Tsuka-shi and Menuki-shi: The Craftsmen Who Create the Miniature Worlds in Your Hand

The Structure of the Tsuka (Handle) and the Craftspeople Who Support It

The tsuka of a Japanese sword may appear at first glance to be a simple grip, but in reality it is a precision craft object in which multiple materials and the techniques of multiple craftsmen are intricately intertwined. Simply listing the component parts conveys its complexity.

• Tsukagi (handle wood): The wooden core material into which the sword's center (nakago) is inserted
• Samegawa (ray skin): A material made from dried stingray skin that covers the tsukagi. Its distinctive granular surface serves as a non-slip layer
• Menuki: Decorative metal fittings attached to both sides of the handle. They conceal the mekugi hole while improving grip comfort
• Fuchi (ferrule) and kashira (pommel): A pair of metal fittings that decorate the hilt side edge and tip of the handle
• Tsukaito (handle thread): Silk or cotton thread wound over the samegawa while avoiding the menuki

Each of these components has a specialist craftsman, and a single handle is completed as the sum total of the work of multiple masters. This is why it is called "a small universe that fits in the hand."

Tsukaeshi (Handle Craftsman) — Specialist in Wood and Ray Skin

The tsukaeshi is a craftsman who undertakes the shaping of the handle wood and the application of ray skin, laying the foundation for the creation of the koshirae.

In selecting and shaping the handle wood, ho wood is most widely used. It is lightweight, easy to work with, and possesses the appropriate hardness and toughness to protect the sword's nakago over the long term. The tsukaeshi first creates a mold of the sword's nakago and carefully shaves the wood to create a cavity in which the nakago fits without the slightest play. This work is also called "hiyose" (fire-drying), and includes the process of lightly charring the wood while drying and shrinking it, further increasing the degree of contact with the nakago. If the nakago is loose, danger arises during unsheathing; if it is too tight, the nakago becomes damaged. It is this delicate balance that is the mark of mastery.

In selecting and applying ray skin, the quality of the material greatly affects the final finish. Although it is written as "ray skin," it is actually made from dried and processed red stingray skin. Stingray skin is densely packed with fine bone fragments (calcium silicate protrusions), which create its distinctive granular texture. High-quality samegawa has uniform grain size and density, with a large, distinctive grain called the "oyatsubu" (master grain) positioned at the center. The tsukaeshi cuts the material so that this master grain comes to the center of the handle and applies it with uniform pressure using lacquer-based adhesive. After drying, if uniform adhesion cannot be confirmed, the work must be redone.

Menukishi (Menuki Craftsman) — Carving the Universe in the Area of a Pea

The work of the menukishi is a field that boasts particular refinement even within Japanese metalworking. Although the actual size of a menuki is only approximately 3 to 5 cm, the density and three-dimensionality of the metal engraving applied to that area amazes even experienced connoisseurs.

The motifs of menuki are diverse depending on the era and use. Practical swords of the samurai chose subject matter that displayed martial prowess, such as dragons, tigers, hawks, and lions, while decorative swords of the nobility and daimyo favored elegant motifs such as pine, bamboo, and plum, waves, clouds, flowers, and Noh masks. Additionally, menuki were often custom-made featuring the owner's family crest, guardian deity, or zodiac animal corresponding to their birth year, making menuki more than mere ornaments — they were also symbols that demonstrated the owner's identity.

The diversity of materials and techniques deepens the world of the menukishi. Materials include gold, silver, shakudo, shibuichi, and brass, with shakudo taking on a deep, dark purple hue through sulfide treatment, a unique Japanese alloy. The basic production process creates the original form through lost-wax casting, from which metal engraving refines the details. High-quality works feature an expression called "takabori" (high relief carving), in which the scales of a dragon or the flow of a tiger's fur are reproduced in minute detail. Furthermore, by combining the inlay technique of zougan to embed gold, silver, and shakudo as "color paintings," multiple hues and textures coexist within an area the size of a fingertip.

