Mekugi pins?

T

Tin.Man

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Sep 5, 2010
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Trying to understand the concept of how Japanese sword handles fit together a bit better. I understand the pin is tapered, now is the hole in the tang larger then the hole in the handle?
 
usually the hole in the handle is a bit larger. the tang hole is toward the guard maybe 1/16 of an inch. that 16th of an inch keeps the handle pushed against the tsuba tightly. drill the handle, put the handle on, scribe the handle hole on the tang, then move the hole forward with a punch 1/16" then drill it. then it can be filed to a closer fit if needed. if you did it right, you should see the crescent moon shaped tang through the handle hole on the pommel side of the handle. here is a diagram. DSC_0231 by john april, on Flickr
 
John thank you so much! Best explanation I’ve seen. That helped a lot.

Does the hole sizes need to be the same on one side then say smaller on the opposite side of the handle given the pin is tapered?
 
you can do a tapered hole, most japanese ones are tapered. you want the wider entrance hole side facing your palm, so if during battle it comes loose, your palm will keep it in :D . i just use a 3/16" hole, i do not have any tapered bits. i make the pin with very little taper, so it fills in the hole on the finger side as much as possible.
 
if your tang hole is too far forward toward the guard, you can file it back. when my handle is on, i can see about 1/ 32" or more of the tang. be careful, if your hole is too far back toward the pommel, or even with your handle hole, it will not tighten up when you put the pin in.
 
John when you say you can see 1/32 of the tang, so you mean in front of the handle between the handle and tsuba before the pin goes in?

Thanks for all the help
 
hi, i mean in the handle hole. if you make the hole in the tang 1/16" toward the guard, a bit of the tang will show through the handle hole on the pommel side. make sure your handle is tight against the tsuba when you scribe the handle hole on the tang. here is another diagram for clarity. the dark moon shape on the right side of the handle hole is the tang that will be visible.DSC_0232 by john april, on Flickr
 
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To make the tapered mekugi ana through the tsuka, take a 1/4" drill bit and chuck in in a cordless drill. Go to the belt grinder and grind it while turning into a taper from 1/8" to 1/4" over the first 2" of the bit. In use, drill a 1/8" pilot hole in the tsuka, then re-drill with the tapered bit to about midway of the taper. The larger hole should be on the omote ( which is the palm side in some grips, but not always). Make your mekugi in the same taper using the same drill and belt technique. Start with a roughly 1/4" piece of hardened ( smoked) dense bamboo and turn to make a peg 2" long and tapered from 1/8" to 1/4". This allows fitting and trimming for a perfect fit. As the ana in the tsuka wears with repeated assembly/disassembly, just use a new peg driven in farther and trim accordingly.

NOTES:
Besides the fat and thin ends, there is a left and right side of a mekugi (usually called the front and back). Look at the end and you will see that the grain dots are denser on one side. This harder side is what should be striking the nakago metal .Thus, it goes facing toward the kashira, or back end of the sword. The less dense end faces front.

A modern high tech mekugi can be made from Teflon, phenolic rod (Garolite), or titanium.
 
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