The katana is a long, two-handed, slightly curved sword invented in Japan. In this article we will tell you how to make a katana with your own hands. In this case, we will talk about a real katana made of hardened steel, and not just about paper and wooden crafts.
Tools and materials
The first stage of making a katana begins with collecting necessary materials and tools. We will need a hammer, anvil, smelter, forge and various polishing and grinding tools to finish the product. From materials you need to stock up on ferrous sand (it is advisable to find good black sand, if not from Japan itself, then at least of decent quality), as well as charcoal, sandstone powder, clay, water and rice straw. If you have everything you need, you can start making a katana.
Steelmaking
First, we light charcoal and immerse black sand in the smelter. The melting point of sand must be at least 1500 degrees. We need to smelt about 4 kilograms of steel. Now we divide the steel into high-carbon steel and low-carbon steel (gray-black). We place large and small pieces of charcoal at the bottom of the forge and set it on fire, and then place high-carbon steel there. Next, grind the charcoal and place it evenly along the bottom of the forge along with rice straw. After that, we put high-carbon steel on top (one layer) and fill it with charcoal on top. We quickly pump the bellows until clean steel remains in the forge.
Forging and hardening of the product
Now we take out the steel and begin to forge flat sheets from the pieces. The thickness of the sheets should not exceed 5 mm. We place pieces of high-carbon steel on a steel blank with a handle, wrap it in paper and apply clay. Next, we put the steel in the forge, fill it with charcoal and heat it until white(about 30-40 minutes). Then we do this: we take out the resulting piece of steel, hit it with a hammer several times and heat it again. This procedure must be repeated at least 5 times. After this, we take the low-carbon steel that was set aside in advance, forge a bar from it, roll it up and forge it again - we do this about 10 times.
Finally, we start preparing the blade. To do this, we split the block and forge a rectangular plate. Now we stretch the plate perpendicular to the length, giving the blade the required shape. We process the edges of the blade with a file until the desired quality is obtained. All that remains is to make a handle for our katana. To do this, you can use a couple of bars, which can then be wrapped with leather and cotton cord. That's all - our katana is ready.
Katanas made of wood and paper
A few words about how to make a katana out of wood. There is nothing complicated here. For a wooden katana, we need a wooden blank, which simply needs to be processed with the appropriate tools: a jigsaw, chisel, hammer and files. Cut out the desired shape and then sand it down. Of course, such work requires perseverance and patience, but making a katana from wood will require much less effort than making a combat katana. Before cutting out the workpiece, it is advisable to mark it with special marking tools so that you get exactly the shape you want. And finally, how to make a katana out of paper? Make a katana from thick paper It’s quite simple: you need to mark its contours and then simply cut along them.
They have survived to this day and do not lose popularity. Since ancient times, the katana has been made from damask steel - “Anosov” steel, but fighting with such a tool is dangerous, so let’s put the original samurai weapon aside for now, let it decorate the interior.
If you decide to study ancient art samurai, then a bokken, a wooden analogue of a blade, is perfect as a training weapon. “How to make a katana from wood?” - Many people asked themselves this question, but only a small number of samurai mastered the wooden bokken technique.
Features of a wooden katana
Japanese culture is rich in traditions. Training swords have been used in samurai art for hundreds of years. In the East there are many schools studying martial arts. Depending on belonging to a particular school, the bokken sword has its own parameters and name. For example, to make a Bokuto bokken, white wood is used. The length of such a blade is 102 cm, and the weight varies between 580-620 grams. As for the Keishi-Ryu bokken, such a weapon is heavier and, with its length of 102 cm, weighs 730 grams.
A bokken is a replica of a katana, made of wood, which has been used since time immemorial to learn the samurai craft. Having learned how to make a katana from wood, you will be surprised, because this process is not labor-intensive.
The shape of the bokken completely duplicates the shape of the katana, but due to the material used to produce the weapon, it weighs less. How to make a katana from wood with your own hands and get a quality product? Choose the right material. The following types of wood are mainly used to make bokken:
- oak: white, red, black, brown;
- hornbeam.
