Yūhi no Hana Tanto (夕日の花) – Sunset Flower

Yūhi no Hana (夕日の花): the flower of the setting sun

Yūhi is the setting sun, that warm orange light that sets the sky ablaze at the close of day. Paired with the flower (hana), it evokes a fleeting moment of beauty, a recurring image in the Japanese poetic tradition.

This tanto draws directly from that palette: a vivid metallic orange saya, a blade shimmering with copper reflections, and silver fittings scattered with engraved blossoms, like petals caught in the last light of the afternoon.

A manganese steel blade with copper reflections

The blade is forged in manganese steel, a robust alloyed steel. It brings together two distinct tones (steel and copper) that echo the shifting hues of the setting sun. It features a midare-style line: a decorative hamon. The blade has no bo-hi.

Silver fittings engraved with blossoms

The tsuba is a small rounded guard in silver alloy, adorned with floral motifs. The fuchi and kashira, also in silver alloy, are engraved with matching flowers, in keeping with the guard.

The tsuka combines wood with a faux white ray skin, wrapped in a diamond-pattern white tsuka-ito, allowing silver menuki to show through. The habaki, in gilded brass, is engraved and brushed.

A metallic orange lacquered saya

The saya is crafted from hardwood and finished with a metallic orange lacquer that catches the light and lends this tanto its striking vitality. A white sageo, matched to the tsuka-ito, tempers the boldness of that colour.

Dimensions and handling

With a 33 cm blade and an overall length of 55 cm, Yūhi no Hana is a generously proportioned tanto. Its 17 cm tsuka sits comfortably in a single hand. At 0.7 kg, it remains pleasingly light. Sheathed, it measures 57 cm, a format that presents beautifully on a stand or within a collection.