簾刃 (Sudareba)

What is Sudareba in Japanese Katana terminology?

Sudareba  refers to a type of blade pattern (Hamon) in Japanese swords. The name ""Sudareba"" comes from its resemblance to a ""簾"" (Sudare), a traditional Japanese bamboo blind. This pattern is characterized by the presence of ""沸"" (Nie: large particles that form a pattern on the blade when it is tempered) accompanied by ""飛焼"" (Tobi-yaki: a pattern formed by Nie that are scattered away from the edge of the blade), which are applied in parallel to the blade in two or three lines.

This unique and characteristic blade pattern (Hamon) was developed by ""丹波守吉道"" (Tanba no Kami Yoshimichi), a swordsmith who was active during the early Edo period. His works are known for their distinctive Sudareba pattern, which is considered one of the most original blade pattern (Hamon)s in the history of Japanese swords.