japanese inspired short sword

Wow, gorgeous work! The detail shots are exceptionally impressive as well. This is my favorite sort of thing to stumble upon on Bladeforums. Extremely cool :cool:
 
Lovely piece here. As a student of nihonto and tosogu, I think you nailed just about every aspect of this one.

The shape of the blade shows elegance and a subtle strength and the peaked iori mune looks very nicely executed from here. I would've preferred a true hirazukuri with no secondary bevel, but that traditional style of polishing and shaping is very hard to do and requires a ton of training, certainly can't hold it against you.

I love, love, LOVE that you took the time to get serious about the fittings, that tsuba in particular. Ford is one of the best modern tsubako and you did well to learn from his work. I like your composition and that you didn't over-do it, but still put a ton of effort into the plate. The natural flow of the grasses and stream work well together while the cattails draw your eye in and add a bold sense of depth. Rim is nicely formed and I dig the silky grey patination. It also fits the blade and koshirae nicely regarding both size and shape.

My only nitpick with the guard is that it's upside down; o-tanto/ko-wakizashi were worn edge up as you have it displayed.

I love the subtle yet deliberate pattern on the habaki and you did a great job with its shape. Those buffalo horn accents were a wonderful choice and the kashira in particular looks stunning against the tsuka. This is partly due to your perfect color choice on the wrap, but also because it compliments the wood so well. I'd like to see a straighter and less tapered cap to the saya, but that's the purist in me coming out and it certainly looks fine as is.

Overall it's a very well thought out piece that shows a ton of pride in its craftsmanship. I can't say how pleased I am that you took the extra steps to embrace some of the more traditional aspects of these swords. It really shows in the attention to detail and of course, the gorgeous end result.
 
thank you dusty and evan. i appreciate the in depth comments. someday when i attempt another, i will try to get another degree closer to traditional.
 
Holy. Frickin'. Moly.
I'm sitting just about 30 minutes from this beauty right now, aren't I...

I hope you can bring some items like this to Mystic next year! (and hope I can be there!)
 
I must confess to 'stopping by' to look at this wonderful piece a couple of times a day since it's been posted....[emoji15][emoji7]


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