List of National Treasures of Japan ( crafts : swords ) The term " National Treasure " has been used in Japan to denote cultural properties since 1897 , although the definition and the criteria have changed since the introduction of the term . The swords and sword mountings in the list adhere to the current definition , and have been designated national treasures according to the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties that came into effect on June 9 , 1951 . The items are selected by the Ministry of Education , Culture , Sports , Science and Technology based on their " especially high historical or artistic value " . The list presents 110 swords and 12 sword mountings from ancient to feudal Japan , spanning from the late Kofun to the Muromachi period . The objects are housed in Buddhist temples , Shinto shrine s , museums or held privately . The Tokyo National Museum houses the largest number of these national treasures , with 20 of the 122 . During the Yayoi period from about 300 BC to 300 AD , iron tools and weapons such as knives , axes , swords or spears , were introduced to Japan from Korea and China . Shortly after this event , Chinese , Korean , and eventually Japanese swordsmiths produced ironwork locally . Swords were forged to imitate Chinese blades : generally straight chokutō with faulty tempering . Worn slung from the waist , they were likely used as stabbing and slashing weapons . Although functionally it would generally be more accurate to define them as hacking rather than slashing weapons . Swordmaking centers developed in Yamato , San ' in and Mutsu where various types of blades such as tsurugi , tōsu and tachi were produced . Flat double - edged ( " hira - zukuri " ) blades originated in the Kofun period , and around the mid - Kofun period swords evolved from thrusting to cutting weapons . Ancient swords were also religious objects according to the 8th century chronicles Nihon Shoki and Kojiki . In fact , one of the Imperial Regalia of Japan is a sword , and swords have been discovered in ancient tumuli or handed down as treasures of Shinto shrine s or Buddhist temples . Few ancient blades ( " jokotō " ) exist because the iron has been corroded by humidity . The transition from straight " jokotō " or " chokutō " to deliberately curved , and much more refined Japanese sword s ( " nihontō " ) , occurred gradually over a long period of time , although few extant swords from the transition period exist . Dating to the 8th century , Shōsōin swords and the Kogarasu Maru show a deliberately produced curve . Yasutsuna from Hōki Province forged curved swords that are considered to be of excellent quality . Stylistic change since then is minimal , and his works are considered the beginning of the old sword ( " kotō " ) period , which existed until 1596 , and produced the best - known Japanese swordsmiths . According to sources Yasutsuna may have lived in the Daidō era ( 806 – 809 ) , around 900 ; or more likely , was a contemporary of Sanjō Munechika and active in the Eien era ( 987 , 988 ) . The change in blade shape increased with the introduction of horses ( after 941 ) into the battlefield , from which sweeping cutting strokes with curved swords were more effective than stabbing lunges required of foot soldiers . Imparting a deliberate curve is a technological challenge requiring the reversal of natural bending that occurred when the sword edge is hammered . The development of a ridge ( " shinogi " ) along the blade was essential for construction . Various military conflicts during the Heian period helped to perfect the techniques of swordsmanship , and led to the establishment of swordsmiths around the country . They settled in locations close to administrative centers , where the demand for swords was high , and in areas with easy access to ore , charcoal and water . Originally smiths did not belong to any school or tradition . Around the mid to late - Heian period distinct styles of workmanship developed in certain regional centers . The best known of these schools or traditions are the " gokaden " ( five traditions ) with each producing a distinct style of workmanship and associated with the five provinces : Yamashiro , Yamato , Bizen , Sagami / Sōshū and Mino . These five schools produced about 80 % of all kotō period swords . Each school consisted of several branches . In the late Heian period Emperor Go - Toba , a sword lover , summoned swordsmiths from the Awataguchi school of Yamashiro , the Ichimonji school of Bizen and the Aoe school of Bitchū Province to forge swords at his palace . These smiths , known as " goban kaji " ( honorable rotation smiths ) are considered to have been the finest swordsmiths of their time . Go - Toba selected from the Awataguchi , Hisakuni and Ichimonji Nobufusa to collaborate on his own tempering . Early Kamakura period tachi had an elaborately finished tang and an elegant dignified overall shape ( " sugata " ) . Tantō daggers from the same period showed a slight outward curvature . Around the mid - Kamakura period , the warrior class reached its peak of prosperity . Consequently sword production was thriving in many parts of Japan . Following the Mongol invasions of 1274 and 1281 , smiths aimed at producing stronger swords that would pierce the heavy armour of the invaders . To achieve this , tachi became wider , thicker with an overall grand appearance ( " sugata " ) and a straight temper line . With the Mongol threat dissipated at the end of the Kamakura period , this trend was partially reversed , as blades grew longer with a more dignified shape than those from the mid - Kamakura period . However the so - called " unchangeable smiths " , including Rai Kunitoshi , Rai Kunimitsu , Osafune Nagamitsu and Osafune Kagemitsu , continued to produce swords of the elegant style of the late Heian / early Kamakura period . These swords were particularly popular with Kyoto ' s aristocracy . The production of tantō daggers increased considerably towards the late Kamakura period . Master tantō makers include Awataguchi Yoshimitsu , Rai Kunitoshi , Shintōgo Kunimitsu , Osafune Kagemitsu , Etchū Norishige and Samonji . The naginata appeared as a new weapon in the late Kamakura period . The confrontation between the Northern and Southern Court resulted in a 60 year long power struggle between warrior lords known as the Nanboku - chō period and caused a tremendous demand for swords . The stylistic trends of the Kamakura period continued , and tachi were characterized by magnificent shape , growing in overall length and the length of the point ( " kissaki " ) . They were generally wide and disproportionately thin . Similarly tantō grew in size to and became known as ko - wakizashi or sunnobi tantō ( extended knives ) . But also tantō shorter than those of the Kamakura period were being forged . Enormous tachi called seoi - tachi ( shouldering swords ) , nodachi ( field swords ) and ōdachi with blades long were forged . The high demand for swords during feudal civil wars after 1467 ( Sengoku period ) resulted in mass production and low quality swords as swordsmiths no longer refined their own steel . There are no national treasure swords after this period . Usage . The table ' s columns ( except for " Remarks " and " Design and material " ) are sortable pressing the arrows symbols . The following gives an overview of what is included in the table and how the sorting works . Not all tables have all of the following columns . The table of sword mountings differentiates between " Sword type " and " Mounting type " ; includes a column on the employed " Design and material " ; and lists the " Overall length " as the mounting in addition to the sword ' s length . Treasures . Ancient swords ( jokotō ) . Four ancient straight swords ( " chokutō " ) and one tsurugi handed down in possession of temples and shrines have been designated as National Treasure craft items . A notable collection of 55 swords and other weapons from the 8th century have been preserved in the Shōsōin collection . Being under the supervision of the Imperial Household Agency , neither these items nor the well known Kogarasu Maru are National Treasures . Old swords ( " kotō " ) . 