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Do you name your Katana

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Sunny Rising Star

Sunny

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I named my first 2 Katanas that I bought ....after that I stopped and just starting naming my guitars after I would buy them.

My first Katana was named ..... Isha 7 sutoroku

It was to be poetic 

The Doctors 7 strokes.

The old world Japanese Kanji for doctor looked like the same kanji for the number seven.

The kanji strokes refer to philosophy of a sword stroke to be like calligraphy.

A doctor would cut with a scalpel the size of a brush stroke.

The sword steel like a scalpel.

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Rich S Grand Master

Rich S

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Posted

Yes, I name mine "Rich's katana 1,etc; Rich's tanto #x, Rich's waK #X  ;-)

 

Willie Nelson named his guitar.

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Moley Rising Star

Moley

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Interesting... I wrote a bit about this for our Iaido magazine - "Obi".

 

The Naming of Swords
by Gwyn Mowll
Whilst cleaning my Nihonto the other day, I noticed how over the years I have given them
all names. This was not intentional at all, it simply happened. It's very useful as well
because I can reference which one is which when writing up on them and cataloguing.
Some are indeed named after the smith that made the blade and I have two Gunto's (WWII
Blades) named Yoshe Tsugu and KaneTsuna. The very first Nihonto I collected, an antique
Chisaii Katana (Small Katana) is called Hiroda after the name written in ink on the inside of
the leather combat cover that it was found in. Another Katana I have has very nice Koshirae
of two friends or scholars doing various things like having tea together, so this one was
named Tomodachi (Friend) because of the theme on these lovely fittings. The Koto
Nambucho blade I have came with both Iai fittings and with a spare set of original Koshirae.
It was originally Oshita Sensei's sword. On swinging this sword, it has a deep sultry
sounding Tachi Kaze, hence I named her "Marlene" (after the singer and actress Marlene
Dietrich.) The sword made by Sada Toshi is housed in magnificent Koshirae made by Ford
Hallam. The Tsuba, Fuchi and Kashira depict reeds on the river whilst the Menuki are
Dragonflies resting on a pebble. This riverside theme is enhanced with light green Tuka Ito
and Sageo. She is called "River Song". Another Chisaii Katana I have is very old and the
steel is now "tired" (probably won't take another polish) She is named O-Baa Chan
(Grandmother). My iaito is called Tsugi Kage (Moon Shadow).
Naming swords is not an unique thing, throughout history we have heard the legends of
famous men and their swords and these swords had names.
Perhaps the most famous of all is "Caledfwlch"; Arthur's sword known more famously as
"Excalibur". Caledfwlch which translates from Welsh as "Hard cleft" was first mentioned in
the ancient Welsh oral stories known as the "Mabinogi". These oral stories were originally
the basis for Geoffrey of Monmouth's much later writings that gave birth to the Arthurian
legends and it was he who gave the sword a more French sounding name hence Excalibur.
Caledfwlch is described in the Mabinogi in the story called The Dream of Rhonabwy,
"Then they heard Cadwr, Earl of Cornwall being summoned, and saw him rise with Arthur's
sword in his hand, with a design of two serpents on the golden hilt; when the sword was
unsheathed what was seen from the mouths of the two serpents was like two flames of fire,
so dreadful that it was not easy for anyone to look."
Most people think of Caledfwlch as a Cross hilted sword, however that design came much
later and the "real" Caledfwlch probably would have been based on a Roman Spatha or
Cavalry sword as it is believed that the real Arthur was a post Roman era (Romano Briton)
war chief struggling to defend this land "Prydain" against the Angles, the Saxons and the
Jutes.
The Japanese also have their legends and the most famous sword in all of Japan's history is
Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, a sacred sword found in the tail of a slain monster which became one
of the three sacred treasures. In the Tale of the Heike, a collection of oral stories transcribed
in 1371, the sword is lost at sea after a naval battle.There are many other famous swords some real, some fictional that have entered the history
or story books, the following being only a few:
Colada and Tizona are the legendary swords of El Cid, Campeador of Spain.
Zulfiqar the legendary sword of Ali ibn Abi Talib (cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic
prophet Muhammad)
Joyeuse - Charlemagne’s sword.
Legbiter - a sword that belonged to the Viking King Magnus III.
William Wallace’s sword.
Honjo Masamune - The most famous of all Masamune swords is named Honjo Masamune.
The Honjo Masamune is so important because it represented the Shogunate during the Edo
period of Japan. The sword was passed down from one Shogun to another for generations.
In 1939 the weapon was named a national treasure in Japan, but remained in the Kii branch
of the Tokugawa family. The last known owner of Honjo Masamune was Tokugawa Iemasa.
Apparently Tokugawa Iemasa gave the weapon and 14 other swords to a police station in
Mejiro, Japan, in December of 1945. Shortly thereafter in January 1946, the Mejiro police
gave the swords to Sgt. Coldy Bimore (U.S. 7th Cavalry). Since that time, the Honjo
Masamune has gone missing and the whereabouts of the sword remains a mystery. Honjo
Masamune is one of the most important historical artefact to disappear at the end of World
War II.
Gwyn Mowll
Gwynedd Seiro Kan Dojo

