Japanese Ainu Wakizashi

Kampman Knives

Well-Known Member
After many failures, broken swords after water quenching, trying things out and breaking stuff i finally finished a Ainu inspired wakizashi.
This sword took me a while, i spend about 6 months working on it and failed to count the hours, but you guys know how it is, love costs time;)

Forged steel is Suminagashi
Habaki red copper with hammer stroke/rock pattern
Tsuba from mokume gane - red coper/nickel/brass
Koiguchi same mokume gane with red copper pins and bone
Tsuka from hazel with the bark left on and lacquered with red copper pins
Saya from hazel with bark on and lackerd, hand painted Ainu patterns on the side.

Thanx for watching, take care Igor.
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That is an amazing piece. Very well done and very different. Since I haven't seen any original Ainu blades
or mounts, I have no idea how traditional it is.
 
Thanx guyes!
I studiet for some time the Warabite To sword and the Ainu/Emishi people and their culture,....a year ago i started forging a warabite to sword but 2 months ago it cracket on me after the water quench. (I will forge another one when the time is there)
As a result i started this one, its a Hira Zukuri Naginata style, the Ainu people had pretty simple basic swords and knives but they had a lot of wisdom and beautiful patterns carved in the say's and tsuka's.
Their sheath's were made from wood with an outer a layer of fish skin or birch bark to protect it against the water. The Tsuba was forged on the sword and most of the swords found are i such a state that all the mountings where rotted away.
I made this sword inspired on the Ainu people, their craft and use of things who were at hand, take care Igor;)
 
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