|
|
| *SportsComet>>>Martial Arts |
Were Japanese Katana hilts traditionally wrapped in manta ray skin? |
Were Japanese Katana hilts traditionally wrapped in manta ray skin? Some had the wooden tsuka (handle or hilt) covered in ray skin, some in shark skin and still others a fish skin. Then there was an overwrap to facilitate a good grip that could be silk, cotton or leather. In the National Nippon Sword Museum there are examples of these that go back several hundred years. Ususally the tsuka is displayed alongside the blade, not actually mounted to the blade. Source(s): Iaido student. Hi, I've done a lot of uni level Asian Studies and Japanese history but have never heard this. I will try to look into it though. No. Would have been shagreen (basicly shark or ray skin leather) and probably with an overwrap since that'd let you keep more roughness in the denticles (shark and ray skin is basicly made up of tiny toothlike structures that are smooth in one direction and exceptionally rough in the other, you can cut your hand by running it along a sharks' skin the wrong way, it was also used in some cultures much like sandpaper) and would basicly alow you a lot better grip without having to hold the hilt any tighter (which would mean your hand could be more relaxed rather than stiff and would be quite advantageous). Would also be useful for wet weather or if your hand was covered in blood so would be good for a battlefield type weapon. That's what I'd think anyway, I may be wrong. |
| Tags |
| Olympics Motorcycle Racing Martial Arts Horse Racing Hockey |
Sports Categories--Copyright/IP Policy--Contact Webmaster |