The blade of a wooden bokken, like a real katana, is beveled at an angle of 45 degrees at the end, and the profile of the blade has a flattened oval or round shape. It depends on the type of weapon.
A distinctive feature of samurai bokken is the absence of a guard, a transverse pad that protects the hand from the enemy’s weapon sliding along the blade. A shallow slot is made along the entire length - “hi”, thanks to which the bokken makes a characteristic whistling sound when struck.
How to make a wooden katana
Today you will learn how to make a katana from wood, following simple instructions.
Mastery training takes place specifically with a bokken, which is why the need to make or purchase this instrument is so common.
Step by step guide
- To get started you will need a drawing. You can draw a rough drawing of a katana or download a ready-made template from the Internet.
- Having made the workpiece, begin processing, starting with the handle. Process the area under it using a file and a plane.
- Shape the blade by removing excess wood using a template using tools.
- Round the tip and smooth the corners of the handle.
- Sand the handle and blade using sandpaper.
If desired, you can cut out and attach a guard, but most bokkens are made without this element.
Now you know how to make a katana from wood. It turns out that this is not as difficult as it might seem. Even a beginner in this matter can cope with such a task.
Japan has always been famous not only for its martial arts masters, but also for its craftsmen capable of making stunning examples of edged weapons. One of these masterpieces is the ordinary samurai two-handed sword - the katana. It may not be so easy for you to make a real katana at first, but you can absolutely try making a training version out of wood.
You will need
- – birch board;
- – tools for working with wood;
- – sandpaper;
- – wood varnish.
Instructions
1. Prepare a dry birch board or block. Hazel or dead oak wood is also suitable. The main requirement for the material for a sword is the absence of wood defects, especially knots. The length of the workpiece should be about a meter or a little more. The general dimensions of the future wooden samurai sword are determined by the height of its owner; Usually the handle of a katana is about 25 cm long, and the working part (blade) is no more than 75 cm.
2. Plan out a straight, wide piece with a plane. Remove excess layers of wood; if you are using a whole shrub trunk, you should remove the bark in advance and dry the workpiece a little. After the initial processing, you should end up with a strip 10-30 mm thick.
3. Give the sword a slightly curved look by removing the excess. To ensure that the dimensions and shape are not distorted during processing, the silhouettes of the future weapon should be applied to the workpiece in advance, and then the excess material should be removed step by step using a plane.
4. Grind the sharp edges of the workpiece, giving the cross-section of the katana a slightly rounded or oval shape. Pay special attention to the hilt of the sword, since the ease of handling the training weapon will depend on the quality of its processing. It will be perfect if you make the handle with a round or oval cross-section. Make sure that its thickness is identical along each length.
5. Later giving the working part of the katana the desired shape, process it with a file, and then with sandpaper. This will keep your hands from splinters. First, use a larger sandpaper, gradually moving to a finer sanding. For safety reasons when handling the projectile, make the tip of the katana rounded and also polish it.
6. Cover the finished sword with two or three layers of varnish in stages to protect the wood from the harmful effects of the environment. To make it comfortable to hold the training weapon in your hand, carefully wrap the handle of the sword with insulating tape. Now you can bravely begin to master the art of fighting with samurai swords.
The aura that surrounds the mythical samurai sword, the katana, has maintained interest and admiration for this type of weapon for hundreds of years. Katana is a strong, light and elastic sword. It becomes this way due to the special materials from which it is forged, the special forging technique and, according to legend, the true heartfelt attitude of the master.
You will need
- Ferrous sand
- Smelter
- Hammer
- Anvil
- Charcoal
- Rice straw
- Clay
- Sandstone Powder
- Tools for grinding and polishing steel
Instructions
1. In order to forge a positive katana, you need to stock up on special “black sand” from the Japanese coast. These are ferrous sands from which you will have to smelt tamahagane - traditional Japanese iron used for forging samurai swords.
