The inaugural-forged rover blade, charcoal-forged from 1965 Series 2a Land Rover leaf spring steel, 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 aspect 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.
The subtle and rustic appearance of hammer marks on the blade and hand-carved wooden handle finished with natural urushi lacquer made from tree sap—reminiscent of hand-hewn beams in a kominka farm house that are darkened by years of smoke drifting up from the irori hearth. A hand crafted tool for adventure that would be very much at home in the field, forest, or mountain landscape.
Forged from a reclaimed 1965 Series 2a Land Rover leaf spring, the blade is based on a nanbokucho sword point and has a sweeping belly and elongated point. 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 mounting is constructed in a similar manner to a Japanese sword requiring only a single bamboo 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.
Based on a traditional ken-nata mounting, the generous handle and accompanying scabbard are carved from mukwa and finished in traditional urushi lacquer which deepens the colour of the wood and highlights the grain. Please note that the scabbard fit for this style blade is not as snug as with a traditional kotanto shape. The bronze guard is made from antique lighthouse reflector bracket and the ferrule is forged steel pipe. The nata style kurikata is carved from a scrap of Magnolia and the removable peg is carved from susudake, a piece of bamboo that served for a century or more as part of the ceiling or roof in a kominka, darkened and hardened by decades of smoke wafting up from the irori hearth.
The blade is about 6″ long, the overall length is just over 11″, and just over 12″ when sheathed. The spine at the munemachi is about 4mm thick.
Katachi (geometry): hira-zukuri, kaku-mune (squared spine)
Hamon (edge pattern): rising suguha
Boshi (tip pattern): maru
Nakago (tang): futsu, kiri-jiri, two mekugi-ana, one steel-filled
Mei (signature): mumei (unsigned)
Koshirae (mounting): satoyama ken-nata style, issaku
Materials: reclaimed Series 2a Land Rover leaf spring steel, lighthouse bronze, steel pipe, Mukwa, Magnolia, natural urushi lacquer, susudake bamboo
Process
This knife 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.
Ready for a day at the museum forge, the old 1966 Rover still earning its keep hauling tools overland at almost 60 years running (and on its original springs).
A load of several hundred pounds of tools ready for a day at the forge.
Opening the forge and preparing to unload the tools and steel.
This knife began as a section of leaf spring from a 1965 Series 2a Land Rover, nearing the end of its useful service life on a vehicle that was undergoing restoration.
A cold chisel was used to separate the leaves of the spring.
The charcoal swordsmith style forge with hand-powered wooden box bellows is used to heat the steel as it is forged.
View across the forge and out to the forest between heats on a cool and cloudy spring morning.
A mixture of natural clay, charcoal powder, and polishing stone powder is prepared with water and spread thinly on the blade to delay the cooling of the body of the blade during yaki-ire (hardening).
A bronze hand guard is shaped from a lighthouse reflector bracket using a drill and files.
The guard shown with the original bronze lighthouse reflector.
A reclaimed steel pipe is hacksawn into slices to make a ferrule.
The reclaimed steel pipe slice is forged into a ferrule to reinforce the handle.
A batch of Rover steel blades receiving various fittings in preparation for mounting.
Wood working in the coastal forest, Arbutus leaves continue to fall all year long!
Hauling woodworking tools in summer mode, no need for a roof for a couple of months.
The best kind of air conditioning is outdoors!
Some scrap mukwa is carefully carved to fit the tang snugly.
The halves are glued together with nikawa (hide glue) and allowed to cure for a week.
Chisels, planes, and carving knives are used to reduce the block down to the intended handle form, following the grain.
Final shaping and design decisions as the handle nears completion.
A seat for the forged steel ferrule is carved with kiridashi (carving knife) and files.
The placement for the mekugi-ana is chosen and the tang is drilled using an antique hand-cranked post drill.
The mekugi (retaining peg) is carved from susudake, bamboo that has spent the greater part of a century as part of the ceiling or roof inside a kominka farmhouse, darkened and strengthened by the smoke from the hearth.
The halves of the scabbard are carved inside with a chisel and adjusted to fit the blade.
The halves are glued together with nikawa (hide glue) then wrapped and tightly wedged to cure for a week.
The scabbard is shaped with kanna (hand plane), kiridashi (carving knife), and then the surface is smoothed with fine files.
A scrap of blackwood is carved for the kurikata which fits into a sliding dovetail cut on the scabbard, later it will be glued in place with nikawa.
Completed mountings ready for lacquering and finishing.
Lunch break view towards the forge, toolboxes and tools must be onboard for whatever may be required on a given day.
Late fall sunlight still bright at midday but shadows are lengthening as the museum season comes to an end.
The first application of natural fukiurushi seals the wood in preparation for following layers, it is cured slowly in a slightly warm humid muro/furo box, each layer takes 1-4 days to cure. Natural urushi lacquer is made from the sap of a certain tree, evaporated, fermented, and filtered.
Once the base layers of urushi have cured the cotton reinforcement cord is tied in place before further lacquering.
The final layers of urushi curing in the furo. The colour deepens as the urushi cures.
After a couple of weeks to allow the wood moisture levels to stabilize after lacquering, final adjustements to the fit are made. The knife is ready for final assembly.
