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Garden of Cherry Trees Handbook

How to make a hard leather tsuba



Introduction

In these few words I collect the final result of a differents hobbies and ways I practise since

some years. I must be grateful to those people helped me to reach my aims, first of all my

father, that teached to me woodworking (as my grandfather and grand grand father did

before). Then I must thank my mother that sustained me in martial arts practise. A lot of

thanks to my Master, Granati Roberto sensei that believed in my since the first day and

showed to me the real bushido spirit. Special thanks to Master Luigi Carniel, founder and

director of the dell'Académie Neuchâteloise de Arts Martiaux Japonais of Neuchâtel that

showed to me how the knowledge in martial arts practice are an invaluable treasure that has

to be shared with everyone. Thanks to all of them

I apologize for my English but it isn’t my mother language and so I hope you

forgive me

Before the plastic

The use of leather, wood or horn for making tsuba is quite old and it’s due to the necessity to

riproduce the iron of the tsuba mounted on katana. A hard tsuba is generally used in some

traditional kenjutsu schools as Ono-ha Itto Ryu, Kashima Shinto Ryu but also for the practice

of modern kendo kata. A plastic tsuba is very common, for its low cost, but the traditional

practise implies the use of a traditional tool.

Hard leather

You can make hard leather in different ways. Here I speak about the simplest of all. You have

to put your leather patch in a container with cold water. Wait until leather is totally soaked

(the time depends how thick is the patch). Take the soaked patch and dry it as fast as

possible (put under the solar rays or use a hair drier, NOT the oven!!!), pressing it between

heavy and plane surfaces (heavy books or boxes). Leather can also be found already

hardened in local stires with cobbler’s goods. DO THE HARDENING PROCESS ONLY ON

SOFT LEATHER AND ONLY AFTER DOING ALL ACTIONS EXCEPT THE FINAL

DECORATION



Materials

� A small saw

� Leather patch of 100 x 100 x 4 mm

� A screw

� HB pencil

� A plastic tsuba for model

� Fine grained sandpaper and files for last finishes



How to work

1. Draw the tsuba. By hand or using a model, draw your tsuba



2. Cut the external border using the saw

3. pierce the nakago ana (central hole): using the screw pierce the central hole



4. Put the saw inside the central hole

5. saw the nakago ana



6. Finish the borders: using the fine grain sandpaper and the files smooth the edges.

Check for a comfortable fit for the bokuto



7. decorate the tsuba (IF YOU WANT): eventually using a hot tip or leather colors decorate

the tsuba

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