Shoami

Last updated

Shoami (and Ko-Shoami) is a name of an artistic school (style) for making sword-guards (tsuba), mounted on a Japanese sword ( uchi-gatana [1] or just katana). [2] [3] The sword-guard is one of the most important symbols of the samurai.

Contents

Etymology

The "ami" part of this name, which derives from the name of the Amida Buddha, was once used to indicate a rank among priests of a branch of Buddhism called Jishu. Later, after the founding of the Ashikaga shogunate, a number of men engaged in serving the shogunal house in artistic or technical capacities included this word in their names.

History

In the Muromachi period, samurai of high standing began to use the uchi-gatana; and as a result, outstanding guards for these weapons came into demand. Possibly the elevation of the status of the silver-smith to a position where he was entitled to use a name like Shoami dates from the time when craftsmen began producing fine sword guards of this kind. Naturally, as the popularity of the uchi-gatana increased, so did orders for them and for their guards. This in turn increased the number of people desiring to master the technique of guard design and production, since this field of endeavor promised prestige and reward. Apprentices to sword-guard makers must have grown in numbers, and probably feudal lords outside the capital invited these men to work for them.

From the Muromachi period until the nineteenth-century edict prohibiting the carrying of swords, Shoami guards in a wide range of styles were being produced all over Japan. In fact, so numerous are the types of Shoami guards that it is even considered safe by some people to call anything unassignable to another group Shoami. Furthermore, although some Shoami guards produced for specific clients are of high quality, they were made in quantity to be treated as merchandise and sold as souvenirs of the capital city; and there is a tendency to regard Shoami guards generally as inferior.

Influence

Shoami guards had great influence on other schools of design and production. For example, Higo guards (produced in Higo Province), often called "the flower of sword guards," are closely connected with Shoami works. Such famous guard makers as Hirata Hikozo, Nishigaki Kanshiro, and Shimizu Jingo were trained in the Shoami style, and the Shoami influence is great in the works of Hayashi Matashichi and Miyamoto Musashi. Moreover, a large number of Shoami sword guards easily pass as products of the more highly regarded Higo, [4] [5] Kanayama, and Owari groups. For these reasons, Shoami guards deserve proper evaluation for their powerful influence and for their intrinsic merit as objects worthy of appreciation.

Aesthetics

The characteristic of the Shoami design is abundant movement with symmetry. The seppa-dai and the hitsu-ana for the kozuka and kogai are wide, giving the guards a slightly heavy appearance. Truly outstanding Shoami open-work guards are limited to Kyoto Shoami, [6] and even among these the most valued are the Ko-Shoami, or old Shoami, from the Muromachi and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. Muro-machi-period Ko-Shoami guards have a style that falls between those of Kyo-sukashi and Owari. Those of the Momoyama period have elements in common with the style of Nishigaki of the Higo group.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese sword</span> Type of traditionally made sword from Japan

A Japanese sword is one of several types of traditionally made swords from Japan. Bronze swords were made as early as the Yayoi period, though most people generally refer to the curved blades made from the Heian period (794–1185) to the present day when speaking of "Japanese swords". There are many types of Japanese swords that differ by size, shape, field of application and method of manufacture. Some of the more commonly known types of Japanese swords are the uchigatana, tachi, ōdachi, wakizashi, and tantō.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samurai</span> Warriors in pre-industrial Japan

Samurai or bushi were members of the warrior class in Japan. Originally provincial warriors who served the kuge and imperial court in the late 12th century, they eventually came to play a major political role until their abolition in the late 1870s during the Meiji era.

A tachi is a type of sabre-like traditionally made Japanese sword (nihonto) worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. Tachi and uchigatana generally differ in length, degree of curvature, and how they were worn when sheathed, the latter depending on the location of the mei (銘), or signature, on the tang. The tachi style of swords preceded the development of the katana, which was not mentioned by name until near the end of the twelfth century. Tachi were the mainstream Japanese swords of the Kotō period between 900 and 1596. Even after the Muromachi period (1336–1573), when katana became the mainstream, tachi were often worn by high-ranking samurai.

<i>Wakizashi</i> Shorter sword in a daishō (Japanese)

The wakizashi is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords nihontō) worn by the samurai in feudal Japan. Its name refers to the practice of wearing it inserted through one's obi or sash at one's side, whereas the larger tachi sword was worn slung from a cord.

<i>Daishō</i> Pair of Japanese sabres, typically comprising a katana and a wakisashi, or a tashi and a tantō

The daishō—"large and small"—is a Japanese term for a matched pair of traditionally made Japanese swords (nihonto) worn by the samurai class in feudal Japan.

<i>Kenjutsu</i> Japanese styles of swordsmanship

Kenjutsu (剣術) is an umbrella term for all (ko-budō) schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms of kenjutsu in their curriculum. Kenjutsu, which originated with the samurai class of feudal Japan, means "methods, techniques, and the art of the Japanese sword". This is opposed to kendo, which means "the way of the sword" and uses a bamboo sword (shinai) and protective armour (bōgu).

<i>Naginata</i> Type of Japanese polearm

The naginata is a polearm and one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades (nihontō). Naginata were originally used by the samurai class of feudal Japan, as well as by ashigaru and sōhei. The naginata is the iconic weapon of the onna-musha, a type of female warrior belonging to the Japanese nobility. A common misconception is that the Naginata is a type of sword, rather than a polearm.

