Francis Gastellu Posted May 26, 2021 Report Share Posted May 26, 2021 I've recently completed a japanese blade, and I thought I'd share the tsuba (guard) here. It's the first time I do this kind of inlay on that scale. The young vs old bamboo dichotomy symbolizes growth, while the waning and waxing moon stand for the opening and closing chapters of our lives. I spent most of the time on the obverse side with its many inlays, and I made more than a few mistakes. There are still visible signs of my crimes, but I'm (mostly) okay with where I ended up. The reverse side features a simple katakiri carving. It doesn't look like much, but balance and confidence in the cuts were my main goal. I practiced many times before I let myself do it on the real piece. This version turned out better than any of my practice run These photos were taken just after the patination bath in roksuho. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavel H Posted May 28, 2021 Report Share Posted May 28, 2021 Nice elegant design with an idea .... I like it. Have a nice evening everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Kelso Posted June 4, 2021 Report Share Posted June 4, 2021 Very nicely done Francis. Elegant and stylish. The katakiri is very lovely. Beautiful movement in a deceptively simple design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Gastellu Posted June 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2021 Thank you both for the very kind words! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Twilbeck Posted June 5, 2021 Report Share Posted June 5, 2021 Excellent work, fantastic ,would love to see the sword. Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Gastellu Posted June 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2021 1 hour ago, Ed Twilbeck said: Excellent work, fantastic ,would love to see the sword. Thanks for sharing. Thank you so much Ed! Here's the tsuba mounted on the sword. There are a couple more carved/inlaid elements: For anyone interested in the other aspects of the build, see this thread (in another forum, I hope that's okay to link to). Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janel Posted June 5, 2021 Report Share Posted June 5, 2021 Wow! Francis, thank you for the link to the extensively detailed information from the creation of this ensemble. (Bladesmith's early founder Donn Fogg, joined and encouraged Jim Kelso and myself as co-founders of The Carving Path forum.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Gastellu Posted June 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2021 On 6/5/2021 at 2:14 PM, Janel said: (Bladesmith's early founder Donn Fogg, joined and encouraged Jim Kelso and myself as co-founders of The Carving Path forum.) I am so glad he did. Both forums are incredible resources, even for people like me who are a little late to the party. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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