Aikuchi Tanto

BenR.T.

BenR.T.

Tanto grinder & High performance blade peddler
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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Apr 18, 2011
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Just finished this one up. it is a bit different being that the grind goes through the grip. The blade is just shy of 10" with a 5.25" handle. The blade is more hand rubbed 3v at around .280" thick.
Oddly enough, I have never done a turks head knot, this was my first try. The Menuki are hammered Zirconium. I am pretty happy with whole the thing.

As always comments are welcome!



 
My cup O'. I just love this blade.
Ben- I'd love to see this one in a... chisel grind.
rolf
 
That blade is really a style I like and it looks great.

Nice Turkshead Knot, it tops off that handle just right and I sure like the way it feels on a wrapped handle like that.

Is that hard utility cord that you used for the Turkshead.... I ask because I use that because it stays round and does not flatten out like gutted paracord...either way it came out great.

The black and read contrats with your Menuki really catches the eye.
 
You've been turning out some awesome asian inspired blades lately.

I just wish I could afford one of your waki's, just killer.

Larry
Tinkerer
 
AVigil said:
That blade is really a style I like and it looks great.

Nice Turkshead Knot, it tops off that handle just right and I sure like the way it feels on a wrapped handle like that.

Is that hard utility cord that you used for the Turkshead.... I ask because I use that because it stays round and does not flatten out like gutted paracord...either way it came out great.

The black and read contrats with your Menuki really catches the eye.
Click to expand...

Thanks Adam!
The turks head knot is just Paracord with the guts still in it. It worked really well, and has a nice look I think.
 
Gorgeous as always Ben.
And just because I'm a bit OCD, I found this at Wikipedia:


Aikuchi
The aikuchi (匕首?) (literally "fitting mouth") is a form of mounting for small Japanese swords in which the handle and the scabbard meet without a guard (tsuba) in between.[6] Originally used on the koshigatana (a precursor to the wakizashi) to facilitate close wearing with armor,[7][8] it became a fashionable upper-class mounting style for tantō (daggers) from the Kamakura period onwards.

According to S. Alexander Takeuchi from University of North Alabama, Department of Sociology, aikuchi, is a form of koshirae (mounting style) which commonly was used in tantō creation. The nomenclature of the word "aikuchi" is the following: the Japanese: ai is a gerund which means meeting and Japanese: kuchi is a noun that means mouth. The same formula is used in koi-guchi. So, aikuchi initially was a style of mounting in which the fuchi meets with the koi-guchi.

Kaiken
The aikuchi tantō known as kaiken is a small 8-10 inch long, single or double bladed dagger[10] without ornamental fittings housed in a plain mount, formerly carried by men and women of the samurai class in Japan. It was useful for self-defense indoors where the long katana and intermediate wakizashi were inconvenient. Women carried them in their kimono either in a pocket like fold (futukoro) or in the sleeve (tamoto).[11] for self-defense or for suicide by means of slashing the veins in the left side of the neck (carotid artery).[12][13]
 
Aikuchi also means, pleasant companion.
Thanks for the great post, Mike!
rolf
 
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Nice knife. I like the simple hammered menuki.

Before going on I would like to say that I do not care what anyone chooses to call their knives and the following has no bearing or implications towards this knife or it's maker.
In fact, I like it a lot.

Just as a general matter of definitude, Mike157 is correct in that the term "Aikuchi" is a term which indicates the type of mounting, not the style of blade. More specifically, the way what would be known as the fuchi / kashira come together without the use of a tsuba (guard). There is a small lip (or male end) on the "fuchi" which fits precisely into the mouth (or female end) of the "kashira".

Below are several examples of this type of koshirae. Two are Tanto, one is a wakizashi. The close-up is of the seam found on aikuchi f/k.

Tanto_MasaTaka_Koshirae_FvU.jpg
kaiken_gassan_koshiraefvu.jpg
Wak_Kanemichi_Koshirae_FVO.jpg
Wak_Kanemichi_Koshirae_FK2.jpg
 
You're welcome Rolf. Hopefully my post did not come off as too obnoxious because I also agree with SouthernComfort about what someone chooses to call their creations.
Hopefully this is not too far off topic, if so I apologize (Ben), and can remove this part. Just thinking out loud, but along the lines of SouthernComfort's fuchi/kashira explanation, a it might be neat to create a saya with matching turks head knot. Could it be done for a knife like this knife without a habaki? Mike
 
Thanks for the comments guys! I always learn something from the open discussion.:thumbup:
 
Mike- Not at all. Facts are good.
Someone once said that they all are knives anyway. And... we love them!
rolf
 
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Hi Ben!

You are really knocking out some great piece atm, mate! Can't wait for my turn! :)

All the best,
Alex
 
Very nice work. For what it's worth though I personally prefer your metal guards, but that is a matter of opinion :)
 
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