The traditional Japanese Nihontō sword as a source of inscriptions and texts
- Autores: Sinitsyn A.Y.1, Gabitova A.I.2
-
Afiliações:
- Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), RAS
- Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, RAS
- Edição: Volume 22, Nº 3 (2025)
- Páginas: 42-58
- Seção: Research works
- URL: https://journals.rcsi.science/1811-8062/article/view/352101
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.55512/WMO683409
- ID: 352101
Citar
Texto integral
Resumo
The Japanese sword Nihontō 日本刀 can be viewed through the prism of traditional culture not only as an edged weapon and a work of applied art, but also as an object of veneration in Shinto and Buddhist cults. It bears sacred meanings and symbols, as well as various inscriptions and texts. The article is devoted to the analysis and systematization of most typical sword inscriptions (mostly on the blade tangs), their structure and the nature of information contained. Such sword inscriptions could be extremely laconic, or quite detailed. Some detailed inscriptions are a kind of literary narrative, including puns and even pieces of poetry. The article analyses a representative selection of inscriptions by several famous Japanese swordsmiths found on the blades in Russian and Japanese museum collections.
Palavras-chave
Sobre autores
Aleksandr Sinitsyn
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), RAS
Email: asin@kunstkamera.ru
ORCID ID: 0000-0001-7392-1837
Cand. Sci. (History), Senior Researcher, Department of East and Southeast Asia
Rússia, St. PetersburgArina Gabitova
Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, RAS
Autor responsável pela correspondência
Email: arina.gabitova@mail.ru
ORCID ID: 0009-0008-4838-9824
Senior Laboratory Assistant, Department of Far Eastern Studies
Rússia, St. PetersburgBibliografia
- Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156–1868. Ed. by Ogawa, Morihiro, Harada Kazutoshi, Ikeda Hiroshi et all. New York: The MET Publications, 2009 (in English).
- Bazhenov, Andrei G. Ekspertiza iaponskogo mecha [The Appraisal of a Japanese Sword]. St. Petersburg: Atlant, 2003 (in Russian).
- Fujishiro Yoshio 藤代義雄. Nihon to:ko: jiten Shinto:hen. 日本刀工辞典 新刀篇 [Dictionary of Japanese Swordsmiths. Vol. Shinto:]. Tokyo: Fujishiro shouten, 1930 (in Japanese).
- Fuller, Ron & Gregori, Richard. Iaponskoe voennoe i grazhdanskoe kholodnoe oruzhie [Japanese Military and Civilian Bladed Weapons]. Moscow: Ast-Astrel’, 2002 (in Russian).
- Gabitova, Arina I. “Sistema jikkan-junishi kak osnova traditsionnogo iaponskogo kalendaria” [The Jikkan-Junishi System as the Basis of the Traditional Japanese Calendar]. In: Iaponiia: tsivilizatsiia, kul’tura, iazyk 2022. “Issues of Japanology = Voprosy iaponovedeniia” [Japan: Civilization, Culture, Language 2022. “Issues of Japanology = Questions of Japanese Studies”], no. 9. St. Petersburg: Izd-vo Art-xpress, 2022, pp. 14–21 (in Russian).
- Iaponskie kuznetsy mechei: Traditsiia Gassan [Japanese Swordsmiths: The Gassan Tradition]. Ed. by Shchekotov A.V. Zhigulevsk: Strelets, 2010 (in Russian).
- Kanzan Sato. The Japanese Sword. A Comprehensive Guide. Tokyo–New York–London: Kodansha International, 1983 (in English).
- Kapp, Leon & Yoshihara Yoshindo. Modern Japanese Swords and Swordsmiths: From 1868 to the Present. Tokyo–New York: Kodansha International, 2003 (in English).
- Sesko, Markus. Encyclopedia of Japanese Sword. Norderstedt: Lulu Enterprises, 2014 (in English).
- Sesko, Markus. Tameshigiri: istoriia i razvitie ispytanii iaponskogo mecha [Tameshigiri: The History and Development of Japanese Sword Testing.] Moscow: “Izdatel’stvo u Nikitskikh vorot”, 2023 (in Russian).
- Sinitsyn, Aleksandr Yu. “Iaponskie mechi v sobranii Muzeia antropologii i etnografii imeni Petra Velikogo (Kunstkamera) RAN” [Japanese Swords in the Collection of the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the Russian Academy of Sciences]. In: Oruzheinyi sbornik. Vyp. I. Materialy zasedanii Oruzheinogo seminara Gosudarstvennogo Ermitazha, 2016–2020. Pamiati L.I. Tarasiuka [A Collection of Articles on Weapons. Issue I. Proceedings of the Meetings of the Weapons Seminar of the State Hermitage Museum, 2016–2020. In memory of L.I. Tarasyuk]. St. Petersburg: Izd-vo Gos. Ermitazha, 2021, pp. 328–339 (in Russian).
- Uspenskii, Mikhail V. “Mech Kawaji Toshiakira” [A Sword of Kawaji Toshiakira]. In: Iz istorii iaponskogo iskusstva. Sbornik statei [From the History of Japanese art. A Collection of Articles]. St. Petersburg: Izd-vo Gos. Ermitazha, 2004, pp. 131–135 (in Russian).
- Nagasone Kotetsu. Sho-shin. Smiths-Koto-Shinto: https://www.sho-shin.com/edo-nagasone.html (accessed: 01.03.2025) (in English).
- Newly Found Minatogawa Jinja katana. Nihonto Message Board, September 1, 2020. URL: https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/33117-newly-found-minatogawa-jinja-katana/ (accessed: 27.01.2025) (in English).
- Sesko, Markus. About the Correct Translation of Certain Sword Signatures. Japanese Arms and Armor. URL: https://markussesko.com/2013/02/17/about-the-correct-translation-of-certain-sword-signatures/ (accessed: 17.02.2025) (in English).
- Shirahagi intetsu to ryu:seito:. 白萩隕鉄と流星刀 [The Shirahagi Meteorite and Meteor Sword]. Toyamashi kagaku hakubutsukan 富山市科学博物館 [Toyama City Science Museum]. URL: https://www.tsm.toyama.toyama.jp/?tid=101911 (accessed: 05.03.2025) (in Japanese).
Arquivos suplementares
