Horimono Question

[Bruce Pennington]

Forgive my utter ignorance, but I've been wondering what is the significance of the arrow-like image found on many horimono:

 

[John A Stuart]

Ken. John

[C0D]

That is actually a ken (straight double edged sword) it represents Fudo Myoo 

[Bruce Pennington]

Great, thanks guys!  I googled the name and got a variety of descriptions of the Buddhist god.  But it sounds like the imagery on the blade might be to represent his fierceness, wrathfulness?  One description says he "guards the Law of Buddhism. He is equipped to guide the spiritual traveler past temptation on the path to enlightenment."

[IJASWORDS]

Bruce, sometimes found on Gunto as a good luck charm or dedication to the Gods for keeping one safe. Here is a WW2 menuki with ken. 

[Bruce Pennington]

That's cool, Neil, thanks!  My mind has been expanded a wee bit!  Thanks to all.

[FZ1]

Hopefully, I'm not hijacking Bruce's thread, but is there any way to tell if such horimono were engraved by the original smith or added later?

 

Thanks,

 

Jon

[John A Stuart]

An expert may be able to identify the engraver by style of work. It is a specialized craft and the swordsmith with one notable exception does not engrave or finish polish his work. John

[Bugyotsuji]

Yes, you sometimes find the Mei of an engraver. 

[Ronin 47]

"The cult of Acala ( Fudō) first brought to Japan by the esoteric master Kūkai, the founder of the Shingon school, and his successors, where it developed as part of the growing popularity of rituals for the protection of the state...Acala, as a powerful vanquisher of evil, was regarded both as a protector of the imperial court and the nation as a whole (in which capacity he was invoked during state-sponsored rituals) and the personal guardian of ritual practitioners. Many eminent Buddhist priests like Kūkai, Kakuban, Ennin, Enchin, and Sōō worshiped Acala as their patron deity, and stories of how he miraculously rescued his devotees in times of danger were widely circulated."

 

You can find more information here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acala, including why one often sees the Dragon paired with the Ken on some horimono, or like the menuki above.

[Curran]

7 hours ago, John A Stuart said:

An expert may be able to identify the engraver by style of work. It is a specialized craft and the swordsmith with one notable exception does not engrave or finish polish his work. John

 

I second what John said.

 There is the big book on Horimono. It may be difficult to acquire these days.

 

With some artists and their horimono, you can partially kantei off the horimono alone. With some artists such as Yamashiro Nobukuni line, you can even kantei the generation based off the horimono alone.

The Horimono book goes into this a good bit.

 

Specifically with Nobukuni, the way the head of the ken is carved tells you an awful lot.

 

 

 

[Bruce Pennington]

52 minutes ago, Ronin 47 said:

The cult of Acala ( Fudō)

Thanks Austin, good run-down on the history and explanation.  I admit I scanned the Wiki a bit quickly, but I couldn't find the reference to the dragon with Ken.

[Ronin 47]

Hi Bruce, 

 

I believe this bit covers it, though I suspect there are many variations on the story:

 

" Kiṃkara and Ceṭaka are also sometimes interpreted as transformations or emanations of Acala himself. In a sense, they reflect Acala's original characterization as an attendant of Vairocana; indeed, their servile nature is reflected in their names (Ceṭaka for instance means "slave") and their topknots, the mark of banished people and slaves. In other texts, they are also described as manifestations of Avalokiteśvara (Kannon) and Vajrapāṇi or as transformations of the dragon Kurikara, who is himself sometimes seen as one of Acala's various incarnations."

 

Admittedly, my classes on Buddhism where awhile ago, but I believe this all tied into Vajrayana Buddhism, or Buddhist esotericism, which in Japan is called Mikkyō (密教, "secret teachings"). For instance, a lot of the Ninja mythology comes from the Yamabushi (山伏, mountain warriors) who practiced  Shugendō (修験道), a form of Vajrayana Buddhism that incorporates elements of Taoism, specifically the magic and alchemic elements.

[Ronin 47]

For example,  the following tanto by Katsumitsu (勝光):  http://sanmei.com/contents/media/T2174_T5010_PUP_E.html has the Shugendō Mantra "Rin Hyo Toh Sha Kai Jin Retsu Zai Zen" engraved on the Nakago-mune.

• (臨) Rin – POWER over oneself & others
• (兵) hyo – DIRECTION of Energy
• (闘) Toh – HARMONY with nature
• (者) Sha – HEALING of oneself & others
• (皆) Kai – PREMONITION of danger
• (陣) Jin– KNOWING the thoughts of others
• (列) Retsu – Dimension
• (在) Zai - Creation
• (前) Zen – ENLIGHTENMENT

I believe this kind of esoteric carving become very popular in the Nambokucho and Muromachi period, albeit you do see it occasionally in the Kamakura and Heian.   

[John A Stuart]

There is a practice in mikkyo called kujiin. It is a series of mudra associated with mantra in series of nine, hence the name. You see it in shugendo practice and funnily enough in movies depicting shinobi style meditation. It looks awesome in the movies. John