玉 (Tama)

What is Tama in Japanese Katana terminology?

Tama refers to a type of blade pattern (Hamon) in Japanese swords. It is a term used to describe the shape of the blade pattern (Hamon). Tama is a type of ""飛焼"" (Tobi-yaki), which refers to the tempered steel that appears away from the edge of the blade. In Tama, the tempered steel is surrounded by ""小沸"" (Konie: small particles that form a pattern on the blade when it is tempered) and is shaped into a circle.

When Tama appears in the blade, it is called ""玉刃"" (Tamaba), and when it appears in the flat surface of the blade, it is called ""玉を焼く"" (Tama o yaku: to temper Tama). In addition to Tama, there are also expressions such as ""星"" (Hoshi: star) and ""日"" (Hi: sun).