Backward leaning hamon peaks

[Subayai Kitsune]

Is there a Japanese term for the backward leaning hamon peaks that I’ve occasionally seen?

[nulldevice]

I've seen "gyaku" used before as opposed to "saka" and here is what Sesko says:

 

gyaku (逆) – Lit. “inverted, reverse” or “slanted, slanting.” Also read as saka. The Japanese reading (kun-yomi) “gyaku” is applied when elements appear in a reversed manner, e.g. gyaku-sujikai and gyaku-takanoha compared to sujikai and takanoha respectively. The Sino-Japanese on-yomi “saka” is applied when referring to slanting but not necessarily reversed elements, e.g. slanting ashi are referred to as saka-ashi and not gyaku-ashi.

 

Here are a few examples: 

 

Juyo Bunkazai Niji Kunitoshi

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Hamon: Chōji mixed with kawazu-ko (tadpole) and gunome, with slight notare, ko-nie attached, ashi and yō enter abundantly, the ashi at the monouchi have a gyaku (reverse) tendency on both omote and ura.

 

Tokubetsu Juyo tachi signed Kane___ (Den Gojo)

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Hamon: Suguha-chō (suguha in tendency) with ko-midare and ko-chōji-gokoro mixed in. Ko-ashi and yō are present, ko-nie adheres, and there are areas with an urumi-gokoro (slightly clouded appearance). On the lower half of the omote side, there are areas where the midare has a reverse (gyaku) pattern.

 

[eternal_newbie]

Saka-choji (逆丁子) is the correct reading, yes. I don't believe the pronounciation changes to gyaku depending on the direction they slant (happy for someone with more knowledge to correct me).

 

That said, I've only ever seen saka-choji that slants towards the kissaki on non-Japanese katana, so maybe it simply isn't done and therefore an alternate name isn't needed.

 

Sesko's kantei blog simply refers to it as saka-choji:

https://markussesko.com/2015/06/04/kantei-3-hamon-boshi-1-2/

 

As do the Kashima sisters:

http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/hamonpatterns.html

 

Those links both have a pretty good visual glossary so if it's not actually saka-choji you're thinking of, there's a good chance you'll spot whatever pattern you had in mind.

[Subayai Kitsune]

Ah brilliant! I saw the term ‘sakanashi’ for ashi that slope backward rather than straight down to the ha, but I wasn’t sure if it applied to saw a choji-type hamon that leans backward!

 

Thsnk you so much 🙏🏽