Description
The first forged Rover kotanto, a charcoal-forged 1965 Series 2a Land Rover leaf spring steel blade, water quenched with clay and sharpened with waterstones, an outdoor knife that has the foundation of the Japanese sword but is finished in the simple and humble style of farming and foresting tools of centuries ago.
Satoyama are the managed forest areas that border the cultivated fields and the mountain wilds in Japan. Historically they provided soil nutrients, firewood, edible plants, mushrooms, fish, and game, and supported many local industries and crafts such as farming, timber construction, and charcoal making. The interaction of forest, arable land, wetlands, and streams are an important component of the satoyama landscape.
Forged from a reclaimed 1965 Series 2a Land Rover leaf spring, the blade profile of the field style kotanto is based on a kamakura sword and has more pronounced belly with slight drop point. The subtle and rustic appearance of hammer marks on the blade, a hand crafted tool for adventure that would be very much at home in the field, forest, or mountain landscape.
The temper of this high carbon steel blade has been left relatively hard in order to hold a keen edge for tasks such as wood carving and hand work. This particular combination of steel and heat treatment is well suited to users who require a good edge and are willing to take care of it. The vinegar etched finish reveals the character of the steel, the surface pitting from the decades it spent under a Land Rover traveling on adventures near and far.
The tang is constructed in a similar manner to a Japanese sword requiring only a single bamboo/horn/hardwood peg to hold the knife assembly together. In addition to the sense of beautiful simplicity, this design allows the knife to be field stripped for cleaning, polishing, detailed cutting tasks, or major resharpening work.
The proportions and finish would work well with a mounting in the kominka style. The edge is quite narrow already and only needs the final bevel and sharpening work, after all the mountings are complete. A well-worn edo period habaki (blade collar) has been fit to the blade and an antique seppa (blade washer) has been fit to the tang and will be included as well. The general location for the mekugi-ana (peg hole) has been lightly marked on the tang but optimal location will depend on the style of mounting and fittings used (see resource links below), the unhardened tang can be drilled with a regular metal cutting drill bit.
The blade is 4.25″ long, the overall length is 7.25″, and the spine at the munemachi is about 5.5mm thick. Seppa measures ~42mmx24mm.
Specifications
長さ/刃長 Nagasa (blade length): 107mm
重ね/元重 Motokasane (spine thickness): 5.5mm
元幅 Motohaba (blade width): 32mm
反り Sori (curve): uchizori (slight reverse)
中心/茎 Nakago (tang length): 76mm
柄長 Tsuka (handle length): none
拵全長 Koshirae (overall): none
形 Katachi (geometry): hira-zukuri, slight iori-mune
刃文 Hamon (edge pattern): rising suguha
帽子/鋩子 Boshi (tip pattern): maru
中心/茎 Nakago (tang): futsu, kuri-jiri, no mekugi-ana
銘 Mei (signature): mumei (unsigned)
拵 Koshirae (mounting): none
Materials: reclaimed 1965 Land Rover series 2a leaf spring, antique copper habaki and seppa
Process
This blade was forged and underwent yaki-ire at the museum forge. It began as a section of leaf spring from a 1965 Series 2a Land Rover, which seems to be listed as 60sicr8 steel and has not changed formulation since 1948 when the very first series 1 Rover was built.
**Please note that in order to preserve the patina and texture of the antique components involved in this mounting there may be minor damage, scuffs, variations in colour, and other indications of their stories over the centuries.
Resources
Some helpful links for planning, designing, and crafting a handle and scabbard for this blade. Additional resources may be found via the search page, as well as scrolling down the process page, or in the tanto geometry archive.
1. takedown handle geometry and theory:
2. classical tanto mounting:
3. bonus – understanding classical tanto tang and blade geometry:
