Tanto aikuchi
2018 year
Materials: steel, copper, linden, beech, lacquer.
Techniques: forging, locksmithing, hardening, polishing, wood carving, patina, wood painting
Dimensions:
total length 44 cm.
blade length 29.5 cm.
blade width at the guard is 30 mm. blade thickness at the guard is 6 mm. the blade is curved and tapers evenly towards the point.
The tanto sword was used by samurai as an auxiliary weapon to finish off a wounded enemy.
Along with wakizashi and katana, tanto is considered a sword, only of a different length, up to 30 cm. The first tanto appeared in the Heian era (794-1185). Towards the end of the 12th century and later, masters turn the tanto into a work of art.
Aikuchi (Japanese 合口 lit. “fitted mouth”) is a type of tanto, characterized by the absence of tsuba (guard).
Forging will change the physical properties of steel for the better. Manually, with the help of a hammer, the geometry of the blade is changed. 
Before hardening, the steel must be annealed (the blade is heated to the forging temperature and slowly cooled down with the coals). After annealing, the internal stress in the steel will go away, which minimizes the appearance of cracks and bends during quenching. 
The shape of the tanto blade is completed before hardening. 
Before hardening, a part of the blade from the butt side is coated with a mixture of clay, fine sand and ground charcoal. 
Due to such hardened zone in a strong but brittle blade will support in the form of a resilient butt, which does not give the blade to break in case of overload. 
The handle is made from two halves of linden wood. 
The two halves of the handle are glued together, it remains to shape. 
Linden handle and scabbard took shape. Now you need to cut a place on them for the koiguchi and fuchi rings, made of dense and fine-grained beech. 
All tanto wooden elements are ready! If you call a spade a spade, then in the photo: saya, mekugi, koiguchi, fuchi, kurikata and tsuka. 
It remains only to varnish. 
I decided to grow bamboo for tanto. 
