Bugu Tanto (武具) – Arms and Armor

Bugu (武具): the arms of the warrior

The word bugu refers to the full equipment of the Japanese warrior: weapons, armour and combat accessories. For the samurai, these objects were far more than tools, they carried the honour of the family and were passed down from generation to generation.

This tanto takes bugu as the very motif of its tsuba, where stylised weapons are sculpted and pierced through the blackened metal. Across the saya, a dragon in relief stands watch, like the warrior’s own guardian.

A shōbu-zukuri blade with a genuine gunome midare hamon

The blade is forged in T10 steel, a high-carbon steel prized for its hardness and edge retention. It has been clay-tempered, a process that brings forth a genuine gunome midare hamon, well-defined against the polished steel.

The geometry follows the shōbu-zukuri form, the iris-leaf profile: a longitudinal ridge with no distinct yokote, lending the point a fluid, uninterrupted line. A bo-hi is carved along the flat. The blade is hand-sharpened, a level of artisanal finish that makes itself felt.

A buke-zukuri mounting with stylised weapon motifs

The mokkō-gata tsuba in blackened ferrous alloy presents a granular ishime surface, with stylised weapon motifs rendered in raised relief (takabori) and pierced openwork, finished with a rounded rim (maru-mimi). A gilt brass seppa accompanies it.

The fuchi in blackened alloy echoes the ishime granular surface, while the kashira in plain blackened alloy features a cap through which the wrapping passes. The handle pairs wood with black faux rayskin beneath a brown tsuka-ito in hineri-maki, with black menuki. The ichimai habaki in gilt brass is engraved with hatching, chevrons and striations.

A black saya with a dragon in relief

The saya is crafted in hardwood, coated in a high-gloss black roiro-nuri lacquer, across which runs a polychrome black-and-amber dragon in high relief. The koiguchi is lacquered in high-gloss black, and the rounded kojiri (maru) completes the scabbard. The black-lacquered kurikata with gilt brass shitodome accommodates a brown cotton sageo.

Dimensions and handling of the tanto

With a blade of 33 cm and an overall length of 55 cm, Bugu is a tanto of generous proportions. Its 17 cm handle offers a firm one-handed grip. At 0.7 kg, it remains light in hand. Sheathed, it measures 57 cm, a format that showcases the relief dragon to its full effect on a display stand.