What is Mekugi?
What is Mekugi?
Mekugi are pegs, often nowadays a set of two, that are used to help secure the handle of a Japanese sword to the blade.
What is the peg on a Katana?
Most Katana has one or two Mekugi which are simply known as pegs. These are usually made of bamboo pins. Extra pegs can be a good way to strengthen the sword handle. Secure the tsuka to the Nakago.
How are katanas held together?
A right handed person should have his right hand about an inch from the hand guard, or tsuba, holding it in a relaxed yet firm grip primarily with the bottom three fingers of each hand gripping the handle. Grip near the bottom and the top of the handle respectively for maximum leverage and control of the katana.
What are Katana blades made of?
steel
Katana are traditionally made from a specialized Japanese steel called tamahagane, which is created from a traditional smelting process that results in several, layered steels with different carbon concentrations. This process helps remove impurities and even out the carbon content of the steel.
What is uchiko powder?
Derived from ground up polishing stones, uchiko is a fine powder that when used sparingly helps maintain the surface finish of your nihonto’s blade. When using on nihonto, use sparingly so as not to degrade your sword. The ground whetstones are double wrapped in silk to allow for fine and controlled application.
What is Ray skin?
Stingray skin, also known as shagreen, is the upper portion of certain species of shark and ray used in leathercraft. The skin has a fibrous flesh side made up of collagen fibres, much like regular leather, but that’s where the similarities end. The surface is made up of small spheres, sometimes called pearls.
What are menuki made of?
They are mainly made of iron and copper with inlays of gold, silver, and bronze. When it comes to handguard (Tsuba), each one has a different outline and weight. These sword fittings that have lived with Japanese swords of the same age might be worth as much as the Japanese swords.
What are Katana scabbards made of?
wood
The scabbard is made from 2 pieces of wood glued together with a thin opening to accommodate the blade.
What is a one handed katana called?
Wakizashi
The wakizashi (Japanese: 脇差, “side inserted [sword]”) is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (nihontō) worn by the samurai in feudal Japan….Wakizashi.
| Wakizashi (脇差) | |
|---|---|
| Type | Sword |
| Place of origin | Japan |
| Production history | |
| Produced | Muromachi period (1336–1573) to present |
What is the best material to make a mekugi?
Bamboo is a good choice because it is flexible enough to absorb pressure while the sword is used for striking. It is a must to use better grade bamboo. Even if bamboo cost cheap, the process of making the Mekugi is labor-intensive.
What is the difference between bamboo mekugi and metal pegs?
The use of these materials is simply explained this way; bamboo mekugi hold the tsuka while the metal peg helps more with the nakago since it is wood to wood and metal to metal. Some prefer the smoked bamboo as it’s of better quality.
How should the mekugi-ana fit in a Nakago?
On many nakago you will also notice that the mekugi-ana are very wide requiring a very large mekugi which is unnecessary and annoying but since you can’t make the holes smaller, you just have to fit them the best you can. Ideally, the mekugi should fit tightly in the nakago mekugi-ana about halfway through.
