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secrets of the Nihon-to revealed...
16 years ago
during my time in the early mornings, I sometimes go over mental notes as i try to fall asleep. the subjects are broad and vast, but usually in some round about way pertain to each other. as an example I will use the topics of things such as metallurgy, metaphysics and the construction of various devices or tools/ weapons. usually, such topics are at the top of the list in my head whenever I consider actually building something, trying to make the implausible plausible.
on one such occasion, when I was up at 2AM and contemplating things in a half sleep induced stupor, my mind wandered into the thought process of constructing Nihon-to (a term usually reserved for Japanese blades, more precisely defined as the Katana. for the utter idiots out there, I am referring to the Samurai sword.) mulling over the construction process and the list of components used to make such a mighty weapon, my brain slipped into linking things from metaphysics into the subtle construction of such a blade. what follows next in this entry is basically my recollection of my own thought processes. first though, we discuss terms I will be using.
Nihon-to components:
tang: the part of the sword that goes into the handle.
tsuka ito: handle wrapping.
Menugi: the handle ornaments under the tsuka ito that provide extra grip in key areas of the handle.
Mekugi: a bamboo pin that holds the tang into the handle.
Same: ray skin placed over the handle to promote better grip for the ito wrap.
tsuka: the handle, usually made from honoki wood or bamboo.
Kashira: butt cap of the sword handle. (non pointy end.)
fuchi: metal collar around the front of the handle.
seppa: washer like spacers that go in front and back of the tsuba.
Tsuba: handle guard.
habaki: a collar of metal around the base of the blade, acting as the bolster.
right. with that out of the way, imagine this. your a highly sophisticated computer system that has bazillions of terabytes inside your CPU, but only five sensory plug in attachments so that you can observe the mortal world. one of those attachments is a tactile sensor that acts as your sense of touch. these tactile sensors act like a circuit, relaying billions of split second feeds into your CPU at any given point in time, including while you are in sleep mode or hibernation. along comes this sensor array that acts like an antennae capable of sensing minute fluctuations in both static and active bio-electrical emminations in the area you are in. though you have to download new drivers for the hardware to work properly, your CPU will gain an interesting side effect. the ability to utilize hidden sub routines and the capability to adjust even better to your surroundings in strenuous situations.
what's this all mean in layman's terms? simple: a skilled swordsmen who wields a Nihon-to in either front lines or singular combat will be able to sense the ebb and flow of both the battle and the chi of his opponent because he or she is wielding the equivalent of a pointy radio tower with the ability to receive signals. think about it for a second.
go on. seriously. take a minute and think about it. then ask yourself how it works. you want to know the answer now don't you? well, here it is, in black and white for all to see.
first thing is first: blade construction. Nihon-to are metallurgically comprised out of a special iron sand ore that when smelted down into a giant lump is known as tamahagane. from there, different grades of steel are picked out and then forge welded together into a laminante steel (dimilar to pattern welding but way less fragile.) the gradients of the high carbon steel make up the outer part of the blade. from there, a low carbon steel is inserted into the outer area and forge welded into place.
yup, you heard me. it's got a hard outer core and a shock absorbing inner core. think of it like a sharp and pointy M&M, only way less tasty.
from there after the blade gets forged into shape and length, it is sharpened, polished and then sent for fittings. these fittings go on as follows:
the habaki slides over the base of the blade, bolstering the area where the tang starts and the blade ends. from there, a small seppa is placed behind it. then comes the tsuba, another seppa, and the tsuka. which is pieced together via the following way...
first the bamboo or honoki wood is fitted around the tang and drilled for fit. Next, rice glue is applied to the handle and the same goes down. following suit would be the tsuka ito, tightly wrapped over the Menugi so that it doesn't slip. at the end of the handle, the kashira is placed on then the ito is threaded through and tied down. finally the fuchi is gently tapped on and the handle slid onto the tang, where the mekugi pin is then inserted through to secure the blade.
all and all you now have a well sharpened piece of artwork. how does it work like a sensor though? well this is where things really get interesting...
first off, you grip the blade with your hand/s. your chi subconsiously flows through your hands, into the menugi and filters into the ray skin. now there's a funny thing about rayskin, it's actually the skin of a flat shark. as such, it has thousands of tiny sensors that register bioelectrical movements- such as chi or muscle impulses of yourself and your enemies. from there, your chi bleeds through the handle wood into the tang via the mekugi, is circulated and regulated by the fuchi and kashira into a more prominant metaphysical current and passed through the seppa.
the seppa acts like a regulator and feeds it into the tsuba, which acts like a broadcasting dish. the second seppa in between the habaki and the tsuba acts like a channeling conduit, forcing the energy out like a pressurized water cutter through the habaki. the habaki acts like a focusing lens and projects the now massive buildup of chi through the rest of the blade, saturating it with a field of energy now capable of sensing other people's chi and battle intent. from there, the circut closes by the chi feild circulating back through the inner core of the nihon-to and feeding subconsious instructions back into the weilder's mind through the reverse way it came in through the handle.
now, in the skilled hands of an accomplished swordsmen, the warrior has an un thought of massive advantage. given time and practice, such a skill once cultivated by the practitioners of Bushido is a true force of nature to be reckoned with.
mind you, the first thing I did after i realized this was to call up my sister Jenryu and tell her of my revelation. I think I scared her witless due to the fact that she said that my logic and knowledge of metaphysics in conjunction with physical world items scared the crap out of her.... and she also said I was no longer allowed to deprive myself of sleep ever again.
speaking of, it's 4:33AM. I need sleep. sleep is good.
on one such occasion, when I was up at 2AM and contemplating things in a half sleep induced stupor, my mind wandered into the thought process of constructing Nihon-to (a term usually reserved for Japanese blades, more precisely defined as the Katana. for the utter idiots out there, I am referring to the Samurai sword.) mulling over the construction process and the list of components used to make such a mighty weapon, my brain slipped into linking things from metaphysics into the subtle construction of such a blade. what follows next in this entry is basically my recollection of my own thought processes. first though, we discuss terms I will be using.
