(now rare) general term for single-edged blades, see tō. – a gunome with a straight top and an overall slant. – a variation of the chōji midare pattern with the peaks resembling tadpoles. – a double-edged blade (sword/dagger) of any size or shape. – short straight thin radiant black line of nie that appears in the temper-line (hamon). – fan-shaped point of the blade; separated from the body of the sword by the yokote. (see image) – a skewer for the owner's hair-do, carried in a pocket of the scabbards of katana and wakizashi on the side opposite of the kozuka. – any knife, particularly a small utility knife carried in a pocket of the scabbards of katana and wakizashi. – see itame-hada. – a bōshi that runs parallel to the cutting edge of the point area (kissaki) and then forms a small circle as it turns back towards the back edge (mune). – see mokume-hada. – diagonal line that separates the point of a blade (kissaki) from the shinogiji and extends the ridge (shinogi) to the back edge (mune) in the kissaki area. (see image) – curvature (sori) of the blade with the center of the curve lying near or inside of the tang (nakago). – a pre-Edo period sword as opposed to a shintō. The year of transition is generally taken to be 1596. The term is also used to refer to the respective period of swordsmanship where the lower limit is given by the appearance of curved swords in the mid-Heian period. The kotō period succeeded the jokotō period. – handle of a small utility knife (kogatana) carried in a pocket of the scabbards of katana and wakizashi on the side opposite of the kōgai. Also used to refer to the whole knife, i.e. hilt plus blade. – Register of masterpiece swords (meibutsu) compiled by the Hon'ami family in the Kyōhō era. M – notches that divide the blade proper from the tang. (also see munemachi and hamachi) -straight surface grain pattern (jihada). – ten excellent students of Masamune: Gō Yoshihiro, Norishige, Kaneuji, Kinju, Rai Kunitsugu, Hasebe Kunishige, Osafune Kanemitsu, Chogi, Samonji, Sekishi Naotsuna. – surface grain pattern (jihada) resembling the bark of a pine tree. A type of ō-mokume-hada or ō-itame-hada with thick chikei. Also known as hijiki-hada. – signature, usually engraved on the tang (nakago). – swords designated as masterpieces. Sometimes used to refer specifically