Mountains

I carved the design into the shibuishi and scrubbed it with pumice powder. Next is to bring out the colour of the metal, which will also accentuate the lines, by chemically oxidising it.

Moon over water shibuishi

I was all set to start carving the moon over water theme when I took a closer look at the form and marks from hammering on the plate.




It seems much more suggestive of a landscape than a seascape and as much as I tried to draw the original theme on, it didn't work. Therefore I changed tack and have decided on a mountain landscape in katakiri-bori.

Sharp learning curve

I bought a diamond hone to speed up the process of keeping the tagane sharp. I was previously using natural slate with a much finer grit. It was working but taking ages to get a good edge. Ford hallam and others use diamond plates to cut down on sharpening time.



The diamond hone is really aggressive and I found that I had been sharpening wrong before, the smoother hone had just been more forgiving. Trying to correct my angles meant I honed away much of my katakiri-bori chisel. I actually had to go back to the grinder to correct the taper.



You can see the multiple angles.

This has made me focus on getting good flat angles at the 60 degree needed, when I get that correct, the chisel glides through the material.

Shibuishi pendant

Shibuishi is a traditional Japanese alloy, 75% copped and 25% silver.

I alloyed a piece, rolled it to 1.5mm then cut this shape out.



Forming it with hammer and stake




And soldering the back tail into a pendant loop




Now it is ready for some carving. I often go down a hill headed toward the sea after work, sometimes when the timing is right I get an amazing view of the moon rise. The shimmering on the water. No picture from my small camera can capture it properly. I'm thinking this will be the theme for this piece.

Habaki

https://youtu.be/HpR5N7T-Abo

Habaki ring

Looking at Japanese craftsmen online, I was reminded of the habaki-shi. People who make habaki. This is another fitting for the Japanese sword but separate from the normal tosogu set. The habaki is a collar around the sword before the tsuba. Normally made from copper with gold or silver leaf applied. The habaki fits the top of the saya (sheath) called the koiguchi. This secures the sword in the sheath without the blade touching the wood. Were the blade to touch the wood at any part along the length, corrosion would occur. It also stops the sword from accidentally falling out.




These are good examples






The same aesthetic principles are at work, metals and textures are used to great effect. Rough files are used after polishing to create the lines.

There is a sense trepidation like that of sumi-e where the movement creating the lines happens once with no going back.

Birds in my hedge progress

The morning light seems to be best at capturing some sense of depth. Still quite a way to go

Damascus protea ring

Walking past yet another ad for the Browns protea ring




got me thinking what it could actually be. I have made many based on that model at work but this btech is about pushing further than the commercial work I normally do.

I've been mulling over what to do with the other damascus piece I have, now I'm thinking protea inspired inlay




More to come on this one

Moon and clouds continued

I chose the haiku by Basho because I love the idea of clouds not getting in the way of the moon but rather giving respite to those gazing at the moon.

I painted the haiku on using sumi ink and brush. I did a test on the other half of the wood in case the ink bled and made the writing illegible. It stayed as did the stamps so that was a good result.



The weathered piece of wood came from under a tarp at my mom's house. I was looking specifically for weathered wood to carry the theme of wabi-sabi and this was perfect.

I cut a seat for the steel using small wood carving chisels.




Then cut the wood on a bandsaw and finished the base on the belt grinder so it would stand at a slight angle

Clouds and moon, finishing off

The mild steel plate I carved and inlayed the silver Enzo moon into has got a housing now.

I quite deliberately was aiming to capture the wabi-sabi aesthetic which is the combination of transience, which shows itself in the beauty of aging, austerity, serenity and loneliness. A touch of yugen crept in, which is a sense of mystery or wonder at an instant in time.

Bamboo on silk

I went to a bamboo thicket today, I've had trouble drawing it in sumi as I haven't been able to observe it up close. Spending some time there and taking pics I was able to get some grasp of the nature of bamboo and the way it grows.

Bamboo is plentiful in Japan and is used for many things, from tea ladles to building materials. It is a common theme in Japanese art.










I cut a thin branch from the clump with leaves as a 3d reminder then had a practice go on paper



Then painted on the second piece of silk.



Next is to design the titanium 'buckle'

Birds in my hedge scarf

I got one of my friends to hem the silk, I sized it yesterday.



This morning I painted the birds in the hedge right next to the window where they are.

I had to stretch the silk across my book shelf which was actually the perfect length.
I took the picture with the panorama setting as it is too long to get in the frame otherwise.