105 swords from the " kotō " period ( late 10th century to 1596 ) including tachi ( 61 ) , tantō ( 26 ) , katana ( 11 ) , ōdachi ( 3 ) , naginata ( 2 ) , tsurugi ( 1 ) and kodachi ( 1 ) have been designated as national treasures . They represent works of four of the five traditions : Yamato ( 5 ) , Yamashiro ( 19 ) , Sōshū ( 19 ) , Bizen ( 45 ) ; and blades from Etchū Province ( 3 ) , Bitchū Province ( 5 ) , Hōki Province ( 2 ) and Saikaidō ( 7 ) . Yamato Province . The Yamato tradition is the oldest , originating as early as the 4th century with the introduction of ironworking techniques from the mainland . According to legend , the smith Amakuni forged the first single - edged long swords with curvature ( tachi ) around 700 . Even though there is no authentication of this event or date , the earliest Japanese sword s were probably forged in Yamato Province . During the Nara period , many good smiths were located around the capital in Nara . They moved to Kyoto when it became capital at the beginning of the Heian period , but about 1200 smiths gathered again in Nara when the various sects centered in Nara rose to power during the Kamakura period and needed weapons to arm their monks . Thus , the Yamato tradition is associated closely with the warrior monks of Nara . Yamato tradition sugata is characterized by a deep torii - zori , high shinogi , and slightly extended kissaki . The jihada is mostly masame - hada , and the hamon is suguha , with rough nie . The bōshi is mainly ko - maru . Generally the style of Yamato blades is considered to be restrained , conservative and static . Five major schools or branches of the Yamato tradition are distinguished : Senjuin , Shikkake , Taima , Tegai and Hōshō . Four of the five schools are represented by national treasure swords . Yamashiro Province . The Yamashiro tradition was centered around the capital Kyoto in Yamashiro Province where swords were in high demand . Sanjō Munechika ( c . 987 ) was a forerunner of this tradition , and the earliest identified smith working in Kyoto . Various branches of the Yamashiro tradition are distinguished : Sanjō , Awataguchi , Rai , Ayanokoji , Nobukuni , Hasebe and Heian - jo . Yamashiro tradition sugata is characterized by torii - zori , smaller mihaba , slightly bigger kasane , funbari , and small kissaki . The jihada is dense small - grained itame - hada and the hamon is suguha in nie , or small - grain nie . Sanjō , Ayanokoji and Hasebe schools . The Sanjō branch , named after a street in Kyoto and founded by Sanjō Munechika around 1000 , is the oldest school in Yamashiro Province . In the early Kamakura period it was the most advanced school of swordmanship in Japan . Sanjō Munechika ' s pieces , together with those of Yasutsuna from Hōki Province , consist of some of the oldest curved Japanese sword s and mark the start of the old sword ( " kotō " ) period . Sanjō school ' s sugata is characterized by a much narrower upper area compared to the bottom , small kissaki , torii - zori and deep koshi - zori . The jihada uses good quality steel with abundant ji - nie and chikei , small mokume - hada mixed with wavy , large hada . The hamon is bright and covered with thick nioi . It is based on suguha mixed with small chōji midare . Hataraki appear along the temper line . The Ayanokoji school is named for a street in Kyoto where the smith Sadatoshi lived , and may possibly be a branch of the Sanjō school . Ayanokoji tachi are slender with small kissaki . The jihada uses soft jigane , small mokume - hada mixed with masame - hada , abundant ji - nie , yubashiri and chikei . The temper line is small chōji midare , nie with lots of activity . A later branch of the Yamashiro tradition , was the Hasebe school which was active in the Nanboku - chō period and early Muromachi period . It was founded by Hasebe Kunishige who originally came from Yamato Province . He travelled to Sagami Province where he became one of the ten great students of Masamune ( " Masamune juttetsu " ) , and eventually went to Kyoto to found the Hasebe school . The sugata is characterized by a wide mihaba , thin kasane and shallow sori . The jihada is fine itame - hada mixed with masame - hada , chikei and abundant ji - nie . The hamon is of irregular width , narrow and small - patterned at the bottom and wide and large - patterned at the top of the blade . There are many tobiyaki and hitatsura as well as rough nie . Awataguchi school . Located in the Awataguchi district of Kyoto , the Awataguchi school was active in the early and mid - Kamakura period . Leading members of the school were Kunitomo , whose tachi are similar to those of Sanjō Munechika , and Tōshirō Yoshimitsu , one of the most celebrated of all Japanese smiths . Yoshimitsu was the last of the significant smiths in the Awataguchi school , and the school was eventually replaced by the Rai school as the foremost school in Yamashiro Province . Characteristic for this school are engraved gomabashi near the back ridge ( " mune " ) , a long and slender tang ( " nakago " ) , and the use of