The inome (pronounced “ee-no-may”, 猪の目, eye of the boar) name comes from the pierced heart-shape designs of the decorative o-seppa (washers) on either side of the tsuba (handguard). This lovely motif is ubiquitous in Japan, seen often in architecture, furniture, and sword… Continue reading
Building a small farm shed in an inaka area of Japan. The materials were mostly reclaimed and from what was on-hand on the farm. Incorporating elements of local architecture, the design allows farming tools and materials to stay on site at the… Continue reading
A true and accurate understanding of the past is an important step towards a good future. 温故知新 (on ko chi shin) is an expression that most directly translates to, “study the old to know the new”. This one-of-a-kind project represents the current… Continue reading
Though the majority of tanto are muku (one-piece construction), after the beginning of the edo period larger swords (katana, wakizashi) are often intentionally constructed of multiple steel components containing differing carbon content. The reason partly stems from the increase in brittleness of… Continue reading
Touzai (東西) can be literally translated “East West” and carries the idea of spanning across distance or covering and including everywhere. There is also a saying, “kokontouzai” (古今東西) which means for all time and all places, literally “old, now, East, West”. This… Continue reading
Guards for classical Japanese style takedown knives are generally formed as variations of flat discs that slide over the tang. When working with wrought iron or steel, small copper inserts called sekigane (責金) are often used to prevent contact between the blade… Continue reading
This clay tempered blade was hand forged from an automotive leaf spring about 20 years ago. Some natural texture from fire, file, and hammer marks have been left on the surface of the blade. The guard and pommel are hand forged and… Continue reading
A desktop sculpture and conversation piece, this heavy duty double edged letter opener was forged from an ancient bolt from the sea. The raw material for this piece was another find from cleaning up the seaside at one of our beautiful Vancouver… Continue reading
Forged from an amazing piece of rough wrought iron pulled from the sea, this heavy duty letter opener is a piece of history. When I am at the beach I tend to pick up and bring away any rusty pieces of steel,… Continue reading