A custom koshirae for a small antique tanto blade belonging to a client. Crimson lacquered samegawa handle, fukiurushi horn fittings, a silver mekugi, and polished black lacquer scabbard in a classical aikuchi style.
Materials for the custom red and black aikuchi style koshirae mounting include lacquered samegawa over hounoki (朴の木, japanese bigleaf magnolia/magnolia obovata) for the handle, a silver and copper mekugi, and lacquered buffalo horn fuchi, kashira, koiguchi, and kurikata. Overall length when sheathed is about 11.5″.
Specifications
柄長 Tsuka: 3 sun 3 bu (100mm)
拵全長 Koshirae: 9 sun 6 bu (291mm)
拵 Koshirae: aikuchi, issaku
Antique nihonto awaiting repair & restoration, this blade is in the small shirasaya at the bottom.
After carving the inside of the scabbard to fit the blade, the halves are glued back together with sokui and the outside is shaped.
The initial carving is done with kiridashi knives and planes.
The final shaping is done with finishing planes and kiridashi followed by a fine rasp and tokusa.
A reclaimed horn button is carved into a kurikata.
Reclaimed buffalo horn is shaped into reinforcement for the handle and koiguchi.
The horn parts fit to the wood, note that the handle is smaller to account for the thickness of the samegawa.
The samegawa is cut using a paper pattern, then wet formed and dried to the contours of the handle.
Parts prepared for assembly.
Test fit of the horn and samegawa to the wood.
Samegawa glued to the handle core with sokui, the seam runs down the centre of the ura side.
Samegawa from the omote side.
With the horn parts in place.
Full test fit before final shaping and polishing of the horn parts followed by lacquering.
Samegawa lacquered with natural red lake pigment mixed into urushi, horn parts polished and thinly coated with fukiurushi.
Special thanks to Kobayashi~san of Kobayashi Shoten in Ikeda, Japan for crafting a lovely kiribako storage box perfectly fit for this tanto.
