The nightime viewing of cherry blossoms by moonlight is cherished for the unique perspective and focus it brings to the experience. The dark tones of the sky and the gentle light of the moon provide subtle variations in colour, texture, and detail that cannot be fully appreciated by day.
This piece is reserved in its combination of materials and colours, evoking the feeling of a familiar and treasured object. A single stylized sakura petal graces the copper fuchi, a reminder that even a single petal falling to the ground does not go unnoticed and is not without significance.
One of the elements of traditional Japanese aesthetics includes the appreciation for the natural process of wear, decay, and patina. Historically, this was expressed in the use of materials that bear the marks of longevity and even the creation of new objects that appeared to be aged, rugged, or bearing certain types of imperfection.
This kotanto is made from reclaimed carbon spring steel from a horse-drawn carriage leaf spring and housed in a subdued aikuchi koshirae. The blade was hand forged in a charcoal fire, shaped with files, differentially hardened using traditional water quench yaki-ire, and polished by hand with water stones to reveal a sweeping suguha hamon with a sharp tsukiage turn back.
Hounoki (Japanese Magnolia) forms the core of the handle, local Nootka Cypress for the scabbard, and carved horn for the mekugi (peg). The handle is lacquered with multiple layers, first a bark-textured crimson and then overlaid with thin layers of natural and black in the kurodamenuri (tamenuri) style which reveals the interior only in strong sunlight. The shape of the kashira (pommel) is in the style of keito kashira (圭頭).
A stone textured surface created with natural urushi lacquer and crushed iron oxide reclaimed from discarded kairo (hand warmer packs) gives a deep crimson-rust appearance to the scabbard. The habaki, fuchi, and koiguchi were forged from copper scrap and simmered in a niage bath to give them a rich rose-plum copper oxide patina.
Blade construction is muku with a hira-zukuri profile and iori mune. The blade is approximately 5.25″ long, overall length is around 9.25″, and the overall length when sheathed is about 11″. Accompanied by a hand stitched reclaimed silk obi storage bag.
Specifications
長さ/刃長 Nagasa: 4 sun 4 bu 6 rin (132mm)
元幅 Motohaba: 7 bu 8 rin (23.5mm)
重ね/元重 Motokasane: 2 bu 4 rin (7mm)
反り Sori: uchizori
中心/茎 Nakago: 3 sun 1 bu (93.5mm)
柄長 Tsuka: 3 sun 1 bu 5 rin (95mm)
拵全長 Koshirae: 9 sun 2 bu 4 rin (279mm)
形 Katachi: hira-zukuri, iori-mune
刃文 Hamon: suguha
帽子/鋩子 Boshi: ko-maru
中心/茎 Nakago: futsu, kuri-jiri, one mekugi-ana, signed near the tip
銘 Mei: hot stamped katabami-ken kamon
拵 Koshirae: keito kashira aikuchi, issaku
Materials: Century-and-a-half-old horse carriage spring steel, copper electrical bus bar, copper lightning rod cable, Hounoki, Nootka Cypress, iron oxide from reacted kairo, natural urushi lacquer, crimson lake, leather, reclaimed buffalo horn
This piece is in a private collection in North Carolina.
Process
The raw material for this blade spent more than the last century as a leaf spring for a horse-drawn carriage. This pile is located on a former homestead of a blacksmith so it has a high proportion of carbon steel, saved for its value and usefulness in making tools and implements.
A comparison of the steel before and after forging, the area between the chalk lines was forged into the blade. The material to the left of the chalked area is rusted too thin to be forged, and the material to the right will become a larger tanto. There is a divot on the spring which can still be identified as a dark line in the tang just behind where the habaki sits.
The clay mixture dried on the blade in preparation for traditional yaki-ire style hardening. The thicker white layer delays cooling and the thinner charcoal-rich layer speeds up cooling, causing the blade to form two types of steel crystal, harder for the edge and tougher for the rest of the blade.
Immediately after hardening, the blade has been heated to critical temperature and then plunged into a water bath to cool. Once the clay is removed it will be tempered slightly to remove some of the stress along the edge.
Using the charcoal forge to silver solder the two parts of the forged copper habaki together. Forming an “oven” from charcoal and keeping the air blast as low as possible helps prevent oxygen from contaminating the joint and provides an even heat.
Using rasps, files, and finally diamond and water stones to shape and polish the finished habaki.
Annealing scrap copper electrical bus bar to begin forging the fuchi. Heating aged copper creates interesting colours as the oxides and salts burn off the surface.
Forging and filing to shape the two parts for the fuchi. Scrap electrical-grade copper is relatively pure and forges well.
Cooling the fuchi after silver soldering the two parts together in the charcoal forge. The oxidized steel wire provides tension as the parts are heated but does not stick to the solder in the event of an excess.
The fuchi after shaping, polishing, and then etching in vinegar to texture the surface before patination.
Hounoki (Japanese Magnolia) is carved to fit the tang snugly and then glued together with rice paste to form the core of the handle.
After shaping with planes, chisels, and a knife, it is given several base coats of urushi lacquer.
A bark textured layer coloured with crimson lake pigment is polished slightly.
Contrasting layers of natural and black urushi are layered over it and polished to level the surface.
Finally it is coated with very thin layers of black urushi to partially obscure the colour underneath. This layered finish style is called kurodamenuri (tamenuri), the interior is revealed only in strong sunlight.
As with the handle, the scabbard is split and carved to fit the blade, then glued back together with rice paste. When dry it is carved to shape using knives, chisels, and hand planes.
The finished wood scabbard is coated with several layers of urushi lacquer and then sprinkled with iron oxide to give it a textured look. The iron oxide comes from reacted hand warmer packs, called kairo.
After several more coats of urushi the iron oxide has become a stone texture surface known as ishimeji.
Cord fittings for the koiguchi are forged, filed, and chiseled from various sizes of scrap copper wire.
The copper fittings are cleaned and then simmered in a niage bath to give them a rich rose-plum copper oxide layer.
The fittings are coated with a layer of natural ibota wax to seal the patina before being mounted to the saya and tsuka.
The last stage is the final polish of the blade, using fine natural waterstones mined in kyoto.
