Complimentary Themed L6 and 1086 katana

Howard Clark 1086M Katana -- 28-5/8" Nagasa -- Fully polished and mounted

Two swords -- each one tells a story of its own but together tell another...

Solid Rich Shakudo Fittings custom made by Patrick Hastings with gold,
silver and copper inlays, carving, etc., etc. I.e., these are some *really* nice fittings.
And totally unique.

Description and prices updated -- 12/15/2009

Suffice to say the owner has decided to let the swords go. It was difficult to do, but priorities change. Remember that these fittings are matched, intricate, and would be *very* expensive to have made today. We're talking solid, rich shakudo with gold, silver and copper inlays. Last time I asked Patrick about these he said he'd charge at least $4,000 do to one set of the fittings again. Lord knows with the price of gold and silver nowadays it would probably be even more. So, these prices simply aren't going to last.

But yes, the prices above are correct. The customer is motivated...

And if you want both swords, contact me. We'll talk.

Yes, the description is correct. This is a set of katana made to tell a story. So let me start with the background. A good customer of mine had managed to buy both a bare Howard Clark 1086M and Howard Clark L6 katana. At first he wanted them mounted as a matching set -- i.e., everything basically the same. Well, that would have been good, but it got me thinking. I suggested doing something a bit different -- let's have each sword have its own thematic design, but have each sword tell a larger story when displayed together. In other words I wanted it to be clear that the two blades were meant to be a pair, but have each sword still be able to stand on its own merits.

So I talked with my customer about his budget, his needs, his favorite themes, etc. He clearly wanted art and he was hoping I'd be able to talk Patrick Hastings of Tagane Arts fittings into helping with the project. So I did. This project was a labor of love. And it was done as a means of showcasing the artistry of both Howard and Patrick. And it took almost 2 years to complete...

I spent a great deal of time on-line and at the Pacific Asia Museum researching some of the customers' likes and the themes we had discussed. One thing we agreed on was Mt. Fuji being a powerful traditional theme. This raised images of life through the legend of Sakujahime (sp?) and the theme of birth via the flowering of the cherry trees (sakura). And at the same time I had been reading up on the famous haiku by Bassho about the death of thousands of samurai and I had a starting point.

So the idea was born. One sword is a 1086M by Howard Clark that is large, robust, big kissaki and an active, interesting hamon. Something brimming with life. I wanted that sword to represent the birth and life through the idea of Sakujahime coming to life through the blossoming of the cherry tree on Fuji-san. And sakura are a powerful metaphor for life itself and the life of the samurai. The bloom beautifully and suddenly in a burst of color and life. Then they fall quickly like the samurai cut down in his prime. They live an intense life but die early.

So I put together a lot of images, ideas, etc. and discussed them all in great detail with Patrick Hastings. I asked Patrick to start with a famous tsuba that is a favorite of mine by Haruaki Kono.

The 1086M Katana -- LIFE and BIRTH -- 28-5/8 nagasa shinogi zukuri extended chu or o-kissaki (depending on how you define those terms).

The original tsuba featured Mount Fuji with clouds and a dragon. We wanted to integrate cherry blossoms into the design so we added sakura to the tsuba and removed the dragon.

You can see how the sakura on the fuchi reflects in the polished shakudo of the tsuba.

Sakura were inlaid into the tsuba and fuchi kashira in gold. The snow on Fuji is in silver and there is carving showing the wind and clouds of Fuji.

The menuki are antique bushi on horses, fitting the idea of the samurai in action. The samekawa is antiqued and polished to give it a feeling of age and gravitas.

The tsuka is wrapped in high grade green doeskin ito.

Two different sakura mon are in place on the 1086M's saya. They are done as gold leaf carefully placed in the clear coating of the black gloss. Even the kojiri is the same custom made rich shakudo by Patrick Hastings.

Patrick even went so far as to carefully carve more of the wind and clouds in the back of the tsuba plate.

The blade itself is a 1086M katana with an o-kissaki. Some people toss around terms 1086 and 1086M as if they are interchangeable. They are not. Howard Clark had an initial small melt of 1086M (1086 modified is what he calls it) that had a particularly unique composition that seemed to give him more activity in the steel. Which is quite cool for a monosteel blade. Not only are they tough as nails, they are gorgeous.

This blade is one of his rare 1086M. Howard only uses this steel for very special projects as he has very little of it.

Sword Available for a limited time at: $8,995.00

The L6 Katana -- Death and rebirth -- 28" nagasa shinogi zukuri katana -- extended chu kissaki.

So now we had the theme for the other sword to contend with. This one was an L6 katana. Light, fast and more subdued. Not so "exuberant" nor "in your face". So for this sword we designed a tsuba based on the original tsuba's dimensions and shape. It was also solid rich shakudo. But Patrick inlaid a wonderful patinated copper tree. This is the sakura after the falling of the blossoms. So the same sakura blossoms are here, just on the "ground" of the tsuba.

Notice the intricate carving of the "ground" and the detail in the carving of the tree's bark and surfaces. Also notice the sakura are "wilted" and broken apart on the ground. This sword is to represent the end of the cycle -- the death of the samurai and the falling of the sakura blossoms.

So we have the same basic mount for this sword. Gloss black saya, antiqued and polished samekawa, shakudo fittings, but without the sakura on the fuchi or kashira. Just polished shakudo to represent the void. The same mon are on the saya, but this time they're done not through the placement of gold leaf, but by a gentle spray of fine gold dust. So the mon light up under heavy light, but fade away in normal light.

In the photo above you can see hints of the menuki -- antique shakudo horses running free after the bushi have fallen. Life goes on...

And for a view of the entire sword...

This blade is a very sleak, fast and elegant L6 katana. What is very nice is how the steel looks almost wet in the right light. The sword is somber befitting the theme.

So there you go, that's how these two swords came about. Each sword can stand alone with its own theme. But together they represent the entire cycle of life, death and rebirth.

Sword Available for a limited time: $9,995.

The swords together...

Here are some photos I took to contrast the two pieces. In the saya photo the L6 blade is on the top.

The L6 tsuba is on the left, 1086M on the right...

1086M up top, l6 underneath.

L6 on top, 1086 on the bottom...

So there you go. The story of two swords.

The fittings were very expensive to have made. We spared no expense in the materials, craftsmanship and time spent. If you look on Patrick's site you'll see that his simple iron tsuba with one or two simple inlays cost well over $1000 each. These are solid shakudo which is an alloy of copper and pure gold. They have been expertly shaped, carved, inlaid and patina'd. These are the very top of the line in terms of materials for Japanese sword fittings. Each sword has matching tsuba, fuchi kashira and kojiri all made of solid shakudo. Ordering fittings of this style and quality would cost over $4000 for the fittings for each sword alone!

These two swords are now available on a consignment basis. These are not "everyday" swords. Nor are they "dojo beater" swords although they are perfectly capable of being incredible weapons (Howard Clark's work is first and foremost highly functional). These swords were put together with the intention of showcasing both Howard Clark and Patrick Hastings' artistry. Many hundreds if not thousands of hours went into these two swords. Lord knows I spent a *long* time thinking, studying and designing my part of this project.

Buyers may buy each sword individually.

These swords are modern art in every sense. Howard Clark's work is highly prized and it is difficult at best to get his swords polished and mounted at the high end. Patrick Hastings work is similarly in high demand and these fittings are the very pinnacle of his work.

Contact me if you have any additional questions or need additional information.

AVAILABLE -- ON SALE FOR A LIMITED TIME!

Howard Clark L6 Katana -- 28" Nagasa -- Fully polished and mounted