Services

Tsukamaki

Services I’m offering now
– Tsukamaki
– Samegawa replacement
– Fittings swap, such as fuchi/kashira, menuki, seppa and tsuba (as long as new fittings are a close match to fit your core)

At this time, I’m not offering new tsuka cores, new saya, saya lacquer/repair or full custom sword work. For these services, I highly recommend Josiah Boomershine, who can be contacted through his facebook page.

Brands I work with

Feilong Swords
Evolution Blades Motohara
Z-Sey
Shadowdancer
Huawei Swords (not Hanwei)
Nihonto (case by case basis)
High quality iaito
Other higher end brands/models (case by case basis)

Why do I need to replace my samegawa panels?
The reason I require the samegawa panels on your tsuka to be replaced is because most factory original samegawa panels are much too narrow, are low quality with small nodules and are often patched together and there’s no guarantee the new maki will hide the seams. Manufacturers use narrow panels to save money so they can get more out of a full skin. This also forces them to make the diamonds in their tsukamaki much smaller to hide the edges of the narrow panels.

If you’re going to spend the money on redoing the tsukamaki, I believe it pays to replace the samegawa too so that your finished tsuka is as good as it can be and so you get the most value out of the money spent on your project. Having new, clean and polished samegawa panels are also necessary to achieve the best results of dyeing and lacquering.

When I replace your existing samegawa panels, I first clean and recontour the tsuka core, repairing any minor defects. I also widen the inlay channels to accept a wider and longer replacement. My tsukamaki style shows off more of the samegawa so a wider and higher quality samegawa panel is what you will see when the project is finished.

I only want your custom project to be the absolute best work I can offer and this is why I insist on doing a full, high quality service.

Styles

Hinerimaki
This is the style most commonly used on production katana and features diamond shape openings from end to end on both sides. the ito is folded as it crosses over and these crossings alternate as they go on. It is a classic and comfortable configuration and is very durable as well. This style can be done in silk, cotton, leather, suede, and nubuck ito.

Tsumamimaki
This style is essentially a fancier version of hineri-maki and is more common in Japan than the US. It differs from hineri-maki in that both strands of the ito are pinched instead of folded at the crossovers. The pinched ito tends to sit a little bit higher than the folded ito and has a slightly different feel. This style can be done in silk, cotton, leather, suede and nubuck ito.

Katahineri-maki This style is a mix of hineri-maki and tsumami-maki. it features the top strand of ito pinched at the crossovers and the bottom one folded. This style can be done in silk, cotton, leather, suede and nubuck ito.

Katate-maki This style, also commonly referred to as “battle wrap”, features one of the styles above at the beginning and end of the wrap and a portion in the middle of the tsuka wrapped in a flat spiral style. The menuki are often positioned within these central flat areas. Katate-maki style can sometimes interfere with the second mekugi-ana, if your tsuka has one. I have been able to work around this in some of the cases but it depends on the positioning, menuki size/shape and other factors. Contact me to discuss details. the type of ito that can be used for katate-maki depends on the style of the folded portion (see above)

Samegawa (stingray skin)

All upgraded panel sets include widening and or adjusting of existing carved channels to ensure they will look nice and fit appropriately under your new tsukamaki and you can also choose to have them finished in either a natural polish (tinted or white) or black lacquer (gloss or satin), for no additional cost. Custom dyeing and lacquering is also available. Please understand that this is a natural product and examples will vary. I only use the finest quality skins available to me.

Premium Panels
Premium samegawa panels are my standard offering and features medium size nodes that are consistently even, attractive and clean. Premium panels do not come with an “emperor’s node”.

Top level panels
This set is very similar to the Premium samegawa panels except they feature an oyatsubo or “emperor’s node” on one of the pair. This larger node will be placed near the kashira’s end knot on the omote side, which is a traditional location. Shape, size, coloring and positioning of surrounding nodes will vary as these are natural products.

Full Wrap (when applicable)
On a healthy and properly carved tsuka core, a full wrap of samegawa can help provide extra strength and protection as well as look more impressive aesthetically. I adjust the girth and profile of the tsuka core to allow for the extra thickness of the skin and this ensures the tsukamaki will flow well with your fittings. A full wrap results in a seam where the two ends meet and this can either be placed traditionally in the center of the ura side or it can be hidden on the edge, under the ito. The emperor’s node is typically placed near the kashira end knot on the omote side.

This option is not recommended for many production tsuka since in order to apply it properly, material must first be removed from the wood core and because of the poor quality of the wood typically used and or the poor quality of construction of the core, removing material to accommodate the new samegawa can potentially weaken the structural integrity of the core. This would be counterproductive to the original intent of trying to strengthen it. If you like the look of the larger “emperor’s node” typically associated with a full wrap but don’t want to sacrifice the strength of your tsuka, maybe the Top level panels listed above would be a better choice.

Ito choices

Silk
Silk ito is the most common choice for wrapping a tsuka because it is very strong and long lasting, comes in many colors and is comfortable to grip. I can use silk ito for any tsukamaki style listed above. Contact me for available colors.