Small Kotanto Blade

$200

A 73mm hammer-forged mini kotanto blade ready to finish in DIY style.

Out of stock

Description

This small diy blade is approximately a 3/4 scale version of the Tools for Satoyama Field Kotanto pattern.

Island Blacksmith: Charcoal forged knives reclaimed from reclaimed steel.

Island Blacksmith: Charcoal forged knives reclaimed from reclaimed steel.

Island Blacksmith: Charcoal forged knives reclaimed from reclaimed steel.

The temper of this high carbon steel blade has been left very hard in order to hold a keen edge for tasks such as wood carving and fine 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 clay tempered blade was hand forged in a charcoal fire and still bears the hammer marks and surface texture from the rust and surface artifacts on the antique push mower blade. The edge has been taken down to about 1/4 mm but still needs a final sharpening. The final edge work should only be done by hand on a waterstone or diamond stone to avoid damaging the temper.

The tang is constructed in a similar manner to a Japanese tanto 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 taken apart for cleaning, polishing, detailed cutting tasks, or major resharpening work.

The double tapered tang is designed to be mounted in the takedown style of nihonto, with a single removable bamboo peg, but has no hole yet and can be drilled to meet the final configuration as the tang area is not hardened. The blade is just under 3″ long and the overall length to the tip of the tang is 6″. The spine at the munemachi is about 4mm thick.

Specifications

長さ/刃長 Nagasa (blade length): 73mm
重ね/元重 Motokasane (spine thickness): 4mm
元幅 Motohaba (blade width): 22.5mm
反り Sori (curve): slight uchizori (reverse curve)
中心/茎 Nakago (tang length): 80mm

形 Katachi (geometry): hira-zukuri, slight iori-mune (peaked)

中心/茎 Nakago (tang): futsu, kuri-jiri, no mekugi-ana
銘 Mei (signature): mumei (unsigned)
拵 Koshirae (mounting): none

Materials: reclaimed antique push mower steel

This piece is in a private collection in California.


Process

This blade was forged and underwent yaki-ire at the museum forge.

Island Blacksmith: Charcoal forged knives reclaimed from reclaimed steel.
Antique push mower.
Island Blacksmith: Charcoal forged knives reclaimed from reclaimed steel.
Probably should have restored it for mowing!
Island Blacksmith: Charcoal forged knives reclaimed from reclaimed steel.
Made in Canada
Island Blacksmith: Charcoal forged knives reclaimed from reclaimed steel.
Comet improved ball bearing
Island Blacksmith: Charcoal forged knives reclaimed from reclaimed steel.
MA3
Island Blacksmith: Charcoal forged knives reclaimed from reclaimed steel.
Made in Canada
Island Blacksmith: Charcoal forged knives reclaimed from reclaimed steel.
MA2
Island Blacksmith: Charcoal forged knives reclaimed from reclaimed steel.
Island Blacksmith: Charcoal forged knives reclaimed from reclaimed steel.
Cold chiseling the rivet heads off.
Island Blacksmith: Charcoal forged knives reclaimed from reclaimed steel.
Punching the blade rivets from the mounts.
Island Blacksmith: Charcoal forged knives reclaimed from reclaimed steel.
Blade removed.
Island Blacksmith: Charcoal forged knives reclaimed from reclaimed steel.
Rivets still in the blade.
Island Blacksmith: Charcoal forged knives reclaimed from reclaimed steel.
Punching the rivets out of the blade.
Island Blacksmith: Charcoal forged knives reclaimed from reclaimed steel.
Ready to forge.
Island Blacksmith: Charcoal forged knives reclaimed from reclaimed steel.
Break test after thermal cycling (normalizing) at top, compared with factory grain below.