The following was taken from the article: The Satsuma Rebellion, written by Kenneth J. Mack and it appeared in the Nov.-Dec. 1994 of the Japanese Sword Society of the United States Newsletter. Mr. Mack is a fellow member of the Houston Token Kai and well respected as both a martial artist and his knowledge of Japanese swords. Contact the JSSUS at: PO Box 712 Breckenridge, TX 76424 for membership information and to possibly obtain the full version of this text.


<center>SWORD MOUNTINGS AND STYLE OF COMBAT OF THE SATSUMA FORCES</center>

<center>by Kenneth J. Mack</center>


Fittings and mountings of high ranked Satsuma warriors are very distinctive. The TSUKA is very long — 10 to 12 inches — and fitted with over-sized FUCHI/GASHIRA. During the early Edo Period, there was no SAME utilized, nor were MENUKI employed. Sometimes strips of leather were bound around the TSUKA, and leather or cloth ITO wrapped over this, or the bare wood was lightly lacquered and allowed to show through the wrapping. The Bakumatsu (latter days) Edo Period saw the occasional use of SAME and MENUKI.

The lesser Samurai (or at least those who were not so well off financially), had to content themselves with inferior mass-produced blades with KANEMONO of plain blackened iron. The TSUKA of these most usually was wrapped in simple canvas strips, tied in a pattern unique to the area, where the exposed SAME has a triangular shape compared to the traditional diamonds. When MENUKI were employed, they were usually simple blackened iron washers. These mountings were fairly standard, although many variations were utilized. Many of the higher-class fittings, incorporated the "cross-in-a-circle" Mon of the Shimazu Family, as Shimazu Hisamitsu was the current Daimyo of Satsuma.

The SAYA is several inches longer than the sword blade, and lacquered in unusual patterns. Quite a few are done in vermilion. Various kinds of Tsuba have been found on these mounts, but they usually tend to be on
the smallish side. Those made specifically for the mounting will contain two small round openings, one larger than the other, known as UDENUKI-ANA. These holes are said to represent the sun and the moon, and are used for the passage of the UDENUKI-ITO, a cord that is slipped over the wrist to prevent the sword from dropping to the ground during battle. According to one local tradition, the warriors of Satsuma tied a paper string through these holes and the KURIGATA to offer resistance to the sword being drawn.
These men were very quick tempered, and the binding of the paper string allowed them a chance to take a second thought of their intention.
This type of mounting was practical in both the Shinto Ryu, as interpreted by Tsukahara Bokuden (of "One Stroke" fame), and the Jigen Ryu of Satsuma, founded by Togo Hizen-no-Kami Ju-i. Both of these schools emphasized a "quick in kill and quick out" philosophy but the Jigen Ryu took it a step further. Their primary teaching, known as "Cut to the Three Thousandth Level of Hell," consisted of drawing the sword (sometimes even discarding the SAYA), running in whilst screaming a KIAI, striking the enemy down with a single blow to the top of the head (Jodan-no-giri), and running to another. The students of Ju-i practiced this by jumping in the air and striking the trunk of a tree with a Jodan cut known as "Tambo-giri" thousands of times with a heavy wood sword. Usually the student went to another tree when his was worn away on both sides! (A good friend reported seeing such trees during a Japan visit. Some of them recovered and developed thick burls over the injury sites. My friend saw these burls eleven feet high on some trees. Naturally, the tree has grown some since its "practice" days, but try to imagine a warrior running down a mounted conscri0ted trooper, jumping in the air and vertically splitting his skull before coming at you)! It was because of this special type of training that the Satsuma warriors were able to use long, heavy blades in battle, and a good swordsman of the ryu was greatly feared.