Fitting a fukurin to a Katchushi style tsuba.

[Ford Hallam]

This is a piece I made a short while ago for a friend and client in Belgium. I thought the images I took of it's making, especially the fitting of the mimi, might be of interest and educational.

 

 

It's a fairly large tsuba, 94mm in diameter but still quite light despite it's imposing appearance. I think it weighed about 120 grams in all.

 

This is the second such steel one piece mimi I've fitted to a tsuba and to my knowledge this hasn't been done in Japan for a very long time, certainly no-one today is doing this sort of thing.

 

If you're interested you can see a sort of photo essay of the making of the piece here.

[Ford Hallam]

I started with a disc of steel and raised a rim that would allow the tsuba to fit tightly inside. At that stage it looks like a shallow dish with the tsuba sitting inside. I then cut out the base of the 'dish' to leave a frame. From then it's fairly simply to fold the lip over and to close it up tightly on the tsuba's edge. Actually it's not a simple matter at all :lol: It takes a lot of control and care to ensure everything stays even and the steel doesn't wrinkle as it's hammered over ( in the air) and the rim is forced to contract into itself. I have no idea how this works. I think it's magic

 

[Ford Hallam]

By contrast fitting a soft-metal fukurin is far easier. Most, if not all are made from a strip of metal (shakudo, copper, silver etc.) and will have a fine silver solder seam somewhere, typically at the bottom.

 

Here's a link to a sequence of images that illustrate the fitting of such a fukurin, this one a yamagane based shakudo.

[Ford Hallam]

And for the sake of completeness here's an example of a classic Odawara fukurin as often seen on Hitata Hikozo tsuba. The fitting is essentially the same as the previous version with the difference being the dimples have to be punched into the strip of metal before it's soldered into a ring and obviously before it's fitted. :D The trick is not to flatten the dimples, imo, many older versions, as well as modern copies, seem to have been dented or crushed bumps.

 

 

Incidentally, the name Odawara fukurin refers to the paper lanterns, Odawara-jochin, a style of chochin (paper lantern) specific to Odawara City.

[Barrie B]

Amazing...

 

Very interesting. Thanks for posting Ford.

 

Barrie.

[Tiaan Burger]

A very informative post! I have been trying to visualise the steps involved in making these, just couldn't figure it out.

What is the thickness of the tsuba inside the rim and at the seppa dai?

 

Tiaan

[ROKUJURO]

Ford,

 

thank you for this exciting report! It is certainly not the same as looking over your shoulder in person at your workshop but it helps a lot in understanding techniques and getting an idea of how much experience is involved.

 

I will immediately go down in my forge and make large numbers of these, and then sell them on E-Bay as HALLAM UTSUSHI at low prices..... :D

[Brian]

Awesome to see the pics. Need to get down to CT and watch you work oneday.

 

Brian

[Alex A]

I want one

 

Alex.

[Kevin Adams]

That steel fukurin is sexy - until you actually said it was a fukurin, I had thought it was raised and folded over...

[kaigunair]

Great educational post Ford! Thanks!

[Peter Bleed]

Thank you. This was informative - technically and aesthetically! It has made me go back and look at some katchushi guards I thought I knew pretty well.

Peter

[Peter Bleed]

Ford,

I would beg answers to lots of technical questions. Here are a few.

1. Can you tell use what kind of "steel" you used? Is it old or otherwise special?

2. How many annealings were involved in raising the rim?

and I am not certain about the raised rim.

3.Was it only on one side of the disc, or did you raise it so that it spread toward both sides?

Again, thanks! This is really a treat.

Peter

[Ford Hallam]

Hi Peter

 

the tsuba body is a 'mechanical damascus' laminate and the rim simply pure iron.

 

Hard to say how many annealings, it all depends on how much you move the steel and how well it's behaving. I anneal when I feel it needs it. If you consider the initial starting point of the lip and how, when it;s finally in place the actual circumference is about 2 cm smaller that metal had to be forced back into itself to allow the contraction to happen.

 

I only needed to raise one side, cut out the unwanted centre of the plate, pop the tsuba in and work the raised edge down. Simples :-)

[Kevin Adams]

I only needed to raise one side, cut out the unwanted centre of the plate, pop the tsuba in and work the raised edge down. Simples :-)

"Only".

 

"Simples."

 

You're a funny guy. :lol:

[Peter Bleed]

Ford,

Thanks for the replies. This has been the most informative and exciting thread I have read on the NMB! There was a time when I was way into dote-mimi Katchushi guards. I still like them and have a bunch. In response to this thread, I've gotten them out and seen lots of new details.

Once again, thank you.

Peter

[runagmc]

Mr. Hallam,

First, thanks for the post. It's always enjoyable to see the step by step process of high quality craftsmanship.

 

Second, I was wondering why you did the sekigane (I assume that's still the term) the way you did. Is this a traditional way for this type of tsuba? Please forgive me if it's an obvious answer to some, but I'm not that knowledgeable on tsuba history.

[Sage]

Adam, Ford started with an older unfinished tsuba and forged it out to be larger/thinner. In the process the original nakago ana stretched out too. That's why the copper surrounds the ana.

 

This tsuba is really stunning in-hand, by the way. Ford has done a beautiful job of coaxing out the character of the metal.

[runagmc]

Ahhh, thanks for the explanation Sage...