Geidō

Geidō is a collective term for Japanese traditional arts. It is also a description of the process of learning. Through learning traditional forms (kata) the practitioner develops a deeper understanding of aesthetics and thought processes of that art. These understandings are universal and can be applied to other activities. 

Short cuts to results are strongly discouraged as the kata and process of learning have been refined over time to have a specific effect on the practitioner.

The focus is more on how one prepares and consumes the tea in the Way of tea than on the result of drinking a cup of tea.

Dō means Way.

New tagane

I made some new tagane today, adding detail to a carving seems to need smaller and smaller cutting faces.

Here they are along side the first ones I made.



The older ones are on the left and the matchbox is for scale

Finishing the Enzo moon plate

The contrasts in carving only become properly evident after a patina or some other method of colouring is applied to the metal.

Today I added a black finish to the steel by heating it and quenching it in cooking (sunflower) oil.




It took several goes to get it looking good. It seems to build up in layers. I brass brushed the whole thing first time round, then selectively sanded it. Then back in the quench, then selectively sanding again.

The results are fairly pleasing although next time I inlay I will be much lighter on the hammer, trying the clean up the marks around the inlay is tricky.



I'm going to mount this one in wood, or possibly slate, not sure yet.

Sumi study of birds in the hedge

I got some new ink from a friend who went to China.




So to try it out I did a short study of the birds I'm planning to paint on silk.

One of the aims of sumi-e is to use different shades of ink across the composition. In order to achieve this, 5 bowls of lighter shades are mixed before hand. I only used three here.




The darkest shade is in the ink stone itself and I diluted it in varying quantities to get the light shades. Then it's a case of loading your brush correctly to get the best mix of shades in one stroke.

Birds in my hedge

I've been watching a flock of finch type birds in my bougainvillea hedge outside my kitchen window every morning for several days now. I have in mind a painting on silk with a titanium element and these birds make an excellent motif. My phone camera is not that great at zoom, I may borrow a proper camera to get some more images. The concept behind sumi is to capture the spirit of the subject so observation of movement is first but it helps to have some great images to refer to.

Two titanium pendants

I carved these a while ago and was waiting to anodise them electronically but decided to use heat instead.

Ford Hallam 2

One of the things I admire most about Ford is his absolute commitment to the traditions taught to him by his sensei. There is a great integrity about not just his techniques but his approach to the way of learning and teaching the subject. All aspects of Japanese thought processes, aesthetic considerations and spiritual ethos are brought to bear on any subject he chooses to portray.

"The classical tradition which I'm presenting is a coherent system that has evolved over more than 1000 years and has given birth to some of the worlds most remarkable metal art. The methods and approach of these artists were not at all simple, nor easy, and any attempt to learn from the past it is sometimes going to entail doing things the hard way to ensure we don't miss something of value. The fact is we can only begin to asses the value of each aspect at the end of the learning process, not at the start."
Ford Hallam

It is not to just be able to replicate some skill level or make objects similar in look that I wish to attain, but to walk this particular path engenders a spirit of mindful approach which I am looking to grow within myself. This approach is exemplified in both Ford and many of his students.

The making of your own tagane, punches and hammers is the start of the skills required. Knowing good heat treating, how to grind, file and sharpen chisels is essential. These skills support good carving as there is often a place in a new piece which needs a different shape or size tool.

During the period swords were banned in Japan, makers of sword fittings turned their skills towards all metal work including jewellery, box inserts, netsuke and pots. This gives a precedent to be able to work on all forms of metal, the approach and techniques used are as important as the final piece.

Following the Iron Brush 2

As a reference for classical Japanese metalwork, especially as an English speaker, there is no better than Ford Hallam. When I first saw his work I was amazed, when I looked further and discovered the methods involved and the history of the tradition, my first thought was that moment of "when I grow up I want to do that!"

The only way it has been possible for me to access the knowledge I need to make the tools and learn their use has been through his Following the Iron Brush forum. There are various sections in the forum, from jewellery, art, netsuke and classical Japanese metalwork. Many users at different stages of development can share their experiences with excellent tips and tutorials by the more experienced people.

Ford is always available for comment if asked but usually the questions have been asked already and a quick search reveals the answer, often in more detail than I would have thought necessary.

Tiaan Burger part 2

One of the major advantages I gained from the visit with Tiaan was to be able to see both the tools and some finished pieces in real life. Pictures and descriptions can be very misleading when trying to learn about something entirely new.