2. Load the ore sand into the smelter - tatara - and smelt about 4 kilograms of steel using charcoal. The temperature in the melting furnace should reach 1,500 degrees Celsius.
3. Sort the iron into low-carbon and high-carbon. High carbon tamahagane is heavier, clear silver in color. Low-carbon - rougher, gray-black in color.
4. Cover the bottom of the forge with crushed charcoal, add huge chunks of coal and light them. Lay down a layer of mild steel and add another layer of charcoal. Wait until the iron sinks to the bottom of the forge.
5. Cover the bottom of the furnace with rice straw ash mixed with powdered charcoal, lay a layer of high-carbon steel in a mound, and cover it with charcoal on top. Start actively pumping the bellows. Wait until only iron remains in the forge.
6. Take your tamahagane pieces and start hammering them into flat sheets half a centimeter thick. Cool the sheets in water and break them into 2cm square slabs. Sort the iron into high-carbon and low-carbon.
7. Take selected pieces of high carbon steel and place them on a steel plate with a handle. Wrap in paper and coat with clay. Place in the blacksmith's forge. Pour in charcoal and heat for at least thirty minutes until clear yellow or white.
8. Remove the block from the forge, place it on the anvil and hammer it. Place back into the forge, heat and forge. Repeat this cycle several times.
9. When your block is ready, make a dent in it with a chisel and roll it towards you. Reheat and hammer until the top and bottom halves are fused and the block returns to its original length. Repeat this cycle six times.
10. Before continuing forging, cut the block into four equal parts. Stack them one on top of the other and weld them together by heating and forging. Repeat rolling, heating and forging six more times. You now have kawagane iron.
11. Take the low-carbon iron you have set aside, forge it into a bar, and then roll and hammer it ten more times. You have got “singane” or core iron.
12. Forge a flat plate 40 centimeters long from kawagane, roll it in the shape of the letter U. Place a shingane block inside this plate. Heat the workpiece in the forge until it turns clear yellow and begin to bind. Achieve complete welding of the plates to each other.
13. Make a blank for the blade by heating a block in a forge and forging it into a rectangular blank. Shape the blade by stretching the blank perpendicular to its length. Form the cutting edge, tip, side ribs and butt.
14. Using a scraper knife, scrape the surface of the sword. Use a file to file the butt and cutting edge. Using a carborundum stone, pre-grind each blade.
15. Prepare a sticky clay mixture from clay, crushed charcoal and sandstone powder in equal proportions. Dilute with water and apply to the cutting edge with a spatula. A thick layer along the butt and on the side surfaces and a very thin layer along the very edge. Wait until the clay hardens. Heat the blade in a forge to 700 degrees Celsius and cool it in a container of water.
16. Adjust the curve of the blade and polish it.
17. Use a file to file the shank of the blade.
18. Finish the production of the katana by making a handle from 2 halves of wood, first wrapped in leather and then with cotton cord.
Video on the topic
Helpful advice
You can learn the art of making a regular katana in person from a genuine master. There are a lot of subtleties and secrets that are passed on only from teacher to student.
Katana is the weapon of the samurai in Japan. The art of wielding a katana has not lost its relevance to this day. But swinging a real katana during training, which, according to legend, is capable of cutting steel rods, is simply unsafe. An analogue of the material for a genuine samurai sword can be considered damask steel or, in our time, the newly discovered special technology of the so-called “Anosov” steel. If you decide to explore the ancient art of the samurai, put the “authentic” blade aside. Let it be an excellent interior detail.
Instructions
1. In understanding the art of wielding a katana, its full analogue of the blade, called the “bokken” due to its properties, has long been used.
2. The bokken is completely similar in shape to the katana, but... it's made from tree, then a little lighter. Bokken, as usual, is made from strong rocks tree, such as oak, beech, hornbeam and similar. In Japan, bokken are usually made from white (Shiro kashi), red (Aka kashi), chestnut or black oak (Chaironuri kashi).
