Japanese sword mountings
![Two antique koshirae, katana (top), wakizashi (middle), in the form of a daisho (matched set). A kogatana (bottom) is also displayed.](/Images/godic/202501/22/Daisho_katana_and_wakizashi_koshirae_24019.jpg")
![A daisho set of Japanese sword storage mounts (shirasaya) for katana (top) and wakizashi (bottom).](/Images/godic/202501/22/Daisho_set_of_shirasaya4020.jpg")
![A diagram of a katana and koshirae with components identified.](/Images/godic/202501/22/Japanese_sword_and_koshirae_glossary4020.jpg")
![](/Images/godic/202501/22/Daisho_sageo4020.jpg")
Japanese sword mountings are the various housings and associated fittings (tosogu) that hold the blade of a Japanese sword when it is being worn or stored. 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.