Tiaan's tagane were much more refined than the ones I had made thus far. The body and points were smaller. The angle of the cutting edge was steeper. These are things I find you can only see when actually holding an object. Tiaan is also very experienced with forging and working with steel so his tools are excellently made.


Tagane

Tagane next to a steel ruler showing the length at approx. 11.5cm





This is a scraper, it is used to smooth out chisel marks before the abrasive stones

Another view of the same scraper, they are really effective and can also be used for subtle shaping

Tiaan Burger

Tiaan Burger is a South African knifemaker and artist. I had been following his work on facebook because of the mutual interest in knife making. Recently he has also started posting some traditional Japanese carving which he learnt much the same way as myself, through the Iron Brush forum and by contacting Ford Hallam. He was able to spend some time in Ford's workshop as well which is something I would dearly like to do.

I contacted Tiaan and was fortunate enough to be able to interview him when he was in Durban on holiday. I am very interested in Tiaan's work because he doesn't just take Japanese techniques and carve Japanese motifs but rather uses Japanese techniques to carve South African scenery, fauna and flora. In the interview I asked about this and he said he likes to imagine a Japanese craftsman growing up in South Africa. The Japanese used their surroundings as inspiration, so too should we.

Traditional Japanese techniques and materials applied to South African scenery and animals.

Gathering motifs from your surroundings

Translating that into the traditional form of a tsuba or Japanese sword guard

Enzo 100!

Enzo 99

Blossoms at night
And the faces of people
Moved by music

Issa

Enzo 99

Enzo 98

Anachronism

I can say that by nature I am an anachronist. This definition from here, seems to sum it up.

"An anachronist, on the other hand, is a person who refuses to blindly embrace the fashions and modes of life characteristic of his time. That, he says, would be a temporal prejudice; a more enlightened view would find that the past contains treasures which have been lost to us, but which can–so we hope–be recovered."

I shave with a straight razor, even if Gillette says one blade good five blades better. I investigate cultures and customs from the past. I hold religious beliefs which mankind have held for thousands of years prior to the rise of the Abrahamic traditions. I regularly read archaeology journals. At the core of things I have this idea that possibly this rapid acceleration brought on by the industrial revolution, means we have left some things behind which we should be holding onto. This is not to say I don't appreciate sanitation, modern surgery, freely available coffee supplies and wifi. It just means that I feel sense of loss of something which is possibly intangible.

One of the reasons I am so fascinated with ancient craft techniques is that by learning them, it is possible to, through shared experience, connect in some way with craftsman from the past. In many traditions such as the martial art of the sword, Japanese culture has been able to keep the line of teacher to student unbroken. This is mostly due to their policy of voluntary cultural isolation, eschewing modern things as non Japanese. This unbroken line is what makes learning Japanese metal techniques most attractive to me. Many western traditions have been revived or reverse engineered, we have manuscripts describing sword techniques, woodcuts depicting medieval workshops as well as surviving material evidence which can be studied. However, the act of teaching a student, passing on the knowledge your teacher gave you carries with it thousands of both practical as well as less tangible things such as correct mindset or attitude.

The Japanese government recognise the value in these traditional disciplines and make funding available for small schools to continue. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer people are willing to endure the traditional apprenticeship required to receive not just the physical skills but the mental fortitude the exacting traditions demand. Fortunately, this has allowed a few westerners who have shown such dedication to be allowed to learn and then teach and so continue the line of master to student.

Jake Powning

Jake Powning is a Canadian sword maker and wood carver. I have followed his work for several years. His work focusses on keeping ancient techniques and cultural concepts alive.

http://powning.com/jake/about-jake-2/

As a craftsman interested in ancient cultures and techniques, I really enjoy his pieces. He also writes a blog and interacts with people who share his interests.

It is encouraging to find these small pockets of people who are continuing and in some cases reverse engineering traditional techniques. In many cases it is not just a technique people are looking for but a way to share a certain mindset with those who came before.

In Powning's case the mindset is to walk the border between myth and reality, to cast aside modern cynicism and allow oneself to believe in a little magic just as our forebears did. In Jungian terms, the myth and magic are keys to our subconscious mind from whence creativity and art spring.

Something I struggle with in the creative process is to let go of my analytical cynical mind and allow myself to show the more child like, magic believing, dragon fearing side of my nature.

http://society6.com/jakepowning/prints

Enzo 97

There is love in your body but you can't hold it in
It pours from your eyes and spills from your skin
Tenderest touch leaves the darkest of marks
And the kindest of kisses break the hardest of hearts

Florence and the machine