Nihon-to components:
tang: the part of the sword that goes into the handle.
tsuka ito: handle wrapping.
Menugi: the handle ornaments under the tsuka ito that provide extra grip in key areas of the handle.
Mekugi: a bamboo pin that holds the tang into the handle.
Same: ray skin placed over the handle to promote better grip for the ito wrap.
tsuka: the handle, usually made from honoki wood or bamboo.
Kashira: butt cap of the sword handle. (non pointy end.)
fuchi: metal collar around the front of the handle.
seppa: washer like spacers that go in front and back of the tsuba.
Tsuba: handle guard.
habaki: a collar of metal around the base of the blade, acting as the bolster.
right. with that out of the way, imagine this. your a highly sophisticated computer system that has bazillions of terabytes inside your CPU, but only five sensory plug in attachments so that you can observe the mortal world. one of those attachments is a tactile sensor that acts as your sense of touch. these tactile sensors act like a circuit, relaying billions of split second feeds into your CPU at any given point in time, including while you are in sleep mode or hibernation. along comes this sensor array that acts like an antennae capable of sensing minute fluctuations in both static and active bio-electrical emminations in the area you are in. though you have to download new drivers for the hardware to work properly, your CPU will gain an interesting side effect. the ability to utilize hidden sub routines and the capability to adjust even better to your surroundings in strenuous situations.
what's this all mean in layman's terms? simple: a skilled swordsmen who wields a Nihon-to in either front lines or singular combat will be able to sense the ebb and flow of both the battle and the chi of his opponent because he or she is wielding the equivalent of a pointy radio tower with the ability to receive signals. think about it for a second.
go on. seriously. take a minute and think about it. then ask yourself how it works. you want to know the answer now don't you? well, here it is, in black and white for all to see.
first thing is first: blade construction. Nihon-to are metallurgically comprised out of a special iron sand ore that when smelted down into a giant lump is known as tamahagane. from there, different grades of steel are picked out and then forge welded together into a laminante steel (dimilar to pattern welding but way less fragile.) the gradients of the high carbon steel make up the outer part of the blade. from there, a low carbon steel is inserted into the outer area and forge welded into place.
yup, you heard me. it's got a hard outer core and a shock absorbing inner core. think of it like a sharp and pointy M&M, only way less tasty.
from there after the blade gets forged into shape and length, it is sharpened, polished and then sent for fittings. these fittings go on as follows:
the habaki slides over the base of the blade, bolstering the area where the tang starts and the blade ends. from there, a small seppa is placed behind it. then comes the tsuba, another seppa, and the tsuka. which is pieced together via the following way...
first the bamboo or honoki wood is fitted around the tang and drilled for fit. Next, rice glue is applied to the handle and the same goes down. following suit would be the tsuka ito, tightly wrapped over the Menugi so that it doesn't slip. at the end of the handle, the kashira is placed on then the ito is threaded through and tied down. finally the fuchi is gently tapped on and the handle slid onto the tang, where the mekugi pin is then inserted through to secure the blade.
all and all you now have a well sharpened piece of artwork. how does it work like a sensor though? well this is where things really get interesting...
first off, you grip the blade with your hand/s. your chi subconsiously flows through your hands, into the menugi and filters into the ray skin. now there's a funny thing about rayskin, it's actually the skin of a flat shark. as such, it has thousands of tiny sensors that register bioelectrical movements- such as chi or muscle impulses of yourself and your enemies. from there, your chi bleeds through the handle wood into the tang via the mekugi, is circulated and regulated by the fuchi and kashira into a more prominant metaphysical current and passed through the seppa.
the seppa acts like a regulator and feeds it into the tsuba, which acts like a broadcasting dish. the second seppa in between the habaki and the tsuba acts like a channeling conduit, forcing the energy out like a pressurized water cutter through the habaki. the habaki acts like a focusing lens and projects the now massive buildup of chi through the rest of the blade, saturating it with a field of energy now capable of sensing other people's chi and battle intent. from there, the circut closes by the chi feild circulating back through the inner core of the nihon-to and feeding subconsious instructions back into the weilder's mind through the reverse way it came in through the handle.
now, in the skilled hands of an accomplished swordsmen, the warrior has an un thought of massive advantage. given time and practice, such a skill once cultivated by the practitioners of Bushido is a true force of nature to be reckoned with.
mind you, the first thing I did after i realized this was to call up my sister Jenryu and tell her of my revelation. I think I scared her witless due to the fact that she said that my logic and knowledge of metaphysics in conjunction with physical world items scared the crap out of her.... and she also said I was no longer allowed to deprive myself of sleep ever again.
speaking of, it's 4:33AM. I need sleep. sleep is good.