3. Due to the fact that the custom of wielding a sword goes back hundreds of years in Japan, training bokken swords also have their own canonical sizes, weights and names depending on the schools that use them. For example, the Bokuto (iaito) bokken is made of white or red oak, with 102 cm long, its weight ranges from 580 to 620 g, depending on the material.
4. The Keishi-Ryu bokken is the heaviest of all, with a length of 102 cm and weighs 730 g. The guard (a transverse pad that protects the hand from the enemy’s weapon sliding along the blade) is, as usual, not used in bokkens.
5. To give a characteristic whistling sound when the weapon is positioned correctly upon impact, a shallow groove called “hi” is made along the “blade” of the bokken.
6. The blade of a bokken (like a real katana) is beveled at an angle of 45 degrees at the end. The profile of a bokken, depending on the type, can be flattened oval or round.
Sword samurai - his pride, a symbol of courage. The first samurai swords were made of hardened iron plates, shaped like a blade. But little by little, iron replaced steel swords. A genuine samurai sword combines the elasticity of iron and the hardness of steel. However, experts say that the uniqueness of the Japanese sword lies not in the alloy of materials, but in the method of its manufacture.
Instructions
1. In order to make an authentic samurai sword, purchase a strip of laminated Damascus steel. Instead of Damascus steel, any other type of spring-spring or instrumental type and certainly with a huge content of carbon will do. The best option will become highly alloyed iron.
2. Using a huge file, give your strip of steel a diamond-shaped cross-section, maintaining all the usual proportions of a Japanese sword. Cut the edge of the sword from the tip to the tip of the tang. File the shoulders only after the final formation of the blade from start to finish. Do not make the thickness of the cutting edge too thin. It must be at least 1 millimeter.
3. Sharpen the surface of the blade using 2 files: one huge and one smaller. Both files must be new. Move the file perpendicular to the axis of the sword; on the contrary, irregularities will appear on the surface. If you do not plan to put clay on top, then at the end go over the blade with a file to give it a shine.
4. To perfect the back line, make a special device. To twenty centimeters wooden block attach sandpaper. One of the sides of the bar must be convex in order to correspond to the deflection of the sword. Using this device, similar to a jointer, level the arc of the back.
5. To heat treat your sword, you will need a huge muffle furnace with a meter-deep chamber. Immerse your sword into the oven virtually horizontally, blade down. The same procedure can be done in blacksmith's forge using coke. Annealing must be carried out strictly in the ash layer. To do this, make a tight pencil case along each length of the strip and heat it until it glows orange. You will carry out the sword in a hot structure for 2 hours, after which you will be judged.
6. After complete cooling, proceed to final stage grinding. Using industrial abrasives, slowly back-and-forth movements of the whetstone over the sword give it the appearance of a Japanese samurai sword.
Video on the topic
A real katana, being a samurai weapon, is made from certain types of iron, forged in several layers. But modern katanas, as usual, are forged from spring steel. Consequently, sharpening Japanese remake swords has its own characteristics.
You will need
- – katana;
- – stones for sharpening;
- – electric emery;
- – marker;
- - protective glasses.
Instructions
1. Take the sword in your hands and mentally divide the blade into three parts. The upper part will require particularly sharp sharpening (it will cut), the middle one will require sharpening at a huge angle (it will be subject to load upon impact) and, finally, the lower part, which is closest to the guard, will be sharpened minimally (no load will actually be applied to it) . Mark these parts with a marker.
2. First, sharpen the blade minimally. To do this, turn on the electric sander, put on safety glasses, wait about one minute until it spins completely, and bring the tip of the sword perpendicular to it. With a light movement, without pressing the blade tightly against the emery disk, move the sword from right to left, then turn it over and draw it from left to right. Repeat the procedure until you can clearly feel the cutting edge with your finger. sharp corner. The same result can be achieved by running a sharpening stone along the blade, but this will take much more time and effort.
