Nihonto Club

Japanese term

Definition

The tang of the sword; that part of the blade, below the machi, which is inserted into the hilt (tsuka). It is finished by hammering or filing, and often bears a carved signature. The hilt is attached by means of a peg (mekugi) inserted through a special hole (mekugi ana) in the nakago.

Depending on the condition of nakago the following terms can be applied:

ubu (生) - for original, unshortened nakago
suriage (磨上) - for mildly shortened nakago
o-suriage (大磨上) - for greatly shortened nakago