By lyuesword | 02 March 2022 | 0 Comments
Styles of Ray Skin Wrapping on Handle
There are many kinds of rays in the sea, and several kinds of skins we can see.
Usually the ray skin used on the handle is this type.
(The left is a head, and the right is a tail.)
A ray has one large nodule on its back. The skin around the large nodule is thickest. The nodules lean toward the tail, because they are a kind of scales.
The first piece that is used for the handle is cut out, it must include the large nodule.
The head is toward the kashira, the tail is toward the fuchi. This is an exact rule to use ray skin, thinking the direction of the nodules.
The rest are the second pieces. They are used for various tools.
Before 16th century, the piece is cut from the centre of ray skin. So the large nodule is placed around the centre of the handle.
In the Edo period, 17th - 19th century, most of handles have the large nodule at the end of it. Ray skin was expensive in old days, because it was imported from the southern sea.
So they wanted to get a larger piece from the rest. It is used for cheaper swords sometimes.
Ray skin becomes very hard in dry, and becomes soft in wet. So it is useful to make a durable handle.
It has uneven thickness in parts. Around the large nodule is thickest. Craftsman wraps a wet ray to check a good fit with the handle wood, then shaves the handle wood. He makes the temporary wrapping again and again until the final work to use the glue.
- Several styles of Wrapping -
(The blue part is ray skin. It is a view from the fuchi and the rever-se side of handle wood. The fuchi and kashira are removed in the pictures.)
(In the pictures, the ray skin doesn't run under the fuchi to make drawing simple. But, in actual work, ray skin can wrap the whole handle wood also under the metal fittings.)
Tanzaku (Channelled)
This style is used only for cheap swords. It is small meaning to use ray skin. Sometimes there is a line on the rever-se side to trick it for Marugise. Usually it is made of the second pieces of ray skin.
Maru-gise (Round wrapped)
It is common on good quality swords. Usually the seam is at the centre of rever-se side. Sometimes it can be placed near the back or near the cutting edge.
(An old handle wood with ray skin wrapped by the round wrapping style:
Maedare-gise (Round and Half)
This style is the most tough. But it was not common in old days. Because, it is not easy to make a good work, and expend much ray skin. We can find this style of handle only on the swords in feudal lord collections, or some Samurai's who prepare his sword carefully.
(An actual example of handle with the ray round and half wrapping. The kashira is a buffalo horn:
Want a unique sword? Feel free to contact us:
Email: lyuesword@hotmail.com
Website: www.lyuesword.com
Custom Sword Page: www.lyuesword.com/Custom-Sword/customization-options/Create-Your-Own-Swords
Usually the ray skin used on the handle is this type.
(The left is a head, and the right is a tail.)
A ray has one large nodule on its back. The skin around the large nodule is thickest. The nodules lean toward the tail, because they are a kind of scales.
The first piece that is used for the handle is cut out, it must include the large nodule.
The head is toward the kashira, the tail is toward the fuchi. This is an exact rule to use ray skin, thinking the direction of the nodules.
The rest are the second pieces. They are used for various tools.
Before 16th century, the piece is cut from the centre of ray skin. So the large nodule is placed around the centre of the handle.
In the Edo period, 17th - 19th century, most of handles have the large nodule at the end of it. Ray skin was expensive in old days, because it was imported from the southern sea.
So they wanted to get a larger piece from the rest. It is used for cheaper swords sometimes.
Ray skin becomes very hard in dry, and becomes soft in wet. So it is useful to make a durable handle.
It has uneven thickness in parts. Around the large nodule is thickest. Craftsman wraps a wet ray to check a good fit with the handle wood, then shaves the handle wood. He makes the temporary wrapping again and again until the final work to use the glue.
- Several styles of Wrapping -
(The blue part is ray skin. It is a view from the fuchi and the rever-se side of handle wood. The fuchi and kashira are removed in the pictures.)
(In the pictures, the ray skin doesn't run under the fuchi to make drawing simple. But, in actual work, ray skin can wrap the whole handle wood also under the metal fittings.)
Tanzaku (Channelled)
This style is used only for cheap swords. It is small meaning to use ray skin. Sometimes there is a line on the rever-se side to trick it for Marugise. Usually it is made of the second pieces of ray skin.
Maru-gise (Round wrapped)
It is common on good quality swords. Usually the seam is at the centre of rever-se side. Sometimes it can be placed near the back or near the cutting edge.
(An old handle wood with ray skin wrapped by the round wrapping style:
Maedare-gise (Round and Half)
This style is the most tough. But it was not common in old days. Because, it is not easy to make a good work, and expend much ray skin. We can find this style of handle only on the swords in feudal lord collections, or some Samurai's who prepare his sword carefully.
(An actual example of handle with the ray round and half wrapping. The kashira is a buffalo horn:
Want a unique sword? Feel free to contact us:
Email: lyuesword@hotmail.com
Website: www.lyuesword.com
Custom Sword Page: www.lyuesword.com/Custom-Sword/customization-options/Create-Your-Own-Swords
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