3. Now sharpen the top of the blade. Bring it up again katana to the sandpaper, place the blade flat on the disc. Angle it so that the cutting edge lightly touches the rotating disk. Using movements from left to right and right to left, move the blade from the tip to the mark of its middle part. This will reduce the sharpening angle.
4. Sharpen the middle part of the blade. The sharpening angle should be 40-45°. Move the blade along the sandpaper, pressing it tightly against it - from the mark of the middle part to the mark of the bottom using the method described above, until you achieve desired angle sharpening. Do the same with the bottom of the blade. Here the sharpness of sharpening is not so important, therefore an angle of 50° will be enough (but no one is stopping you from making it smaller). Sharpening the lower part should end 2-3 cm from the guard (it will be difficult to sharpen further, but the guard can be easily peeled off).
5. Now bring the sword to the required sharpness with sharpening stones. First, run them evenly along each length of the blade in order to remove any permissible irregularities. After this, purposefully sharpen each part individually with short, sharp movements, starting from the bottom.
Note!
The smaller the sharpening angle, the lower the strength of the blade. For cutting hard materials Large sharpening angles are needed, and for cutting soft materials the sharpening angle must be much smaller.
Helpful advice
After chopping swords, jagged edges will inevitably remain on your blade (to preserve it, it is better to fight off enemy weapons with the flat side of the blade), so repeat the sharpening procedure with whetstones after each battle or once a week.
A katana is a long, two-handed, curved sword with one sharp edge. Along with the short wakizashi sword and the auxiliary tanto dagger, it was part of the core set of weapons of the Japanese samurai. The katana was the soul of a warrior, a jewel, a family heirloom and even a philosophy. Nowadays, Japanese culture and martial arts are extremely famous in Russia, and therefore samurai swords are in great demand. Knowing how to choose a katana correctly is also an art that needs to be learned.
Instructions
1. Decide for what purpose you want to purchase katana. The size of the sword, equipment and even material will depend on this.
2. If you need a sword for training, purchase a bokken - a wooden model of a katana. The bokken must withstand strong blows; therefore, it is made from hard wood (beech, oak, hornbeam) and impregnated with varnish or resin to increase density. With intense training, the sword will last 1-2 years. In Japan, bokken are treated with about the same respect as real katanas.
3. If you choose to train with a real sword, pay primary attention when choosing a katana not to decoration, but to size and shape. Take the sword in your hands: holding it should be comfortable and enjoyable. The length of the katana varies from 95 to 120 cm. In order to positively select the length of the sword for yourself, stand straight and grab it by the base of the blade near the round guard (tsuba). The tip of the blade should actually touch the floor. The length of the katana (tsuka) handle should be approximately three of your fists (about 30 cm on average).
4. When purchasing weapons as a gift, as an interior decoration, give preference to a set of 2 swords (katana and wakizashi) or 3 (katana, wakizashi and tanto). It will look more significant and rich. Unlike European sabers, dirks and swords, Japanese katanas do not hang on the wall, so you must purchase a special stand.
5. In order for the katana to take its rightful place in the interior, take care of the accessories. A distinctive feature of samurai swords is the possibility of disassembling them into combined parts. Because the handle was traditionally made of wood and covered with leather or fabric, it quickly wore out and needed to be replaced. Choosing katana, purchase an additional set for her frame (soroi-mono). It includes the tsuba (guard), menuki (handle decorations), kashira and futi (handle head and sleeve).
6. Remember that a samurai sword, like any other weapon, must be properly looked after. Be sure to purchase a special katana care kit. It includes powder natural stone for polishing, rice paper for cleaning, oil for lubricating the blade, and mekugitsuchi - a tool for removing wooden nails (mekugi) that secure the handle.
Video on the topic
Note!
If you want to buy a katana as a gift, not as a piece of furniture, but for martial arts practice, be sure to come to the store together with the future owner. Ultimately, there will be no surprise, but only the warrior himself will be able to determine whether the sword is the right length and whether it will be convenient to work with it.