two - character signatures . Awataguchi sugata is in the early Kamakura period similar to that of the Sanjō school ; later in the mid - Kamakura period it became ikubi kissaki with a wide mihaba . Tantō were normal sized with slight uchi - zori . The jihada is nashiji - hada of finest quality , dense small grain mokume - hada mixed with chikei , yubashiri appear , thick nie all over the ji The hamon is narrow , suguha mixed with small chōji midare . Rai school . The Rai school , active from the mid - Kamakura period through the Nanboku - chō period , succeeded the Awataguchi school as the foremost school in Yamashiro Province . It was founded in the 13th century either by Kuniyuki or his father Kuniyoshi from the Awataguchi school . The name , " Rai " refers to the fact that smiths of this school preceded their signatures with the character " 来 " ( " rai " ) . Rai school works show some characteristics of the later Sōshū tradition , especially in the work of Kunitsugu . Rai school sugata resembles that of the late Heian / early Kamakura period being both gentle and graceful , but grander and with a more vigorous workmanship . Starting with Kunimitsu , the kissaki becomes larger . The jihada is small - grain mokume - hada , dense with ji - nie , yubashiri and chikei . The quality of the jigane is slightly inferior to that of the Awataguchi school . The hamon shows medium suguha with chōji midare . Sōshū or Sagami Province . The Sōshū ( or Sagami ) tradition owes its origin to the patronage of the Kamakura shogunate set up by Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1185 in Kamakura , Sagami Province . Though the conditions for swordsmithing were not favourable , the intense military atmosphere and high demand for swords helped to establish the school . The tradition is believed to have originated in 1249 , when Awataguchi Kunitsuna from the Yamashiro tradition forged a tachi for Hōjō Tokiyori . Other recognized founders were Ichimonji Sukezane and Saburo Kunimune , both from the Bizen tradition . The Sōshū tradition ' s popularity increased after the Mongol invasions ( 1274 , 1281 ) . It is characterized by tantō daggers that were produced in large quantities ; but also tachi and katana were forged . With the exception of wider and shorter so called " kitchen knives " ( " hōchō tantō " ) , daggers were long , uncurved or with a slight curve toward the cutting edge ( " uchi - zori " ) . During the early Sōshū tradition , from the late Kamakura period to the beginning of the Nanboku - chō period , the smiths ' goal was to produce swords that exhibited splendor and toughness , incorporating some of the best features of the Bizen and Yamashiro traditions . The Midare Shintōgo by Awataguchi Kunitsuna ' s son , Shintōgo Kunimitsu , is considered to be the first true Sōshū tradition blade . Shintōgo Kunimitsu was the teacher of Yukimitsu and of Masamune who is widely recognized as Japan ' s greatest swordsmith . Together with Sadamune , whose work looks modest compared to Masamune ' s , these are the most representative smiths of the early Sōshū tradition . Sōshū tradition sugata is characterized by a shallow torii - zori , bigger mihaba , smaller kasane , medium or large kissaki . The jihada is mostly itame - hada with ji - nie and chikei and the hamon is gunome , midareba and hitatsura . Nie , sunagashi and kinsuji are often visible in the hamon . Bizen Province . Bizen Province became an early center of iron production and swordmaking because of the proximity to the continent . Conditions for sword production were ideal : good iron sand ; charcoal and water were readily available ; and the San ' yōdō road ran right through the province . Bizen has been the only province to produce swords continuously from the Heian to the Edo period . In kotō times , a large number of skilled swordsmiths lived along the lower reaches of the Yoshii river around Osafune making it the largest center of sword production in Japan . Bizen province not only dominated in the numbers of blades produced but also in quality ; and Bizen swords have long been celebrated for excellent swordmanship . The peak of the Bizen tradition , marked by a gorgeous and luxurious style , was reached in the mid - Kamakura period . Later , in the 13th century , the Ichimonji and Osafune schools , the mainstream schools of Bizen Province , maintained the Heian style of the Ko - Bizen , the oldest school