John Lee Golden Flower Tanto

The Golden Flower Tanto features an extraordinarily beautiful tsuba which certainly has been made by a grand master in the 18th century. As these did not sign their work in contrary to the blade smiths, the creator is not known by name. The tsuba has been intricately decorated with golden cherry blossoms (sakura). The cherry blossom is one of the most important symbols in Japanese culture. It stands for beauty, departure and the transience of life.

The tanto has a handforged blade made of carbon steel with a fine hamon and has been tempered traditionally. In addition, the steel of the blade has been folded 12 times, that means about 8000 layers have been created which give the sword a beautiful damascus pattern. The sharp blade features a hi (fuller) to reduce the total weight. The handle (tsuka) is made of wood, has been coated with real fish skin and features two menukis. In addition it has been traditionally wrapped in black cotton. The tang is especially long and fixed with one bamboo peg (mekugi). The scabbard (saya) is made of wood and the blade collar (habaki) is made of brass. This tanto has been made according to original museum exhibitions. The sword comes with a certificate of origin, wrapped in cloth and packed in a high-quality wooden box. All measures are subject to estimation.

Details:

Blade length to tsuba: 27 cm
Total length without scabbard: 41 cm
Blade´s curvature (sori): 8 mm
Handle length: 14 cm
Weight without scabbard: 400 g
Weight with scabbard: 550 g