The Japanese katana sword is created over several months. The process is so difficult because the weapon must be sharp, strong and not brittle at the same time. To achieve this, craftsmen combine several types of metal in one blade. If you decide to draw katana and if you want the drawing to be believable, consider the design features of this weapon.
You will need
- - pencil;
- - paper;
- – eraser;
- – paints/colored pencils.
Instructions
1. Draw a straight line. It will serve as the basis for the essay. If there are other objects or people in the picture besides the katana, determine their proportional relationship. Consider the length of the weapon - about 70-100 cm.
2. Divide the line into three equal parts. The upper segment indicates the length of the handle. Since the sword should be curved, slightly bend the drawn segment. The most “convex” point is located in the middle of the segment.
3. Mark the width of the katana. The width of the blade is approximately 30 times less than the overall length of the weapon. Make the handle a little wider than the blade. The tip of the blade should be beveled - “cut” the end of the sword at an angle of 45°.
4. Draw a guard at the border of the handle and blade. This metal nozzle, which guards the warrior's hand. Its diameter is on average 8 cm, and its thickness is 5 mm. You can choose the shape of the guard as you wish - it can be round, oval, quadrangular, polygonal, divided into parts. On the surface of this part of the katana it is possible to depict carvings or edging with non-ferrous metals. The guard is secured at the top and bottom with washers - draw them in the form of thin stripes.
5. Draw a stripe under and above the guard, make the top one tighter. These are couplings made of brass or bronze.
6. Remove the auxiliary construction lines and draw in detail the surface of all parts of the katana. You can make a watercolor background in advance and add pencil strokes to the dried paint.
7. The handle of the katana should be covered with leather. It is wrapped with ribbon on top. Invent a winding pattern or copy it from a photograph of an authentic weapon. You can add voluminous decorative elements between the turns of braid. Closer to the guard, draw a small pin that attaches the handle to the blade.
8. The blade of a katana can be made of one or more metals. The highest quality specimens are made of strong metal around the edges and more soft metal in the center of the blade. Draw the boundaries of these “layers”. While angling the blade, determine where the light source is and mark the highlights and shadows on the blade.
9. Draw the katana sheath in the form of a curved rectangle. In its upper part there should be a cord threaded into a loop.
Japanese weapons have long ago become famous all over the world. The long katana sword was even included in the Russian weapons state standards of edged weapons, where it was called a two-handed saber. A well-made katana appears monolithic, but in fact it can be disassembled. For example, it is recommended to disassemble it during transportation. There may also be a need to replace the handle. In addition, collectors are often allowed to see individual parts of this sword.
You will need
- – small hammer;
- – brass tongue:
- - gloves.
Instructions
1. The sheath is an inseparable part of the katana. In Japan, they were most often made from stingray skin. Now this material It is used mainly in expensive models, and for the rest, the sheath is made from any kind of leather, including unnatural leather. Katana the sheath is traditionally placed in the obi belt. This fashion arose in the 17th century and has survived to this day. Before removing the hilt, remove the sword from its sheath.
2. The tsuka (handle) of an excellent katana is attached with the support of one or several pins - mekugi (in another transliteration - mekugi). The pins were usually made of bamboo and were not glued in place. Now mekugs are also made from other materials, and in inexpensive models, the handle parts are often glued on. Therefore, when buying a katana, you need to ask the seller to disassemble it. Wear gloves before you begin removing the handle. You can get by with one - on the hand with which you will hold the blade.
3. Place the katana on a horizontal surface. If you are not very sure that the pins will come out easily, you can carefully fix the sword in a vice. But usually this is not done. Place the point of the brass tongue against the pin. Carefully hit the head of the brass piece with a hammer to knock it out. That's right, knock out the rest of the mekugi in the same way. It is rare that there are more than 3 pins; usually one or two are enough. Set the mekugi aside or in a small box so they don’t get lost. Tsuka was traditionally made from magnolia wood. Nowadays different plastics are often used.