in Bizen province . After the 13th century , swords became wider and the point ( " kissaki " ) longer , most likely as a response to the thick armour of the invading Mongols . Mass production due to heavy demand for swords from the early 15th to the 16th century led to a lower quality of blades . The Bizen tradition is associated with a deep koshi - zori , a standard mihaba , bigger kasane with medium kissaki . The jihada is itame - hada often accompanied by utsuri . The hamon is chōji midare in nioi deki . Ko - Bizen . The oldest branch of swordmaking in Bizen Province is the Ko - Bizen ( old Bizen ) school . It was founded by Tomonari who lived around the early 12th century . The school flourished in the late Heian period ( 10th – 12th century ) and continued into the Kamakura period . Three great swordsmiths — Kanehira , Masatsune and Tomonari — are associated with the school . Ko - Bizen tachi are generally thin , have a strong koshi - zori and small kissaki . The grain is itame - hada or small itame - hada and the hamon is small midare made of nie in combination with chōji and gunome . Ichimonji school . The Ichimonji school was founded by Norimune in the late Heian period . Together with the Osafune it was one of the main branches of the Bizen tradition and continued through the Kamakura period with a peak of prosperity before the mid - Kamakura period . The name refers to the signature ( " mei " ) on swords of this school . Many smiths signed blades with only a horizontal line ( read as " ichi " , translated as " one " ) ; however signatures exist that contain only the smith ' s name , or " ichi " plus the smith ' s name , and unsigned blades exist as well . From the early Ichimonji school ( Ko - Ichimonji ) , the " ichi " signature looks like a diagonal line and might have been a mark instead of a character . From the mid - Kamakura period however , " ichi " is definitely the character and not a mark . Some Ichimonji smiths lived in Fukuoka village , Osafune and others in Yoshioka village . They are known as Fukuoka - Ichimonji and Yoshioka - Ichimonji respectively , and were typically active in the early to mid - Kamakura period ( Fukuoka - Ichimonji ) and the late - Kamakura period ( Yoshioka - Ichimonji ) respectively . The workmanship of early Ichimonji smiths such as Norimune resembles that of the Ko - Bizen school : tachi have a narrow mihaba , deep koshi - zori , funbari and an elegant sugata with small kissaki . The hamon is small midare or small midare with small chōji midare in small nie . Around the middle Kamakura period tachi have a wide mihaba and grand sugata with medium kissaki such as ikubi kissaki . The hamon is large chōji midare or juka chōji in nioi deki and irregular width . Particularly the hamon of tachi with just the " ichi " signature is wide chōji . The hamon of this period ' s Ichimonji school is one of the most gorgeous amongst kotō smiths and comparable to Masamune and his students ' works . The most characteristic works for mid - Kamakura period Ichimonji school were produced by Yoshifusa , Sukezane and Norifusa . Yoshifusa , who left the largest number of blades , and Norifusa might each in fact have been several smiths using the same name . Osafune school . Founded by Mitsutada in the mid - Kamakura period in Osafune , the Osafune school continued through to the end of the Muromachi period . It was for a long time the most prosperous of the Bizen schools and a great number of master swordsmiths belonged to it . Nagamitsu ( also called Junkei Nagamitsu ) , the son of Mitsutada , was the second generation , and Kagemitsu the third generation . Osafune sugata is characteristic for the period and similar to that of the Ichimonji school : a wide mihaba and ikubi kissaki . After the 13th century the curve moved from koshi - zori to torii - zori . Other stylistic features depend on the swordsmith . In the hamon , Mitsutada adopted the Ichimonji style of large chōji midare mixed with juka chōji and a unique kawazuko chōji ; Nagamitsu produced also chōji midare hower with a different pattern and mixed with considerable gunome midare . Starting with Kagemitsu the hamon became suguha and gunome midare . Kagemitsu is also credited with the invention of kataochi gunome . Mitsutada ' s bōshi is midare komi with short kaeri or yakitsume . Nagamitsu and Kagemitsu use a sansaku bōshi . Kagemitsu is also known as one of the finest engravers