Otohime Tanto (乙姫) – Sea Princess

Otohime (乙姫): the Sea Princess

Otohime is the princess of the dragon palace beneath the waves (the Ryūgū-jō) at the heart of the celebrated legend of Urashima Tarō. The fisherman, rewarded for rescuing a sea turtle, was welcomed into her palace and lived at her side through what seemed only a matter of days, only to find on his return that centuries had passed.

This tanto pays tribute to her through its saya: a feminine figure and white waves in mother-of-pearl inlay, set against a brown lacquer through which the wood grain shows, like light filtering through water.

A damascus steel blade with satin polish

The blade is crafted in damascus steel, formed by layering and folding multiple sheets of steel. The damascus pattern, playing between light and dark grey, runs the full length of the blade, brought to life by a satin polish.

It follows a shinogi-zukuri geometry with a compact ko-kissaki point. Neither hamon nor bo-hi are present, allowing the damascus to speak without interruption.

A restrained black hamidashi mounting

This tanto is mounted in hamidashi style, with a very small round (maru-gata) guard in polished blackened alloy that barely extends beyond the handle. A gilded brass seppa accompanies it.

The fuchi and kashira in polished blackened alloy are smooth, the kashira finished with an oval cap. The handle combines wood with a black faux ray skin, beneath a black tsuka-ito wrapped in hineri-maki, with black menuki. The ichimai habaki in gilded brass carries a raised crosshatch motif.

A brown saya with mother-of-pearl inlay

The saya is solid wood, covered in a translucent brown lacquer that allows the wood grain to show through. It is decorated with white waves and a feminine figure in mother-of-pearl inlay, in the manner of raden. The koiguchi is plain black and the kojiri amber. The black lacquered kurikata holds a black sageo with gold patterning.

Dimensions and handling

With a 33 cm blade and an overall length of 55 cm, Otohime is a tanto of generous proportions. Its 17 cm handle sits securely in one hand, and the reduced guard lends it a slender, refined silhouette. At 0.7 kg, it remains notably light. It measures 57 cm within its saya, a format that shows its mother-of-pearl decoration to full advantage on a display stand.