4. With a gloved hand, grasp the sword by the blade next to the guard. Pull the handle firmly. It must be removed from the shank, the one called nakago, with some effort. Remove the footy coupling located between the handle and the guard.
5. The next part that needs to be removed from the knife is the seppa, an original washer that makes the connection stronger and prevents the handle from splitting. It’s true that the same seppa is on the other side of the guard.
6. Remove the guard, which is called a tsuba on a katana. After this, it remains to remove one more washer and another coupling, which is called habaki. Occasionally you can disassemble the handle by removing some decorative elements from it. But on modern working swords these decorations are usually not removed.
Helpful advice
A short Japanese sword can be disassembled in a similar way and with the support of the same simple devices. The hammer does not have to be very huge. They don’t need to knock hard, brass is enough soft material, and the tongue may become deformed. Katana care items can be purchased in the same store as the sword itself.
This knowledge is necessary for the customer when ordering a katana, for the master when making a katana, and for anyone who delves into the topic of the perfect Japanese edged weapon - katanas.
Here we will look at one of the elements of this weapon, namely katana handle device.
Common name of handle: tsuka.
And so let's get started:
Tsuka- katana handle.
Kasira– pommel. Rather, it’s even a lid that has a decorative and practical purpose. Kasira– the handle ends with a metal cover and has a hole for passing the tape, which is used to braid the handle.
Same– stingray skin, traditional material covering the wooden handle of a katana. Expensive material.
Ho- wooden katana handles.
– decorative element, used to finish the handle of a katana.
- a hole and pin used to hold the handle of a katana.
- This is the base of the blade on which the handle elements are mounted.
– a fastening and decorative clutch of the handle, together with the cashier, holds the wooden linings of the handle assembled.
- metal washers have both a decorative and practical function. Only two pieces are installed on both sides of the tsuba.
Unlike the European sword, the Japanese sword had the function of protecting the hand when struck with a tsuba. last thing.
– fastening coupling, the main task is to create a tight connection between the blade and the sheath.
Not marked in the image. But it is equally important to indicate an element such as:
Tsuka-ito– tape used to wrap the handle.
Now, we know the terminology. And we understand what the handle of a Japanese katana consists of. Now, using this knowledge, we can figure out what the stylization of the handle of the katana made by the Zbroevy Falvarak workshop consists of.
For example, let's take one of the previously made katanas:
Katana handle from the Zbroevy Falvarak workshop
As you can see we do non-collapsible handle, but at the same time, we retain a significant amount of characteristic elements of the original katana handle .
Menuki, fuchi, sepa are brass casting.
Tsuka-ito – leather tape, which is no less typical for a katana.
Same- normal skin.
Absent: mekugi and habuki.
Here is a photo of a standard set for a katana hilt, from the Zbroevy Falvarak workshop (the menuki is missing, but it is also included in the set)
Standard set for katana hilt, Zbroevy Falvarak workshop
Generally, This high level stylization. However, we strive for more.
But by default our handle looks like this .
Sword work is one of the main training booths. And since ancient times, it has been used to practice chopping movements and positions with weapons. bokken- a wooden sword designed to replicate the basic characteristics (size, shape and weight) real sword (Shinken). Over time, the attitude towards martial arts changed, giving priority to practical benefits to internal development, and the type of training sword acquired standard, unified parameters. This kind of unification did not benefit the development of real skills at all, but it greatly simplified technological process mass production bokken. How to independently make a training sword from wood (or other materials) will be discussed below.
First, you need to understand what you want to get in the end, and for what purpose you need it: a sword for practicing forms, for bloody sparring, for honorably hoisting on a wall, etc. If you are going to study at a formal school where teaching is expected kenjutsu in any form, try to find out in advance what requirements will be imposed on the weapon. If appearance or strict compliance with standards is fundamental - then seriously think about purchasing a factory tool - a smoothly turned wooden weapon, a practical plastic representative Cold Steel or bamboo shinai. Fortunately, they are now sold in almost any weapons or sporting goods store, and real cabinetmakers are ready to provide their services everywhere.