River Song Tsuba.jpg

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Bugyotsuji Grand Master

Bugyotsuji

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That was a fun read, Gwyn. Thanks. (Loving that tsuba by the way.)

 

I tend to name my cars, but not my blades, I do not think. (?) I do have a mental vision of each one; it is possible that there is a starter word which pulls up the description from the verbal part of the brain, but just searching around in my mind now there is nothing poetic, just places or smiths. Is there something wrong with me, or are our brains just wired differently?

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Toryu2020 Grand Master

Toryu2020

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My second sword which I used for Iaido practice I named "Tsukiyuki" or moonlit snow. I chose this name owing to the choji-midare Hamon that looked like rolling hills of moon lit snow, and the fact that the maker of the blade was Yukisada. I was inspired by the poem "Tsukiyuki no, Naka ya, inochi no, sute dokoro" which may be rendered "The moonlit snow, is where life, is to be tossed away..." This sword was lovingly donated to the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu in Kamakura in 2001. I published an article about the whole ordeal in the newsletter of the Northern California Japanese Sword Club, it has been a while since I have revisited that article ー I believe I will post it here in its own thread for the amusement of the members..

-t.

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BIG Grand Master

BIG

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So the swordsmen name their fighting blades, the „only“ collector did not?

Named some. HAMABE, MIDARE, RYU, others not.

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Hoshi Experienced

Hoshi

Posted
Posted

Either is has an old name, preserved through provenance, or it doesn't. I wouldn't dare awaken the wrath of the sleeping KAMI by misnaming it. 

 

All my swords have pronouns though, which I carve myself on the Sayagaki. 

 

 

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vajo Grand Master

vajo

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Posted

Nameing a sword can't be done by the owner. Only from a third person. The name of a sword refers to an event what happned or not. If you want to name a sword defeat a dragon, kill the greatest enemy, fight against thousends or do some other great bloody things with it. Then the sword will have a name - later :laughing: 

Sunny Rising Star

Sunny

Posted
Posted
40 minutes ago, vajo said:

Then i named my sword "Waldtraut" because i trust with it in the forest.

Very cool.

I like that it has to do with nature and is somewhat poetic.

A great name for a sword 

Sunny Rising Star

Sunny

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, vajo said:

Nameing a sword can't be done by the owner. Only from a third person. The name of a sword refers to an event what happned or not. If you want to name a sword defeat a dragon, kill the greatest enemy, fight against thousends or do some other great bloody things with it. Then the sword will have a name - later :laughing: 

Thanks for the share of knowledge.

It makes sense due to a cutting test I read on a nihonto and a nickname someone got pertaining to the event as well as being poetically named on the swords mei. 

Cheers 

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Alex A Grand Master

Alex A

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Posted
9 hours ago, O koumori said:

I have a wakizashi that was named "Mr. Chips" by the Togi-shi...

Dan

 

Mine had a rough life too

 

Life aint easy for a sword named Sue.

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Surfson Grand Master

Surfson

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Posted

I have a named sword that has a single kanji that signifies "quiver" inlaid in gold on the ura.  I call that one Quiver.  None of the others have names.  I do like the idea of calling a very old and tired blade Obachaan.  I may have to use that when the right sword comes along.   

 

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