Osoraku Zukuri Tanto

Description

The newest addition to our tanto line is the Osoraku Zukuri Tanto. Like our Unokubi Zukuri Tanto, the name also refers to the shape of the blade. The kissaki (tip) is bigger than half of the blade’s length, which is considered an O-kissaki (large kissaki). This is a rare blade shape developed by Shimada Sukemune of the Shimada school of swordsmithing during the late Muromachi period of Japan. The tsuka of our Osoraku Zukuri Tanto has a full wrap real samegawa (ray skin). This technique is called “maru-kise” (round wrapped). This tanto is considered an “aikuchi” since it doesn’t have a tsuba. Aikuchi is a type of tanto koshirae where the fuchi is flushed with the koiguchi (mouth of the saya).

SPECIFICATIONS
• Blade Material: 1050 carbon steel (mono-steel)
• Edge: Fully sharpened
• Treatment: Hand Forged, Differentially Hardened, Heat Treated & Tempered, Water Quenched
• Blade Length: 10 inches
• Tsuka: 4.75 inches wood wrapped in full ray skin
• Overall length without saya: 16.25 inches
• Saya: 12.5 inches glossy black lacquered finish
• Fuchi / Kashira / Koiguchi: Polished buffalo horn
• Habaki: Brass
• Mekugi: 1 bamboo peg
• Samegawa: Real full ray skin wrap (off-white lacquered)
• Nakago: Full tang
• Hamon: Real toran (billowing pattern)

NOTES
• Specs may vary slightly from sword to sword
• Can be disassembled
• Includes cloth bag
• Packaging: carton box

Our original design for this tanto was for it to have a through-hardened (TH) 1050 carbon steel blade only like the Unokubi Zukuri. But the overall design of this tanto is so beautiful, a TH 1050 carbon steel blade won’t give the design justice. So we decided to make it with a differentially-hardened (DH) 1050 carbon steel with a natural hamon instead. We decided not to make the blade with 1060, 1095, or T10 as we believe a DH 1050 carbon steel would be enough for a tanto.