particularly through his masterpiece Koryū Kagemitsu . Saburo Kunimune school . Like the Osafune school , the Saburo Kunimune school was located in Osafune , however the swordsmiths are from a different lineage than those of Mitsutada and his school . The name , " saburo " , refers to the fact that Kunimune , the founder of the school , was the third son of Kunizane . Kunimune later moved to Sagami Province to found the Sōshū tradition together with Ichimonji Sukezane . There were two generations of Kunimune , and their work is very difficult to distinguish . This school ' s workmanship is similar to that of other smiths of the time but with a slightly coarse jihada and with hajimi . Other countries . Etchū Province . Two of Masamune ' s ten excellent students ( " juttetsu " ) , Norishige and Gō Yoshihiro , lived in Etchū Province at the end of the Kamakura period . While none of Gō Yoshihiro ' s works is signed , there are extant signed tantō and tachi by Norishigi . One tantō by Norishige and two katana by Gō Yoshihiro have been designated as national treasures . Generally Norishige ' s sugata is characteristic of the time : tantō are with not - rounded fukura and uchi - zori , thick kasane and steep slopes of iori - mune . The jihada is matsukawa - hada with thick ji - nie , lots of chikei along the o - hada . The jigane is not equal to that of Masamune or Gō Yoshihiro . Norishige hamon is relatively wide and made up of bright and larger nie based in notare mixed with suguha chōji midare or with gunome midare . Gō Yoshihiro produced various sugata with either small kissaki and narrow mihaba or with wider mihaba and larger kissaki . His jihada is identical to that of the Awataguchi school in Yamashiro Province : soft jigane , small mokume - hada mixed with wavy ō - hada . Thick ji - nie becomes yubashiri with chikei . The hamon has an ichimai or ichimonji bōshi with ashi and abundant nie . The kaeri is short or yakitsume . Bitchū Province . The mainstream school of Bitchū Province was the Aoe school named after a place presently located in Kurashiki . It appeared at the end of the Heian period and thrived in the ensuing Kamakura period . The quality of Aoe swords was swiftly recognized , as 3 of the 12 smiths at Emperor Go - Toba ' s court were of this school . Five tachi blades of the early aoe school ( " ko - aoe " , before the Ryakunin era , 1238 / 39 ) have been designated national treasures . The " ko - aoe " school consists of two families employing a similar style of swordmanship that did not deviate with time . The first family was represented by the founder Yasutsugu and , among others , Sadatsugu , Tametsugu , Yasutsugu ( the one in this list ) and Moritoshi . The second family , named " Senoo " , was founded by Noritake who was followed by Masatsune , and others . Ko - Aoe produced slender tachi with small kissaki and deep koshi - zori . A distinctive feature of this school is the jihada which is chirimen - hada and sumigane ( dark and plain steel ) . The hamon is midare based on suguha with ashi and yō . The boshi is midare komi or suguha with a short kaeri , yakitsume . Hōki Province . The work of Yasutsuna who lived in Hōki Province predates that of the Ko - Bizen school . Though old sources date his activity to the early 9th century , he was most likely a contemporary of Sanjō Munechika . The first forging of the first curved Japanese sword s has been attributed to these two smiths . Yasutsuna founded the school with the same name . Two tachi of the Yasutsuna school have been designated as national treasures : one , the " Dōjigiri Yasutsuna " by Yasutsuna has been named the " most celebrated of all Japanese swords " ; the other is by his student Yasuie . The " Dōjigiri " has torii - zori , distinct funbari , small kissaki ; its jihada is mokume - hada with abundant ji - nie . The hamon is small midare consisting of thick nioi and abundant small nie . There are many vivid ashi visible . Yō and kinsuji appear inside the hamon . The work of other school members including Yasuie ' s is characterized by coarse mokume - hada , black jigane , ji - nie and chikei . The hamon is small midare consisting of nie with kinsuji and sunagashi . Saikaidō ( Chikuzen , Chikugo , Bungo Province ) . Through rich cultural exchange with China and Korea facilitated by the proximity to the continent , iron manufacture had been practiced on Kyūshū ( Saikaidō ) since earliest