[ROKUJURO]

.....Ford started with an older unfinished tsuba and forged it out to be larger/thinner. In the process the original nakago ana stretched out too. That's why the copper surrounds the ana.....

Is that really so? If metal is hammered down to a thinner plate it normally stretches in all directions unless you 'push' it in a special way. Usually you would end up with a smaller NAKAGO ANA, at least this is my experience.

 

I would love to read Ford's comment on this point!

[Lee Bray]

Ford is currently running an intensive month long teaching course so may not be reading this but Sage is correct.

He stated as much on his facebook page some time ago.

[runagmc]

Good observation Jean... I didn't even think of that. Now I find myself trying to picture how this could be the result of flattening the plate :?

[Ford Hallam]

Hmmm,

 

Aokakamae.

[ROKUJURO]

Ford,

 

thank you for your elaboration. What is that in ancient Egyptian, please? :D

 

Probably AOKA KAMAE means 'train hard and you will understand one distant day', but I had indeed the same question as Adam and I really would like to understand if the large SEKIGANE was a technical necessity or a stylistical solution with maybe a background of a school.

There is no critics behind it, I like the TSUBA and it's execution is marvelous. I always appreciate your generosity by allowing a look into your manufacturing techniques.

[Sage]

:D I surmise from Ford's latest post that he's not eager to jump in here :lol: so I'll contribute a little more. As it happens I was not there to see him forge out the plate but the majority of the work done on this tsuba occurred during the three weeks I spent in his studio this fall.

 

I really would like to understand if the large SEKIGANE was a technical necessity or a stylistical solution with maybe a background of a school.

 

Jean, apparently you do occasionally see this style of sekigane in early guards. Ford has postulated that it may have developed to contend with the very issue he faced in reworking the earlier guard.

 

Is that really so? If metal is hammered down to a thinner plate it normally stretches in all directions unless you 'push' it in a special way. Usually you would end up with a smaller NAKAGO ANA, at least this is my experience.

 

I would love to read Ford's comment on this point!

 

Good observation Jean... I didn't even think of that. Now I find myself trying to picture how this could be the result of flattening the plate :?

 

No offense guys, and with all good will, are you actually challenging this explanation? That's what it sounds like. If you've rejected the description of how it was done I don't blame Ford for not rushing to give you further elaboration on the process when you're apparently dismissive of what's been shared so far.

 

If you find your conjecture compelling why not try the process yourselves? Whether you end up with a larger or smaller nakago ana you'll have a much better understanding of the process than by hearing Ford's explanation.

[runagmc]

I'm not challenging anyone... the original question was just my attempt to learn something. All that said, it was a fair question/observation by Jean, I thought, who I assume was only asking in attempt to better understand as well. I don't think any of it was meant as a challenge...

 

Anyway, nice tsuba and nice pics of the process by Ford. I'll go look through them again and pay closer attention to the ana...

 

Edit - after looking through the photo essay again I assume the metal was worked from the nakago-ana toward the mimi stretching the ana just as you said, so... thanks for answering the question.

[ROKUJURO]

.....apparently you do occasionally see this style of sekigane in early guards. Ford has postulated that it may have developed to contend with the very issue he faced in reworking the earlier guard....

 

If you find your conjecture compelling why not try the process yourselves? Whether you end up with a larger or smaller nakago ana you'll have a much better understanding of the process than by hearing Ford's explanation.

Sage,

 

thank you. As Adam already explained, we are/I am interested to learn about the process. If I allowed myself a question, it was more a doubt about my own knowledge and capabilities than to challenge your explanation (which is perhaps not he same as Ford's).

 

I am a full-time bladesmith with some reputation and experience, and without even thinking to see myself on a level with Ford, I think I know a little how steel behaves under the hammer. As a training and for a better understanding of the subject I have forged a number of TSUBA, again I do not see myself as TSUBAKO!

 

When I wrote ...'If metal is hammered down to a thinner plate it normally stretches out in all directions unless you 'push' it in a special way'...I gave one of perhaps several explanations myself, and it would have been interesting for me to hear the Master's comment (in English, not in Japanese!).

 

Sage, should you ever wish to take classes at my forge in Germany, I would be happy to show you in practice what my question was.

[Sage]

Hi Jean,

 

Thanks for the invitation! I've just begun to do a bit of forging and I'm sure it would be a pleasure to learn more skills from you. However the kinko side of things keeps me busy enough

 

Given your experience and resources I stand by my original suggestion. Take some blanks with a nakago ana and forge them out. Push the metal around in different ways. Then you'll have answered your own question

[Tiaan Burger]

How the iron moves depends on four factors: the starting thickness, the shape of the forging tool, the shape of the hole in the plate and the final shape the smith is aiming for.

A thicker plate (4mm +) will "upset" when hammered on a rectangular hole in the plate (bulge inwards). This will cause cold shuts in the corners of the hole, which need to be corrected for and prevented. You can see these cold shuts starting to form in the corners on the first process photo.

A rectangular hole in a round plate will shorten and widen if the plate is forged thinner and kept round. There is less material to move top and bottom, which means it has to be hammered more, pushing the iron towards towards the center and outwards more than is needed for the long sides. This results in the hole getting larger in the middle. A cross section of Ford's tsuba will probably reveal even thickness top to bottom, and a slight bulge on each side of the hole if cut side to side, image a flat 8. the center is thinner because it is forged to close up the hole again. Evidence on the photo, more forging on the sides of the hole than top and bottom.