Hamon Types

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Glossary Termsort icon Definition
chabana choji
茶花丁子

Lit. 'Tea Flowers'

A distinctive hamon of Hojoji School which resembles tea flowers with rounded, double-petal heads.

choji midare
丁子乱れ

A hamon consisting of choji shapes. The upper part of the midare is roundish, and the lower part constricted and narrow.

Variations:

gunome
互の目

Series of waves which look like semicircles of equal or similar size. Depending on its size, this pattern can be referred to as:

hako midare
箱乱

Uneven box shaped hamon. See also: hakoba.

hakoba
箱刃

Box shaped hamon.

hitatsura
皆焼

Gunome+midare or notare+midare with tobiyaki spread across the width of the blade. Originated by Soshu swordsmiths during the Nanbokucho period. Then it could be seen on blades forged throughout the country.

kataochi gunome
肩落ち互の目

Flat topped gunome that slant in the same direction like saw teeth. Originated by Osafune Kagemitsu and continued by Kanemitsu. Also known as nokogiriba and nogirimidare.

kawazuko choji midare
蛙子丁子乱れ

Choji midare pattern with the peaks which resemble tadpoles.

It can be seen in the works of Osafune Mitsutada.

kikusui
菊水

Lit. 'Chrysanthemum in the water'. This peculiar type of hamon made in Shinto times by smiths like Kawachi no kami Kunisuke and his followers.

midare

Irregular. See midareba, choji midare.

midareba
乱刃

Irregular pattern of hamon. All hamon except [suguba] are midareba.

Sub-types of midareba:

nogirimidare
鋸乱れ

See kataochi gunome.

nokogiriba
鋸刃

See kataochi gunome.

notare
湾れ

An undulating pattern of gentle waves.

It can also be classified (by the wave amplitude) as:

obusa-choji
大房丁子

Obusa means the shape of the head of hamon (round part of hamon) looks like a big bunch of choji.

sanbon-sugi
三本杉

Lit. 'three cedars'. A sub-type of togari+gunome with repeating three peaks which resemble cedar trees. Originated by Kanemoto 2nd.

sudareba
簾刃

A hamon that resembles brush strokes, or a bamboo curtain. Sudareba is based on suguba or a shallow notare. Tanba no Kami Yoshimichi originated the pattern, and his followers maintained it.

suguba
直刃

Straight hamon. Suguba may be classified (according to the width of hamon) as:

togari-gunome
尖り互の目

Gunome in which the peaks are pointed and orderly. This pattern is found in the blades of Sue-Seki and related schools.

toranba
濤瀾刃

A hamon pattern resembling large, surging waves of the sea. Toran-midare - irregular toranba.

uma-ha
馬歯

Horse teeth shaped hamon pattern. Uma-midare stands for irregular uma-ha.

yahazu
矢筈

Hamon type resembling arrow notches or a fishtail. Yahazu midare - irregular yahazu.