Nagatsuki Tanto

Nagatsuki (長月, pronounced “nah-gah-tsoo-key”) translates literally as “long moon”. In the ancient calendar it is a poetic name for the time around late September, possibly abbreviated from yonagatsuki meaning “night of the long moon”, or “month of the long night” depending on… Continue reading →

Kominka Forest Kotanto

The core of this project is a charcoal-forged 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… Continue reading →

Kominka Field Kotanto

Kominka Stream Kotanto

Island Forge: Kajiba Kanagu

An overview of kanagu (hardware), both made and found, to add to the island kajiba series of photo essays, documenting the preparation, construction, and set up of a simple swordsmith style kajiba (鍛冶場, forge building) from the ground up. The main inspiration… Continue reading →

Building a Togi-Dai for Polishing

Togi (研ぎ) is the process of using several stages of abrasive stones to refine, smooth, and sharpen a blade. The word togi does not differentiate between the action of polishing and the action of sharpening, in the Japanese concept the operations are… Continue reading →

Organizing the Carving Area for Making Saya

A few views of the preparation of the woodworking space for carving saya (scabbards) and tsuka (handles). The loft area of the shiageba provides a small floor working space and storage area for tools and wood while downstairs is for polishing. The… Continue reading →

Preparing the Shiage-ba (finishing shed)

Traditional knifemaking is generally divided into rough work and clean work. Forging, shaping, and kaji-togi polishing can be done in the kajiba, but finishing work must be done in a cleaner area. This small shiageba will provide work areas for carving saya… Continue reading →

Preparing and Loading the Charcoal Kiln

The first fire is relatively small and is intended to dry out some of the moisture in the clay/earth around the kiln remaining after construction and before winter. After cooling and cleaning it out, a “floor” is created above the steel floor slats using thin boards and brown charcoal from previous charcoal runs. Then the wood (mostly Pine) is split and stacked vertically from back to front leaving only a small airspace at the top. The front will be filled with kindling and bark and then the opening closed up and mostly sealed before lighting. Controlling the air intake slows down the burn and prevents loss/crumbling/cracking of charcoal wood. read more about the kiln and making charcoal.

Charcoal Kiln V.4.0

As part of the island kajiba project, reclaimed and natural materials were used to construct a larger traditional style charcoal making kiln. The basic concept is a simple chamber with a door on one end and a chimney on the other, insulated… Continue reading →

TLDW #27 – Forging a Saya Nomi (鞘鑿)

Saya-nomi (鞘鑿) are a type of Japanese chisel with several unique features designed for carving the inside of a wooden scabbard or handle. Hand forged from a reclaimed harrow tooth, the elongated neck is slightly curved for clearance and the bottom and side corners are slightly rounded and the tip is slightly bull-nosed to facilitate cutting inside a concave surface without leaving corner marks. A scrap of magnolia makes a clean, simple handle for use as a push chisel. more about the process of carving saya (scabbards)

First Lighting of the Forge & Antique Habaki Utsushi (写)

First lighting of the newly rebuilt charcoal forge in the island kajiba followed by stamping the tang and then hand forging and filing a classical tanto style habaki, silver soldered in the charcoal forge and closely based on an antique Edo period habaki. An utsushi (写) is a closely based study of another work for the purposes of professional development. Polishing and patinating will be done after the saya has been carved. information about the machigane | habaki making process

Crossed Heart Forge

Charcoal forged classical tanto & fusion style takedown knives crafted by hand from reclaimed steel and natural materials using traditional techniques.

Tag Archives: reclaimed