Making of fittings for a custom Onokubi-Zukuri katana with bamboo-themed (take 竹) fittings

[Iaido dude]

I'm finally getting around to posting this pictorial diary of the creation and assembly (in real-time) of the fittings for a folded-steel damascus onokubi-zakuri style shinken blade that was made in China ($262 on eBay, 27.5", 744 gm including habaki). Alloy fittings made in China tend to be of poor quality and appearance, but the sword-making quality has been impressive. Only a few merchants on eBay sell just bare blades. It is intended for tameshigiri with a lighter blade my other shinken to supplement my iaido practice. A deep bohi runs along ~1/3 of the blade from the tang after which the spine (mune) thins until it reaches the tip (yokote) and widens again. A thinner 2nd bohi runs the entire length. These features lighten the blade, produce a pronounced a high-pitched tachikaze due to increased turbulence when the blade travels through the air in a straight cut, and lend aesthetic appeal.

 

[Iaido dude]

The tsuba ($112, 116 gm) is an excellent cast steel replica of an Ono school iron sukashi tsuba with bamboo and bracken shoot motifs. The solid silver fuchi-koshirae ($165) feature a bamboo motif and the solid silver menuki ($60) feature a tiger in the bamboo grove motif. The tsuka is lined with genuine black ray skin same and the tsuka-ito is genuine black leather ($20) and is in the process of being wrapped in the katate maki (battle wrap) style with hishigami folded from traditional mulberry paper (Amazon.com).

 

Since this is my first attempt, I fully expected and am confirming that I am not entirely successful on the first try. The battle wrap is a bit ambitious. I didn't recognize at the start that the two halves of the tsuka-ito need to be separate lengths because the longer strand alone will be used for the "spiral" wrapping for the middle 1/3. The shorter strand is cut after the first 1/3 is wrapped to allow the longer strand to transition to parallel wrapping. It needs to transition again to two strands when the wrap resumes with crossover folding. I ended up with too little of the "longer" strand to complete the wrapping, and an excess of the "short" strand. The details for the wrap are from "The Art of Tsukamaki" by Dr. Thomas Buck (see diagram). So now I'm waiting for another 4 meter length of tsuka-ito to arrive. Items from China appear to come slowly, but so far no tariff has been charged since the de minimus exemption was ended a month ago.

 

 

 

 

[Iaido dude]

The tsuka and saya are carved from poplar due to ready availability and low cost. Honoki is traditional, but can only be sourced from Japan at a high cost (~$100+ for a katana saya). Future efforts will use alder.

 

Over the weekend, I planed two pieces of poplar with a traditional Japanese flat plane ($25 Amazon.com, below left) to allow the two halves to be eventually glued together without any gaps. Then I traced the outline of the blade and then 1/4" around the blade that will form the outer dimensions of the 32" saya. An oil collection slot is carved at the tip. Again, I've had to scrap the result of my first attempt at carving with a specialized saya-nomi ($169, square-tipped bent chisel made by Walter Sorrell) because it takes practice to achieve control of the depth and extent of carving of the walls for each half of the saya. The bent configuration is crucial for this undertaking. The challenge is that since the sword blade is "triangular" in configuration and must be seated perfectly between two halves, the depth has to be adjusted along the entire length. This can be readily seen in the pic of the habaki seated at the opening. A piece of wood was inadvertently carved off, which ruined the work. However, the learning curve is extraordinarily steep and rewarding. The whole experience of carving is meditative. I don't feel the pain from chronic neuropathy of my left neck and arm that is otherwise my constant companion during every waking moment. I've saved this failed saya carving attempt so that I can glue the two halves together and practice shaping the outer surfaces of the saya before I tackle a successful carving attempt. A small radius plane ($100 Amazon.com, below right) is used to shape the convex side of the saya. The initial investment for good tools cost about the same as for the bare blade.

 

 

 

[CaptainKevo]

Steve,

Please let me know how your second attempt turns out. I might find myself diving into the same endeavor in the near future.

 

Peace,

Kevin

[Iaido dude]

Here is the final product. I'm quite happy with the outcome of my freshman project. I changed the tsukaito wrapping style to the less ambitious menpumaki moyo iri style and finished it off with a custom-made silk sageo. There is a slight misalignment in the seating of the fuchi against the koiguchi because the drilling of hole in the tang for the mekugi is slightly off, thereby changing the angle slightly. During drilling, I accidentally drilled into the tsukaito on the opposite side of the tsuka, requiring repair with Seiwa glossy water-based leather finishing agent. I really should have done all of this before I wrapped the tsuka. I may redo the entire tsuka/tsukamaki and drill new hole in the tang to correct all of these mistakes. I need to shim some wood veneer into the sides of the opening of the koiguichi to tighten the seating of the blade and eliminate slight side-to-side rattling. Otherwise, the saya turned out quit well.

 

 

 

Edited April 4 by Iaido dude

[Cola]

Looks great, but one question: Did you purposely put the menuki on the wrong end of the tsuka? 

[Iaido dude]

Good catch! I left glue residue on the surface of the black eel skin during my first wrapping attempt that was not covered well when I switched to a different wrapping style, so I had to reverse the menuki placement to cover this up. Some right-handed swordsman actually prefer this configuration. It potentially changes the feel of the grip (menuki against fingers vs. palms) that may be advantageous for specific ryu that are practiced, but I'm not sure if it will make much difference for me. There are traditional wrapping styles such as gyu kawa kumiage maki that don't even use menuki, substituting woven strips for the middle 2/3 of the tsuka. Ditto for the shonai zuka style that utilizes vertical wrap (not diamonds) in the middle 2/3 to provide a firm grip. Kojidai asaito makiage zuka uses a hemp wrap to completely cover the entire tsuka and is devoid of menuki.

 

This blade and tsuka were intended to be slightly shorter than what I use for iaido because I wante to do tameshigiri with a less wieldy and somewhat lighter katana for speed and safety during noto. My sense is that master swordsman prefer slightly shorter shinken for the same reason. I wear a leather glove on my left hand when the blade is quite long and the noto is more challenging. I value my fingers!

 

Here is the menpuki moyo iri style for tsukamaki that I used. Tying the knot is the most challenging step because of the thickness of the leather tsukaito.

 

Edited April 4 by Iaido dude

[CaptainKevo]

Absolutely stunning Sir.

I find the all black with silver highlights scheme very tasteful. I especially appreciate the leather wrapping over silk.

 

Thank you so much for sharing these photos.

 

Peace and Prosperity Sir,

 

Kevin

[Iaido dude]

Thanks, Kevin. The iaito I favor these days is wrapped in leather tsukaito. I have just gotten quite accustomed to how it feels and overall aesthetics. I don't have sweaty hands, so I've never had an issue with the durability of silk or leather. I put in only one mekugi initially, but have decided to put in a second one for stability. And this time I'll be careful not to drill into the tsukaito on the other side. Live and learn...

 

If you are still following me on my web site, I just finished the Kyudo page, although I have to put in a better demonstration video when we get better weather next week. It's been a bit wet in Alachua county.

Edited April 10 by Iaido dude