How was sageo (typically) worn in the Edo period?

[Lordd_Humungous]

I was doing research on how sageo was typically tied to saya in the Edo period, and it was difficult to figure out what was most common. Anything tying the saya to the obi which wasn't easily undone seems impractical for a samurai who will remove his uchigatana multiple times a day. Some knots are called "display knots" and seem to have been more commonly tied when the uchigatana was put up in the samurai's home at the end of the day. Wakizashi and tanto seem more clear cut, usually tied with a short sageo that dangles in a knot. In meiji era photos of men wearing uchigatana, the sageo seems to usually be tied haphazardly in any way that bundles it around the kurigata. 

 

The image is of a daisho with the sageo tied in the way that seems most likely to be commonplace to me, the tanto's sageo would be the same only a bit longer for wakizashi. Thoughts?

Edited Friday at 05:47 PM by Lordd_Humungous

[Tim Evans]

How a samurai used the sageo was learned in the swordsmanship system he was taught. I would suggest looking into how various legitimate iaido and iajutsu ryu use the sageo. Many of these martial arts schools claim lineage back to the Edo period or before, so their handling of the sageo may have historic basis. Most likely there are youtube videos of iaido and iajutsu demonstrations to look at. Also there are instruction books for these martial arts which provide details. One reference to gert you started.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Swordsmanship-Technique-Donn-Draeger/dp/0834802368

[OceanoNox]

I am not aware of any work on the topic. I think your best bet is to look at contemporary depictions of warriors, particularly in daily life. For instance, 石城日記 (https://kmj.flet.keio.ac.jp/exhibition/2013/04.html#view) is a journal with drawings written by a bushi of the bakumatsu. You can see how he drew his friends and himself. 

 

As Tim said, each koryu that deals with the sword will teach how to tie the sageo. For instance, Muso Shinden Ryu and Muso Shinden Jushin Ryu tie it to the right hip, on the lower hakama himo, letting it hang from the kurikata in a curve. Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu passes it to the back over the saya, then it's brought up to be tied just at the hakama himo in front of the saya. Some will just drop it behind the saya, etc.

 

EDIT: On https://kmj.flet.keio.ac.jp/material/sekijou_diary/sn_04.html, pages 54-55, you can see two fellows with daisho. Although they have haori, you can see the sageo hanging from the back, so it's likely to be just put over the saya, between the body and the saya, and not tied.

Edited Sunday at 01:26 PM by OceanoNox
added a more descriptive link