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Sword art essay


             The Japanese sword is art in several different ways. Besides the functionality, it can be used to depict history, show the distiction of the owner and of the maker, and of the art by which the sword itself is made which uses the imagination and techniques of the sword maker. .
             There are several parts of the Japanese sword that can be considered works of art in itself. One part, the tsuba, is the hand guard mounted on a Japanese sword. It serves to keep the user's hand from sliding up onto the blade of the sword, to counterbalance the weight of the blade, to communicate the social standing, beliefs and tastes of its owner, and to some degree, to protect the hand from an opponent's blade. Tsuba are made from a wide variety of materials including soft metals such as copper and its alloys(brass, bronze and others) along with silver, gold, leather and even iron. A tsuba can simply be a plain undecorated plate. But most however are embellished to some degree with surface texturing, cut-out sopenwork in positive and negative silhouette or inlay/overlay of various metals. Time, region and the imagination of the maker contributed to the style of the tsuba. But the tsuba, decorated or not, must first meet the basic demands of its function.
             The second main part of the Japanese sword is the tsuka, the handle or hilt of the sword. Made usually out of wood, it is wrapped in either the belly skin of a stingray or shark skin, because of the duribility and the coarseness which provided excellent grip during battles. A pin made of bone or some precious metal was used to hold the blade inside the handle. A fuchi, which was a metal collar with a shaped hole for the blade to fit into, was used to prevent spliting of the handle and to help with wear and tear. A kashira, which is a metal cap, is fitted on the butt end of the handle to also help with spliting. How the tsuka is wrapped is an art in itself, for there are many techiniques and materials used, and, like the tsuba, is a distinction of the maker and the owner of the sword.


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