- Joined
- Nov 14, 2001
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- 1,152
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It will be some time before this project is complete but I was inspired by Keith's thread on his Andrew's bowie to share some photos of a Howard Clark wakizashi that's in the process of being polished and mounted. I'm not completely familiar with all the Japanese terms used to describe the blade but I believe the shape is shinogi zukuri, with about a 23" nagasa.
I filled out Howard's order form basically asking for a 22" blade, detailing my preferences, but leaving the overall design in his hands. When the blade arrived I was very pleased with his efforts. The taper of the blade, sori, kissaki, hamon, nakago and other details are all to my liking, and he even threw in an extra inch for free...
Here's the picture I received from Christine when she notified me she would be shipping it out.
Here are a few pictures I took of it as I received it in Howard's binsui polish. The handle is homemade from some paper towels and masking tape so I could get a good grip on it and test the balance. These give you an idea of the basic lines and flow of the blade.
This being my first Japanese blade I was not astute enough to begin collecting the needed fittings at the time I placed the order, so that's what I'm in the process of doing now. Our own Steven Garsson has been very helpful in lending me a guiding hand and offering his experience. At his and Christine's recommendation I contacted John De Mesa to execute the polishing of the blade. He's finished the foundation polish and has crisped the lines and tweaked the geometry close to it's final state but there are still some errant scuffs and scratches from Howard's finish that need to be addressed before the finish is entirely smooth. I'll add some pictures of the polish when John is done.
One of the craftsman John works with is Samuel Rediske and he's made a copper habaki and a shitaji grade scabbard to protect the blade until the mounting and polishing can proceed. In it's unfinished state the tsuka measures just under 8 1/2", which as Steven explained to me, is about the right size for that length blade. The blade is fixed to the tsuka in a very natural feeling angle. The weight balances well ahead of the habaki, at least without any fittings, but the point of the blade feels light and quick. Here are some photos that Sam sent me.
Phillip Baldwin of www.shiningwave.com , who is a friend of Steven's, made a mokume tsuba blank for me that still needs to be shaped. I'm not exactly sure of the process but it's composed of a combination of copper, sterling silver and shibuichi layers. This is one of those cases where the pictures don't do the piece justice. In person it has a lot of depth. Here are some photos that Phillip sent me.
I came across this pair of fuchi/kashira that I hope to use, along with a similar pair of menuki, but am not sure the style will be appropriate for the kind of tsuba that is being made, so I may have to use something else. At this point it's hard to say when everything will be completed but if anyone shows any interest I'll continue to update the thread as things progress step by step.
It will be some time before this project is complete but I was inspired by Keith's thread on his Andrew's bowie to share some photos of a Howard Clark wakizashi that's in the process of being polished and mounted. I'm not completely familiar with all the Japanese terms used to describe the blade but I believe the shape is shinogi zukuri, with about a 23" nagasa.
I filled out Howard's order form basically asking for a 22" blade, detailing my preferences, but leaving the overall design in his hands. When the blade arrived I was very pleased with his efforts. The taper of the blade, sori, kissaki, hamon, nakago and other details are all to my liking, and he even threw in an extra inch for free...
Here's the picture I received from Christine when she notified me she would be shipping it out.
Here are a few pictures I took of it as I received it in Howard's binsui polish. The handle is homemade from some paper towels and masking tape so I could get a good grip on it and test the balance. These give you an idea of the basic lines and flow of the blade.
This being my first Japanese blade I was not astute enough to begin collecting the needed fittings at the time I placed the order, so that's what I'm in the process of doing now. Our own Steven Garsson has been very helpful in lending me a guiding hand and offering his experience. At his and Christine's recommendation I contacted John De Mesa to execute the polishing of the blade. He's finished the foundation polish and has crisped the lines and tweaked the geometry close to it's final state but there are still some errant scuffs and scratches from Howard's finish that need to be addressed before the finish is entirely smooth. I'll add some pictures of the polish when John is done.
One of the craftsman John works with is Samuel Rediske and he's made a copper habaki and a shitaji grade scabbard to protect the blade until the mounting and polishing can proceed. In it's unfinished state the tsuka measures just under 8 1/2", which as Steven explained to me, is about the right size for that length blade. The blade is fixed to the tsuka in a very natural feeling angle. The weight balances well ahead of the habaki, at least without any fittings, but the point of the blade feels light and quick. Here are some photos that Sam sent me.
Phillip Baldwin of www.shiningwave.com , who is a friend of Steven's, made a mokume tsuba blank for me that still needs to be shaped. I'm not exactly sure of the process but it's composed of a combination of copper, sterling silver and shibuichi layers. This is one of those cases where the pictures don't do the piece justice. In person it has a lot of depth. Here are some photos that Phillip sent me.
I came across this pair of fuchi/kashira that I hope to use, along with a similar pair of menuki, but am not sure the style will be appropriate for the kind of tsuba that is being made, so I may have to use something else. At this point it's hard to say when everything will be completed but if anyone shows any interest I'll continue to update the thread as things progress step by step.
I'm with Joss that it will be interesting how the old and new come together when this is fully mounted. Make sure to keep us posted 
