Hwando real korean or fake katana?

[vajo]

I allways want to find out when i see a crude katana that it could be a korean hwando. What is the point that makes a difference?

https://www.mandarin...ean-ceremonial-saber

[Yumso]

Well hwando and nihonto does look similiar(both countries have wrote something like "Yeah, Japan's / Korea's sword look similiar to ours" in their history)... but crude katana is just a crude katana.

The term "hwando" was actually meant "single edged blade" in Joseon dynasty, just like the term "nihonto" itself means "Japan's sword."

For hwandos before Goryeo dynasty we don't have enough relics left, so I'll just pick differences between Joseon dynasty hwando.

 

 

These are some differences:

- Yokote : Hwando doesn't have one. If the sword has yokote but is labeled hwando it highly means that hwando re-used nihonto blade.

- Hamon : Both has hamon, but hamon itself wasn't real important in Korea. If the blade emphasizes hamon, that would likely be nihonto(or nihonto replica) than hwando. 

- Sori : You can't figure them with sori.

- Tassel on tsuka : Many hwando had tassel on its tsuka for decoration.

- Tsuba : Hwando doesn't have kogai or kozuka on its sheath. Therefore, hwando's tsuba also didn't have kogai-ana or kozuka-ana, normally just a plain plate or maybe one small hairpin hole. There were some hwando tsubas that imitated nihonto tsubas at late Joseon dynasty but still that hwando will not have kogai or kozuka.

 

 

Also, this is not the significent difference but because of historical reasons hwando became shorter and narrower than nihonto during Joseon dynasty. Blade length is simliar to katana but weight is bit lighter.

 

[Rivkin]

Not being very knowledgeable on Korean weapons but:

Its a complex question since there is a variety of blades and koshirae styles. If its blade-wise, first thing I personally look at is nakago. Continental swords in Japanese style are more likely to have either completely flat or at least very low shinogi profile in this area. Contiental tsuba has a rectangular opening, which underlines the difference in nakago profile.

Yokote is often shaped differently on continental even if it mimics the Japanese style well, and kossaki proportions are generally expected to be different.

Polishing is significantly different and generally jigane is not well accented, but this is often not obvious since there can be no polish remaining.

Etc. Etc. Etc.

 

In regards to tsuba - often similar to Hizen Nanban, some examples are very large tosho/katchushi-like pieces, but there was a huge variety of styles throughout the many centuries.

Late 16th, early 17th century examples often do have kogai/kozuka ana but they are not functional (very narrow or curved), related to period fashion and appear more often on soft metal (uncommon) examples.

[Peter D]

On 10/2/2024 at 10:53 AM, vajo said:

I allways want to find out when i see a crude katana that it could be a korean hwando. What is the point that makes a difference?

https://www.mandarin...ean-ceremonial-saber

 

Korea is right in between the major powers Japan and China and it shows on their weapons and other regalia. They have a number of swords, some are much easier to differentiate from Japanese swords than others. Their straightswords generally follow the tradition of the Ming period in China, so they are easy to set apart from ken.

 

Hwando

Then there are the hwando, military sabers that are much more like Chinese yaodao (waist-worn sabers) than anything else. Korean swords are rare on the market, but this type turns up the most. The French army took a large number of them during a punitive expedition to Ganghwa Island in 1866, and they have been dispersed into collections worldwide since. Some have red writing on their sheats, dating to the late 18th century. All have iron mounts with silver overlay and octagonal guards. Occasionally, one sees guards separately sold as "nanban tsuba."

 

 

The typical hwando, this one recently sold at Olympia Auction, lot 84.

Wide blade more in the Chinese style. Typical Korean suspension system on scabbard, throatpiece missing. Grip wrap in the Japanese style but with hilt mounts following the late 18th-century Chinese transitional style between fangshi and yuanshi. (More about that here.)

 

Joseon byeolun-geom

Sabers worn by Joseon period military officials. This is the style most easily mistaken for Japanese swords. It is basically like a short tachi. Some of the best of them actually have Japanese-imported blades, so don't get distracted by the blade itself. Here is one I had, with a Japanese blade:

 

 

The most obvious departures from Japanese design is the textile, if still present: a suspension system that more resembles the Chinese one, and a long tassel. Other tell-tale signs are the proportion of the hilt, and the fact it is often lacquered in the same style as the scabbard on this type of sword. Guards are modeled after Japanese guards but with odd placement and shape of the hitsu-ana. Often made of patinated silver, a Korean variety of shakudō but jade is also sometimes seen. The habaki also often look odd. Another aspect is that most of these were not made so they can be easily taken apart like the Japanese sword, so its often impossible to see the tang.

 

Another one I had, again with a Japanese blade:

 

 

Other types

There is a whole range of other ceremonial Korean swords, but they are more easily discernible from Japanese swords because their blades are often roughly made and toy-like. They were more like a metal tsunagi sometimes. Here are two.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Peter D]

Some Korean guards. Often with hitsu-ana that are more round on the inside. Sometimes larger, sometimes smaller than those found on Japanese examples. Nakago-ana often miss that narrowing towards the edge that you tend to see on Japanese work.