<i>Yari</i> Japanese straight-headed spear

Yari (槍) is the term for a traditionally-made Japanese blade in the form of a spear, or more specifically, the straight-headed spear. The martial art of wielding the yari is called sōjutsu.

<i>Tantō</i> Japanese dagger

A tantō is a traditionally made Japanese knife that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The tantō dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the years to become more ornate. Tantō were used in traditional martial arts and in the seppuku suicide ritual. The term has seen a resurgence in the West since the 1980s as referring to a point style of modern tactical knives, designed for piercing or stabbing, though the style isn't present on any traditional tantō.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masamune</span> Japanese swordsmith (c.1264–1343)

Gorō Nyūdō Masamune was a medieval Japanese blacksmith widely acclaimed as Japan's greatest swordsmith. He created swords and daggers, known in Japanese as tachi and tantō, in the Sōshū school. However, many of his forged tachi were made into katana by cutting the tang (nakago) in later times ("suriage"). For this reason, his only existing works are katana, tantō, and wakizashi. No exact dates are known for Masamune's life. It is generally agreed that he made most of his swords between 1288 and 1328. Some stories list his family name as Okazaki, but some experts believe this is a fabrication to enhance the standing of the Tokugawa family.

Muramasa, commonly known as Sengo Muramasa (千子村正), was a famous swordsmith who founded the Muramasa school and lived during the Muromachi period in Kuwana, Ise Province, Japan.

<i>Ōdachi</i> Japanese sword

The ōdachi (大太刀) or nodachi is a type of traditionally made Japanese sword used by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The Chinese equivalent of this type of sword in terms of weight and length is the miaodao or the earlier zhanmadao, and the Western battlefield equivalent is the Zweihänder.

<i>Kabuto</i> Japanese combat helmet

Kabuto is a type of helmet first used by ancient Japanese warriors that, in later periods, became an important part of the traditional Japanese armour worn by the samurai class and their retainers in feudal Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese sword mountings</span> Housings and associated fittings that hold the blade of a Japanese sword

Japanese sword mountings are the various housings and associated fittings 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 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.

Umetada is a Japanese style of decoration for metal work. It may have been used by silversmiths since the Muromachi period. But in the Momoyama period, a certain Umetada Myoju (1558–1631) emerged to become the founder of the manufacture of so-called "new swords," or shinto, and to rank with Kaneie and Nobuie as a great designer and maker of sword guards. Although he is said to have done metal carving for sword mounts, not a single sword guard that can safely be said to have been carved by him remains. Most of the things that do remain are works in inlay, (zogan) in copper, brass, and shakudo using designs that recall the colorful pictures of the Ogata Kōrin school. Umetada Myoju established the style and the fame of the Umetada name, which flourished greatly after his time. But he was not the first to make sword guards in the Umetada style. Both nameless craftsmen and a certain Mitsutada are known to have done this kind of work before Myoju. It seems likely that was the case with Shoami guards - Umetada guards were first produced in the Muromachi period. Those before Myoju are based on Shoami ideas and are called Ko-Umetada, or old Umetada.

<i>Katana</i> Samurai sword

A katana is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the tachi, it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge facing upward. Since the Muromachi period, many old tachi were cut from the root and shortened, and the blade at the root was crushed and converted into a katana. The specific term for katana in Japan is uchigatana (打刀) and the term katana (刀) often refers to single-edged swords from around the world.

<i>Kaiken</i> (dagger) Japanese knife

A kaiken is a 20–25 cm (7.9–9.8 in) long, single or double-edged Japanese knife usually without ornamental fittings housed in a plain but lacquered mount.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese armour</span> Armor originating from Japan

Scholars agree that Japanese armour first appeared in the 4th century, with the discovery of the cuirass and basic helmets in graves. During the Heian period (794–1185), the unique Japanese samurai armour ō-yoroi and dō-maru appeared. The Japanese cuirass evolved into the more familiar style of body armour worn by the samurai known as the dou or dō, with the use of leather straps (nerigawa), and lacquer for weatherproofing. Leather and/or iron scales were also used to construct samurai armours, with leather and eventually silk lace used to connect the individual scales (kozane) of these cuirasses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glossary of Japanese swords</span>

This is the glossary of Japanese swords, including major terms the casual reader might find useful in understanding articles on Japanese swords. Within definitions, words set in boldface are defined elsewhere in the glossary.

References

  1. ↑ Japanese Sword Fighting: Secrets of the Samurai by Masaaki Hatsumi (2006) p.100
  2. ↑ Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan (Warfare and History) by Karl Friday (2003) p.79
  3. ↑ The Japanese Sword: A Comprehensive Guide (Japanese Arts Library) by Kanzan Sato (1997) p.159
  4. ↑ The Arts of Japan: Late Medieval to Modern Vol.2 by Seiroku Noma and Glenn T. Webb (2003)
  5. ↑ Japan-British Exhibition, 1910 Shepherd's Bush, London: Fine Arts Catalogue. Part I.-British Section. Part II.-Japanese Section by Unknown Author (2002) p.246
  6. ↑ Japanese Crafts: A Complete Guide to Today's Traditional Handmade Objects by Craft Forum Japan (2001) p.153
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.