Thank you very much Ken for this piece. I appreciate you indulging my desire to make this geometry and my endless fussing.
Thanks to everyone for the comments and encouragement.
I have several books on Japanese swords and this piece has always drawn me, in a geometry called Kata-Kiriha Zukuri. This one is an interpretation of a mid 17th century wakizashi from the Edo branch of the Yasutsugu family of smiths. This piece has always fascinated me for how the geometry, single fuller, and the hamon interact to create balance on the very different sides of the blade. I've wanted to try it for some time now.
Here is a pic of the original:
I really liked how the hamon on the kiriha side (the top view) follows the lower shinogi line and is quite sedate and gentle in deference to the imposing fuller. On the shobu side (the lower) the hamon is wilder and more active and together there is a fascinating balance.
Central to the koshirae of this piece is the beautiful Edo period antique Fuchi and Kashira with inset dragons. This was one of the themes discussed and when I saw these I was pretty sure that it would fit very nicely in this piece.
The tsuba was a difficult piece to get right. At first I tried some traditional carving and quickly discovered how difficult it is so I shelved it and started again. (I think a course with Patrick Hastings is in my future).
It also occurred to me that I really wanted to highlight the beautiful fuchi/kashira and keep it light but also large enough to qualify as a wakizashi sized piece. To do this I forged a piece of wrought iron and did large cut-outs. I think the effect was achieved as it is large enough to be substantial but allows one to see the full interaction of the all the parts. Kind of a tying things together by omission, or negative space.
I think these shows what I mean:
In the rush to get this to arrive in time for the BLADE show, I didn't get any great shots of the hamon but one part I really liked was this one. When thinking of themes the idea of something astronomical was discussed. By chance this little horsehead nebula showed up.. well that's what I thought when I saw it.
Here's a bit of the hamon on the other side.
And heres a poorly lit video of the hamon on both sides.
[youtube]SFPZgDHt6l0[/youtube]
A video of the stand (made of Ipe) and a couple more of my photos.
[youtube]xmMc-LhDGns[/youtube]
lining the saya..
a blurry shot of the fittings
the two tsubas (you can see part of the dragon on the lower one)
and finally one of the koshirae. Though this is darker, it looks to me a little closer to the colouring.
Thanks again!
Then about 100 times more folks would have seen it - plus it could have shown up in all those cool videos you made. :thumbup:
. Congratulations on receiving an heirloom quality piece from a true craftsman and one hell of a guy.
