Help with Sword Parts

Well I went and checked the FAQ

http://www.fightingarts.com/ubbthreads/faq.php?Cat=0#titlestring

It seems one of the Admins renamed the various posting levels from the default settings. So instead of "Professional Poster" it reads "Call me Mr Sir."

I don't remember what thread it was, but one of the first posts I ever saw was from an admin telling a user he couldn't create his own handle. The odd handles are given out by the moderators for one reason or another, usually due to something you said/did, etc.

Yeah, looks like mine was the plain ol 500 post mark that did it.

What's in a name?

I do not mind being a dragon. Sort of fits.

Thanks. I was reading up on the concept of omote and ura (not just as it relates to swords) a bit last night. Public, private, front rear. All very interesting. Last night was a pretty intense class so I didn't get to talk about swords on breaks. Only enough time for breathing hard and water Iai Jutsu kicks off on Saturday though, so I'm sure my questions will begin to be answered then.

Omote is literally like "surface" or "face". For example, tatami omote is a thin veneer of tatami weave, not the whole thick tatami matting.

Early on, I came across the term 'omote' and found it helpful in the endless discussions of how a sword is presented, or kept to your side. When you are in seiza and your sword is not in your belt but on your right, the omote "face" side is face down, as if the sword were bowing to you. When you set the sword against the wall on the floor, the sword figuratively bows to the wall to not intrude on the proceedings in the room. When you present a sword on a stand for display (though endless and pointless debates seem to rage about this one), the sword's face looks into the room. When worn in your belt, the sword's face is not mashed into your hip but looks into the world. When you present a sword to someone horizontally, the omote faces you as does the recipient.

Another fun and loaded word is 'tsuka'. The verb meaning "to serve" or "to be useful" is tsukaeru. The handle of the sword serves you, or is the part you use.

Very interesting. From what I understand (very very little) about the display on a stand; the difference is related to pre- or post-war Japan and the "concessions" that were made to allow them to keep practicing the sword as an art "Do" rather than a combat skill "jutsu" It has something to do with the way you would grab the sword of the rack. One way is quicker and more "combat" oriented. Of course, I could be coming totally out of left field as my sword learning has been limited to bits and pieces of conversation on the side. That will all change starting Saturday though.

I was going to edit that to write 'the sword looks into the room in readiness or to the wall in peace' but got called away from my break at the office. I don't know if the origin of that distinction is due to Meiji reformation of 1880s-1890s, or to post WWII, or for other reasons.