(hamon) that resembles fallen leaves or tiny footprints. After the late Sengoku period (late 16th century) referred to as nioi kuzure. – line perpendicular to the ridge (shinogi) which marks off the kissaki from the rest of the blade. (see image) – dagger used for cutting through armour. Their length (nagasa) was originally fixed at , a value that was later reduced to . Originally worn thrust vertically through the back of the belt; later carried at the ride side with the hilt to the front and the edge facing up. – spot or spots where nie is concentrated on the ji. See also List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts-swords) References Bibliography External links Nihonto forum Glossary of Japanese sword terms Japanese Sword Index and Visual Glossary Samurai weapons and equipment Japanese swords Japanese swords Wikipedia glossaries using unordered lists