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In this episode of my wakizashi series, I tackle one of the last pieces: the kogatana and the kozuka handle. The kozuka is a decorative handle fitting for the kogatana, a small utility knife that fits into a pocket on the saya.
Crafting the kogatana was quick and easy, using a scrap piece of raindrop damascus I had forged for another project. On the other hand, creating the kozuka proved to be a very long and tedious process.
The kozuka is made of shibuichi, a silver alloy consisting of 20% silver and 80% copper. The feather inlay is crafted from 800 silver (80% silver, 20% copper), matching the feather design of the menuki for consistency throughout the fittings. I experimented with a nanako punch background, a traditional pattern of small dots thought to resemble fish roe.
The process of folding the kozuka presented significant challenges, and in hindsight, I would have worked on the feather silver inlay after the fact to minimize the risk of it breaking off.
Unfortunately information about crafting methods for kozuka is scarce. Nonetheless, I believe my construction method is plausible, having carefully inspected the original pieces.
Overall, I’m very happy with how it turned out, and it’s a joy to see all the pieces now made and finished. Only some finishing touches remain, which I’ll work on asap, and then I’ll create a recap video of the entire process.
