TLDW #17 - Aikuchi Tanto Koshirae - Carving the Tsuka & Saya @islandblacksmith

Uploaded July 2017 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago

**WARNING: This is the longer process version intended for serious students of historical knifemaking. The wood is hounoki, carve carefully and check often! Order of operations below...

In this video the tsuka is carved first, starting with the fuchi end and then the kashira area, carving the profile outlines and then removing the material in between before carving the final shape and sculpting the details. The saya is next, first dimensioning the blank is to approximate size and then profiling the koiguchi and then the kojiri, removing the material and carving as close as possible to the final shape using kanna and kiridashi. Finally any remaining high points in the curves are smoothed with a fine rasp.

The previous stage is carving the inside of the handle and scabbard: youtu.be/ZMLh7ocI9b4

The next stage is making the fittings: youtu.be/BLzKldYVHMs

finished work is here: islandblacksmith.ca/2017/08/aikuchi-tanto-koshirae

islandblacksmith.ca/process

TLDW #17 - Aikuchi Tanto Koshirae - Carving the Tsuka & Saya

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