Page:Brinkley - Japan - Volume 7.djvu/236

 (4) the kaiken (lit. bosom sword), a dagger (without guard) worn by women.

The furniture of the sword,—that is to say, of the katana and the wakizashi,—commencing from the top of the hilt, consists of—

The  kashira  (tip)—a metal cap placed upon the top of the hilt (kashira literally means "head," and in this case is an abbreviation of tsuka-gashira, or the "head of the hilt").

The  menuki  (rivet)—a piece of metal placed under the frapping of the hilt to improve the grasp. The origin of the menuki will be explained presently. A menuki being placed on either side of the hilt, these ornaments always occur in pairs and have decoration en suite.

The  fuchi —a metal ring encircling the hilt immediately above the guard. The ornamentation of the fuchi and that of the kashira is always en suite.

The  tsuba —the guard.

The  seppa —a small plate through which the haft of the sword passes before entering the guard.

The  habaki —two flanges (forming a single piece), which grasp the sides of the blade immediately below the seppa. The seppa and the habaki never carry decorative designs of any kind, but are mentioned here for the sake of completeness.

The  kozuka —a knife inserted in the scabbard of the "companion sword" (wakizashi). The tip of the knife's hilt lies opposite an opening in the guard through which it is drawn when required for use. It is generally supposed that the term kozuka applies to the hilt only of the knife or dagger, the whole being called the kogatana (little sword). But by kozuka the Japanese understand the knife attached to the scabbard of a sword, and by kogatana any knife, such as that used by a wood-carver, for example.

The  kōgai —a skewer inserted in the scabbard of the "companion sword" (wakizashi), on the side opposite to the kozuka. The kōgai, like the kozuka, is drawn through an opening in the guard. It thus results that the guard of the "companion sword" has always two oval holes, whereas