Tsurugi
| Tsurugi | |
|---|---|
 Historic blade from the 5th century of the Kofun period , 2008 |
|
| Information | |
| Weapon type: | sword |
| Designations: | Tsurugi, Ken |
| Use: | weapon |
| Working time: | 7th century ( Kofun ) to 9th century ( Heian period ) |
| Region of origin / author: |
Japan , samurai, armourers |
| Distribution: | Japan |
| Overall length: | about 100 cm |
| Handle: | Metal, wood |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Tsurugi or Ken ( Japanese j ) denotes straight swords in Japanese with a symmetrical, double-edged blade and a centered point. The counterparts are tachi and katana - single-edged blades. The word tsurugi - つ る ぎ is the Japanese Kun- reading and ken - け ん the Sino-Japanese On- reading of the Kanji character - 剣 , Chinese Jian - 劍 pronounced.
The Tsurugi -tachi - 剣 太 刀 , a straight sword with only one side of the blade sharpened throughout, was similar to the Tsurugi or Ken . The other (back) side was only worked into a second cutting edge in the front part near the tip.
Swords of this type were in use in Japan from the mid- 7th century to the 9th century . From the 9th century, the development of the curved tachi began, from which the katana later emerged.
literature
- Toshiro Suga: Ken, the roots of Aikido / Ken, les racines de l'Aïkido by Toshiro Suga (DVD). Hagenow Ondefo-Verl., 2006, ISBN 978-3-939703-40-2 .