If your current priority is to create a training sword as an applied tool that does not require great skill, excessive time and money, but replicates the simulated weapon in the basic characteristics, then you can try to make it yourself.
Dimensions . A traditional bokken has the following dimensions:
- Daito(the larger of the paired swords acts as katanas, tachi) - length about 102 cm, tsuka (handle) about 24 cm.
- Shoto(smaller - wakizashi, kodati) - length 55 cm, handle 14 cm.
If you want to do ninja, do not forget that no one will give you the exact dimensions - these weapons were either made to order individually (or even independently), or other people’s blades were used. As a rule, the length of a ninja is usually taken as the average between daito and seto - the length is about 70-80 cm, the handle is about 20.
Material . The most heartbreaking moment. If you want to get a tool for practicing racks, a cut one will be enough for you. cardboard box. If you want your bokuto had a considerable weight and definitely resembled a real weapon, then you will have to take care of quality material. Classic - wood. For sparring the best varieties Trees considered to be dogwood, oak (better - Japanese white), hornbeam, acacia, boxwood. It is better to avoid all pine, birch and alder trees. Oreshina - too, although the author’s hazel bokken survived a couple of years of active clashes with swords made of textolite, duralumin and pressed plywood. Textolite is also a solution, although it is more relevant for the role-playing movement than for BI (because it is hard, painful and not authentic in any eye).
Tools . The best thing is a workshop with complete set electrical equipment - a jigsaw, a grinder. You may also need a hacksaw, a plane, a vice, a knife, stationery for marking, sandpaper and files. Optional: varnish and brush.
Blank . For the layman best choice to find the source, you will have to wander around the forest for a couple of hours and look for branches of sufficient thickness with a natural bend, closest to Japanese swords. Creating an artificial bend will not lead to anything good, there are hundreds of broken bokuto of this kind around the world - the best for that proof. If there is no forest nearby, then purchasing timber or boards from a building materials store is inevitable. The block, of course, will have to be taken slightly larger in size than the planned final result.
So, the process itself :
- Dry the stored branches; it is better to do this in a dark, ventilated room, away from sources of temperature changes (batteries, refrigerators). In the case of timber, drying is not necessary.
- Mark the workpiece - draw the shape of the future blade with a pencil. Ideally, you can borrow a ready-made bokken and make markings based on it. If you are making wooden chokuto(straight sword), then there will be even fewer problems - a ruler and tape measure will help you.
- Carefully saw off/cut off the excess lengths of the material, leaving about half a centimeter of margin for sanding.
- Start processing with a plane or grinder the combat part of the blade, forming the “blade”. Remember that the shape and thickness of bokken varies even in modern schools. The back of the blade should be flat (if possible), with clearly defined edges. But if there aren’t any, it’s okay, you’re not making a museum piece.
Kashima-boken Aikiken Yagyu-boken
- Having finished shaping the blade, proceed to processing the handle - the correct handle should have an oval cross-section, turning into the blade either smoothly or through a protrusion (rudimentary guard).
- The bottom of the handle should simply be “cut off”, but the tip of the blade (kissaki) can have several different shapes: just an oblique cut, a rounded end or a slightly oiled “chisel” cut - all three options are the “classic” shapes for bokuto.
Iwama Shinto, Yagyu, Kenjutsu Aiki, Katori
- Having formed the blade and handle as a whole, you can begin grinding - emery or a file will help with this. Remember that the cleaner it is bokuto, the fewer splinters, abrasions and scratches you will have in the future. So don't ignore this point!
- To preserve your bokuto from rotting, I recommend covering it with stain or varnish. However, if this is your first experience in making wooden sword- don’t rush into this, don’t do potentially unnecessary work without checking your copy for strength.
