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2025

After the Sengoku period—a time when large-scale battles frequently broke out across Japan, creating a state of civil war—came the Edo period. Although minor conflicts still occurred, it was a relatively peaceful era that lasted for over 250 years. During this time, various forms of culture flourished, and the Japanese sword was no exception. Among samurai, sword scabbards often featured elegant designs that allowed for the insertion of small implements such as the kozuka, a small utility knife, and the kōgai, a rod-like tool used for grooming the hair and other purposes. As the saying goes, “The sword is the soul of the samurai.” While swords were regarded as weapons imbued with deep spiritual and martial significance, they also reflected an aesthetic appreciation for functional beauty and refined ornamentation. (Incidentally, the custom of placing kozuka and kōgai in tachi swords dates back to earlier times, but it was during the Edo period that this practice became widely popular for uchigatana swords.) During the Edo period, the shogunate repeatedly issued sumptuary edicts that prohibited the common people from wearing or displaying luxurious items in public. Even so, the desire to dress fashionably could never be completely suppressed. Ordinary townspeople sought elegance in the hidden details of their clothing—such as the linings of their kimono or the patterns of the juban, an undergarment worn beneath the kosode—and took pride in competing through such subtle expressions of style.

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