times . Swordsmiths were active from the Heian period onwards . Initially the Yamato school ' s influence is evident all over the island . However , distance from other swordmaking centers such as Yamato or Yamashiro caused the workmanship to remain static as smiths maintained old traditions and shunned innovations . Kyūshū blades , therefore , demonstrate a classic workmanship . The old Kyūshū smiths are represented by Bungo Yukihira from Bungo Province , the Miike school active in Chikugo Province and the Naminohira school of Satsuma Province . Two old blades , one by Miike Mitsuyo and the other by Bungo Yukihira , and five later blades from the 14th century , have been designated as national treasures from Kyūshū . They originate from three provinces : Chikugo , Chikuzen , and Bungo . Generally Kyūshū blades are characterized by a sugata that looks old having a wide shinogi . The jihada is mokume - hada that tends to masame - hada or becomes ayasugi - hada . The jigana is soft and there are ji - nie and chikei present . The hamon is small midare made up of nie and based on suguha . The edge of the hamon starts just above the hamachi . The work of Saemon Saburo Yasuyoshi ( or Sa , Samonji , Ō - Sa ) is much more sophisticated than that of other Kyūshū smiths . As a student of Masamune he was influenced by the Sōshū tradition which is evident in his blades . Sa was active from the end of the Kamakura period to the early Nanboku - chō period and was the founder of the Samonji school in Chikuzen Province to which also Yukihiro belonged . He produced mainly tantō and a few extant tachi . The Samonji school had a great influence during the Nanboku - chō period . Stylistically Ō - Sa ' s sugata is typical for the end of the Kamakura period with a thick kasane , slightly large kissaki and tantō that are unusually short , about . Sword mountings . For protection and preservation , a polished Japanese sword needs a scabbard . A fully mounted scabbard ( " koshirae " ) may consist of a lacquered body , a taped hilt , a sword guard ( " tsuba " ) and decorative metal fittings . Though the original purpose was to protect a sword from damage , from early times on Japanese sword mountings became a status symbol and were used to add dignity . Starting in the Heian period , a sharp distinction was made between swords designed for use in battle and those for ceremonial use . Tachi long swords were worn edge down suspended by two cords or chains from the waist belt . The cords were attached to two eyelets on the scabbard . Decorative sword mountings of the " kazari - tachi " type carried on the tradition of ancient straight Chinese style tachi and were used by nobles at court ceremonies until the Muromachi period . They contained a very narrow crude unsharpened blade . Two mountain - shaped metal fittings were provided to attach the straps ; the scabbard between was covered by a ( tube ) fitting . The hilt was covered with ray skin and the scabbard typically decorated in maki - e or mother of pearl . Another type of mounting that became fashionable around the mid - Heian period is the " kenukigata " , or hair - tweezer style , named for the characteristically shaped hilt , which is pierced along the center . In this style , the hilt is fitted with an ornamental border and did not contain any wooden covering . Like kazari - tachi , swords with this mounting were used for ceremonial purposes but also in warfare , as an example held at Ise Grand Shrine shows . From the end of the Heian and into the Kamakura period , " hyōgo - gusari " were fashionable mountings for tachi . Along the edge of both the scabbard and the hilt they were decorated with a long ornamental border . They were originally designed for use in battle and worn by high - ranking generals together with armour ; but in the Kamakura period they were made due to their gorgeous appearance exclusively for the dedication at temples and Shinto shrine s . The corresponding blades from that time are unusable . During the Kamakura and Muromachi period , samurai wore a short sword known as koshigatana in addition to the long tachi . Koshigatana were stuck directly into the belt in the same way as later the katana and uchigatana . They had a mounting without a guard ( " tsuba " ) . The corresponding style is known as " aikuchi " ( " fitting mouth " ) as the mouth of the scabbard meets the hilt directly without intervening guard .