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.