Chiisagatana

[Guido]

Seeing a koshirae on Aoi Art today (see attachment), I couldn't let the opportunity slip to post it here in the hope that it will put a die-hard urban legend to rest – the all too common misconception that chiisagatana 小さ刀 (often misspelled "chisagatana") stands for a sword slightly shorter than a katana (i.e. wakizashi) but mounted in a katana-sized koshirae. Kind of a make-believe katana, usually explained as a merchant or ninja sword, intended to hide the actual length of the blade. Even some seasoned collectors stick stubbornly to this nonsense .

 

Before the uchigatana came into being, shorter swords mounted differently from tachi were called chiisagatana or koshigatana 腰刀 (hip-sword). Chiisagatana, which literally means "short katana," are tantō or sunnobi-tantō mounted in a similar fashion as a katana. Another term for chiisagatana is tsubagatana 鍔刀 or "sword with tsuba," as opposed to aikuchi (“meeting mouth”), which is a tantō without tsuba.

 

Although the meaning of chiisagatana changed over the course of Nihontō history, this term was used from the Edo period on to describe tantō that had a tsuba and usually tsukamaki as well. This is a typical example:

[Stephen]

Thats some good learning here!!

[Curran]

Guido,

 

Nice little koshirae with a nice blade. Good starter package for someone, thought I would worry about a newbie properly caring for old ito like that.

 

In the Aoi Arts Japanese listing, where is the mention of chiisagatana?

At my mediocre level of reading, I would have thought they were discussing the kogatana instead of koshigatana / chiisagatana.

The English version doesn't mention it and my Japanese reading doesn't see 腰刀.

[Brian]

Thanks Guido, that's some good info there. No doubt it will be at least a month before we all forget it, and confuse the term again

Nice koshirae too. Thanks for sharing.

 

Brian

[Guido]

No doubt it will be at least a month before we all forget it, and confuse the term again

You're probably right, but now it's on record, and we can rub people's noses into it.

In the Aoi Arts Japanese listing' date=' where is the mention of chiisagatana?[/quote']They usually don't specify, and just write "koshirae".

 

Here's another – papered – example from the e-sword website (http://www.e-sword.jp):

[BMarkhasin]

Good examples Guido, thanks for posting and bringing this nomenclature issue into the spotlight -- too bad about our collective short memory.

 

Best,

Boris.

[Soshin]

Good examples Guido, thanks for posting and bringing this nomenclature issue into the spotlight -- too bad about our collective short memory.

 

Hi Guido,

 

Thanks for posting nice ninja swords... https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21861/lot/200/...

 

 

P.S. Yes I am trying to be sarcastic not sure what smilies to use.

[Gabriel L]

Guido, I can't tell you how many times I've referred back to your and Dr. T's article on koshirae. I won't soon forget that chiisagatana aren't "hidden blade wakizashi" or whatever if only for that reason. :D If anyone hasn't read that article, I strongly recommend you do…

[Alex A]

Resurrecting this thread. According to Markus and from the interpretation of "Bakugi-Sanko" (see below. image from "Japanese sword mounts" by Markus.

 

"Blade length measures 1 Shaku 5 sun to 1 shaku 8 sun (45cm to 54cm)"

 

That is not tanto/Sunnobi kind of size, as mentioned by Guido at the beginning of this thread.

 

Just happen to be going over this as seen the term years ago and was wondering whether it was a term for Ubu swords of a certain size that are smaller than katana (as in mounts). Going from memories, always assumed they were longer than average wakizashi with longer nakago.

 

There was Samurai that preferred smaller Katana, obviously, by the number of waks we see that are mounted like Katana, but shorter than your pedantic 60cm nagasa.

 

Semantics lol

[Bazza]

YES, but...  Does anyb ody know more???  When I gget overr this COVID I''ll append a wakizashi (?) i have that has caused me 'wondering'...

 

BaZZa.

[Rivkin]

"Terminology wars never change".

In passing conversation, a dealer in Japan mentions "oh, young people using the term ..., they don't know it really means ...".

Someone hears that and eager to look smart and cool, puts it on the forum - you are all stupid, in reality it means that ..., everyone in the know knows that. But alas even seasoned collectors are yet to reach my level.

Or an "academic" starts to "enforce" the definition saying that those who use it differently are "unscientific".

... 

The historical literature very often uses whatever suits the moment. Their goal was to make a description for a specific situation not the general set of precise definitions for all times.

In Japan at least the general culture and language remained more or less consistent with a strong reflection in literature sources.

Elsewhere outside European weapons which are also reasonably documented, terminology wars are just pointless and endless bickering for prestige.

In "wootz" there are plenty people believing they know "the proper, historic way to call these steels", except historic sources are actually unclear what to call what.

There are dozens of sword names that are "contested" because someone traveled as a tourist and discovered "the natives do not understand the name we collectors use".

Ofcoarse they don't - the original word was used centuries ago, and in the XVIIIth century was copied rather half-efforted into English and other languages.

 

[Alex A]

The reason i brought it up is because i came across an O-suriage Koto sword in koshirae. The blade was cut to a length of 55cm, the nakago left long enough to just about make it useable for two hands. Its an old Nanbokucho sword, not late Muromachi single handed machi-okuri Uchigatana that are often of the size mentioned.

 

Dont ask me why, just find that size of blade/koshirae interesting as they are a bit out of the norm and to be bluntly honest, cheaper than katana.

 

Joking aside, i do actually like the that particular size for collecting. 

 

My thoughts now, ruling out anything Koto and sticking with EDO UBU swords. Off the top of my head, cant remember seeing anything UBU of that size with a nakago long enough for two hands. 

 

Might be having a mind blank moment here and probably seen dozens i cant remember seeing, dunno, will have a search when i get time.

 

Ps, not trying to link the longer nakago with the term "Chiisagatana", its just me being curious about a particular size of Edo sword.