VOL.201 MARCH 2025
Traditional knowledge and skills of sake-making with koji mold in Japan [The Beauty of Japanese Swords] Long sword, with black-lacquered mountings wreathed with silver and bronze strips

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Important Cultural Property: Long sword, with black-lacquered mountings wreathed with silver and bronze strips (Total length: 141.1 cm)
Photo: ColBase

The Japanese word for the handle of a Japanese sword is tsuka, and the word for sheath is saya. “Wrapping the handle and the sheath with a thin metal plate in a spiral is called hirumaki, which was used for reinforcement and decoration purposes. The hirumaki sword is a type of koshirae (outer fittings) that was popular among samurai.”¹ This sword, or hirumaki sword to be exact, was produced in the 14th century. “The sheath is lacquered in black and wrapped with silver and copper plates in three stripes” ² in a decorative design, in particular, that gives the sword its name. It is currently housed in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum.

• 1., 2. Quoted from e-National Treasures:

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