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Matsukaze prototype Tsuba

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Manuel has been working on the Tsuba for the first Matsukaze prototype. It is an iron Mokko-shaped Tsuba with a fine Mimi and bears “千里之行 始於足下” on its Ura side, the old Chinese proverb that means, “a thousand mile journey begins with the first step”.… Read More »Matsukaze prototype Tsuba

We have activity …

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Well,  obviously we do over here at Tokensho and lots of it. But what I meant to say is that our polisher Christophe discovered some nice activitiy in the Jigane. Something one would not necessarily expect to see on a blade not forged from Tamahagane.… Read More »We have activity …

Komi-Nagura polishing

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After some of the no all pleasant discoveries we had to make when the blade first got here (but remember, this is what protoypes are fore), polishing is now progressing nicely. Christophe has now taken the blade to the stage of polishing with the Nagura… Read More »Komi-Nagura polishing

Chu-Nagura polishing

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The Polish is now in the Chu-Nagura stage and Komi-Nagura is next. While polishing, he discovered a small area in which the Shinogi-Ji got accidentally hardened, called Mune-Yaki, which is not desirable to some. Far from being Hitatsura but still … But hey, again: This… Read More »Chu-Nagura polishing

Back to Kongo

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Not the country or the river but rather the Japanese polishing stone. The initial grind, an associated craftsman in Japan had put the blade through, basically had butchered the Shinogi and the Yokote as I wrote in one of our earlier posts. Shin (Kanemasa) is… Read More »Back to Kongo

Forging the first Matsukaze 4

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Yakiire, the hardening of Matsukaze. The blade is coated by the mixture of clay and charcoal (Yakiba-tsuchi), and it is suddenly cooled in the water after the heating to approximately 800ºC. In this process also the Hamon is produced by the thickness difference of Yakiba-tsuchi.

Forging the first Matsukaze 3

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火造,(Hidukuri) and 焼きなまし (Nakinamashi), followed by a cold hammering are the steps in which the blade is given its (more or less) final shape.

Forging the first Matsukaze 2

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Shin sent over a couple of pictures during the night. He has formed a rough Sunobe and plans to start Hidukuri next Monday. We are rolling !