Japanese sword mountings
housings and associated fittings that hold the blade of a Japanese sword
Japanese sword mountings are the various housings and associated fittings (tosogu) that hold the blade of a Japanese sword when it is being worn or stored. Koshirae (拵え) refers to the ornate mountings of a Japanese sword (e.g. katana) used when the sword blade is being worn by its owner, whereas the shirasaya is a plain undecorated wooden mounting composed of a saya and tsuka that the sword blade is stored in when not being used.
Components
Fuchi (縁): The fuchi is a hilt collar between the tsuka and the tsuba.
Habaki (鎺): The habaki is a wedge-shaped metal collar used to keep the sword from falling out of the saya and to support the fittings below; fitted at the ha-machi and mune-machi which precede the nakago.
Kaeshizuno (返し角): A hook-shaped fitting used to lock the saya to the obi while drawing.
Kashira (頭): The kashira is a butt cap (or pommel) on the end of the tsuka.
Kōgai (笄): The kōgai is a spike for hair arranging carried sometimes as part of katana-koshirae in another pocket.
Koiguchi (鯉口): The koiguchi is the mouth of the saya or its fitting; traditionally made of buffalo horn.
Kojiri (鐺): The kojiri is the end of the saya or the protective fitting at the end of the saya; also traditionally made of buffalo horn.
“Japanese sword mountings” enters the record as housings and associated fittings that hold the blade of a Japanese sword. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Japanese, sword and mountings can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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