What is Tsuka in katana?
The Tsuka is the katana’s handle. The wood handle is either wrapped in ray skin or channeled for rayskin inserts. The ray skin is referred to as “samegawa” translating to shark’s skin however ray skin is what is typically used.
How long is a Tsuka?
The standard length of the tsuka of our iaito is 8.5 sun (approx. 24cm/9.44in). Usually, depending on the blade length you choose, our craftsmen will select the appropriate tsuka length in order to keep the best balance possible. However, you can of course still choose the tsuka length you would like.
How much Tsuka Ito do I need?
Hishigami – You will need approximately 60-70 hishigami for an average length tsuka.
What do you call the katana handle?
The tsuka is the hilt or handle of a Japanese sword.
Why is a katana curved?
Because the katana’s blade was typically made thinner around the cutting edge, it heated and cooled at a different rate than the rest of the blade. The nuances in this heating and cooling rate essentially caused different shrinkage rates. And this is how the katana receives its curved blade.
What is the best length for a katana?
A typical katana would have measured somewhere between 60-70 cm, excluding the handle, and about 100 cm total. Keep in mind that the average height of a medieval-era Japanese male was much smaller (around 155 cm).
What is tsuka made of?
Tsuka (柄): The tsuka is the hilt or handle; made of wood and wrapped in samegawa.
What are katana handles wrapped in?
Ito is the wrap of the tsuka, traditionally silk but today most often in cotton and sometimes leather. A sageo is a hanging cord made of silk, cotton or leather that is passed through the hole in the kurigata of a Japanese sword’s saya.
What is the handle of a samurai sword called?
Tsuka
Tsuka. The tsuka is the hilt or handle of a Japanese sword.