During the Edo period, the menukishi held high social status as a "sword furnishing metalworker," alongside the tsukaeshi and the kowakushi. Notable schools include the Goto, Hirata, Nara, and Yokotani schools, each inheriting their own aesthetic forms and techniques. The Goto family was known as the official supplier to the Tokugawa shogunate and was so honored as to receive Buddhist court ranks such as "hogen" (Buddhist eye) and "hoin" (Buddhist seal) generation after generation.

Tsukamaking (Handle-Wrapping Craftsman) — Geometric Beauty Created by Thread Tension and Relaxation

Tsukamaking is the process of wrapping handle thread over the samegawa while positioning menuki at appropriate points. The work of the "tsukamaking" craftsman who undertakes this process may appear unassuming, but it is an important final process that determines the overall impression of the koshirae. In modern times, it has become increasingly common for sagoshi (scabbard makers) to do this work as well, but specialist tsukamaking craftsmen still exist in various regions.

The material of the handle thread is pure silk, which is considered the highest grade. The luster and feel of natural silk, along with its appropriate elasticity, conforms to the wielder's hand. Cotton thread and synthetic thread are also used, selected according to use and budget. The colors are diverse — black, navy, brown, white, red, asagi — and are selected to match the overall color scheme of the koshirae and historical accuracy.

The types of wrapping methods can be broadly categorized as follows.

• Moroyori-maki (twisted double-thread wrapping): The most standard technique, in which two threads are twisted together to create a diamond pattern
• Jabara-maki (accordion-style wrapping): A sophisticated technique in which a folded accordion-like pattern emerges
• Hira-maki (flat wrapping): Flat ribbon-like threads are arranged without gaps. Maintaining uniformity is difficult and requires expertise
• Tsumami-maki (pinched wrapping): A decorative technique in which the thread is pinched while wrapping. It is often seen in koshirae in the style of the nobility

The quality evaluation criteria for handle wrapping are summarized in three points: "uniformity of thread tension," "beauty of menuki positioning," and "consistency of the diamond pattern." If the force applied is not constant, the diamond shape becomes distorted, and if the thread tension loosens, there is a risk that the wrapping will come undone during use. It takes hours of patient work for even an experienced craftsman to complete the wrapping of a single handle.

Fuchigashirashi (Fuchi-Kashira Craftsman) — Creating Beauty in Pairs

The fuchi (ferrule) and kashira (pommel) are a pair of metal fittings attached to both ends of the handle, and the craftsman who specializes in their creation is the fuchigashirashi. Like the menukishi, the fuchigashirashi falls within the category of sword furnishing metalworker. During the Edo period, it was common for a single workshop to produce menuki, fuchi-kashira, kowakushi, and kogai together.

The greatest difficulty in fuchi-kashira production is achieving "unified beauty as a pair." The two metal fittings are produced independently, but the continuity of motif, unity of material, density of carving, and texture of surface finishing must be perfectly matched. Furthermore, they must be harmonious in design with the menuki created in the same commission. In a dragon-themed set, for example, the dragon's body might be depicted on the fuchi, the dragon's head positioned on the kashira, and the dragon's claws appearing on the menuki, designed as a "divided single story." Such consistency of design is impossible to achieve without close collaboration between craftsmen.

Summary — The Tsuka as Collaborative Art by Multiple Craftsmen

The completion of a single sword handle involves the accumulation of techniques from craftsmen of different specialties: the tsukaeshi, menukishi, fuchigashirashi, and tsukamaking. Each maintains an independent world, but only when they are finally integrated into a single koshirae is a "beautiful sword" truly born.

In the modern era, the absolute number of these craftsmen has decreased dramatically compared to the Edo period, and the transmission of techniques has become a serious issue. However, the demand of Japanese sword enthusiasts both domestic and international, along with support from the Agency for Cultural Affairs and Intangible Cultural Property designation systems in each prefecture, sustain the transmission of techniques, and gradual technical transfer to younger generations is progressing.

"A small universe that fits in the hand" — once you know how much wisdom, pride, and aesthetic sensibility of so many craftsmen are concentrated within this single structure called the tsuka, the very sensation of gripping a sword will change. When viewing a complete sword with koshirae in an online catalog, please look not only at the tsuba and hamon, but also at the layers of craftsmanship applied to the tsuka.