : 19.6 cm( 7.74 inches)
Curvature: 0 cm (0 inches) |
More photos& videos available on request. Please feel free to contact us.