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Koshirae (拵え) refers to the ornate mountings of a Japanese sword (e.g. katana) used when the sword blade is being worn by its owner, whereas the shirasaya is a plain undecorated wooden mounting composed of a saya and tsuka that the sword blade is stored in when not being used.
A daishō is typically depicted as a katana and wakizashi (or a tantō) mounted in matching koshirae, but originally the daishō was the wearing of any long and short katana together. [3] The katana/wakizashi pairing is not the only daishō combination as generally any longer sword paired with a tantō is considered to be a daishō.
The type classifications for Japanese swords indicate the combination of a blade and its mounts as this, then, determines the style of use of the blade. An unsigned and shortened blade that was once made and intended for use as a tachi may be alternately mounted in tachi koshirae and katana koshirae.
The tachi koshirae has two hangers (ashi) so the sword can be worn in a horizontal position with the cutting edge down. [42] A sword not mounted in a tachi koshirae could be worn tachi style by use of a koshiate, a leather device allowing any sword to be worn in the tachi style. [43]
A fully mounted scabbard (koshirae) may consist of a lacquered body, a taped hilt, a sword guard and decorative metal fittings. [145] 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. [146]
English: Katana koshirae with an ice crack pattern design. Edo period, Designated as Important Mounting, The Japanese Sword Meseum Edo period, Designated as Important Mounting, The Japanese Sword Meseum
The set of the blade and its koshirae (mountings) is a National Treasure of Japan. It was wielded by Uesugi Kagekatsu , and had been inherited by his clan. [ 3 ]
Kaiken tantō: The kuaiken (also kwaiken or futokoro-gatana) is a generally short tantō that is commonly carried in aikuchi or shirasaya mounts. It was useful for self-defense indoors where the long katana and intermediate wakizashi were inconvenient. Women carried them in the obi for self-defense and rarely for jigai (ritual suicide).
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