time	2009
style	Hira-zukuri
length	21.5cm / 7sun 1bu
carve	uchi-zori
basis width	1.7cm / 5bu 6rin
basis thick	0.5cm / 1bu 7rin
mekugihole	1
koshirae	Imperial Japanese navy naval dirk
chest	Walnut-tree

The Imperial Japanese Naval Dirk: A proper and legitimate possession of men. The dirk shows a striking contrast of black and gold and has a sensual form. It represents cherry blossoms, navy and, of course, the Japanese sword. The dirk is filled with essence that captures the heart of men in the East and the West.

Two kinds of Naval Dirks which imitated the Western dirk were used for the imperial navy guided by Royal Navy in 1873.
1883, the navy newly enacted the dirk for officers. As for a guard, each tip is bent by the hook type and a blade collar is attached to a blade.
The backstrap of a hilt is abolished and a dome shape pommel is attached. And a pattern with a splendid cherry-blossoms leaf is attached to metal parts.

The forms of the dirk of the officer use adopted at this time were the foundations of the subsequent Naval dirk. In 1914,
it became a style of all the naval officers and cadet common including an Admiral, and basic format did not change to the end of the war.

It is relatively easy now to obtain the Imperial Japanese Naval Dirks at military equipment stores and sword shops. However, as it has been more than 60 years since the World War II ended, most of them are worn and torn with rotten scabbard wood and deformed or missing metal fittings. Is there any way we could recover their old-day beam? --- This is how our “Restoration Project for the Imperial Naval Dirks” started.

First we looked for dirks without missing parts or defects, among which we selected ones with matching numbers of ferrules, seppa and crossguard. Sadly, only one out of thirty dirks would meet this requirement for metal fittings. Next, we removed metal fittings and contacted separate craftsmen for different parts such as blades, scabbards/hilts, and metal fittings.

For the blade, we asked a sword smith Akimitsu Yokoi, who has a forging studio in Okayama City of Okayama Prefecture, to produce a new piece. The blade of a dirk is so-called hira-zukuri tanto, but it is as short as 21cm and has a particular shape that is extremely slim without a curve. Usually, if such a small knife goes through yakiire, it tends to curve or its ji-ha becomes weak, but the form of Akimitsu’s blade did not change (this requires an extremely high-level of skills and only a few sword makers have them at the present day), and maintained brilliant and dignifying ji-ha.

The scabbard and the hilt were sent to a sword scabbard maker. They were re-made into roughly original scale so that they balance with metal fittings and the blade. This requires precision as the scabbard is extremely thin and the area around koikuchi where habaki is placed needs fine adjustment as small as 0.1mm.

Then the scabbard was painted with lacquer produced in Japan. Deep but transparent black and solid endurance unique to lacquer is achieved by repeating the process of painting and polishing. Although original scabbards have sharkskin or cow hide on top of wooden base, and lacquer is painted over it, this dirk has lacquer directly over the wooden material in order to emphasize the mystic deepness of black lacquer.

All of the metal fittings including habaki were newly plated. Especially for the pommel crown, ferrule, locket and shoe, the method of Seto plating used at the time of the original make was used. This Seto plating is an old method that uses a paddle, but no longer used these days; thus there is no craftsman who is familiar to this method. There are other plating techniques, but we could not make a compromise since this texture achieved by Seto plating determines the quality of the entire dirk. We were fortunate to be able to find a plating specialist who once worked with Seto plating.

When we told the president of this company our story of the Naval Dirk restoration, he agreed and accepted our request. And, the president himself challenged the revival of Seto plating with a paddle! He accomplished the desired color after a few weeks of try-and-error; we made it through the biggest challenge for restoring this dirk.

Strictly saying, the quality of gold is by far better than the one in the old-time plating, which makes the gold color slightly stronger. However, at the final assembly, the gold and black colors brought out the best result with impressive contrast and rich beauty.

Although the process from conception to completion took more time than we had expected, it was exciting and fulfilling to see the dirk gradually coming to its own life. As you can see here, this is not the exact restoration of the original; however, the beauty and nobility is what the Naval Dirk is, and we are confident that the dirk represents more than fully its quality.

Among the various styles of Naval Dirks around the world, it is not an overstatement that the Japanese dirk is made by wisdom and technology of the Japanese sword over the 2,000-year history.
The dirk also shows us the spirit of the Japanese who were trying to reach the Western world at that time. The dirk brings a noble and refreshing wind into those who look at it.

When you unlock the box, please take a moment to calm your mind and breathe deeply to straighten your back.

The officer dirk did not stop at the symbol of an officer individual's soul, but were social standing, authority, and the symbol of masculinity itself. For the naval officer, the dirk was a symbol of pride and honor.

This dirk comes with our special walnut chest. When you unlock its brass key and open the lid, you will find a depressed space covered with scarlet suede for the dirk to rest. The box itself would be a wonderful addition to your furnishings when placed on a display shelf or a sideboard, and create a classic and manly atmosphere.

*We experienced something amazing at the time of delivery. When we placed the dirk in the box at the chest making company, the colors of gold, black and scarlet created a mystic harmony in the light. It was as if we had been watching a holly treasure. We looked at the dirk without a word… until the lid was finally closed.

This item is returnable. Should you wish to return this item,
please follow carefully the guidelines and Return Policy below.

• Only item price over 200,000. yen.
• We accept only intact item (except unwrapping).
• We will charge 10% of item price as a restocking fee.
• Customers are responsible for shipping fees for return.
• We will pay for refund charges in Japan.
• We will refund your bank account on a yen basis.
• Customers are responsible for bank charges on their account.
• We will refund after we receive the item back and inspect the condition of it.
• Return Policy